The Trials Of A Crime Writer: Planning New Stories

THE TRIALS OF A CRIME WRITER: PLANNING MORE STORIES

I gotta be honest here, after everything I went through last October, and the way things changed so much for me, I didn't know if I would ever be able to both return to being an author, and also be in a place to do more than revise, do edits, and publish. Those felt like very minimal typing needed. I already knew that it would be a lot harder for me to do a whole heap of things I'd been able to do before. From writing these posts, to doing scripts, to recording and captioning, and all of that. I had a lot of people say things like: dictation might work. I already knew it was not something I worked well with. For me to be able to tell a story, I had to be writing with hands rather than voice.

So when it's gotten to this point, the fact that in less than a month it will have been a year, and I am still here, and not just still here, but also, here, and writing, or at least planning to write makes me kinda emotional. I took a chunk of time off writing before the sepsis and such. I wanted to be able to spend some time doing both revisions and rewrites for older projects that I felt would need more time than I'd have been able to give them otherwise. I always planned to draft again at some point, in fact had tentatively booked April as my start month. It didn't happen, and I'll admit, during recovery, seeing those plans on my calendar, it hurt, it really did. I was at that stage where I didn't know still, and it kinda broke me for a time.

What makes me smile is that even though this April didn't happen, next April is looking like it might be a possible thing for me to start drafting two new books. For the first time ever really, I have allowed myself time to kinda really sketch out what I want from the books, and also where I want them to go. Normally when it comes to planning, my idea of it is, make a chapter list, and put like a couple of words for what should happen then. People see me and the way I'm so organised and assume that applies to drafting too. It does not. Those couple of words? Sometimes they are as descriptive as: Intro, school day, and X Meets Y.

So this is why a lot of my planning and organisational advice sticks to all the other ways I plan, because I would not even know where to begin with a proper outline, and by proper, I mean those who plan with a lot more detail than me, which to be fair, would not be hard!

That said, I do like fleshing out the story ideas. I can't always promise even half those ideas end up in the story itself, because it's more just me thinking that this thing would be great, and then I just never ever use it. An example would be for the Invisible Quartet, which to showcase how little I plan, was meant to be a duology, and Lights Out trilogy? Meant to be one book. Anyhoo, the example, I had a whole antagonist plan and character. I knew where I wanted them to come in and all their backstory. They never ever even got close to being hinted at, let alone mentioned!

So when it comes to being back to being able to actually plan stories I'm going to draft, it's lightness, and just joy at being able to be a writer again, to be able to start at the start again. I don't know how long it will take, I don't know what will come after those stories, if I will break for a bit and do more revision, I do know though that this is who I am, who I was meant to be, and I will never stop telling stories. They are mine to tell. 

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When Revisions End - The After Process

WHEN REVISIONS END

I've had this one on my list for a while, mostly because it was originally planned to be done when I went from mostly revision projects, to starting to go back towards maybe drafting again, and while that plan blew up in my face, it feels like something that should be talked about. At the end of the day, a lot of the time things in the author life operate on a kind of: you'll know what it's time. 

Which, okay, fair, but what if you don't 'know'? Like is there a checklist somewhere I can go through and just have some idea of when this knowing should happen? Will there be like a booming (or even whispering) voice from nowhere telling me this? Like, I would like to know what the 'know' means? And I kinda doubt I'm the only one, so I thought I would give you some of these things I've picked up having written almost 50 first drafts, and published 24 books. And yes, for those wondering, I do still genuinely need to phone a friend to ask if the know has know'd yet, so it might be something other long term writers do know, I am not always one of them!

#1: REVISION IS BORING
I need to add a caveat here because there's a difference between, I know this story so freaking well at this point that I could probably recite it from memory alone, and ugh, this scene/chapter/plot beat are just so boring, when does the good stuff start? The former is the sign, the latter is a whole different sign and not a good one, but I won't get into that here!

If you have spent so long reading, and tweaking, and changing and shaping, and you are able to read through your work so much that it's now just like re-reading a book and it's not something where you're trying to add this or that, it's a sign that maybe you have done all you can, for the moment, and depending on where you are in that journey, it might be time for betas, or CP, or even like an editor. If you can no longer see things that might need fixing and it's just a boring task because of that, that be the know in this case!

#2: YOU NO LONGER PRIORITISE IT
Now, I know that there are a million different reasons that people move away from a project, either for a time, or for good, and those are all valid. I am talking about those who don't have those reasons, the writers who put another project ahead of their current one because they feel like that distance will allow them to come back refreshed and more able to change and strengthen their work. I mean, again, it's not wrong to have that space, and it is very much needed for a whole heap of reasons, but, and I say this to be taken with a grain of salt, sometimes that action isn't about wanting to come back with fresh eyes. Some of it is you knowing you have done all you can for that project, and that is okay, that is that know silently whispering, and also pushing you onto a project that does need your attention more.

#3: THERE'S NO FIRE FOR YOU THERE
This one I feel like is the biggest one for me. I have worked on multiple projects. Like I said, 24 books published more than that drafted, I've been in this situation, and it's not always being completely done, but for me that's usually what it means. I don't spend my rest hours turning over plot beats for that project, I don't get excited about inputting changes and seeing how they look on the page. I don't have any of that, because I've done all I can, and now it's time for a different stage.

So there we go, like I said, even after all these years, it's sometimes hard for me to truly hold onto what that know is and whether I'm hearing it right. At the end of the day, you gotta do what works for you. I wish you all the luck! 

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5 Facts About My Current Working Projects

5 FACTS ABOUT MY CURRENT WORKING PROJECTS

While when I planned this piece I had about 5 projects on the go, it has turned out to be wholly different than I could have imagined. This is my fourth (I think) month back since almost dying last October. That made it so that I didn't work on anything for eight months, and while I like to think I am back to author life completely, my body, and brain, always like to remind me that there are vast differences to the way I worked then, to the way I work now, and that's okay, no matter what my brain tries to convince me, it's okay work at a different pace, and that is not either failure, or an inherently bad thing that must be stopped by any measures possible. 

Like I said, my work looks different now. I have two projects I'm working on. Both are revisions, both are on the last stop before the editing train begins, with one hopefully heading that way in November, and the other in April 2027. For all the things I hate about that huge chunk of time I wasn't able to work, the distance it gave me for both projects is not one of them. I had story fixes that even at the time I knew would have to be seriously worked on in dev edits, and other bits and pieces that at the time, I did not know if it were possible for me to manage to smooth things out before dev edits. Both of these issues are mostly now non-issues, I fixed the plot bits, I found solutions, and ways to naturally weave things through. That was a very big plus, because an author brain at rest, is not totally shut down.

