Being a writer should be fairly straightforward. Sit down, and write, yeah? Oh if only. So I’m setting myself a writing challenge. Write 500 words a day for 31 days. Easy. I write 750 words a day using 750words.com on my lunch hour. 500 words a day should be no problem at all. But there’s […]
Writing Tips
7 Ways To Have More Creative Ideas More Often
Everyone has ideas, but not everyone knows how to have creative ideas. You might think creativity revolves around paint or writing novels. These 7 suggestions will certainly help with arty endeavours, but they should also help you to kickstart your own creative process! 1. Colour outside of the lines Sometimes you can get so hung […]
6 Simple Reasons (and Ways) to Try Writing Pulp Fiction
If you want to win an award for writing, you’re better off sticking to literary fiction. If you want high sales, better stick to genre fiction. But if you want to try writing something that’ll be as much fun to create as it will be to read? Then try your hand at writing pulp fiction! […]
Short stories make excellent writing samples
I posted a few weeks ago that the newest Bloody Parchment anthology of short stories, Beachfront Starter Home, Good Bones was forthcoming. I can now announce that it’s available to buy! You can grab it from Amazon for the Kindle, or if you have an EPUB reader then head over to Smashwords. At £2.80 for twelve […]
What happens if you put zombies in a Western?
It sounds like the start of a bad joke, doesn’t it – what do you get if you put zombies in a Western? Answer? To Kill A Dead Man! In all seriousness, zombies in a Western aren’t such a strange proposition. The weird Western has been around since the days of Robert E. Howard, and […]
What’s the appeal of the Western?
The appeal of the Western lies partly in the scenery. Think of gunfights and horse chases, played out against a dramatic backdrop like Monument Valley or the plains of Kansas. Picture the railroad, curving through the landscape, while cowboys drive cattle across the wide open plains. All very epic, yeah? By contrast, I grew up in Newcastle upon Tyne, […]
