My thoughts about books, writing, life and so many other things….Judy Leigh/ Elena Collins.
Three years ago, I had a job that I loved; a job that I was so passionate about, that I never thought about leaving it. But it was hard work: early starts, never finishing until late into the evening. I didn't care: I gave it my heart and soul and every day was filled with …
Coverage of major sporting events is difficult to escape: whether it is the World Cup, the Six Nations, Wimbledon or The Tour de France, it is regularly in front of our eyes, on the television and in the newspapers. It is the main talking point in the news, perhaps more than the NHS crisis or …
I'm lucky to belong to several writers' groups, including a brilliant local one and an online advice and support group. Before that, my regular writers' group consisted of a bunch of genius poets and artists back in Devon. Before that, I belonged to an MA writers' class where everybody was superbly talented. The world is …
Continue reading Can’t get your novel started? Here are my 12 top tips
I have heard a lot about writers' block. I'm not entirely sure what it is but I think it means that writers can't write because something is holding them back - they experience a temporary lack of inspiration or fluidity. The reason I'm not clear about what it means is because I don't think I've …
Like most writers, I started young, with a pen and any paper I could find to scribble on. I wrote my name on the kitchen walls when I was two and had a slap for my efforts. I penned poems on empty Corn Flakes boxes. I filled jotters with an assortment of stories. In my …
Continue reading How I became a novelist – the journey so far
A friend of mine sent me a lovely piece of writing this week and asked my opinion on its worth. By coincidence, I'd just read a bestselling novel by someone I worked with a few years ago. I was pulled in by the intrigue and the characters of both stories straight away. Although the styles and …
There's something heart-rendingly sad about my statement, that novels are like good friends. It begs the question: but what about real friends, real people, not ones who are imagined and made up? The life of a writer is essentially solitary, so the idea has developed that we are a lonely bunch of individuals who have …
I recently read an interchange on social media, a discussion by writers about who they believe they write their novels for. A gifted writer who I've met, for whom I have much respect, said he always wrote for the reader. That's another reason why I respect him. Someone else disagreed strongly. This person wrote for …
On a recent Radio 4 programme, Marlon James was asked if he'd listened to reggae as he wrote A Brief History of Seven Killings. He suggested that reggae was the last music he'd have listened to: the novel was set mostly in Jamaica around the 'Bob Marley era' and of course he didn't listen to reggae: …
I've been busy writing. My third novel is finished and I'm editing it, making a lot of changes, before I step away for a while, go back, later and decide if it still feels fresh and readable. Then I'll edit some more. I'm becoming better at editing. I have an incredible two-book deal and a …