But anyway, onto the facts and the projects. I'm gonna start us off with Visible, which is the third in the Invisible quartet, a YA dystopian dealing with chronic illness, disabled resilience, and the haunting reality that disability is somehow always inherently bad. Two POVs, all living in a futuristic England where the country is split into 9 self-governing segments. One day bombs fall on Zya's segment (South-West), and Jonah's segment (North-West). The bombs contained a virus that infected and disabled all survivors, leaving the segments on their knees, and striving to survive. Obviously with this being the third book, there are some things I can't share due to spoilers, but I shall do my best!

FACT #1: ZYA WILL FIGHT TO GET ANSWERS
Zya, has been disabled since a very young age, and with them all being outside of the segments, the only place any of them have ever known, she will take that leadership given to her and do whatever she can to protect everyone. Even those who might be seeming to hold back on some of the very real truths about the way the world is, and also what lies ahead for them. Zya will fight for answers, and to save as many as she can.

FACT #2: JONAH WILL NO LONGER BE PASSIVE
While Jonah became disabled because of the virus, and while he has been the more severely affected, he is not going to lie down and expect someone else to save him, or anyone else he cares about. He will adjust, he will do better, and he is no longer going to be the weakest link, even with the body blows coming his way time after time, he will fight so that everyone he cares about might survive.

FACT #3: THEIR JOURNEY IS FAR FROM OVER
The group of them, those who came with Zya, and those with Jonah, are in for the fight of their lives. One side want to use them, the other sees them as beyond saving, and the whole group is having to come to terms with the fact that no one is coming to save them, and they are going to have to fight to live, and hope that they all come through the other side of it all.

The second project is Cramping Chronicles: The Fifth Agony, which is the fifth and final book in the Cramping Chronicles series, which is a YA urban fantasy dealing with empaths, triggers, chronic illness, and a threat to the world as we know it. Again, I can't give spoilers because that would not be good, but it's gonna be good!

FACT #4: JESSIE IS THE ONE THAT NEEDS SAVING
Jessie, the main character has gone through a whole lot, learning about her empath ability, working out how to control it, and dealing with all of her triggers, and this time, she's the one that needs to be saved, and no one knows if it's even possible. The focus has to be on making sure that threat is stopped, but the horrible things is, it might be at the expense of saving Jessie, and no one wants that.

FACT #5: ROE WILL DO EVERYTHING SHE CAN, EVEN AT THE RISK OF HER SAFETY
Roe might not have been the one closest to Jessie, with Meera being Jessie's girlfriend, and Gray being her childhood bestie, but Roe is the one who seems to have some way to reach across the breach between her and Jessie, and she will do that, and anything else that might help, even if it puts her life at risk.

So there you go, my five facts of my two current projects. I don't know if I will ever be back to the level of working I was before, but right now I'm okay with just being here, and able, to continue being an author. 

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How Planning Works For Me

HOW PLANNING WORKS FOR ME

Most people who've followed me for a time know that I am exceptionally organised and I'm big on planning. It made me chuckle the other day when a friend thought that because of that love of planning, I must be a big planner when it comes to drafting, and I was like, oh, no, I plan absolutely everything but not that, never there. My plan there is more vibes and brain squirrels!

But that aside, I am, and have been a planner of my author life for a while. A big win for me was finding planners that actually worked for me. I didn't want much, but I did want them undated, and also ones with a monthly spread and also a weekly one. For the past five or so years, that was how I planned. Sadly, after the sepsis and the loss of the majority of use of my right hand and arm (my dominant side) I can't use my paper planner. Eerily, it has the plan for what would have been November pencilled in. But I did find an app that works for me, so I can still, somewhat, do the thing.

Planning has been a massive thing for me, mostly since I got a bit more serious with the author life after I graduated with my degree. To begin with it was the sticky notes app on computer, from there it went to the paper planner, and now here we are. I will also add that as a teen, I did similar kinds of things when revising for my exams, so I think it's safe to say that's just how my brain works best!

I still, even coming back to work after eight months of recovery, find that planning is better for me. It allows me to know what I'm gonna be doing on any day of the week, and it also allows me to just keep that anxiety calm. I always feel like if I don't get started doing things by a certain time that I am not going to have time for the thing I need to do. Sometimes it would get to the point where I just didn't do the thing, but now I've been tracking my time for a while, I also have some clue about how long things will take so that happens less now.

It's more than just wanting to be organised, it's also a way for me to keep track of what happened when. I have several chronic illnesses that get worse if I push through on days when I should rest. Or when I pile too much work on a specific day. For the majority of the time before sepsis I would do one thing a day, occasionally two. After, I'm back to one only because my body is not a happy camper if I sit up too long. I don't know when or if I will go back to the occasional two, but it'll be something to keep a close eye on through planner and an app I use to track pain levels and such.

The bottom line is that planning does, very much so, work for me. It also helps me on so many levels. I know that for some people it's not an option, and that's okay not everyone's brains work the same and we gotta do what works for us. Planning has been a saviour for me, and I'm glad that I still have that even if only in an app rather than in different colour pens!  

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Leaning Into Your Strengths - The Creative Process

LEANING INTO YOUR STRENGTHS

One of the things that have always helped me stay grounded when it comes to emergencies in the publishing stages or the like, is that I know what works for me. I know how my brain works in a crisis: I panic, I freak, and then I try and work out a solution along with bullet point list that will show me just what has to be done, and when it has to be done by. This can be something that pulls me out of the fire and allows me to, somewhat calmly, work towards fixing the issue and keeping the remainder of my ducks in a row.

At the end of the day, we can't always see these issues coming. They can blind-side us. They can pop up and freak us out, and make us think we're cursed. I feel like during the panic and freak stage of fixing the crisis, I will always try and cut through the panic rushing around my head, and be like, hey we got this, we've been here before, and it will be okay. I can't claim that it always works or gets through, but it has at times, which has to be a win. 

Whether you're in the drafting stage and found out that whole first half of your book has this massive glaring plot hole that you only just spotted, or when you're in revisions and realise you have three months from the deadline to get the book to the editor, and need to rewrite the whole book from scratch because it's very very wrong. There are more instances, but I feel like you get what I'm going for. There will be times when these things happen, and you're gonna need to have that freak and panic moment, before you settle in at your desk, get serious, and do what needs to be done.

The issue is that a lot of writers don't realise how important that initial stage is. I feel like it might be because that kind of panic and such is usually associated with women? Or that we're told we're adults and should always act like it? I dunno, but I see nothing wrong with venting all of that out and then taking your time, limited or not, to get the work done.

One of my strengths has been knowing that while I will, usually, find the answer I need on my own, I also know that asking for help isn't failing. It's letting me reach out, talk things through and just be allowed to feel what I feel. If you're out there trying to fix this or that, and you do have people you can reach out to, there is nothing wrong with that, like at all, and that applies to all genders.

Writing doesn't need to be something that's isolating. It can be, and I am very aware of that, but it doesn't have to be. We can have our friends, our community, and we are very much allowed to ask for help. Like you might be the person who doesn't ever need to freak and vent, but that doesn't mean you might not, at some point, need that community to help you through this or that. We all need people in our corners, and that's okay, the strength of that should be something you can, and do lean into at any point.

