Travel writing is not all about sipping cocktails on sun-drenched beaches. Simon Whaley packs his bags to explore the business etiquette of the press trip.
Business of Writing: Press Trip Protocols
Features
New Year, New You, New Pseudonym?
Is there a business case for using a pen name? Simon Whaley chats to three writers about the pros and cons of a split writing personality.
My name is Simon Whaley, and that’s the name I write under. Although there was that time when I entered the National Association of Writers’ Groups’ mini-tale competition and I had to use a pseudonym (entries had to be judged anonymously). So, for a couple of hours, I became Milo Swahney. I used an anagram of my real name on that occasion because when I entered the competition the previous year I’d used my porn-star name. Suffice to say that was memorable for the wrong reasons, and I had to come up with something different.
Business of Writing – Christmas Gifts
What do professional writers get in their Christmas stockings? Simon Whaley unwraps a few ideas from Christmas past to sneak onto your list this year.
BoW – Coping With A Crisis In Confidence
Dark nights and negative demons can quash a writer’s confidence. Simon Whaley finds two writers who’ve trained their demons into submission.
(Published in Writing Magazine – November 2015 Issue)
Keeping It Local
Simon Whaley explores the benefit of authors getting involved with their local literary festivals …
Keeping It Local was published in the Autumn 2015 issue of The Author, the Journal of the Society of Authors
Keeping it local
Phyllis Blakemore will always remember her appearance at the Wellington Literary Festival’s ‘Meet the Local Author’ event, in 2014. She sold three copies of her book, Gentlemen of the River: The Last Coraclemen of the Severn Gorge, to the same reader who’d bought a signed copy from her at the 2013 local author event. The reader wanted signed copies to give as gifts and, knowing Phyllis was local, had searched specifically for her in the new festival brochure.
The People’s Friend Special – Issue 110
Check out Issue 110 of The People’s Friend Special, which not only has one of my short stories in it, but it also has an article about my visit to …
Another Visit to Age UK
Pick up a copy of the 18th July 2015 issue of The People’s Friend to see the latest monthly instalment of a year in the life of an Age UK …
Business of Writing – Get Help Through Business Synergies
Businesses make themselves stronger by joining forces. Simon Whaley discovers how this can help your writing.
Writing is a lonely occupation, but those writers who succeed tend to be the ones who seek support from elsewhere. In the world of business this is known as a synergy, when two or more businesses co-operate to produce a result greater than their separate parts. As individual writers we have strengths, but we also have weaknesses. In order to develop as writers we need to recognise those weaknesses and then join forces with another business that can help us overcome them, making us much stronger in a competitive world.
Business of Writing – Don’t Avoid The Diversion!
Keeping our writing business afloat isn’t easy. Simon Whaley chats to two writers who’ve found diversification has led to calmer seas.
Ideas and The Complete Article Writer
No writer worth their weight in text is without ideas. But sometimes conjuring them up feels more challenging than pushing a brussels sprout up to the top of Snowdon using …