Like a lot of people I know, I’ve always wanted to get more involved with charities. But, as most people, I’m just too busy. Being a teacher, writer and husband is more than a full time job. And I don’t even have kids yet.

Then there’s the famous, "I’ll do it when I have more time. When I have enough money to scale down a bit or when I retire."

But I recall someone once saying you should live your live as if you are already where you want to be. I want to be a successful...

Welcome to the final installment of my 3-part series of blogs related to questions you should ask yourself about your novel. Questions you need to ask before, during and after writing your story. Click here if you’ve missed part 1(Setting) or part 2(Characterization).

Today’s post covers mostly plot and theme:

Can you summarize your plot in one sentence? You should.

Can you point out the major events in your plot in such a way as to summarize the plot?

Is th...

This is part 1 of my ‘blogathon’ on questions to ask about your novel before, during and after writing it. Click here if you’ve missed part one, which covers the setting of your novel.

Here we go:

Have you given the character enough motivation for his or her actions? If not, build on the motivation or change the actions and reactions accordingly. This includes the villain in your story.

How does the point of view of your story affect the characters? 1^st person works g...

I’ve been writing short stories, quite successfully, since the end of 2008 and recently started my first novel. Which made me think about what questions I need to ask myself during the planning phase of my novel. I wanted to plan the novel just like I did my short stories, but even more structured. Being a busy person, I’d rather spend a bit more time on the drawing board than wasting time in unnecessary and time consuming rewrites.

For the next few weeks I’ll be posting a few thi...