Saying that I do know that it can be hard, and daunting, to both find that community for you, and also be vulnerable with them. It's not easy. I feel like too often the assumption is made that it's awarded to you the moment you pick up a pen or publish a book. It's not, and that means being a grown up, and fighting that vulnerability to put yourself out there.

You got this, and I wish you all the luck! 

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Doing Things Your Way - The Creative Process

DOING THINGS YOUR WAY

I have been writing seriously since I was 19. I didn't grow up wanting to be a writer or author. My dreams were set on medicine and being a doctor. That, obviously, did not work out, and while I've always enjoyed writing and telling stories, I felt the pull back to it when faced with that fact that I would never be able to work a conventional job again. I don't say this to get pity or sympathy. I've always been pretty open about my chronic illnesses and disabilities, but I give you this opening because I find, way too often, that people assume disabled/chronically ill equalling that we have nothing to offer anyone, and that is so far from the truth it's almost funny.

One big thing about disabled people is that we adapt, usually quicker than a non-disabled person. I have been writing for 25 years, and publishing for 21 years. I may not have done either of those in the more conventional routes, but it's okay to do things your way. It's okay to take your time, it's okay to query, it's okay not to. There is no one set way to be an author, and it is completely fine, and valid, to do it differently than someone else.

Before I got myself adapted to the new keyboards and such after the sepsis, I thought about other ways of both writing and publishing. I've tried doing dictation before, and I know for a lot of people it's amazing, but for me, it did not work. I found it hard to speak the story aloud, and even more so found that having to go through and edit and add punctuation just drove me up the wall. I did, have a few people commenting about using AI. My answer there and it's the same now is no, never, not happening, and ew! I know plenty of disabled people, writers or otherwise, who feel the same way.

I knew, and know, that at my core I am and always will be a writer and author. I was terrified what would happen to my mental health if I couldn't do this any more, but I found a way. It might not be the way things were before, it might get back to that (though I seriously doubt it!), but if it doesn't, that's okay too. You have to find your way of doing things, and no one, absolutely no one, should tell you that you have to do this a certain way.

At the end of the day it feels like there are millions of ways to plot, to draft, to revise, to edit, to publish. Some will work for some writers, others will not, and that is okay. We all create differently. Our brains work differently. Doing things your particular way, that's not you doing it wrong, it's you finding what works for you, and your process. The only time I'd suggest a change would be if it was making it harder, or making you ill, or even just not working any more. 

We've all gotta find ways that work for us specifically. If it takes you a whole lot of trial and error, that's fine. If it ends up being a way that is held together with glue because you've taken this snippet from one way and this one from another, still fine. You gotta do this your way. Good luck, because the world needs your stories.  

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How I Edit Revisited - The After Process

HOW I EDIT REVISITED

When I first put this piece on my list, it was something I'd come to when I was in the midst of edits. I could have put it off until such time, but I feel like even with me maybe having to adapt and change the way I do edits alongside other projects, I doubt that my editing approach itself will massively change. I might end up needing longer to complete things, but I have spent a lot of time honing down what I want to do when approaching edits, and I'd like to, if possible, continue to do that!

For those who know, skip this paragraph. My issue right now is that follow sepsis in Oct 2025, where I literally almost died, I lost feeling and the majority of use of my right hand and arm (which had, up until then, been my dominant side). I ended up taking eight months off to recover, and also had to buy whole new keyboards and such for work because my old ones would not work with the way my hand is now. That's why editing and such might still change after this, because I obviously did not have any editing to do and won't until December at the earliest. Now back to the rest!

Editing has always been something that stresses me out! My anxiety goes through the roof, my stomach is all flopping over every time I get an email, more so if I know it's from my editor. I do wanna make it clear NONE of the editors I've used ever have caused this reaction, anxiety gonna anxiety basically. In the last three or four years (I forget to be honest) my way of editing has changed because the editor I use has changed, and his approach to editing, to be specific, developmental editing, is quite different to what I've had before. Namely he does both edit letters, and when necessary, chapter notes within them, for each quarter of the book.

The first time I worked with him, I had no clue whatsoever how I was going to make the changes and also not freak out that I was doing it wrong. He'd always been clear that if I had questions or needed clarification, or for him to check over a corrected portion and offer advice, then I was very much free, and encouraged to reach out to him. I did use this a few times, but I think it was on the second book we worked on.

My approach, I decided, was to basically take it like revisions, and sensitivity reader corrections. Go through it several times, and make sure that I've got a line on what I need to be doing. I know, and make sure I keep telling myself this, that the next stage, line edits, my editor there will happily point out plot issues if she comes across them, so there is a second line of defence if I do a seriously terrible job!

This is how I break it all down:

NOVEMBER: Send off manuscript, and as each edit letter comes through, read it carefully, even more than once, to get those ideas brewing, and also allow you to think about what might or might not work. DO NOT make changes. For me starting to make those changes when I get that first edit letter will make it harder for me in the second quarter if the issues needing solving have been made massively worse by the changes I made. I just want to have the whole picture so I can accurately doing things.

DECEMBER: Start making changes. Do it in 2 chapter chunks, it taking however long it takes, and making sure I reference the appropriate letter while doing so. I also make sure to read over both chapters again after I've made those changes just to make sure I'm happy with it. This is what I call my first pass.

JANUARY: Usually done with first pass, so now it's time to do the second and third. I will go through in five chapter chunks, again referencing the relevant edit letter, make changes where needed and just make doubly sure this is what I want. I do this twice, and then at the end, I call myself done for dev edits!

I know that everyone has their own way of doing editing, but this is what works for me, and I've found that it allows me time to sit, to turn over ideas, and to get things done my way. However you approach editing, I hope it goes well for you! 

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Leaning Into The Good

LEANING INTO THE GOOD

Last week, I talked about not accepting the bad when it comes to being shut out or excluded from the writing community as a whole (piece found here). My experience was not the best, and it was, I feel, based very much on being a disabled and chronically ill author, as well as someone who wasn't getting their start in being an author right in the times of social media. Yes, I am an old, and today is actually my 21st Authorversary, which is wild to me to be honest. I feel like the 20th was only a few months ago, but given what happened shortly after that milestone, I can somewhat understand why my brain is stuck thinking we're either at the end of 2025 still, or only just at the start of 2026!

With that behind me, I wanted to focus on the fact that with social media, and with the ability to connect with both disabled and chronically ill indie and trad authors a whole lot easier, that it's okay to lean into that fact. I don't mean that you should only talk to and/or make community with other authors who are disabled and/or chronically ill, and should exclude all others. I just want to be clear there. You have to find the space and community that is best for you, and that's okay.

We all know that writing can be isolated. In the lockdowns, things like livestreams, at least on Authortube, skyrocketed, and with it came this idea that we don't have to stay locked in our offices and not see or talk with other writers. We could, easily in some cases, create and foster that community, and I love that. I love it for writers from all walks of life because having that community around you is such an important and validating thing. It's the people who will join your inner circle and make sure you know you can ask and talk about all things writer and author, whether that be those in the query trenches or those who are planning to go indie. I love that, it's just freaking amazing!

