I hear from a lot of novelists who find it’s taking far longer than they expected to write their first novel. They started out thinking they’d be done in a year or two – and they’ve been working on it for perhaps four, five, even ten years, without being done. Does...
This post was first published in April 2020 and updated in January 2026. How long does it take to write 1,000 words? If you're writing a novel ... the answer matters! If you’re aiming for an average-ish novel length of 80,000 words, then that’ll take you 80 days,...
Happy New Year! We’re just over a week into 2026 … and there’s a good chance you’ve been thinking about your writing, and what goals you might want to set for the year. I’d love to hear what you’re working on: just pop a comment below (or if you prefer, drop me an...
We’re getting close to the end of 2025. In fact, 12th December always feels a little bit like the ending of a year for me … because it’s my birthday! So how did things go in Q4, and during 2025 as a whole? Recap: My Writing Goals for 2025 Way back in January, I wrote...
I launched Writers’ Cafe in May 2024 … and it’s been fantastic to see lots of different writers come through the doors! Through our weekly check-ins and writing hours, it’s been great to get insights into how different writers are tackling a huge range of projects. I...
We’re halfway through 2025 – how’s your writing been going so far this year? If you’re hitting your goals, fantastic! Take a moment this week to celebrate. 🙂 If it’s not going quite how you wanted, that’s okay. You’ve still got six months…
We’re into April already! It’s been a pretty good first quarter (Q1) for me, though one with a few challenges. I’ve been broadly happy with the writing progress I’ve made, and I wanted to share how things are going, what’s working, what’s not quite working so well,...
Quick announcement, in case you don’t read to the end: During January, you can get Writers’ Cafe membership for just $5 for your first month. If you’d like to get 2025 off to a great start, we’re here to help and cheer you on. Happy New Year! We’re now a couple...
We’re almost at the end of 2024. You might remember that after Q3, I wrote that I was running behind where I wanted to be with my writing. Spoiler alert: I did not catch up in Q4! I’ll take you through how my writing goals went in October, November, and December … and...
We’ve got slightly under three months left in 2024 … and this is the time when I start to think about all the writing I haven’t yet got done! If, like me, you had a busier-than-expected summer, you might be running behind where you’d like to be with your writing. By...
This post is part of my ongoing “How to Write When…” series. As I draft this – after a very busy summer! – I have 1,278 unread emails in my inbox. Most of those aren’t emails from individuals awaiting a reply. (Though apologies if you’re one of the people who...
It's summer time here in the UK and I'm taking a few weeks off from blogging. I'll be enjoying a trip to the North Wales coast, plus lots of adventures with my kids! I'll be back when they start the new school year in early September. If you've got a bit of downtime...
We’re now halfway through 2024 … how’s the year been going for you so far? I hope you’ve been able to get plenty of writing done and make the progress you’ve wanted, but even if that’s not been the case, you’ve still got six months left until the end of 2024 – plenty...
This post is part of my ongoing “How to Write When …” series. Many writers struggle with finding time to write. But it’s often not just about having the time …. it’s also about having the energy levels you need to focus or even to feel like sitting down to write in...
One of my absolutely favourite ways to focus when I’m writing is to use a timer. I set one just before I started drafting this post (for just 10 minutes) to help me get into it. Actually, I set two timers. One is my Clockify timer, which…
What does your perfect writing space look like? In my mind’s eye, I picture a welcoming cafe, where there are lots of little nooks to sit and write or think undisturbed. Along with those, there are a couple of big tables…
Getting started is, for many of us, the hardest part of writing. Beginning a big project like a novel can be so daunting that writers put it off for years. But even smaller-scale “starts” can be tough. How often have you put off sitting down to write, for instance…
We’re a quarter of the way through 2024, with three months down already. Some years, I get loads done in this first quarter of the year (Q1). But the first three months of 2024 didn’t go quite as smoothly as I’d hoped, with a huge number…
Have you come across the idea of an “inner critic” before? For writers, the inner critic is that little voice inside your head that criticises your writing. That could be on a big picture scale, with your inner critic telling you things like…
This post is part of my ongoing “How to Write When…” series. All writers will go through a stage where they’re writing (or wanting to write) but they’re not yet making any money from it. That’s perfectly normal, and it’s part of learning your craft and building your...
