The NASA approach to writing I love a good pun and make no apology for it. One of my favourites is, I’m going to use the NASA approach to writing this novel and plan it. I have written in freefall (another space reference) and each morning just carried on writing without a plan, in the … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 7
Drafts I was thinking the other day about how many drafts I have written per novel. It seems there is no set number, but I have worked myself into a routine. The first draft is all about determining if I actually have a story. This draft is only ever read by me and the scenes … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 6
Writing in the company of strangers Pre-pandemic I did most of my writing on trains and in cafes. I have a study, and I do use it, but the majority of my work was done while commuting to and from work. Journey time one way was around fifty minutes and I would arrive a bit … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 5
Writer’s Block I’ve been fortunate never to have experienced this. I recognise that some writers do, but it is something I haven’t had to deal with. I have days when I can’t be bothered. I have days when I can spend a couple of hours and only manage a few sentences, but I don’t stress … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 4
Keep on keeping on Another piece of writing advice you may come across is to keep going; don’t stop writing; don’t give up. Easy advice to give, but a lot harder to carry out in practice. As I have noted elsewhere, by the time I was offered a publishing contract, I had written twelve novels. … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 3
Reading A regular piece of advice that crops up is, if you want to write, you have to read. You will have no argument from me on that. For me it’s been crucial in learning how to write. I can see what other authors have done and use their expertise to inform my own work. … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 2
Journey to publication It was a surreal moment signing a publishing contract in February 2022. Having written a fair number of novels over a decade and more, to be offered a deal took me by surprise. At the time of writing I’m still a bit shocked, but have been getting on with the work necessary … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 1
DDOS The Kill Chain is the cybercrime thriller from Scotland’s newest writer, GJ Scobie, published by Darkstroke publishing, in the summer of 2022. This blog post is one in a series called Facts behind the Fiction, in which I take an aspect of the plot and provide factual background material, giving an insight into the … More The Kill Chain – Facts behind the Fiction Part 6
Honey Traps The Kill Chain is the cybercrime thriller from Scotland’s newest writer, GJ Scobie, published by Darkstroke publishing, in the summer of 2022. This blog post is one in a series called Facts behind the Fiction, in which I take an aspect of the plot and provide factual background material, giving an insight into … More The Kill Chain – Facts behind the Fiction Part 5
Pen Testing The Kill Chain is the cybercrime thriller from Scotland’s newest writer, GJ Scobie, published by Darkstroke publishing, in the summer of 2022. This blog post is one in a series called Facts behind the Fiction, in which I take an aspect of the plot and provide factual background material, giving an insight into … More The Kill Chain – Facts behind the Fiction Part 4
The Kill Chain. A cybercrime thriller. 