Like I said in last week's post, I didn't have that when I was debuting in 2005. I was one disabled and chronically ill writer, who just wanted to have at least one book to my name if nothing else. Had things like KDP and ebooks and the like not opened up the indie path even more, I doubt I would have been in the position to publish a second book, never mind the rest! I had support from friends sure, but they were not looking to publish, and that, for me at the time, made the whole thing both scary and exhilarating all at the same time.

So if you are now thinking about wanting to find that community, then yes, go for it! There is no shame in needing to find your people, and you don't have to click with everyone, but I urge you to keep trying, to keep putting yourself out there. Sometimes you are the one finding the people, and other times, they find you, and it's always a beautiful and amazing thing!

I found a lot of my community during the lockdowns, and even some before that. I feel like the connection we all have has opened us all up to bringing others in as well. Writing doesn't have to be an isolated thing, you're allowed to embrace the people in the writing and author space that you click with, even if you write wildly different genres and ages. That's the beauty of both writing and the community as a whole, we vibe with who we vibe and ain't nothing wrong with that!

Put yourself out there, and keep going, you got this! 

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Not Accepting The Bad

NOT ACCEPTING THE BAD

I, as an author, as a writer, have known a lot of bad. Whether that's recently in my career, or not. Whether that's tied to writing and publishing, or not. Whether that's because of disability and chronic illness, or not. I also know I am not the only one. I am also have privilege as a white woman. I can kinda imagine the faces some people will make reading this, like what does this have to do with writing, with advice, with being the author you are? It's a part of the author life. It's something most people, at some point, experience. The big factor that helps isn't necessarily people on the outside calling it out or the like, it's the community you have found, and keep close.  

When I first started planning this piece, I think my focus was very much on community, but at the same time, I can't be completely sure because my memories of that time are hazy and such because of how unwell I was. I have always known though that writing can be very isolating, as a profession, it's rarely something that comes with an office where you, and writers like you, clock in every morning and out every evening. There is very much a community online, but even then it takes time to find the one you fit into most.

I was 19 when I was retired from the working world for medical issues. I was told I would never be able to work a conventional job again. I turned to writing, but back then (it was 2001, yes I am an old) there weren't really writing communities. There wasn't any kind of social media, and so I never really had that sense of community, and even later, when social media became a thing, I was pretty much shut out of a lot of the, because I didn't meet their standards, or being disabled and therefore not able to attend everything every single time because I was sick and/or in hospital, got me kicked out. It happened enough that I basically accepted that community like that was for 'other people'.

Even with me being on things like Facebook, or Twitter, or even Instagram, and early YouTube days, I didn't have the connection others did. It really didn't happen for me, the finding that community until the COVID days, maybe a couple of years before. It felt like during those early days with lockdowns and such, my world opened up. I found people both in the UK, and further afield. People who were disabled and/or chronically ill, and it was just eye opening to see what had been blocked from me for so long. 

Writing does not have to be an isolated experience. I don't mean that you have to like start a YouTube channel, or anything else like that, but you can find people in all the places all the other people exist in. Threads, now that I've left Twitter and will never go back, has been great for me finding other authors and writers who are also looking for writers to connect with, and you can find the same across most social media platforms.

Back when those groups and such made it clear that I was not welcome and not one of them, I should, maybe, had advocated for myself, should have pointed out the ableism, but I just didn't have the confidence to do so. I didn't have the courage to do so. If it happened now, especially to someone I care about? Oh you bet I would be spitting nails and making sure they knew what they were doing was not okay. Sometimes you have the tools to fight your corner, sometimes you don't, but even if you don't, you don't have to give up. You don't have to accept the bad. You breathe, you give yourself a moment, and then you keep going.

You got this! 

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The Trials Of A Crime Writer: Percolating Ideas

THE TRIALS OF A CRIME WRITER: PERCOLATING IDEAS

I've had a lot of time to think during the eight months I was off work following sepsis that almost killed me, and even then left me with some not so nice affect effects. While in hospital, though to be clear, I only have very vague memories of the last three days of my stay, and nothing of the ten days before that. But anyway, what I was able to spend my time, when I wasn't sleeping or the like, was percolating a whole bunch of ideas.

For those who don't know I took time away from drafting in the middle of 2024 to try and revisit other first drafts that I knew would need more work before we got to the editing cycle. It really helped me get those books into shape, but also allowed some of those ideas I'd had at other times to sprout up and go where they needed to. 

I didn't, at that time, have the ability to type, and because of everything that happened during the hospital stay, I wasn't yet at a point where I could be understood with voice notes. So all I was left with was hoping I remembered them when I got to a point where I could type them out. However, I will say that because they both completely gripped my thoughts, I did remember them fully, I had also, because I'd just let them ruminate around in the back of my mind, developed them to a point where I could probably have started drafting even without doing the minimal plan I usually do with drafting!

Being a writer, being an author, it's such a core part of myself. I know I've written a variety of genres, but I got my start in thriller/crime/mystery, and I adore that both of these new ideas fall into that genre. Crime writing has always interested me, but at the same time, I have always gone where the ideas take me. It feels fitting though that for my 49th and 50th books, I will, once again, be dipping back into where I started. I'd say it feels like coming full circle, but that, to me at least, sounds like I'm saying these will be the last new books I plan to write, and I don't think that's true.

I don't yet know when I will be able to get into drafting again. I'm hoping that next year, I will be in a place where I can, somewhat, juggling drafting with revision, but I just don't know at this point. Sometimes we have to put things off, and pick them up when we're able, and that's okay, that's both part of being a writer, an author, and also part of being chronically ill and disabled. 

I know I want to tell these stories, and so I will continue to feed them, to allow them to grow, to percolate them at the back of my mind, and wait for the time when they can be brought into the light and are able to fully exist, but until then, it helps me to know they are just there ready for me when I need them. 

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The Trials Of An Indie Author: Juggling Deadlines

THE TRIALS OF AN INDIE AUTHOR: JUGGLING DEADLINES

This is something that, when I brainstormed this idea, I didn't realise would take on a whole different meaning for me when it came time to write it. Funny how life can hit you that way! Originally, I planned for this to be written while I was in the midst of starting dev edits, while also juggling other revisions (of which there were about four projects!), and I thought that it would be good to give that perspective to both other indie authors, and just writers in general, because even if you're trad pub, you will have deadlines to meet while also having to make sure that the writing work gets done for the next project or whatnot.

At the time of writing, I have only been back at work for a month after eight months of recovery. I'm still trying to find a way that works for me routine wise, but even with the changes that have come in my author life, I do have something to add to this kind of discussion. At the end of the day, you know you, and how you work, best, so if these don't apply to you, that's okay! I am one voice, and we all do a lot of a little of this advice and a splash of another to find a way that works for us, and I kinda like that!

