Tag Archives: writing tips

📔 The Surprising Writing Tool I Didn’t Expect: A Gratitude Journal #mondayblogs #writingcommunity

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On Friday, I announced on social media that I am represented by Intersaga Literary Agency.

It has taken me a year to find someone who believes in me and my work.

During my year of querying, I wrote a book and rewrote another, queried numerous agents, and received a range of responses, some positive and some not so much.

Through all this, I kept a gratitude journal.

I have never kept a gratitude journal before. I never believed in them, until I heard this phrase, when you start appreciating the good, the good gets better. No idea where it came from but it was linked to a post on gratitude.

I am sitting here, flicking through my gratitude journal, and I think this has been a surprising writing tool for me. I am grateful to it because I believe it kept me sane and kept me focused.

Keeping a gratitude journal shifted my mindset. With my writing I focused on progress and not perfection. Every word written became something to celebrate. I am looking at the page where I drew stars and hearts after giving thanks for 1,567 words.

I even celebrated the rejections. They were medals of honour. I had been brave and taken a risk. Despite being hard to write, I thanked the universe for each rejection, and I thanked the agent too.

If the rejection had been received within twelve hours, I thanked the agent for their promptness in redirecting me.

One agent mentioned that even though she was rejecting me, my query had made her snort with laughter a few times. That, for me, was a small win, and I gave thanks for her honesty.

The big thing was that I thanked myself for showing up when life outside of writing was tough. The act of doing this was powerful. I gave thanks to myself for getting words down on paper when there was a giant hole in my kitchen ceiling and water coming through, when I had an allergic reaction and my face went bright red for days, when I was going through a challenging time at work and when my kids were going through difficult episodes in their lives.

My gratitude journal has become a writing habit and a mindset practice.

Sometimes the best writing tools aren’t the fancy ones we expect – they’re the ones that remind us to notice what’s already working.

Do you keep a gratitude journal?

If you want to learn more about me click here

🐶 The Benefits of Adding Pets When Writing Romance Books 💖 #MondayBlogs #WritingCommunity

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There’s something magical about a good romance book —the spark, the tension, the swoony happily-ever-after. But you know what makes it even better? A wagging tail, a judgy cat, or even a diva of a parrot chiming in at the wrong moment.

🐈 Whether it’s a loyal dog, a mischievous cat, or even a naughty hamster, animals can do more than create some comedy moments. Pets become catalysts for character development and drive your plot forward.

Here’s why adding pets to your romance books works:

  1. 🐾 Instant Relatability
    Most readers either have pets or have fond memories of them. Including a dog curled at a heroine’s feet or a cat demanding attention mid-conversation creates a moment of recognition. Those little details make your book’s world feel grounded and familiar.
  2. 🐶 Revealing Character Traits
    How a character interacts with an animal speaks volumes. A patient hero who adopts a rescue dog shows compassion. A heroine who spoils her cat reveals her nurturing side. Even a character who struggles with a pet can highlight flaws, growth arcs, or hidden softness beneath a prickly exterior.
  3. 🐈‍⬛ Natural Icebreakers and Plot Devices
    Pets can help two characters meet or reconnect—think of the classic “dog-walking encounter” in the park. They also create organic reasons for repeated interaction: pet-sitting, vet visits, or a runaway animal who keeps bringing two people together.
  4. 🦜Adding Humour and Lightness
    Romantic tension often benefits from levity. A cat knocking over a wine glass at the wrong moment, or a dog interrupting a kiss by jumping onto the couch, adds warmth and laughter without derailing the story.
  5. 🐕 Emotional Anchors
    Pets embody unconditional love. They can comfort characters through heartbreak, loneliness, or self-doubt, reflecting themes of loyalty and devotion. A pet’s presence often mirrors the growing bond between the romantic leads, offering a symbolic thread through the narrative.
  6. 🐱 Expanding the World
    Animals naturally expand a character’s circle. Dog parks, vet clinics, pet stores, or animal rescues all provide new backdrops and opportunities for character interaction, giving writers more variety in setting and pacing.
  7. 🐭 Building Reader Investment
    Readers often become just as attached to the fictional pet as they do to the main characters. That extra bond deepens emotional stakes, making the story more memorable and engaging.