If you’ve been a writer for any length of time, you’ll have encountered some kind of obstacle, getting in the way of your writing goals. I faced a (very common) freelancing obstacle at the start of January, of not having as much paid work…
This post is part of my ongoing “How to Write When…” series. Do you ever feel afraid to sit down and write? On the surface, fear may seem like an odd emotion to associate with writing – after all, there can’t be many activities less dangerous than sitting at a...
We’re a week and a half into 2024, and chances are, you’ve been thinking about how this year might look in terms of your writing. Maybe 2023 didn’t work out how you’d hoped: you wanted to hit a weekly word count goal or finish…
Do you ever feel bored with what you’re writing? As a freelancer, I’d love to say that I’m always 100% enthusiastic about every single topic I write on – but the truth is that some topics are just more interesting than others! Even things I love to write…
It’s summer here in the UK … not that you’d know it to look out of the window! We seem to have had even more rain than usual recently. As usual, I’m taking a few weeks off from blogging over the summer: I’ll be posting again from mid-September. In the meantime, you...
When I surveyed the Aliventures readership a few months ago, one reader asked about finding the courage to put your writing out there into the world. I think this is a struggle that so many writers have – and not necessarily just at the start of their writing life. It...
This post was first published in March 2012 and updated in June 2023. The writing path is rewarding and varied – but it can also feel very long. If your definition of “success” is to be a best-selling author and you’ve only written a couple of chapters of your first...
This post was first published in August 2014 and updated in April 2023. Sometimes, I get emails like this: I enjoyed your blog post on making money from your writing. I'd love to make a living writing but I don't know if that's unrealistic. I can tell you now … it's...
You almost certainly don’t have all day, every day, to write. In fact, you might only have little pieces of writing time – half an hour here, 15 minutes there, maybe a full afternoon if you plan ahead…
This post is part of my ongoing “How to Write When…” series. How do you write when you have so many other things you need to get done? This comes up a lot for writers. I’ve been going through the results of the 2023 Aliventures survey (which closes today). A number of...
All of us have moments, as writers, when what’s going on in our head gets in the way of writing. Maybe you’ve had times when you’ve struggled against a consistently low mood, anxiety about…
I don’t think I’ve ever met a writer who felt completely confident about their writing. Whatever stage you’re at, it’s normal to go through some times when you doubt yourself or your words a little. In fact, a small degree of self-doubt…
This post is part of my ongoing "How to Write When..." series. Are you tired today? Perhaps you slept well, you’re full of energy, and you’re raring to go. But even if that’s the case today, you likely have days when you’re just feeling worn out. Or maybe you’re tired...
It’s the start of the year … and, like many writers, you might have set some goals for the 12 months ahead, or even made a New Year’s Resolution related to writing. Most years, I have some kind of…
This post is part of my ongoing “How to Write When…” series. Do you ever feel discouraged when it comes to writing? While I’d love to imagine that you always feel at your creative best, full of confidence, and without anyone or anything slowing you down … I know...
I’d like to say that every freelance piece I write is deeply engaging for me … but the truth is that, so long as it pays well, I’ll write about plenty of things that don’t especially interest me. Whether you’re writing something uninteresting…
Are you struggling to find the physical space to write without interruptions? Many writers don’t have a dedicated office or study at home to work from. And if family members are around when you’re trying to write…
Have you ended yet another day without any writing? Maybe you had great intentions, but things just kept happening. You woke up late. You had a busy morning at work. Colleagues were heading out for lunch, so you went along with them. You had to stop for groceries on...
I love writing. When I’m writing, I feel truly myself. Sometimes I lose track of time. I can immerse myself in whatever I’m creating – a story, a blog post, even simply an email – and it’s a wonderful feeling. And yet, sometimes, just getting started…
Inspiration. Motivation. What do those words mean to you? Some writers would have you believe you can’t write anything without them. Other writers think they’re unnecessary: you just sit down and get on with the task at hand…
In the last Aliventures survey the subject of “motivation” came up quite a few times, and one reader specifically asked for a post about staying motivated to finish a short story or novel. I’ll be the first to admit – this is tough! My unfinished short stories and...