So lemme give you some of the things that have helped me!

#1 USE SOFT DEADLINES
If you are someone who needs breathing room when it comes to deadlines or the like, using a soft deadline can actually help. This is basically setting the deadline where if you fail to meet it for whatever reason, you have a bit of time to catch up. I've done that with books, where I've told myself, I have to be done with revisions by a certain date, when actually that date is like two-four weeks before the hard deadline. It just gives me a little extra time if I need it. I don't actually always need it, but I like having it there, it especially helps when chronically ill because some days all the good intentions in the world are not going to allow me to work. So this is one I've found really helps.

#2 ORGANISE IMPORTANCE
Obviously, there are going to be projects that have a higher priority. Like a book due to enter the editing cycle, and missing it would mean causing a chain of events that will hurt you in the long run. Other projects might have deadlines too, but they might be ones that can be pushed back slightly without causing issues. Once I came back to work, I knew I wasn't going to be able to pick up where I left off, with the workload I had before. Instead, I narrowed down the projects that needed to be worked on sooner because of things liked editing and such. It does mean that, for now, I am working a very small load, but I gotta look after me, and take care of myself as well.

#3 ALLOW FOR BREAKS
I know, if you've watched my AuthorTube videos, that I have always been a big advocate for rests, for telling people that you don't have to earn them, and while it might be repetitive for me to say it here, it's also true. When you're juggling multiple things work wise, you will need to have some time off in there. You will never do your best work sleep deprived, exhausted, and drained. You will make mistakes which will make things harder for you in the long run, and you will end up burned out, no one wants that. So along the way, make sure you remember to take it easy, to have breaks, and to be kind to yourself.

So there we go, I wish you all the luck! Deadlines can be a beast, but they should not be something that causes long-term harm. Breathe, take a break, and come back to it, you've got this! 

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Spoonie Write: Working At Your Speed

SPOONIE WRITER: WORKING AT YOUR SPEED

I think one thing that a lot of people, writers and otherwise, chronically ill and otherwise as well, is that there are very little things in the creative space, especially writing wise, where it is a race. There's so many ideas, and even if someone else is literally doing the exact same idea and characters and all the rest, there is always, always going to be differences in the execution of that idea, that it's damn near impossible for them both to be exactly the same.

There is no race in publishing. There is no upper age limit that says if you've not published by x age that you will be banned from ever doing so. I say this as someone who seriously started writing at 19, and then had my first book out at 23. It is still not a race. Yes, there may be hurdles for some that aren't there for others. Disability showcases that all the time, as do BIPOC authors and their stories. Even in 2026, we are not yet in a place where the majority of stories that are being trad pubbed aren't a huge percentage of white authors. It sucks, and it's wrong, and I hate that.

But for the chronically ill and/or disabled authors, the last thing you gotta be doing is pushing yourself to breaking point when there is genuinely no need to do so. I'll admit, when Blackout hit shelves in 2005, I was very anxious about the fact that with how bad my health was, I would never get to publish another book. I'm talking the kind of anxious that kept me up at night. I knew the option to go with the people who published Blackout was out of reach, and it was really only six years later that things like KDP came into play and allowed me to finally put that second book out, followed by a third, and so on. 

Too much of the time, with things like hustle culture and productivity being used to define our worth, we do get caught up in all of that. I know that coming back to work after 8 months off, I really struggled with knowing that my plans had been so derailed, and the worry about whether I would be able to be as 'productive' as I had been before would derail plans even more. There were a lot of conversations with myself, with my carers, with my doctors, about just how much would be possible. It was heartbreaking to realise that in surviving something so serious, I had, possibly, also lost a huge part of myself, namely my ability to write and such.

For me it wasn't, necessarily, about being back at the pace I was, but about being able of finding a new kind of routine that would work for me, and would, maybe, retain some of those parts of writing and the author life that I love, and look forward to. For example, I didn't know if blog posts would be viable. I didn't know whether I would ever be well enough to do AuthorTube videos again, and both of these are things I actually enjoy and I didn't want to lose them so that I could continue to draft and everything that went with it. 

It came down to a lot of things, and I'm aware that a lot of chronically ill and/or disabled writers are already aware of in theory. I had to learn how to pace myself a lot more than I used to. I had to be really careful about not overloading myself with work. I had to be okay with maybe not getting everything done. I had to be okay with rest days popping up unplanned, and I had to be okay with leaving a task right in the middle of it, if that was what I needed.

It's still a work in progress. I don't yet have a solid routine, and I'm also aware that I might not ever have one. The constant flux in health, in symptoms mean that I just have to take it as it comes, and hope that it all works out in the end. But if you are reading this, if you're disabled or chronically ill, know that I see you. It's not easy, it has never been, and will, probably, never will be, but however you show up for yourself, for your writing, you're doing amazing, and I wish all the good days for you.

Keep going! 

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Dealing With Multiple Ideas

DEALING WITH MULTIPLE IDEAS

I have, throughout my writing life, always been juggling ideas. Whether that's ideas that have nothing but a small puzzle piece, or ideas that are already pretty fleshed out, or ideas for scenes later in a draft, or ideas for things to take into account when it comes to revision or editing. Before the sepsis in Oct 2025, I was juggling multiple revision projects with one just about to be sent off for edits. Having had to take eight months off, I knew when I came back that I would, at best, only be able to manage two projects, and even then, I still don't know if that will work long term. 

Ideas, for writers, are something that come with the territory. I would, to be honest, worry about my chosen career if I wasn't constantly having to deal with all the ideas. Right now my focus are two revision projects because while in recovery mode I had some sparks of ideas for one that should, hopefully, answer some of my lingering questions, and do the same for readers as well. It makes me happy to be going back into those projects and knowing I am making them better.

However, some of the ideas are coming for new drafting projects, and while, originally, the plan was to start drafting those in April, my body had other ideas, and my life took a sudden turn. But I have found many ways to help myself when it comes to dealing with all the ideas, because as a lot of people know, sometimes you think: I'll remember that, and your memory laughs at you as it deletes all traces!

So how have I managed to keep hold of them all? Being the organised person I am, I have a variety of ways to track, sort, and work out how to make sure none get lost along the way!

#1 WRITE THEM DOWN
It doesn't have to be pen and paper, which hasn't been a viable option for me for a while, and definitely isn't now! I have a notes app on both my phone and iPad, and I will write it all down there in a brand new note. If it's gotten to the point where it's fleshed out completely, it gets moved, but up until that point, it's there on its own, and I can expand and add to it as and when new pieces of the puzzle come to me.

#2 COMBINE WHEN READY
This is what I do when the idea has graduated. Like the initial idea is a seed, and now the flower it blooming. That's when I will move all the notes into another note on my iPad which is basically filled with story ideas that are far enough along for me to think about starting to write them. Sometimes, I'll go back and look at how it's going, and move things around to see if that adds more. This point is the closest it can be to being drafted.

