Those August jollies didn’t last — I was so impressed by my August earnings, I thought Medium had turned a corner and things were on the up! Hoping for great things, I scribbled away in September, commenting on UK climate policy news, the naked rambler, and why ‘Germans’ were removed from a 1940s living history event…

Lung and bronchus cancer are now common in the county — Some residents of Belmont County in eastern Ohio have long suffered from headaches, fatigue, nausea and burning sensations in their throats and noses. They suspected these symptoms were the result of air pollution from fracking facilities in the area, but regulators dismissed and downplayed their concerns. Local advocacy groups set…

‘Drowning’ by Andy Palmer — Brilliantly written, Andy Palmer’s ‘Drowning’ is an insightful memoir, offering a revealing perspective into the life of an addict. It takes you on a journey, from Andy’s childhood relationships and misdemeanours, through to his struggles with addiction as a young adult. He gets into drugs…

Here’s my experience of both — and the merits of different paths — If you’re an author who has written a book but you’re struggling to find a publisher, you might be losing the will to live after trying every literary agent in the world. Perhaps you’re considering whether it’s better to self-publish or approach small publishers. I’ve done both. I’ve signed contracts…

A few years ago, I was reading a lot of self-published books. I came across some fabulous gems, some absolute horrors, and some in between. One thing that was consistent across almost all books — including traditionally published ones — was typos sneaking through. Ozzy Osbourne’s autobiography was, memorably, full…

Inspired by Tim Denning’s course — I finally got around to watching the first episode of Tim Denning’s free course on growing your Medium earnings recently. The first session is about headlines — how to write great ones that deliver reads. These are my key takeaways from the session: Write headlines every day. It helps you…

And fast-track your way to writing success — Want to write a great article? Need inspiration? Here are some tips to get those old grey cogs turning… 1. Get out and see what’s going on There’s nothing like getting away from your desk and your phone into the open air for a refreshing new take on life. I often find when I’m stuck, a walk in…

How many of these essential characteristics apply to you? — Writing is easy, but doing it well, and being a commercial success as a writer is a completely different ball game. Here are some of the qualities that I believe are helpful, if you want to be a successful writer in the modern world. This opinion piece is based on…

Balanced critiques can be the most helpful reviews, so why do I feel bad giving anyone less than five stars? — A few years ago, I started reading and reviewing a lot of independently published books, to try and support struggling authors, and help them on their journey. But I found finding writing reviews really hard. I can quite understand why some people decide not to leave reviews, or simply to…