The kindness of strangers

Writers enjoy going to new places, meeting new people, seeking out new experiences. Sometimes, they meet up with old friends, longstanding colleagues or relatives they haven’t seen for years. All grist to the mill.

I love travelling – the planning as well as actually taking the train and plane – and talking to fellow travellers. […]

Keeping cool in the heat

Closed windows

Summer is here – warm, lazy days, extra wine, days out with the family and friends, a holiday away. But when the temperature is persistently over 30C, I tend to wilt. Yesterday reached 39C in the shade. My Muse has gone for a protracted lie down somewhere in a cool cave several metres underground.

Enter […]

Defeating copyright scams

The other week, I received a very legal seeming email for a German based company called Copytrack alleging that I had breached copy right of a photographer they represented and demanding the following:

Image license (valid for 1 year from date of purchase) 389€ Compensation costs (past usage) 350€ Payment due June 5 2025

(Can’t […]

How to enjoy your writing life

Photo of Alison Morton writing at her desk

Writing as a life choice isn’t easy. It’s actually a bit mad. But those who have the urge just can’t stop.

However, everybody will give you advice and I suppose I’m doing the same here. 🙂

Not advice about punctuation, dialogue or how to set the scene or bring characters to life – that’s craft […]

The evolving writer

When I started this scribbling business in 2009, I sat down one morning in front of my computer and typed for ninety days.

As a professional translator, I knew I would have to edit anything I produced. I joined a writers’ group and survived the terror of reading my offering aloud for the first time […]