So – you’re committed. Your New Year’s resolution is to write. But whether you want to kickstart your blog, finish that manuscript or get that burning idea out of your head – you need a plan. After all, you won’t want your 2019 writing resolution to go the same way as 92% of other resolutions (ie. the wrong way). So, here’s our practical, 9-step guide to making sure your writing resolution sticks in January – and beyond.  [click to continue…]

Until about six months ago I loved writing but always found it an agonising process. This might sound odd for someone who earned their living by writing and who has kept a journal for thirty years. But it’s true. I was so gripped by ‘not good enough’ worries that I found it painful to write and my writing practice suffered as a result. But I was driven to do it. I love writing, but it was almost a form of torture punctuated by enough waves of blissful creativity and flow to be addictive. [click to continue…]

Starting out in any career is going to be tough – and academia’s no different. But the interim findings of our study into scholarly writing practice suggest that early career researchers – those in years one and two of their career – find it particularly tough and that’s something that could impact their publishing productivity and wellbeing long term. [click to continue…]

Over the past few months we’ve been digging in to how academics and students write – the kind of tactics they use, how satisfied they feel, what holds them back and what haunts them at night. We’ve had nearly 600 people take our survey and whilst the research is amongst scholars, the findings are relevant to all writers, and one thing is clear: a writing system is key. [click to continue…]

Why is being prolific so important for long-term success as a writer? And how can you develop your own creative process so you can be more prolific? That’s what Joanna Penn of the Creative Penn podcast asked me. Here’s an edited extract of the interview where we discuss how to be prolific. [click to continue…]

Time for NaNoYoga – a mini-routine perfect for the word count busting November novelists and all other writers at any time of the year. Take five minutes away from your work in progress to stretch those creative muscles.  [click to continue…]

As feverish National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) writers across the globe step back bleary-eyed from their overheated keyboards – some with 50,000 words in the bag and others with rather less – how do they keep writing when there’s no deadline to hit? Here’s our 6 step guide to keep super-productive post-NaNoWriMo. Read more

Autumn is loved particularly by writers: the smell of wood smoke, plastic Halloween decorations, warm chai lattes… and, of course, National Novel Writing Month. But if you’re new to writing, or have just been too embarrassed to ask — what exactly is NaNoWriMo? How do writers get involved? And what’s the deal with it, anyway? [click to continue…]

From draft zero to published author, Julia Crouch wrote her first novel during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). She shares her life-changing experience with us and offers advice on how to find the time to start writing, beating procrastination, getting productive and most importantly – finishing your NaNo novel. [click to continue…]