Writing a book does not take long, once you start – I decided I would write my book last August, and except for taking a break to do a lucrative copywriting job later that month, that is pretty much what I did. I then returned to and completed it in September, and did the editing and proofreading, bit by it, over the following months. Write a book over a sustained period – I made most progress in August, when I avoided doing any other work at...

  Apparently, when I was young I told people that when I grew up I wanted to be a lorry driver. APPARENTLY. Maybe it was because of my dinky car collection, the time I spent playing with it, or that I did not know there were more exciting driving jobs to be had.  However, what I do know is this… I was brought up in a house filled with books and rather news-obsessed. In my early teens through to my twenties my father worked a lot in...

  WRITING A BOOK… The timing has to be right, in terms of one’s work and availability, and these two threads are now coming together for me — I plan to write a book on Business Writing Tips this summer.  Even if I get delayed it will be published by January 2015.  How exciting is that! Here is the rough plan for my new book. The book’s aim is to provide easy and practical advice on around 20 writing topics (each of...

  Soon after I moved to Oxford in 2010, I set myself some ambitions.  I did not know anyone yet, so had time on my hands… the house I bought needed things done to it… and I felt life would slip away if I did not press on and achieve some of my other lifetime goals. Here’s what I wanted to do: Create a lovely garden – somewhere I could work, relax and entertain Read more novels – to keep up with trends and not miss out on a key pleasure Learn to...

Do you want your book to be a success – to be well-received, to sell and/or to earn some money? “Self-publishing” means you or your company are cited as the publisher, but do some of us take the “self” message one step too far? Are you trying to do as much of the process yourself, or will you call upon others for help – paid or unpaid, and whom? There are three components that determine how well a self-published book does, says Helen Bryant,...

Have you got stuck, half-way through your book or writing job?  Or is it hard to find time to write?  Here is my advice on ‘Ways to make sure you finish your book’ – divided into Finding time to write (1–2), Writing tips (3–6) and Motivational help (7–10).   1.  Go on a writing retreat/week-end.  We all get stuck at times, but getting away for a few days is a great way to re-focus on the job, stir your creative juices and re-energise.  Can...