Tag Archives: writingtips

A Duckman’s Odyssey

Posted on May 22, 2023 by Mark Hayes

I have personally been far more involved with Harvey 13 than any Harvey previously. the bulk of the work is still being done by the ever wonderful Gillie Hatton of 6E publishing, but I am one of a triumvirate of submissions editors curating the collection to an extent… So I have a degree of pride wrapped up in this one and more skin in the game. It is however a great collection of stories. Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, books, fantasy, fiction, Hannibal Smyth, Harvey Duckman, horror, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, Lovecraft, novels, Passing Place, pointless things of wonderfulness, reads, sci-fi, steampunk, supernatural, writes, writing | Tagged amreading, books, reads, sciencefiction, steampunk, writer, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtips | 1 Comment

Strange drafts

Posted on May 19, 2023 by Mark Hayes

Inspired by a conversation late night in the pub, mostly centred around advice to prospective writers and how best to get started with the whole being a writer thing… Starting with the single most important piece of advice you can give any writer…

Write Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, editing, fiction, humour, quotes, writes, writing | Tagged quotes, reads, writer, writerslife, writing, writingtips | Leave a comment

Writing Groups, a guest blog by Liz Tuckwell

Posted on April 19, 2023 by Mark Hayes

For Mark’s annual Indie Month, I thought I’d write something about my experience of writing groups. Writing is a solitary pursuit, but writers like to get together to discuss their craft and occasionally have a good moan about writing and publishing. Continue reading →

Posted in #amwriting, amreading, amwriting, Harvey Duckman, indie, indie novels, indie writers, IndieApril, indiewriter, writes, writing | Tagged harveyduckman, reads, sciencefiction, writer, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtips | 4 Comments

Unblocking the Dam: Guest Post by Kate Baucherel

Posted on March 30, 2023 by Mark Hayes

Kate Baucherel, fellow Harvy Duckman author, expert in anything with the words cyber or crypto in fount of them, black belt in some form of violent sport or other and occasional drinker of Guinness, with some interesting thoughts. I think this sort of thing should be encouraged… Continue reading →

Posted in amwriting, indie, indie writers, indiewriter, opinion, reads, sci-fi, writing | Tagged amwritingscifi, books, sciencefiction, scifiscarbrough, writer, writers, writerslife, writing, writingcommunity, writingtips | Leave a comment

Eating the Livers of my Lovers: A guest post by Nimue Brown

Posted on March 28, 2023 by Mark Hayes

The full title of this blog is ‘Eating the livers of my lovers and other poems I now have to write because Mark gave me a title’ Which was a writing prompt I gave to the ever wonderful Nimue Brown when she asked the world to do so. Having supplied this title I abdicate all responsibility thence*. The rest is all Nimue… Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, blogging, books, druidry, fiction, IndieApril, indiewriter, pagan, reads | Tagged amreading, folklore, steampunk, writer, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtips | 3 Comments

Steampunk Fiction, what is it?

Posted on March 23, 2023 by Mark Hayes

Anyone who knows anything about the Steampunk subculture will generally answer the question “What is steampunk?” with words to the effect of “Whatever you want it to be..!”

This is of course an absurdly unhelpful answer. Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, books, Canadian steampunk, fiction, Hannibal Smyth, indie, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, novels, opinion, reads, steampunk, writing | Tagged books, reads, sciencefiction, steampunk, writer, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtips | 6 Comments

The rules of write #2

Posted on January 31, 2023 by Mark Hayes

I’m not a great fan of talking about characters in terms of ‘her/his truth’. Though it is a concept I understand, my problem with the concept is it is by nature restrictive. Which is to say that the concept states that I, a white upper working class British man in his early fifties, should not write about the experience of an African American soldier born in the early 1900’s in the southern states of the US, because I can not know, or speak for, that characters ‘truth…’ Continue reading →

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Piano Man, A Guest Post by Will Nett

Posted on January 20, 2023 by Mark Hayes

Like most authors, I’ll do almost anything to avoid writing. Buying a piano a couple of years ago seemed as good an idea as any. I’d always fancied having a crack at it, but would not have gone out of my way to find one, so when a friend was selling one, and another had a van in which to deliver it, I was first in line. Continue reading →

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The rules of writing… #1

Posted on January 18, 2023 by Mark Hayes

This is a bit of a rant I know. This is also just my opinion, yours might differ… But if you think any writer should only write that which they personally experience due to their gender, sexuality and skin colour, then yours is an opinion I don’t give much of a damn about, because I believe you are fundamentally wrong Continue reading →

Posted in #amwriting, amreading, amwriting, big questions, humanrights, indiewriter, opinion, quotes, rant, reads, writes, writing | Tagged authors, books, reads, sciencefiction, steampunk, writer, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtips | 2 Comments

NaNoWriMo: Or how to first draft 2022 edition

Posted on October 25, 2022 by Mark Hayes

With the 1st of November a week away here is my usual mildly self-aggrandising of attempting to offer some advice to budding writers, or as it is otherwise known the story of how I wrote my first novel. It is also the story of how I wrote my nineteenth novel. Continue reading →