How to deal with negative reviews of your writing (without going crazy)
A writer’s guide to handling bad reviews If you write anything that gets enough reviews, it will, sadly, be criticised. It is just the way things are. If you write … Read More
Tag: writing
Self-Publishing Vs. Traditional Publishing: How Technology Is Changing The Game
Is self-publishing the new slush pile? Are publishers going out of business? Writers will be all too aware of the rapidly evolving world of getting a book published. I have … Read More
Write Every Day: The Daily Word Counts Of Great Authors
If you are writing a book, set a target like authors do One factor that distinguishes professional authors from aspiring ones is consistency. Most professionals write daily, regardless of the … Read More
Do Writers Really Work Better Drunk? Should you ‘Write Drunk, Edit Sober’?
Hemingway was actually against it… The aphorism ‘Write drunk, edit sober’ is often incorrectly attributed to Ernest Hemingway. After all, he was famous for writing and drinking, so it makes … Read More
Medium and Substack – the Strange, Lonely Business of Finding Readers
Medium and Substack are great in their own ways, but after months of earning almost nothing on Medium while my ‘weird history’ Substack grew, I changed my posting routine and … Read More
I was interviewed by an AI recruiter for the first time and it was weird
Apparently, interviews with an AI recruiter are becoming more common. I just had one, and the experience was a bit weird, but actually more normal than I would have thought. … Read More
Why Modern Novels Are Getting Longer (And Why Readers Love It)
There is a noticeable trend in modern publishing. Many of today’s most popular novels are getting longer Over the past few decades, data suggests that novels (particularly bestsellers and literary … Read More
New Year productivity and a shift in focus
Happy New Year, everyone! Lots of people I know seemed to have had a pretty crap 2025 – I hope you aren’t one of them – but I think we … Read More
Short stories are back – here’s why that’s great for writers
Every Writer Should Spend Time on Short Stories Short stories have always waxed and waned in popularity. Their earliest incarnations were myths, fables, and fireside legends, but the modern short … Read More
Substack Vs Medium – It Doesn’t Need To Be Either Or…
I’ve been writing on Medium and Substack for a while now. There is quite a lot of overlap in terms of content, but they are slightly different. Especially in the … Read More
Morning Writing Routine: Why 6 AM May Be Your Creative Sweet Spot
A morning writing routine is something I’ve heard of, but due to general slothfulness, not a practice I’ve tried. But I’ve been travelling a lot recently, from one side of … Read More
Outstanding Books About Writing: Classics That Will Inspire You
Listing outstanding books about writing is obviously going to be highly subjective. But these are definitely among the best loved and reviewed, and have all stood the test of time. … Read More
Work Smarter, Not Harder: Repurposing old Content Is Awesome
Repurposing articles is a great tool in a writer’s repertoire. When it comes to the wonderful world of online content, productivity, (namely speed and efficiency,) is key. As writers, we … Read More
I found a brilliant Huberman productivity technique
I love productivity methods and Dr Huberman is one of the big names in the biz. I think I spend too much time searching for these things because I’m innately … Read More
Ghostwriting pros and cons. Is it worthwhile or soul-destroying?
I used to do a lot of ghostwriting, and it has its pros and cons. I should preface this piece by noting that, as I have written 100s of ghostwritten … Read More
Inspired By Silicon Valley, I Now Want To Be A Quirky Coder. Hello Python!
I have been binge-watching Silicon Valley on HBO Max, and it has made me want to code. I think I am having a mid-life crisis, which might be related, but … Read More
How To Escape The Per-Word Trap And Make Real Money As A Writer
I have been paid per-word or per-hour for about five years now. In my previous bouts of freelance writing, dating back decades (I’m old), it was the same. For writers, … Read More
Switching Focus To Short Stories To Make A Fortune
Or a pittance. Time will tell… The popularity of short stories has waxed and waned over the decades. They have always been around as myths and fables like the Arthurian … Read More
AI Writes Poor Prose – Use It To Fix Procrastination
And how to make an AI assistant I use AI to cure my colossal procrastination but don’t use it for any writing – you can probably tell. I was a … Read More
Fantastic tunes to listen to help write more and focus
I listen to tunes when I write. This is often to drown out the noise of fellow humans, but I also really like it and it can induce flow state. … Read More