    In romance, every detail matters—especially those that reveal heart. By weaving pets into the storyline, authors don’t just add charm; they enrich character depth, heighten emotional stakes, and create moments of humour and relatability that resonate long after the final page. 🐶🐾❤️

Here’s my latest book: The Christmas Dog Sitters – Humphrey the mischievous spaniel is the star of my book ❤️

Find out more about me and dog – click here for cute dog pics

📚 How To Survive Comparing Your Unfinished Draft Novel to a Successful Author’s Bestseller #MondayBlogs

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Here are the stages of comparing your unfinished draft to a successful author’s bestselling novel:

Reading euphoria. Your favourite author’s latest book is hard to put down. You haven’t surfaced for food, drink, or some basic form of interaction with another human being for most of the day.  Their book is AMAZING.

As you reach a juicy bit in the book, you get a rush of what can only be described as reading euphoria.

Panic. During this intense spell, you become aware of a helpful little voice inside you saying, ‘You couldn’t write anything like this’.

You start to think about what the little voice said. You place the book in your lap as a dark cloud of writer’s doubt passes over you.

In a panic, you glance at the pile of papers making up your unfinished draft novel. It’s taken you months to reach this stage, and the project is not even finished. Up until you read this book, you thought your draft novel was pretty awesome.

Comparison Hell. You enter what can only be described as a form of writer comparison hell.

Your mind starts to unpick your draft whilst replaying the amazing bits of the book that you are reading back to you.

The helpful little voice returns and gives a handy running commentary on:

– how your draft does not have this author’s engaging tone

– your draft does not contain the plot twists that this author’s book possesses

– your draft does not have the amazing characters which bring this author’s book to life.

You reach out for a box of tissues. All those loving feelings for your draft novel are washed away with your tears.

Gigantic cloud of self-doubt. After some careful consideration, you decide that the best thing all round will be for you to…quit writing. You could never come up with something as good as this book.

There is no hope for you so why put yourself through anymore misery?  

The literary dream is over.

STOP!

Your successful author’s book has been through NUMEROUS revisions. It will have been changed, edited and rewritten a LOT before it hit the shelves. It has been polished so much, the damn thing shines!

Your draft hasn’t, and more importantly, it’s still not finished.

Your draft is still at the ‘ugly duckling’ phase. All draft novels go through this stage.

Your successful author’s book even went through the unfinished draft stage and probably looked nothing like what it does today.

Behind every great book on sale are hours, days, months and in some cases years of hard work.

So, how do you learn to survive this?

  • Make notes on what made their book so good. Use this insight to feed into your own work.
  • Read book acknowledgments more. This is where an author documents their struggle, pain and journey to publication. If you read these you will see that the journey to a published bestselling novel is long and arduous.
  • Take out an old project you wrote a few years ago and compare your current draft. Look at how far you have progressed. This is the comparison we should all be doing.

Keep writing and finish your book!

💖 🚗 Writing the Perfect Commuter Romance: Turning Commuting into Love #mondayblogs

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We’ve all been there — sitting on a train, bus, or on a busy tube, earbuds in, coffee in hand, watching two people exchange nervous smiles. Perhaps one tries to make interesting small talk or the other drops the book they’re reading, and they both reach down to pick it up. The romance author in me always wonders whether this is the start of a train, bus or tube love.

If you’ve ever wanted to write a romance that unfolds between the morning rush and the evening ride home, here’s how to make it work.

1. Make the Commute a Character

The setting is half the appeal of commuter romance. Whether your story takes place on a bustling city underground, a sleepy small-town bus or in the back of a pink mini, let the environment shape the story.

  • Use the sensory details — the hum of the tracks, the press of strangers, the smell of rain on pavement.
  • Let the commute set the rhythm — mornings can be hectic and filled with near-misses, while evening rides might be quieter, more reflective, and intimate.
  • Include the small rituals — favorite seats, missed connections, waiting for the right bus. These little moments can become emotional touchpoints for your characters.

