Dorothea Brande’s book Becoming a Writer is an inspirational masterpiece. It is remarkable that this book was first published in 1934 and don’t let the fact it talks about typewriters and stationery stores put you off. It is as relevant for writers today as it has ever been. It has had a profound effect on my writing practice and many of the principles it outlines are key to the Your Writing Brain approach. It asks us to confront our doubts and fears and get our minds in a place to be productive. Her approach is not about teaching someone to write

Pseudo working is all about engaging in activities that look like work but don’t produce much. This is a common issue for writers as conducting research and using social media are all part of the writer’s world and it is easy to get distracted with non-writing activities. The pressure to be more productive has a lot of us swept up in a mad fit of doing. Taking steps and actions and going nowhere very fast without reflecting on what our writing goals are and if there is a better way of achieving them. I have often tried to juggle multiple writing tasks at

Keeping a journal has many positive benefits and can help with personal growth and development. By regularly recording your thoughts you will gain insight into your behaviours and mood. Many people treat journaling as something they “know they should do” but rarely ever take up or keep up the practice but what are the real benefits of writing down your thoughts? You can gain clarity and a heightened self-awareness, learn what makes you happy and confident and what situations and people are difficult for you. It can help you build empathy, look at things objectively and better understand other’s points of