Tips & Tricks: Work/Life Balance [CC]

Giving some tips and tricks for finding your work/life balance! #Authortube

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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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44 Facts About Disabilty & Writing [CC]

Giving you 44 facts about writing and disability! #Authortube

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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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Writer Reflection: Disability [CC]

Reflecting on how disability and chronic illness have impacted my writing life, and the choices I've made in my author career! #Authortube

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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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Life Of Joey & Bi-Monthly Goals - July 2026 [CC]

Telling you what I managed last month, as well as setting goals for the coming two months! #Authortube

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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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Writer Reflection: Finishing Projects [CC]

Today, I'm talking about finishing projects, and the fun that comes along with them! #Authortube

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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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