2. Create Organic Encounters

The magic of commuter romance is that it feels like fate brought two people together. Avoid forced meet-cutes — instead, lean into the natural patterns of commuting:

  • Glances across the aisle that turn into smiles.
  • Shared frustrations when the train is delayed or the bus is too full.
  • Brief interactions that build over time — lending a pen, sharing an umbrella, swapping book recommendations.

This slow-burn format works beautifully because readers are invested in watching the relationship unfold in small, believable increments.

3. Play with Tension and Timing

A commute is inherently time-bound. Your characters only have a few minutes (or an hour at most) to interact before one of them gets off. Use this built-in constraint to your advantage:

  • Cliffhangers: One character is about to confess something… and then their stop comes.
  • Near-misses: One day, they don’t show up, and the other character has to grapple with how much that absence hurts.
  • Countdowns: Maybe one of them is moving to another city soon, giving their romance an urgent ticking clock.

This makes every interaction count — and keeps readers turning the pages.

4. Explore the Themes of Movement

Commuter romance isn’t just about getting from point A to point B. It’s about transformation.

  • The journey mirrors the character’s emotional growth.
  • The daily routine becomes a metaphor for breaking out of a rut.
  • Love literally takes them somewhere new.

Whether your characters are finding love while stuck in traffic or riding a high-speed train, their emotional arcs should mirror the motion of the world around them.

5. Don’t Forget the Destination

Eventually, your characters have to leave the train (literally or figuratively). A satisfying commuter romance shows what happens when their relationship steps off the platform and enters real life.

Do they keep seeing each other outside of the commute? Do they decide to make a big change — move, switch jobs, take a leap of faith? Your ending should feel like a reward for all those quiet moments spent sitting side by side.

Here’s my commuter romance: The Car Share

The Car Share

Embark on a heartwarming journey in this romantic comedy that proves it doesn’t matter where you’re going—it’s who you have beside you on the way . . .

After Lia’s old car breathes its last, the single mom must reluctantly take the bus to work . . . and face unwarranted attention from a troublesome teenager. It’s all too much to take—she’s been depressed since her fiancé’s death and even quit her beloved women’s football team. But it’s Happy Car Sharers to the rescue after her friends get her set up on the app.


Mateo, meanwhile, has recently moved to town, and his long walk to the train station is a literal pain due to an ankle injury. Soon he and Lia are riding each morning with a charmingly bossy driver and a rotation of colorful fellow passengers.


It’s not love at first sight. Technically it’s not even first sight: they’ve seen each other before at the nursing home where both their fathers live and Mateo plays piano for the residents. But with each trip they get to know each other better . . . and the more they know, the more they find to like.


With both of them consumed by personal losses and pressing family responsibilities—and another man getting in the way—can romance lie on the road ahead for these commuting companions?

The Car Share is a humorous exploration of love, loss, and the unexpected detours that lead us to where we truly belong.

🦋 What Taylor Swift Can Teach Writers About Symbolism

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Help – I have fallen down the rabbit hole of symbolism in writing! Last week’s post on the symbolism of doors sparked something within me.

I wouldn’t say I was a Swiftie with regards Taylor Smith but I do have an appreciation of her music especially her albums; Midnights and The Tortured Poets Department. Both of these albums contain songs which are forever playing on my playlists.

I do think Taylor Swift is more than a singer / songwriter. To me she’s a master storyteller. The way she uses objects, colors, numbers, and repeating motifs to make her songs come alive, boggles my fiction writing mind.

When it comes to symbolism I think we can learn a lot from Taylor Swift:

Signature symbol. I love how the number 13 follows her across her albums, eras and performances. The number 13 needed Taylor Swift to take it under her wing as up until she came along it didn’t have great street cred. What can we learn from this? Give your protagonist or story a recurring object, number, or phrase that becomes uniquely tied to them. This could be a piece of jewelry, a meaningful song lyric, or even a personal superstition that appears at key moments.

Use of colours. I love how each album has a distinct colour palette and there is always meaning behind it. Her album, Lover, is bathed in a soft pastel pink which represents love and warmth. Grey and neutrals for her album, Folklore, to me were about nostalgia and Midnights was dark blue and lavender signifying introspection and mystery.

