Blog Posts - Karen McCreedy: Novelist and Freelance Writer

February 19th-28th

28/2/2021

Writing Activity: Put the novel on the back-burner for a week or so. It
often helps to leave WIP aside for a while - easier to
spot errors and typos when I come back to it later.
Started writing U3A talk on What Space Exploration Has
Done For Us.

Currently Reading: 'Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King' by Ian W. Walker

February 1st-18th

18/2/2021

Writing Activity: Completed latest redraft of SF novel; began work on my
own queries and quibbles.
Continued sourcing pics and information for U3A talk

Just Read: 'Sword of Kings' by Bernard Cornwell

Currently Reading: 'The Goblin King' by Katherine Addison

January 18th-31st

31/1/2021

Writing Activity: Continued work on SF novel (redraft number 4). Still work
to do and improvements to be made, but 'Unreachable
Skies' took about 14 drafts before final version - and
even then there were additional corrections to be made
once the publisher's line-editor took a look!
Sourced more info for U3A talk

Currently Reading: 'Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe' by
Bill Bryson

January 1st-17th 2021

17/1/2021

Writing Activity: Back in the writing routine - writing each weekday
morning, usually for a couple of hours.
Continued work on SF novel - reading it through again
and correcting discrepancies, as well as adding scenes
and working on character 'voices' and quirks.
Started research for another U3A talk, this one on
'What Space Has Done for Us'

Just Read: 'The Oxford Mystery' by Faith Martin
'The White Ship' by Charles Spencer'
'Fluency' by Jennifer Foehner Wells

Currently Reading: 'Queen of the North' by Anne O'Brien

December 20th-31st

31/12/2020

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!
Here's hoping for a much busier and more sociable 2021!

December 1st-19th

19/12/2020

Writing Activity: Notes and tweaks - winding down towards Christmas. No
deadlines to meet right now, so letting a few ideas
settle and ferment.

Just Read: 'The Castle Mystery' by Faith Martin

Currently Reading: 'Vicious' by V.E Schwab

November 15th-30th

30/11/2020

Writing Activity: Continued work on 4th draft of new novel.
Started noting ideas for next year's U3A talk on 'What has
Space Exploration Done for Us?'

Currently Reading: 'Wars of the Roses: Bloodline' by Conn Iggulden

November 1st-14th

14/11/2020

Writing Activity: Worked on 4th draft of 'Voyager's Flight'. Changed a
couple of scenes completely and added several more,
which work much better.

Just Read: 'Roboteer' by Alex Lamb

Currently Reading: 'The Crow Trap' by Ann Cleeves

October 14th-31st

31/10/2020

Writing Activity: Started fourth draft of 'Voyager's Flight'.
Wrote guest blog post for my publisher, Mirror World, on
my Journey to Publication

Just Read: 'Murder in the Family' by Faith Martin
'The Chronocide Mission' by Lloyd Biggle Jr
'A Flock of Ships' by Brian Callison

Currently Reading: 'War of the Wolf' by Bernard Cornwell

October 1st-13th

13/10/2020

Writing Activity: Reading and researching space and possible ideas for
future space travel has given me more ideas to stir into
the mix for Draft 4 of Voyager's Flight. Now I just have
to work out how to slot it all in!

Currently Reading: 'On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft' by Stephen King