Category Archives: writes

Writers on reading…

Posted on July 9, 2018 by Mark Hayes

The old sage and great whit Stephen King says in ‘On Writing‘ “If you want to be a writer you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” Occasionally I forget the former when … Continue reading →

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The waiting room of the psyche…

Posted on June 28, 2018 by Mark Hayes

I am a little bi-polar, though that is not unusual, almost everyone is to a degree. We all have highs and lows, and our moods swing between them. the truly bipolar are just those for whom the swing between extremes … Continue reading →

Posted in depression, goodnews, goodreads, Hannibal Smyth, insomnia, opinion, Passing Place, self-publishing, writes, writing | Tagged #amwriting, #scifi, amwritingscifi, steampunk, writer, writerslife, writingtip | 1 Comment

New release…

Posted on June 19, 2018 by Mark Hayes

Well, it’s finally out there. Though… For reasons I am not entirely sure of the kindle version (edit kindle version now live too) is taking some time to go live, however, available in paperback NOW for the tiny price … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, books, booksale, Esqwiths, fiction, Hannibal Smyth, indie, kindlesale, nanowrimo, novels, Passing Place, publication, reads, sci-fi, steampunk, world book day, writes, writing | Tagged #scifi, amreadingscifi, bookblog, bookcovers, books, booksale, reading, reads, sciencefiction, steampunk | 3 Comments

Piano Player or Pianist…

Posted on June 15, 2018 by Mark Hayes

Sam, he who was famously, but never actually, asked to ‘Play it again,‘ was the piano player in Rick’s bar in Casablanca. To my mind, that is whom he is, ‘The Piano Player’, he has never been ‘The Pianist’. That … Continue reading →

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Rambling through a full edit…

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Mark Hayes

Stephen King explains in On Writing that his approach to second drafts and editing involves reducing the word count of a novel by a good ten per cent. Having read my fair share of Mr Kings novels, one hates to … Continue reading →

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Advice for writers in a slump

Posted on June 9, 2018 by Mark Hayes

A facebook friend struggling with their first novel was asking for advice or more accurately was bemoaning the struggle they are having getting words on paper. So after telling them not to be so hard on themselves. I wrote out … Continue reading →

Posted in #amwriting, nanowrimo, rant, writes, writing | Tagged #amwriting, amediting, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtips | 1 Comment

Writing The End…

Posted on May 25, 2018 by Mark Hayes

Back in March, I wrote a post called ‘Searching for an ending’ about the struggles I was having with my latest novel ‘A Spider in the Eye, a Hannibal Smyth Adventure. Since then I have spent a lot of time doing just … Continue reading →

Posted in books, fiction, goodreads, indie novels, novels, Passing Place, self-publishing, steampunk, writes, writing | Tagged #amwriting, #novel, Hannibal Smyth, nanowrimo, novels, steampunk, writing | 1 Comment

The Sunday Reviews #3

Posted on May 13, 2018 by Mark Hayes

Okay, your used to the drill by now no doubt and probably see no reason to read this first bit of waffle. Which is fair enough because I’m not sure why I’m writing this first bit of waffle. Other than as … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, book reviews, books, cider lane, fiction, goodreads, indie, indie novels, novels, publication, writes, writing | Tagged bookblog, books, indie, indiebooks, indienovels, kindle, kindleunlimited, novels, writers | 2 Comments

The Writers Imperative…

Posted on May 11, 2018 by Mark Hayes

‘It is not a chemically driven dependency, it’s simply a choice, after all, you chose to write, or not to write…’ Continue reading →

Posted in blogging, depression, rant, writes, writing | Tagged #amwriting, depression, mentalhealth, writer, writerslife, writing | 4 Comments

A Perfect Storm…

Posted on May 10, 2018 by Mark Hayes

Last night, around 11pm, somewhere between one too many coffees and the point where my mind stopped denying my body needs sleep, I hit a perfect storm. One of those rare moments when everything just clicks into place. A moment … Continue reading →