Small objects carry big meaning. This is my favourite part. Taylor does this very well. She gives small object so much emotional weight. Here are a few examples:

A scarf becomes a symbol of love and loss (All too well).

A mirrorball represents fragility and self-reflection (Mirrorball).

A cardigan is comfort and memory wrapped in one (Cardigan).

What can we use from this? Pick one or two objects in your story and let them evolve with your characters. Maybe a chipped mug follows your character from their old life into their new one, symbolizing what they carry with them.

Symbolism turns Taylor’s songs into things that linger in your mind long after they have stopped playing. It gives her songs a narrative emotional texture — that extra layer that makes listeners pause and say, “Ohhh, I get it.”

We can learn from her.

Things I am learning from Taylor Swift:

Choose one object, one color, and one repeated idea.

Plant them early in my story.

Letting them grow in meaning as my characters change.

I can’t leave this post without giving you my top 5 Taylor Swift songs:

  1. Mastermind (Midnights)
  2. So, Long London (TTPD)
  3. Look what you made me do (Reputation)
  4. My tears ricochet (Folklore)
  5. The Prophecy (TTPD)

Would love to hear your thoughts and your top 5 Taylor Swift songs 🦋

🎤 ❤️

If you want to know more about me click here

🚪 5 Things About Using Doors in Your Writing #MondayBlogs #Writers

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I have been reading about how doors can be used as writing devices, and I am obsessed. You’re probably reading this and thinking, Lucy Mitchell needs to get out more…

But…I am not the only one thinking about doors…

A few days ago, I listened to Taylor Swift on the New Heights podcast, and she talked about her dramatic exit through an orange door during the final Eras Tour show, which was no accident—it was what she referred to as one of her carefully placed Easter eggs. Unlike her usual exit via elevator, this one symbolised both an ending and a beginning. I was writing this blog post at the time and suddenly felt Taylor Swift and I were on the same wave length. Sigh!

Useful article on Taylor’s orange door here.

I didn’t realise how doors can be used as powerful symbols.

In my writing, I have never thought about using doors as symbols or tools. In my stories, characters are constantly slamming them shut when they are having a temper tantrum or an emotional outburst. But I have never intentionally used them.

But now after my research I think doors offer us so much more:

Symbols. Doors can have lots of symbolic meanings which we can use in our writing. Symbols can convey things to your reader

  • A closed door can mean opportunity denied or hidden secrets.
  • An open door can suggest freedom, an invitation or vulnerability.
  • They represent a choice or the act of making a decision.
  • Doors can represent escape.
  • An open door can mean hope.
  • Doors can represent barriers that need to be overcome.

Character insights. How a character interacts with a door can show a number of emotions. What doors do they keep shut and does this show avoiding confrontation?

Symbols of Opportunity and New Beginnings. A door opening and entering a new phase and chance for change. Think Alice in Wonderland. Alice stepping through the small door into Wonderland.

Plot catalyst. Doors can move your plot forward. They can be used to act as portals to other worlds, revealing secrets or a forgotten past or trigger events,

Internal reflection. Hesitation at the door can show fear, doubt or anticipation. Forcing the door open can show urgency, desperation or defiance.

Passageway between two worlds. This is probably my favourite. I am a huge fan of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. In this the door is used as a passageway from isolation to connection. On one side you have Mary’s old, stifled existence and on the other a works full of possibilities and connection. The door is also a passageway between the old world of death and neglect to healing and self discovery.

Doors in Romance and Relationships
Metaphor: “opening the door to love.” Great way to use physical space to mirror emotional journeys.

The next time your character approaches a door, ask yourself what it means – not just where it leads…..🚪

Learn more about me here.

Door pics from Canva

📝 10 Things That Helped Me Revise My Draft Novel

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On Friday, I finished revising my latest draft novel. I think this novel has added a few more grey hairs and definitely a new wrinkle or two. I have now sent it to someone important (will tell you more in September – high-pitched squeal), and I can start writing my next book, which is desperate to get my attention.

I wanted to document the things that have helped me get through the revision of my draft novel, because it hasn’t been easy and I need some sympathy….

This book was planned out last year, and I wrote a messy short first draft last year. I rewrote it in April and May. So, the revision I have just done is the third draft.

