Tag Archives: writingtips

The inner voice…

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Mark Hayes

One of the hardest things to do as a writer, in my opinion, is to write in a character’s voice rather than your own. It is a skill that takes time to learn, and more time to master. How much … Continue reading →

Posted in amwriting, cider lane, Esqwiths, Hannibal Smyth, Passing Place, publication, rant, writes, writing | Tagged #amwriting, amediting, amwritingscifi, authors, writer, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtips | 1 Comment

Kind words and thanks…

Posted on August 12, 2018 by Mark Hayes

This post is by way of a follow up to ‘The Waiting Room of the Psyche‘ which I posted back at the dying embers of June. To be specific, it relates to a particular part of that post which was … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, book reviews, books, depression, Esqwiths, goodreads, Hannibal Smyth, indie, indie novels, opinion, pointless things of wonderfulness, reads, sci-fi, self-publishing, writes, writing | Tagged bookreview, mentalhealth, rants, reads, reviews, writer, writerslife, writing, writingtips | Leave a comment

NOT a cover reveal…

Posted on August 8, 2018 by Mark Hayes

This is not a cover reveal (quite apart from anything else, even though it is heavily manipulated by me the artwork isn’t mine) it’s just one of several mockups I have for cover designs. It just happens to be my … Continue reading →

Posted in amwriting, books, Hannibal Smyth, novels, pointless things of wonderfulness, self-publishing, writes, writing | Tagged #amwriting, bookblog, bookcovers, books, covers, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtips | Leave a comment

Valuing your craft… reprised…

Posted on July 31, 2018 by Mark Hayes

How do you value the results of your craft? It’s one of those questions that’s always hard to answer, and harder to answer as a writer than, for example, as a carpenter. You might want to bear with me here for … Continue reading →

Posted in amwriting, blogging, indie, indie novels, opinion, politics, rant, self-publishing, writes, writing | Tagged #amwriting, ciderlane, Hannibal Smyth, Passing Place, rants, reading, reads, writer, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtips | 1 Comment

Reading between the lines…

Posted on July 22, 2018 by Mark Hayes

I had one of those conversations on Friday, the ones every writer dreads. Okay maybe not every writer, I am making a grand assumption here based on a small pool of reference, but hell grand assumptions are what make the … Continue reading →

Posted in #amwriting, amreading, quotes, writes, writing | Tagged #amwriting, amediting, writer, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtips | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in books, Esqwiths, goodnews, goodreads, Hannibal Smyth, indie, indie novels, novels, opinion, Passing Place, pointless things of wonderfulness, reads, writes, writing | Tagged #amwriting, amediting, books, Hannibal Smyth, Passing Place, writerslife, writingtips | 1 Comment

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

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 →

Posted in opinion, pointless things of wonderfulness, Uncategorized, writes, writing | Tagged #amwriting, amediting, nanowrimo, writerslife, writing, writingtips | 1 Comment

Whats in a title…

Posted on April 17, 2018 by Mark Hayes

I’ve just finished writing the first draft of a short Hannibal Smyth crossover novelette that is set in Esqwiths Passing Place. I’ve not made mention of this before now because it started out as an experiment a week ago when … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Passing Place, pointless things of wonderfulness, publication, sci-fi, steampunk, writes, writing | Tagged #passingplace, Hannibal Smyth, nanowrimo, novels, wordpress, writer, writerslife, writing, writingtip, writingtips | Leave a comment

The Read Through…(or the narative atom)…

Posted on March 23, 2018 by Mark Hayes

The read-through is a task I always approach with a certain ambivalence. I both love and hate doing it, but I also recognise just how essential they are, both as a writer in general and when you’re working on an edit. It’s … Continue reading →