#3 ARRANGE IN ORDER
This part is basically me deciding order of importance, or just which ideas I am more excited about writing next. The order can, and does change, but it's usually only because something newer has moved into this space and I want to write that more.

Basically after this, when I get ready to start drafting, I take the top two and do my minimal outline and jump in! When it comes to ideas for revision projects, while, for some reason they stay remembered, I have a separate note for those and keep an eye on them.

Overall, ideas are plentiful when you're a writer, and how you deal with them is up to you, but whatever way that turns out to be, have fun, enjoy, and keep writing!  

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Finding Your Voice - The Creative Process

FINDING YOUR VOICE

Something that can be hard when you're writing a new project is finding where your voice is. It can be pretty common to not recognise either your authorial voice, or the voice of each project. These two can be the same, and they can also be different, depending on the genre, the age category, and the way the story is told, like first person compared to third. 

When I was first writing, I felt like the story I was crafting had a pretty unique voice to it. Some of that is newbie ego, and some of that is not having the experience to really know what all these things meant. That's not a bad thing, but I thought that today I was talk more about both kinds of voice, and also that it's completely okay if it takes you a while to spot and know yours.

I have drafted nearly fifty books. They are all young adult, and have all been a range of genres from thriller to mystery to paranormal to dystopian and urban fantasy. I usually, write solely in first person, and they are usually all told from one POV, though I do have some that are dual POV and such. I have published twenty-four books, with my next two, hopefully, coming out next year. I tell you this to give you an idea of where I'm coming from. I am, by no means, an expert, but I do have some solid experience to pull from, I was first published in 2005, and have been continuing with publishing since.

So let's focus on the first, the author voice. What do I mean when I say that? What are people looking for when they talk about wanting an author who's 'voicy'? How can you know, and work out, what that means for you?

AUTHOR VOICE

An author voice is quite simply, their way of telling a story that is so unique to them that you could pick up a random book, have no idea who the author is, and be able to tell from the prose, the descriptions, the way the characters sound, who the author is. It can be something writers have naturally, and it can also be something that develops over time. The more you write, the more you discover it.

As for what people are looking for, while this usually is something I see attributed to literary agents and publishers, and I have no experience with either, I'm going to focus more on the readers who talk about wanting this. A lot of the time what they want is a voice or story that is told similarly to one particular author they love. They're looking for recs of books that might meet their needs. Sometimes it's not always about the author's voice, but the characters, but it's a way to find new to them authors who they might enjoy.

A lot of the time, finding your author voice comes with practice. My debut was not the first book I'd written, but it was the first one I felt really had my voice to it. Now, granted I wrote it when I was 19, and it was published when I was 23, and while aspects of my author voice remain the same, others have changed as I've grown as an author. If you are someone who is just starting out, I would not stress on finding your voice in your words. It might take time, it did for me, and that's okay. Write your stories, enjoy yourself, and just lean into growing and changing.

CHARACTER VOICE

The character voice has a similar description as the author one, in that you could work out who these characters written by blindfolded simply because of the way they talk and go through the story. The difference is that it's not the same voice for every single character. If that happens, there's problems. But for me, usually, the character voice comes into play with the main character. Again, just to be clear, I do not mean that every main character I've written is exactly the same. That would not be good!

Character voice to me is more subjective, and leans more into the reader experience. Some readers will see it straight away, and others won't, and neither of them really are wrong there. I do feel like it's somewhat easier to lean into character voice than author voice, but that, of course, is subjective to each author!

So there we go, while I do think author voice is something that can take a while to develop, it doesn't mean you are bad at writing, or that your work is not worthy of publication. Everyone moves to their own pace, and that is completely okay! 

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Presenting Your Author Side

PRESENTING YOUR AUTHOR SIDE

I set this blog post to be written last year, when I was in my 20th year as an author. So much has changed since then, but I am happy to be here, writing a blog post that has waited so long to be written out. For those who don't know, I'm chronically ill and disabled, and in October 2025, my body tried to kill me. I had sepsis, in ICU, coma for seven days and then more on a regular ward. I have a few parting gifts from the sepsis, the biggest being partial paralysis in my right hand and arm, which is, or was, my dominant side. I've been off work since then, and because of my organisation, I had three posts I'd already written ready to go, and you'll have seen them finally posted at the start of June 2026. This is the first blog post I have written after recovery.

But I'm getting off topic, and not at the same time. I have always been a disabled author, and have never been shy about people knowing that. I have, just like everyone else in either the author sphere, or just a person in general, the ability to draw a line between what parts of my life are talked about publicly, and which I choose to not share. As an author who was first published before social media was either a thing, or as big as it is now, it feels like I was lucky enough to grow into who I wanted to be seen as by readers, and what I wanted to just not share.

Obviously that is a very personal choice. I would never sit here and tell anyone that they can't make their own decisions about things like this, but in my mind, there should be some idea out there of how that information will be received and used. Now I wanna be clear that I do not speak from any other place than my own experience, and from what I've seen, and heard about from other disabled writers. From a minority perspective, I can't speak on matters of race, and while being bi, I don't feel like I have enough lived experience when it comes to that either, but I have seen it online too. So I'm gonna focus solely on disability.

#1 YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DISCLOSE ANYTHING
While it's true that there is nothing wrong with talking about your disabilities, there is also no rule that states you have to. If you don't feel safe doing so, that's completely okay and valid. While the opposite is also true, if you want to talk about your disabilities, and the impact they have on your writing and author life, you are still allowed to not share everything. I have been quite open about my disabilities both online, and with my author life content. I do it because that's what I want, and feel comfortable doing. But you don't owe anyone your medical history. It is, and should always be, your personal choice, no matter where you are in your author journey.

#2 YOU DO NOT OWE ANYONE POSITIVITY
Toxic positivity is something that is rampant around ALL online spaces, for ALL groups, but you will usually see it highlighted especially in minority groups, and especially within the disability and chronically ill sphere. Now, the majority of the time in this group, it's coming from those observing from outside of the group itself. They want to see everyone stay positive despite what they're going through as if somehow that is going to cure or help. I'll cover those more in a moment. But as a disabled author, you do not have to always be positive about anything in your life, even if that's about the things going on disability wise. Having a bad day or period of your life, that's normal, and I feel like being real with readers, and other authors, allows people to really see that we are human, and doing what we can to survive and thrive in our work, and in our lives. That's not a bad thing.

#3 YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE AN INSPIRATION
Like I said above, some people want to view disabled people, author not, as an inspiration, because, look at them, managing to string words together and make a whole book! This is so freaking dismissive and I hate every part of it. But there's a second part to this too which I feel like isn't talked about enough. We're not supposed to write fiction. we're supposed to write books which detail every medical visit, every symptom, and how hard and depressing our lives were/are, and if we don't do that, we get looks that kinda imply that the only thing non disabled people want to read from us is about our personal disability experience. We have nothing else worthy of publishing, and how wrong that is!

