Welcome to My Writing Blog!

I Write a Blog about Writing... How very meta!

While you may have found yourself on this site thanks to a post of mine on affirmation, or some family travel content or a blog post about Amsterdam, the fact that you're now here tells me you're interested in knowing more about my writing blogs. Good! You're in the right place! 

I am a freelance writer, indie author and lover of words. I've been writing professionally since 2010 and I've been writing and publishing books since 2012. While my freelance work is mostly related to communications now - social media, newsletters, blog posts, articles etc - for my own projects I write fiction, poetry, non-fiction, affirmations, and anything in between. Unless you're half asleep - which as a copywriter is a problem I would like to know about - you may have guessed I love writing. Maybe you do too?

If you do, stick around. Below is a list of my best writing blogs for writers. Here you can find posts on how to write more, how to write quicker, how to choose between fiction and non-fiction, how to take part in daily writing challenges like NaNoWriMo or #the100dayproject, as well as personal posts like why running makes me a better writer and why I haven't finished or published a novel yet (despite trying and trying and trying for years). I also share my most favourite writing playlist that I'm always adding to, as well as documenting my journey writing my current book in a series of posts I have ingeniously called How to Write a Book.

Writing Blogs to Help Writers... but Why?

I've been sharing my writing journey for over six years now, when I completed my first NaNoWriMo in 2011. During that frankly terrifying but also brilliant month of November I finished the first draft of what would be my first book, Shy Feet: Short Stories Inspired by Travel which was published in September the following year. That November, again for NaNoWriMo, I wrote the beginning of what would become my second book, London Eyes: Short Stories and because of all I'd learned the previous year, despite the word count being twice as long it took me half the time to publish that book, which I did in August the following year. In 2016 I published my third collection of short stories, called Nine Women, and since then I have been slowly working a novel idea while also writing poetry and affirmations which I share for free on this blog and on Instagram.

Alongside this, in 2011, I left a corporate job to pursue a new freelance career in writing at the same time as my partner and I left the UK for indefinite travel. Since then I have built up a freelance writing and content creation business I'm very proud of and still enjoy doing (when I have time as I spend at least half of my week at home with my two young children). Thanks to this blog I work mostly with either Amsterdam-based or travel-related clients (or both!), which I love. 

It may sound like I write a lot, and I guess I do. But while I love writing and it's what I want to do more and more with my time both professionally and for personal pleasure, it's true that I still find it hard. I find it hard to motivate myself. I find it hard to feel confident in what I'm doing. I find it hard to feel focused, and to feel like I know what I'm doing. It's for these reasons, and many others, that I have been sharing my writing journey on this blog for many years, and it's also why I created WriteNOW Cards - affirmation cards for writers to help them feel less alone on their own writing journey.

Writing is something we normally do alone and for many people (myself included!) that will in itself is part of the act's joy, but it doesn't have to make us feel lonely or alone in the struggles we have. Nor do you have to feel like you're doing it wrong - I honestly believe there is no wrong way to write, just for the record - so if you need a little advice or a couple of tips from someone who has been there and done it already, consider this page and this writing blog a place to seek out that writing information.

My Best Writing Blog Posts

I've separated this round-up of my writing blog posts into three different categories so that you can dip into the blogs that will most likely appeal to you because of what you write, or will help you because of where you're at right now on your writing journey. If there's something you'd like to know more about, send me a message on Twitter or Instagram, as that's where I hang out most (when I almost certainly should be writing) although I am on Facebook, just not quite as much.

Writing Blogs for all Writers

Buy your own pack of WriteNOW Cards here!!!

Best Writing Playlist & Music to Write to

The Best Gifts for Writers

What is Writer's Block - And How to Survive It

Tips for Building a Regular Writing Habit (in Just Ten Minutes)

Tips & Tricks to Help You Learn How to Write Quickly

How to Protect Your Writing Time (and Write More!)

How to Write Every Single Day

Three Secret Ingredients for Writing Regularly

The Best Apps for Productive Writing

The Best Apps for Writing Fiction

Should You Write Fiction or Non-Fiction?

Tips for Writing a First Draft

Why All Writers Need Affirmation

How Running Makes Me a Better Writer

Reader's Story: Why I Decided to Crowdfund My Book

The New Year's Resolutions All Writers Should Make

Writing Tips for New Mothers

Lessons Learned from Writing 100 Poems in 100 Days

Why Taking a Break from Writing is Good For You

Why I Haven't Written a Novel Yet

The Best Twitter Hashtags for Writers

Inspiring Writing Quotes (You've Probably Not Heard Before)

Writing Blogs about Freelance Writing

How to (Really) Become a Freelance Writer

Reader's Story: How I Became a Freelance Writer

Honest Advice & Tips for Freelancing Parents

12 Lessons Learned in Three Years as a Freelance Writer

Productivity Tip for Parents with Freelancing/Creative Projects

How to Achieve Inbox Zero (and Keep It!)

My Writing Routine Explained

and an Update Here!

Reader's Story: How I Freelance While Travelling

Reader's Story: How Do I Build a Remote Freelance Business?

Reader's Story: I Want to Work Remotely as a Freelancer, But What Should I Do?

My How to Write a Book Series of Posts

Bookmark this page for a place to find all the posts in the How to Write a Book series of posts, but if you want to jump in to one of them, here they are listed for you to pick where to start.

Learn How to Write a Book with Me

Part One: Finding a Good Book/Story Idea

Part Two: Tips for Developing Your Story/Book Idea

Part Three: How to Write a Story/Book Outline

Part Four: How to Do Character Development

Part Four BONUS: List of 70+ Character Development Questions

Writing Blogs for NaNoWriMo Inspiration

100 (Quick, Easy & Fun!) NaNoWriMo Prep Prompts for Preptober

21 Good Reasons You Should Do NaNoWriMo

How to Get Ready for NaNoWriMo: Tips & Advice

Are You Ready to Write: A NaNoWriMo Prep Checklist

How to Get Ahead at NaNoWriMo Before 1st November

The Only NaNoWriMo Tips & Advice You'll Ever Need

Tips for Doing a Daily Creative Writing Challenge

Ten Tips for Your First NaNoWriMo

How to Successfully Do NaNoWriMo as a Parent

What is a NaNoRebel? (And Are You One?)

Lessons Learned from Losing NaNoWriMo

Lessons Learned from My First NaNoWriMo

30 Days of NaNoWriMo Inspiration (Scroll to the bottom!)

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