Setting Headers and Footers at Compile Stage in Scrivener

It's easy to get your writing out of Scrivener into another editor for the final polish using the Compile function. In my case, I always compile to Microsoft Word. Something I've wrestled with for a while, however, is getting the headers and footers in Word just how I want them. Fortunately, as with most things … Continue reading Setting Headers and Footers at Compile Stage in Scrivener →

My standout gigs

I’ve been to some great gigs in my time. Here are five of my favourites, in no particular order. Suede, Wolverhampton Civic Hall, 1 November 1994 I was into Suede from the first moment I heard their music, and really loved the angst in the guitar sound. This was one of the first gigs at … Continue reading My standout gigs →

Punctuation Basics

I know punctuation was one of your favourite things at school, right up there with long division, but there's often confusion over certain points. I've put together the examples below to help clarify some of these, as a misplaced apostrophe or hyphen can cause all manner of problems. COMMAS Commas are widely misunderstood, and generally … Continue reading Punctuation Basics →

Pilgrim repeats on Radio 4 Extra

If you've been here before you'll know how I love my BBC audio drama, particularly Pilgrim by Sebastian Baczkiewicz, starring Paul Hilton as William Palmer "compelled to walk [...] between the worlds of magic and of men". Well, BBC Radio 4 Extra is repeating every episode, giving you the opportunity to listen again or discover for the … Continue reading Pilgrim repeats on Radio 4 Extra →

Create simple text notes using Keyboard Maestro and TextEdit

Sometimes you just want to make a note on your Mac. Nothing fancy – just a text file that's searchable, giving you quick and easy access. There are several ways to do this, but most are more complex then necessary. If you have Keyboard Maestro, however, you can easily create a simple macro that provides … Continue reading Create simple text notes using Keyboard Maestro and TextEdit →

GF Newman’s The Corrupted, series 4

Series 4 of GF Newman's The Corrupted is being broadcast on Radio 4 this week. Check out my previous post on this 5-star drama, listen and enjoy. Click here for my other radio posts. I'm a writer, editor, and Royal Literary Fund Fellow. Find out more, tweet me, or email.

Scrivener Tip – progress at a glance

Scrivener's Project Targets tool is great for keeping an eye on word count, especially if you're writing something to a prescribed length. On a Mac, to set your targets and check progress call up the Project Targets window using SHFT+CMD+T. However, you can also get an idea of your progress as you write with a … Continue reading Scrivener Tip – progress at a glance →

Mart’s Radio Highlight of the Week – Graeae’s Midwich Cuckoos

Graeae's Midwich Cuckoos is a fresh take on a science fiction classic: the English village of the title has a "day out", following which all the women of child-bearing age mysteriously become pregnant, with the resulting infants developing at an unnatural rate and demonstrating mysterious powers. She makes me do things. Do things? With her eyes. … Continue reading Mart’s Radio Highlight of the Week – Graeae’s Midwich Cuckoos →