So while I have made it through enough recovery to be allowed back at work, I am also very aware that the way I worked before is not going to be the way I will, probably, ever work again. Disability is always changing, and when you are in those trenches, you have to roll with it and keep going.  

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Finding Your Pace - The Creative Process

FINDING YOUR PACE

I've been writing for many many years. I think if I did the maths it would work out to be more of my life than I spent not writing. I recently celebrated twenty years as an author, which still blows my mind to be honest. In all that time I have found many different ways to write, and many different routines to follow. I've been doing my current routine for about five years now and it works for me. I know what I need to get done every day and I also find that it's easier to sit down and work.

People know that I'm organised, so I won't sit here and tell you otherwise, or go on about it too much, but my point is that even organised people have to start with a lot of trial and error. I dove into writing seriously at nineteen, and while there are some aspects of my writing routine that have stayed the same (my planning levels, writing a chapter a day, etc), others have changed many times over the years (time of day to write, how I write, working on multiple projects etc).

The big thing for a lot of newbies, and even those who've been doing this a while is that life has a way of getting in your way. I know that I will wake up between 1-3am and be ready to work. I know that I will sit with my tablet/computer, and do the work, but I don't know if my conditions will allow me to do the work scheduled. They sometimes do, they sometimes don't. 

My point is that finding your pace is something that takes time, effort, and a whole lot of trusting your gut, as well as reading pieces like this and trying to work out how to apply it to your own life. Back in 2001 when I started writing I didn't have things like social media, or blogs (yes I realise I sound like an old person with my 'we walked to school barefoot uphill both ways' but I promise I have a point), so a lot of my finding out was just sitting at my desk and trying this and that, and hoping that something along the way worked for me.

I will say that when social media and everything else finally came along, it gave me some of that knowledge that every writer struggles with this kind of thing. It wasn't that I was inept or doing things wrong, just that being creative is overly personal and linked to the person, as well as the stage they are in life. I say that last part because over the years, with things changing here and there, like college and uni, and having a kidlet to parent, my writing routine and my pace rapidly switched from my tried and true method to something else and I'd be left scrambling as I tried to find out what the new way was.

So don't be alarmed if it does take you time to get there. It's not just you, it's part and parcel of being creative. No one works exactly the same way as anyone else, we all have our quirks and our ways of doing things, and that's normal. If it takes you a while, that's okay too. You will get there, and all this trial and error you're going through is going to help you narrow things down the next time life changes on you.

So keep going, and good luck!

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments! 

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The Trials Of A Crime Writer: Balancing The Light & Dark

THE TRIALS OF A CRIME WRITER: BALANCING THE LIGHT & DARK

I've always been someone who is more attracted to some dark aspects of fiction. While there are whole romance genres that deal with that side of things, for me it's more about the crime element. As in I prefer to read dark, girtty crime and mystery. I also love to read the cozy kind too, but I digress. As a writer, I've never shied away from the dark aspects of some of the stories I tell. From murder scenes to death visions, to battles and war, and all of that wrapped up in some parts of the world that are just not light hearted.

But I've always also been someone who likes to have some elements of the light in there too. Like I said, I like both dark crime, but also the light kind too. I want to be able to give my readers the best of both worlds, with some things that are dark and disturbing, and others that are sweet and light. It can be hard to strike the right kind of balance between the two because they can be seen to cancel each other out. On top of which, if you hit the notes right with one, the other might be to jarring to the reader, and that's why it's so important that you find that balance, and make sure it's reflected in your stories.

So here are some of my tips about how to keep that balance just right, with the caveat that for some readers will want more of one than the other, and you cannot ever please everyone, so keep that in mind!

#1 NAVIGATING THE PEAKS AND LOWS
I'm sure you've all seen that one plot outline that looks like a graph, it has highs, it has lows, and when you're trying to work out where your story should be, it can be really useful. The same applies to dark and light. If you call the dark the lows, and the light the peaks, then you need to make sure that they complement each other. For example, if you've had a very dark section, right down in the lows of the graph, then it might be a way to give your characters, and the reader, a break with a small peak. 

By this I don't mean shoot it right up to the top of the graph because that is going to be super jarring, but just enough that there's that tension release, and gives everyone a chance to breathe before going back into the rest of the story. I've done this in a lot of my dark books, one that springs to mind is the Lights Out trilogy where you're dealing with a dystopian hellscape and Lock, the main character, is dealing with a lot of darkness. I've sprinkled in some lightness to help break that tension, and allow Lock to see that things will get better. You can do this however you please, but just remember to keep them complementing each other.

#2 DON'T EVER GO TOO DARK/LIGHT
If your story is one that deals with the dark side of humanity, then make sure you have some idea of how dark you want this to get. The same applies to the lightness in a book with both. You don't want to, going back to that graph I mentioned, have a really really raw and deep low that seems out of place, and you don't want a peak of light that kinda makes the reader think: what the heck is this?

Obviously you know your story and characters best, but it's something to keep in mind, because if you cross this line, you might end up losing some of your readers for it. If they signed up for a dark gritty crime and you're also giving them such big peaks that it's kinda jarring, it's not gonna be the experience they were looking for.

Overall, just remember that when using both, and you will, to some degree, need both, you have to keep them on the same level, and make sure they mesh and blend together well, otherwise your graph is going to look like someone running a marathon.

However you go about it, good luck!

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments! 

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The Trials Of An Indie Author: Writing For You

THE TRIALS OF AN INDIE AUTHOR: WRITING FOR YOU

I've heard the phrase that you should write the book you want to read, and I agree with it, mostly. I've been writing since I was 19, and at 44, I am still finding books to write that I wanted or needed when I was a teenager and trying to find my way in the world. Of course everyone writes for different reasons and a lot of the time, it can be both personal and also just because you know there's a market for that kind of story.

Having said that, as a chronically ill and disabled woman, I found that a lot of the stories that I wanted to tell were ones that, at the start of my career, I couldn't see myself managing to pull off. It was really only once I got older, and started to realise that I could manage to do this that I delved head first into writing disabled characters, telling stories of fantasy and dystopian and even just plain old contemporary and mystery. I wanted to put those characters out into the world and I wanted readers who had been like me as a teen to find themselves in my fiction. 

Every writer has different ideas of the stories they should tell. Every writer will write the same story differently, and because of that when it comes to working out what stories you want to tell, you have to kind of look deep, and also really think about it. There will be times when you lean more one way than the other, as in, if you're a writer like me who switches genres, you'll do heavy on one before moving and changing to another. If you're always in the same genre, the style of stories might change, the sub-genre might switch. All of that is normal, and it's just about finding that sweet spot, that place where you've found your genre for the moment, and leaning into it and writing all the stories you want.

