Still working on that final, final draft.
It’s time to post an update on my writing for the 5 Year Project Do You Have Goals? blog hop. My goal is to write a novel (done) and get it published (working on it).
I’ve just finished editing chapter four of the final, final draft of the Orbital Contract. Feel ashamed not to have finished the whole novel by now, but I’ve been busy with the new grandbaby, dog walking, and enjoying Manchester. Continue reading “October Writing Update: editing progress”
As a writer, you learn to expect the unexpected.
I discovered, almost by accident, that I am on the shortlist for an award…for my non-fiction book
Walking the English Coast: A Beginner’s Guide.
The International Rubery Book Award is designed specifically for small independent presses and for self-published writers.
I notice that the winners for of the 2015 and 2016 non-fiction awards were both books about the coast. For that reason, and because the standard seems very high, I don’t expect to win. But it’s wonderful to be shortlisted.
Here is what they say about my book:
Walking the English Coast: A Beginner’s Guide
Ruth Livingstone
A book written by a GP who decided to follow her own advice about fitness and embarked on the ambitious project of walking all 5,500 miles of the British Coast. Written in a deceptively straightforward style, it offers practical advice that you feel you ought to know, but actually don’t, from what shoes to wear to how to deal with cows. It’s the kind of book you glance at, intending to pick out a few sections, then can’t put down.
I’ve entered several short stories into competitions with no luck and continued my fruitless quest for agents for my two novels, again with no luck…
It’s been a long time since I submitted my book and, to be honest, I thought it had been rejected. What a great way to start the week! And it’s funny what some encouragement will do… it spurred me on to find a developmental editor for my sci-fi novel.
Time to move forward and get my next book published.
A blog post I wrote for Leila Dewji, and initially posted on a self-publishing website, was subsequently picked up by the Writers & Artists site. 
You can read the full article Writers and Artists: Top Tips for NaNoWriMo
A couple of months ago I had a short piece published on the Self Publishing Magazine‘s website. It describes:
Continue reading “FIVE good reasons to make time for writing.”
My piece on my long-distance walking expedition is printed in a special edition of Countryfile Magazine, the mag that accompanies the BBC’s successful TV series.
This issue is dedicated to the theme ‘Back to Nature’ and the article is their headline feature in the Natural Adventures section. Accompanying the prose are some photos that feature the stunning scenery of Anglesey, and a very windswept author! Continue reading “Countryfile Magazine: Natural Adventures”
Ruth Livingstone 