Word Count

Word Count 12: Arthur C Clarke Award news, short story tips and a very young Grabbity

August 2, 2022

Hi there, This week’s newsletter is a bit shorter than normal, due to the absolute chaos currently reigning in our house now that our belongings have been delivered from America. I have my desk and computer set up but am sitting in the middle of a sea of boxes with little idea where everything’s going […]

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Word Count 11: And the winner is…, the Passion Economy, Natalie Lue on her blogging business and the history of the paragraph

July 26, 2022

Hi there, It is blissfully cool today as the weather normalises after the intense heatwave we had last week. In our garden, the mercury hit 41.4C in the sun and 37C in the shade. At one point, our bedroom was 34C, and pretty much all we could do was lie there and sweat. Never have […]

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Word Count 10: Comedy Basic, getting your bucket right, choose a perk, and meet Holly’s Merry Moggies

July 19, 2022

Hi there, It’s hot here in the UK. Very hot. Really very extremely hot. And Grabbity is making it toastier by insisting on having a cuddle. By the time you read this newsletter, it will be brain-meltingly hot and even Grabbity will be wanting a cold shower. If you’re in affected by this ridiculous heatwave, I hope that […]

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Word Count 9: Developing character relationships, 1,000 True Fans, WattPad news and more!

July 12, 2022

Hi there, This week, I’ve been fiddling around with Kittl, a graphic design website that’s a bit like Canva, but for logos and lettermarks. I’m not sure that this is the final logo, but it’s a start. We’ll see how it evolves as I get to know what Kittl can do and play around with […]

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Word Count 8: Submission to Gollancz, the Crapification of Literary Contracts, Mark Edwards’ writing life, Saving the World vs Kissing the Girl, BookTok hurts authors, and the Archers.

July 5, 2022

Hi there, Happy Tuesday! This week, I am trying to get back into a regular working and writing rhythm after six months of disruption during our move from the US back to the UK. Our belongings aren’t likely to arrive until early August, but I can’t wait until I get my desk to resume my writing habit. […]

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Word Count 7: Story indecision, Invisible Women, an innovative book marketing campaign and CokeZero

June 28, 2022

Hi there, Last week, I was congratulating myself on making a swift decision to book a spot on a script editing course. This week, I am vacillating over whether to take Robert McKee’s three-day Story and one-day Comedy courses in November. McKee’s book Story is a classic of the story analysis genre and his in-person […]

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Word Count 6: The biggest mistake of my writing life, plus J Diane Dotson on finding time

June 21, 2022

Hi there, The weather is absolutely glorious as I write this, and the urge to bunk off and go sit in the park is very, very strong. But alas, it is not to be. I have far, far too much to do. I used to think that being self-employed would empower me to spend days […]

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Word Count 5: The stories we tell ourselves in the dark

June 14, 2022

Hi there, The theme for this week’s newsletter was inspired by a mashup of the title of Robert Shearman’s We All Hear Stories in the Dark, an amazing three volume set of 101 short stories that you navigate by answering a question at the end of each story, and something that Tom Hiddleston’s character, Will […]

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Word Count 4: They picked my script! Find out what John August and Craig Mazin said about the first three pages of Tag.

June 7, 2022

Hi there, Welcome to Word Count! Last week you voted overwhelmingly in favour of the name change, so from now on you’ll be seeing Word Count in your inbox, rather than Suw’s Writing Newsletter. Suw’s news: OMG! They picked my script! You might remember that a few weeks ago I submitted the first three pages of […]

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Word Count 3: Getting meta – a newsletter about newsletters

May 31, 2022

Hi there, Welcome to the meta issue of my newsletter. I’m not talking about Facebook’s recent (terrible) rebranding, but a newsletter about newsletters, which is what this is. I am really enjoying writing these newsletters. It reminds me of the olden days of blogging – it feels warm and personal and pleasantly anachronistic. Like blogging, […]

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Word Count 2: Getting back on the horse, insights from George Miller, and guest cat Cassie

May 24, 2022

Hi there, I honestly didn’t mean to write another themed newsletter, but the universe threw a bunch of stuff at me about perseverance this week, so who am I to argue? In a similar vein, I didn’t mean to make this newsletter weekly, but I had stuff to say, so here we are! Suw’s news: Getting back […]

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Word Count 1: Regret as rocket fuel, writing women, and getting to the end of your barf draft

May 17, 2022

Hi there, Oh frabjous day! It’s my first full newsletter, hot off the presses and ready for you to enjoy! Suw’s news: The mundane pain of rejection One thing that unites everyone in the creative industries is rejection. You pour your heart into your writing and then some complete stranger turns round and says, “It’s not […]

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