Mark Ayre's Blog, page 18

What a week (for writing)

Send to Kindle Like the rest of you, I hate Monday mornings. However, also like the rest of you, I knew that, as Monday rolled around (again) I had to drag myself out of bed and head to work because … Continue reading →

Man vs Bookshelf: Horowitz Horror

Send to Kindle Last Thursday, when I began my Man vs Bookshelf challenge, I said I was going to start with Lisey’s Story by Stephen King. This turned out to be a lie. Not that I intended to be dishonest … Continue reading →

Man vs Bookshelf: Introduction

Send to Kindle Over a three year period, my Uncle Colin gambled away everything he had. Home, pension, car. He even lost his wife after betting his daughter in a game of Texas Hold ‘Em. He told me all this … Continue reading →

Time is running out to grab this offer

In less than a month Poor Choices is landing in all good Amazon’s Know what that means? Not long to go until the special pre-order of £1.99 is gone and replaced by something marginally higher. So looks after … Continue reading →

Five reasons summer is better than winter

Send to Kindle It’s that time again. Summer was born, early, underweight, and with little chance of survival. It held on a while, kept alive by the foolish hopes and dreams of all those who loved it. Then, without us … Continue reading →

Developing that initial idea (pt. 1 – Story)

Ideas come at writers in different forms. A new character will hit you harder than the boyfriend of that cute blonde you’re checking out. A storyline will come faster than you the last time a woman touched your … Continue reading →

3 ways a professional writer is more than just a writer

Send to Kindle Calling a professional writer a writer is like calling an MP a liar. Sure, lying is a big part of what they do, and their ability to lie well is probably the reason they’re an MP in … Continue reading →

My attempts at a novel cover letter

Here’s a fact: I hate writing cover letters. It’s the worst. People think you should be good at it because you’re a writer, but it’s not the same. I know a lot of writers have trouble with it, … Continue reading →

Should you murder your relative for the inheritance?

Here at Mark Ayre Towers (shed), my team and I (just me) like to bandy around the real hot button topics. The key issues we know you are desperate for answers on. Recently we cured heart break – … Continue reading →

Should I plan my novel?

The question asked and answered a billion times. Everyone has thrown in their three pence on this, telling you what to do. You don’t need any more advice. Luckily, that’s not what I’m about. I don’t care about … Continue reading →