Writing can be tough. It takes time, energy, and focus – all of which are in short supply for many of us. It can be tough getting any writing done around a full-time day job, especially if you work long hours. But even if you only work part-time…
Should you just stop writing? Maybe it feels like it’s taking up a lot of your time and energy, and you’re not getting much (if anything) in return. Most writers go through times when they feel like giving up. It’s a normal and natural, if difficult, stage in the writing life…
While some people like to imagine writers working in bursts of frenzied inspiration, the reality doesn’t generally look like that. There might be wonderful moments of flow – I’ve certainly had writing sessions where I lost track of time because I was so focused on putting words on the page…
It’s often said that no plan survives contact with the enemy. And as a writer, you might sometimes feel like the whole world is against your writing. Whether you’re working overtime at your day job, dealing with an unexpected family crisis…
Whenever I ask Aliventures readers about their writing goals, projects, and struggles, one theme is always sure to come up: A lack of confidence. It can be so hard to have confidence in your writing. Maybe you feel like you’re not good enough to be a successful...
I’m taking a few weeks off from blogging, so regular posts will resume mid-September. In the meantime, here are seven of my favourite posts from the past seven months for you to enjoy: How to Be a Writer: Ten Important Steps to Becoming a Writer (and Living Your...
From about the age of 10, I knew I wanted to be a writer. As a teenager, I imagined myself writing novels and getting paid for it. I took my writing seriously, buying books on the craft of writing, joining a writers’ group…
Motivation can be a huge struggle for writers. There are a lot of tips out there about getting motivated to write – but these tend to be focused on starting something new. What if you’re part-way through a big project – say, you’ve written 20,000 words of a novel…
I’ve been writing, on and off, since my early teens – but it wasn’t until 2008 that I truly took my writing seriously. It made a dramatic difference. By the middle of 2008, I was freelancing for a living. By the end of 2008, I’d embarked on a creative writing degree and started a novel, which became Lycopolis. In 2012, I wrote…
One really tough issue that I’ve seen coming up over and over again, from lots of different writers, is “My partner doesn’t support my writing.” If you’ve got a spouse or live-in partner who’s unsupportive (or even critical) about you taking the time to write, that can be a huge challenge. (Similarly, if you’re living…
All writers struggle with motivation at times. Whether you’re writing freelance pieces, content for your blog, a novel, short stories, poetry, or even an essay, thesis, or dissertation … it can be really tough to stay motivated to write. Even after 12+ years of writing full-time, I still have days when I don’t feel motivated…
Do you ever feel like you’re not really progressing with your writing? Perhaps you’re at the start of your writing journey, but it’s hard going. You feel unconfident and unsure: you want to move forward, but you don’t know quite how. Perhaps you’ve been writing for years and years, and you’re in a bit of a rut. You feel bored, stagnant: you want to take…
How’s your writing been going over the past few months? Some writers find that they have a burst of writing enthusiasm, getting lots done quickly, before their enthusiasm peters out. Others feel that they never really get into the writing groove, so they’re constantly struggling to gain momentum…
Do you ever feel like you’re just not good enough as a writer? Maybe you’re worried that your characters seem flat and two-dimensional. Perhaps your plots seem hackneyed or contrived. Maybe you think you should be making money (or more money) from your writing. Perhaps you’ve been writing, or trying to, for many years now…
How has 2020 been for you, as a writer? Maybe it’s been a surprisingly good year. Perhaps, with social events cancelled, and no commute to work, you’ve found it easy to find time to write. But maybe it hasn’t gone like that. Most of the writers I know have had a tough year. They’ve been homeschooling their kids during lockdown, or they’ve been worried about…
What’s holding you back from writing? A lot of writers say their biggest problem is “finding time” … but sometimes the underlying problem is really a lack of self-confidence. Maybe other priorities keep crowding out your writing. Maybe you feel that there’s not much point…
What do you want to achieve with your writing? You might have all sorts of goals. Perhaps: You want to win a short story competition.
You want to make an extra $500/month freelancing. You want to make a full-time living as a fantasy novelist. You want to sell 100,000 copies of your latest book…
Last week, we looked at some of the practical things you can do to clear some space in your life for writing. Simply having the time and energy to write, though, isn’t enough. You need the desire to write too … and that’s what today’s post is all about. When you’ve not been…
Have you ever given up on a big writing project part-way through – perhaps after months or years of work? I’ve abandoned plenty (three novels and two blogs, at the last count). I’ve also stuck with others even when I thought of quitting. If you’re currently struggling with a major project …