S.J.Budd

            As posted in one of my earlier blogs I'm going to give this writing malarkey a proper bash and I've thought up of some good tips that I'm going to live by and see if they help me. I would like to stress that I'm not a published writer so you might think these tips are dreadful, in that case just ignore them. For really useful tips on writing and getting published it's a good idea to visit author's own websites such as Neil Gaiman  www.neilgaiman.com  or Patrick Rothfuss www.patrickrothfuss.com  one of my favourite writers. 1) Write, write and finish. An obvious one I know but personally I've lost track of the number of times I've had a good idea for a story and planned it out before losing confidence and motivation to see it through to the end. Writing is a marathon not a sprint and most of the time the finishing line seems impossibly far away. 2) Write everyday ( especially when you don't feel like it.) It's all too easy

I'm not really sure why I've decided to do this, surely I'm just setting myself up for a fall but I thought it might be fun to keep a diary of my progress,( or serious lack of!) as a writer. I've always been a bit of a writer and have always had a very active imagination but I've never really been serious with it. I've always put it aside when I've had other commitments such as studying and University but now in my late twenties that approach hasn't really gotten me anywhere. I've ended up as a secretary and all my previous and future jobs will never progress into that glistening career job we all dream of. I like to think that each one of us has a unique talent that sets us apart, hopefully mine is in writing and I've decided to give it another go, this time I'm not going to set my hobby aside but treat it like a career. I'm doing this because I want to show people I can do other things besides answer a phone and type up letters. I

The Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence Wow! I read this book cover to cover in a few days despite being a mum to a newborn baby and here’s why. Fantasy fiction is my favourite genre but bloody hell, there's a lot of terrible novels out there, but this isn’t one of them. I was gripped from the beginning and couldn’t put it down. There’s none of the tired clichés associated with fantasy such as a friendly, wise wizard, a ancient prophecy, an epic journey or quest, and so as the plot twists and turns you really never know what’s going to happen next. I found the character of Jorg really interesting, he’s a really strong fresh character and surprisingly charismatic. I’m so happy that the sequel is already out so I won’t have to wait long to read it. This is a really promising debut from a very talented writer.