Yesterday 'A Trick of the Mind' Penny Hancock's latest novel went on sale and since I loved her novel 'Tideline' I am very happy to be taking part in this blog tour. Please stop by on Monday to read my review of 'A Trick of the Mind'
Today Penny Hancock will share her top tips for aspiring writers. So if you are planning to start writing your own novel or already started but could use some extra tips read on and pay close attention....
Top Tips for aspiring writers
If you want to write, then WRITE. It sounds obvious but you’d be surprised at how many people have an idea and then expect it to write itself. The fact is you have to apply your bottom to a chair, and put words on a page. It doesn’t matter if they are rubbish, you can change them later, but you need to get writing. Or you have nothing,
Make time for it. No one starts out with whole luxurious days to write in. We all have other jobs and responsibilities, so if you want to write you have to carve out the time to do it. I advised one woman who said she had young children and didn’t have time to write, to treat writing as her ‘me time.’ If you love writing, then put it before other leisure pursuits such as watching TV or going to the gym. I’ve always seen writing as a privilege, something I do to reward myself for other things rather than something that deserves rewarding.
Don’t give up. Everyone who is literate can write and there is an awful lot of competition out there and it’s easy to become deflated or despondent, but having a passion for writing, and determination, will ensure you keep at it, which is definitely a prerequisite for becoming successful.
Choose some readers. I’m not a great fan of writing workshops, personally, though they can be extremely helpful for some people, but it is important to have readers who will feedback because it’s hard to get enough distance from your own work by yourself to judge it objectively. Steven King calls these people his ‘IRs’ -ideal readers- people you know you can trust to be honest and offer positive criticism.
Last but not least ENJOY it! If you don’t love writing this will come through. And if you love it, then nothing you write will be wasted.
Make time for it. No one starts out with whole luxurious days to write in. We all have other jobs and responsibilities, so if you want to write you have to carve out the time to do it. I advised one woman who said she had young children and didn’t have time to write, to treat writing as her ‘me time.’ If you love writing, then put it before other leisure pursuits such as watching TV or going to the gym. I’ve always seen writing as a privilege, something I do to reward myself for other things rather than something that deserves rewarding.
Don’t give up. Everyone who is literate can write and there is an awful lot of competition out there and it’s easy to become deflated or despondent, but having a passion for writing, and determination, will ensure you keep at it, which is definitely a prerequisite for becoming successful.
Choose some readers. I’m not a great fan of writing workshops, personally, though they can be extremely helpful for some people, but it is important to have readers who will feedback because it’s hard to get enough distance from your own work by yourself to judge it objectively. Steven King calls these people his ‘IRs’ -ideal readers- people you know you can trust to be honest and offer positive criticism.
Last but not least ENJOY it! If you don’t love writing this will come through. And if you love it, then nothing you write will be wasted.
Have you committed a crime ...or are you the victim of one?
Driving down to the cottage in Southwold she's newly inherited from her Aunty May, Ellie senses she is on the edge of something new. The life she's always dreamed of living as a successful artist seems as though it is about to begin. So excited is she that she barely notices when the car bumps against something on the road.
That evening Ellie hears a news flash on the radio. A man was seriously injured in a hit and run on the very road she was driving down that evening. Then Ellie remembers the thump she heard. Could she have been responsible for putting a man in hospital? Unable to hold the doubts at bay, she decides to visit the victim to lay her mind to rest, little knowing that the consequences of this decision will change her life forever.
After several years in London, Penny Hancock now lives in Cambridge with her husband and three children. She is a part-time primary school teacher at a speech and language school and has travelled extensively as a language teacher. Her debut novel, Tideline, was published to rave reviews and was a Richard & Judy Bookclub pick.
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