  1. Feedback. I used a professional novel critique service (Elspells), which is one I have used before. There was a cost, but I trust Ellie, and even though her feedback was painful at times, I know she wants to see my draft novel improve and be the best version it can be.
  2. Post Feedback Emotional Breakdown. This was needed. I had to grieve for the old version of my draft novel, and I had to say goodbye to a character and a few storylines. For this, I needed a box of tissues, chocolate and my dog to hug me.
  3. Pocket Notebook. I found that new ideas for my revision didn’t come to me when I was sitting at my desk. They arrived while I was on the train, the bus or in the car. They appeared in the supermarket or shopping for clothes, and at the coffee machine at work. Carrying this notebook around with me has been useful.
  4. Shelved Novels. I have written 12 complete novels, and I have 6 half-finished, shelved novels. Only 5 of the 12 have been published, so I have a lot of characters, plots, and settings that didn’t work the first time but could be extracted and used in this new book. So, I went on a scavenger hunt through my old files.
  5. Junk Journalling. When I wasn’t writing, I was junk journalling, and this has proved useful as it is a great stress reliever for me. I think my brain needs a few creative outlets to work on. There is something magical about sitting down with glue, journal material, stickers, scraps of junk, and a blank journal.
  6. Kitchen dancing. Dancing whilst revising is a must. The kitchen at night became my dance floor, and let me tell you – I got creative with my arms and legs! A clap combined with a high leg kick is good for writer’s block. Just be careful you have no hot pans on the stove.
  7. Painful changes first. I worked on the painful modifications first. It was tough.
  8. Spreadsheet. I set up a revision spreadsheet, listed all my changes and ticked them off as I went.
  9. Red lipstick. I wore red lipstick as I made the big changes, like removing characters. It’s a power move.
  10. Read a different genre. I switched to non-fiction books while I was revising. I find that if you read the same genre you will find the book you are reading appearing on the page.

Revising your draft novel is tough, and it is a long, dark tunnel but you must keep moving.

Never lose hope and keep writing.

Learn more about me here

📚 10 Lessons I Learnt With 5 Published Books

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Back in 2017, I decided to write my first full-length romance novel. Before this, I had written a dodgy space rom-com and a romance series, which was written via thirty-four weekly blog posts, called The Diary of Roxy Collins. One day I must turn her into a book.

The thought of being published back then felt like a pipe dream. It was something that happened to other people, not to someone like me.

After much daydreaming and procrastination, I had to set aside the dream of being published and focus on learning how to write a romance novel. This book would become “Instructions for Falling in Love Again.”

My first book was published in 2023 with Bloodhound books.

Here I am today, with five published books behind me, and I am ready to share the lessons I have learnt.

  1. Every book teaches you something different. It could be plot, character, setting or something about yourself. Book ideas don’t always come to you because they are meant to be turned into books. Most ideas come to teach you something.
  2. Every book will break you in some way. It’s true. They will either break you emotionally or mentally. At some point you will want to lie down by your desk, curl up in a ball and weep. Every book of mine has done this to me. Some break me at first draft stage, some second draft however most break me when I have to make harsh changes like deleting characters, large chunks of my plot and my book no longer feels like the one I first wrote.
  3. Editors are wonderful people. They are the unsung heroes of the book world,
  4. A book is never finished. I still think about my 5 books and what I would do to improve them.
  5. Promoting books never gets easier. To be an author you have to find new ways of promoting your book and you will have to be okay when your carefully crafted social media posts don’t perform.
  6. Reading is your rocket fuel. If you can’t write – read!
  7. Writer’s block is more likely to be due to tiredness/exhaustion/stress/burnout. Always try resting or taking a break first before you try and alleviate your writer’s block.
  8. Honest beta readers are invaluable. If you can find honest beta readers you are onto something good.
  9. Rejection never goes away. This is true. Rejection still happens even when you are an established author.
  10. Conflict. It’s all about the conflict. This is the secret sauce for any book. If you want to write a good book – add a good spoonful of conflict,

And I still feel like a beginner when it comes to writing a book 🤣

Learn more about me here