Welcome to my first ever RM Gurnhill blog!
I thought I would introduce myself through an author question session split into several bite-size blogs for light reading.
If you'd like to know more about myself or my work, please don't hesitate to contact me through the contact form on the site.
Questions posed by Paul Grant & Zak Peat
Pencil drawing by Jo Lanta
Q: How long have you been writing?
Since I was at school. I still have my first ever story, The Mothcat, in one of my English books from when I was 11. Mr Lever was a legend of a teacher. Life gets in the way though, with working for a living, keeping a house and raising children, and it's only recently that I've had the time and privilege to be able to really concentrate on my work, with an eye on gaining an agent's representation; something I always planned to do.
My aim now though, is to release at least one novel every other year in the Corlandian Ballads series, and one other novel a year that is far-removed from this genre. It's going to be a tough schedule, but worthwhile.
Q: What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
Nowadays, I am ruthlessly driven in achieving the goals I set myself. Goals are a vital component of how I work and are a part of my management technique in my working life (that pays the mortgage until my writing does!). I use various aids to drive me and plan my schedule, from whiteboards above my desk with schedules, weekly workloads, project timelines etc; to reminders and calendars on my devices that remind me of what I should be doing at any given moment.
Of course, I can't let my personal life suffer as I have a responsibility to my wife, my family (now including 5 grandchildren), and pooches Abbie & Candie. I have a well-rehearsed work-life balance that I have developed over many years of trial and error, but always (without fail) ensure that when I go to bed at night, I have achieved at least ONE thing during that day. This could be something as small as a few paragraphs of my current novel in progress, editing 5 pages of a completed novel, researching a topic for my next blog, or going on social media sites to promote myself and keep those important contacts with my audience and potential audience going. Being a writer nowadays is 50% creation, 50% promotion; it would be wonderful if the split were 100%/0%, but that’s modern life.
Part 2 of this question and answer session coming soon.
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