For example, when I first really worked on a story that I wanted to publish, it was a YA thriller that I'd been brewing in my head for a time. It became my focus and my drive, but the next story I really got lost in after that was paranormal/mystery. I think the reason that I switch genres, while sticking to a myriad of them, is because as a reader, I will read pretty much anything. There are a few genres that generally don't appeal to me, but usually if I like the blurb, then I'll pick it up and give it a go. Sometimes I fall in love with a new genre, and sometimes I don't jive with it. But it's reflected in my writing because I know that there are other people like me out there, teens and older, who also jump around genres and just want to read good stories.

So when it comes to writing for myself, or even my younger self, I'm writing crime, I'm writing dystopian, I'm giving urban fantasy a go, I've got the paranormal in there too. It's all about me both exploring things as a writer, but also allowing that imagination that got me in loads of trouble as a teen, to grow and bloom and become something bigger, become stories that other people can read, fall in love with, and maybe one day move on to writing their own. 

Some writers will focused on one genre because that, for them, is the stories they want to read, and it's a good thing for them to explore those same kinds of stories that maybe they also adore, and want to pass onto the next generation. After all, even when we, as authors, are no longer here, our books can still remain, our stories can still be here to show the kind of writers we were and our legacy of stories. I think that's a really cool thing, especially as someone who has a future that is limited.

So no matter what genres or stories appeal to you, write for yourself yes, but also remember that these stories have a greater reach than we ever could. I always leave part of myself in my work and I know a lot of writers and authors who do the same. Writing for yourself is powerful, and so is making sure those stories, the ones you needed to tell, have outlasted you. Who knows where that may lead in the future?

Whatever genre, whatever stories, keep writing, because the world needs your stories. 

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments! 

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Spoonie Writer: Acknowledging The Bad Days

SPOONIE WRITER: ACKNOWLEDGING THE BAD DAYS

I know it might seem like only the spoonies among the writing community have bad days, but all writers have them. I get that a lot of the time the spoonies are the ones having them more often than not, and while that's a part of being chronically ill and/or disabled, it's too easy to get lost in the thought of the bad days always outweighing the good and never getting anywhere.

I've been a published author for twenty years now. I've written nearly fifty books, and have released twenty-four of them (at least I will have tomorrow!) I have been disabled and chronically ill that whole time. While this is not some, hold me up as inspiration, speech, it is to show that you can get there, even if you have to take your time. There is no limit on publishing. There's no race, and you can take as long as you need. Of course I do get it's easier said than done, and I will admit to sometimes feeling like this journey and path is littered with obstacles that other, healthy and abled writers, don't have. 

The key for me has been acknowledging that bad days will happen, like I said at the start, they do happen to everyone, and it's not a competition of who has it worse, at least not in my eyes. I am well aware of the hurdles in front of a lot of disabled and/or chronically ill writers. I've lived them to some degree, but that doesn't mean that all is lost. 

People who have been following me for a while, or who have seen a blog post or two from me, will know that I am a big advocate for rest days, for taking your time, for doing what you need to stay moving. I will also admit to being a tad organised and having my writing and author journey planned as much as I'm able. It's one of the ways I deal with those bad days, acknowledging that they will happen, and while there are some things I can do to mitigate them, other times they come from nowhere and I need to pivot, adjust, and keep moving forward in other ways.

No, that's not me saying to push through. While there is a time and place for pushing yourself to a point, when it comes to bad days, that just leads to burnout or a flare, and no one wants that for you. I have found that it's a lot better to not hide from them. When making plans, acknowledge that you will pay for it afterwards, or will have a few bad days to follow, and adjust accordingly. That way you're not facing a deadline and realising that the staying up late to finish that book you're reading, is going to pay you back in full right when you need to be working.

That's not to say that I don't have mishaps. In September, I went to see my favourite band in concert. I worked the morning of because I knew that I would be up in the wee hours and napping and all before the concert itself. I also, somewhat, worked out that I would have a late night, but thought it would be fine. It was not fine. We had an amazing time, but didn't get home until almost 2am, and I'm normally awake and working at that point! Thankfully, I had a last minute, before the concert, moment, where I was like: wait, I am not going to be up to working tomorrow. I took the next day off and it's good that I did, because I was super tired and not capable of much of anything!

But that's what I mean, acknowledge those days will happen. It doesn't make it easy, it doesn't negate the disappointment, and the actual not feeling great, but, for me at least, it does ease the anxiety and the thought that I might be missing work and knocking my deadlines out of wack. It's not you, or me, failing, it's just the nature of the beast that is the chronically ill and disabled life. 

So plan for them, and remember that this is not a race, you will get there, and we'll be cheering you on the whole time.

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments. 

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Learning How You Edit - The After Process

LEARNING HOW YOU EDIT

I talked last week about learning how you revise (piece found here), and to end off this series, I thought I would talk about learning how you edit. I've been publishing for twenty years now. I've been writing and revising and editing for longer than that, but I've worked with a lot of different editors and they've all had their own kind of system. Some of them worked well for me, others did not at all.

Editing is something that's exceptionally important to publishing, but also personal to each author and editor. Like right now I work with Robert who gives me an edit letter for every quarter of the novel, and from there I go in and make my changes, and work with what I have. I've also worked with editors who did comments and I had to correct each one individually as well as make sure the rest of the book reflected those changes. It's basically up to each editor to decide how they work best, and from there, up to each author to work out what's best for them, and their story.

I have found that editing is the part of the process that is my least favourite. I don't like having to get into the nitty gritty with such a tight deadline. I know it's the nature of the beast, but it's been something that's taken me a long time to work out how I work best, and I thought that I would give you some of my tips so that you don't go into it dreading how you're going to find out your way, and still bring it all together in the end.

#1 LEAVE TIME FOR CORRECTIONS
Like I said, right now I have edit letters and I have to make sure that those corrections are inputted so that I can then send the book off to the next stage, which is line editing, and that's somewhat easier for me. So I make sure that I have more than enough time, with days off built in, to allow myself to read, to edit, to sit with those changes and make sure I've made the right choices for my story. If you can plan for more time than you'll need, do that. Allow yourself the grace of bad days, or difficult chapters and parts of the story that will need more work.

#2 FIND AN EDITOR THAT WORKS IN YOUR WAY
I've had a lot of different editors, but I've also kept two of my team the same since the start. My line editor and proofreader have been with me since the start and both have ways of working that complement my own. Developmental edits have changed often, and it's always good to make sure that you have an editor who works in a way that you find accessible to you and your process. If you're working with someone who might have a different way of working, that's not going to help you in the long run, so work with people who will help, not hinder.

#3 START BIG THEN GO DOWN TO SMALL
I feel like this is obvious, but in case it's not, you need to start with the big things, the ones that will have a knock on effect to the plot. Once you've got them in place, then you can focus on the smaller little things because they'll come together easily when you do it that way. Take you time, don't rush, and just let the things fall into place.

So there we go, those are my tips when it comes to learning how you edit. I feel like a good editor is worth their weight in gold because these are the people who will be sticking with you and helping you bring about the best book you can.

Good luck!

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments! 

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