C.C. Hogan - Author

Whatever the publicists tell you, writing should always be primarily selfish - if you are not writing for yourself, then what is the point?

Part of my fun is letting myself fall into the trap of a sub-plot or an aside; a little journey away from the main thrust.

I am working on a song at the moment, rearranging the music to some of my words.

Here are the lyrics and when I have finished the arrangement, I will post it on youtube.

A collection of short poems that try to define single aspects of love. After all, if love were just one thing, what an inadequate emotion it would be.

This will grow as time goes on, so come back soon!

One drawback of working on a series of books in a make-believe world is that I find myself constantly trying to think up names for places and characters.

Really, I could use anything, but something inside tells me that I need to think it through a little more than that.

A small selection of short verses and poems, some of them posted on Twitter at some point.

I quite enjoy writing odd thoughts like these; it gets my brain going, makes me stop and think and generally is rather fun.

It is in the middle, A space in between the moments experienced, And never obscene....

What does Wednesday mean to you? Just another day, or do you take a breath?

There are a few times in my life when I have felt so close to someone that if the situation had been different, something more would have happened. But it was the wrong moment, or the wrong setting or just seemed the wrong thing to do. Even if it was the right person.

A smile that waited, With soft breath held so...

The wonder of that time spent with someone, a poem about the joy of the morning and the fear that it will all go away

If I forgot that it was morning, and the towering sky was arched over...

Sometimes a writer's life seems to be endless circles of sitting there just trying to get you head round what the hell you are meant to be doing there in the first place....

A random collection of little verses, observations and even things that are almost Haikus.

Some are poignant, some sad, some just silly. Well, that is me for you!

So, what was really behind the photograph of the fairies championed by the gullible Conan Doyle?

We all know what Wikipedia says about it, but has anyone asked the actual Fairy? In extracts from her diary, she tells all, and more!

I do write poetry and have written it for years. I just never tell anyone, or very rarely.

So, maybe I should pen some more and put it out there. Here is some of it.

Developing great characters is the most difficult part of writing, in my mind, and is one of those things that both agents and publishers latch onto quickly.

It is inconsistent, though, and I have had agents say "Your characters are weak," and "At least the characters are really strong," all about the same characters!

So, ignoring agents entirely, here are my thoughts on not how you write about your characters, but how you find them in the first place.

My new book, The Stink, is set in 1976. It was the year the water ran out, the dustmen went on strike (again) and of the Notting Hill Riots.

But I also remember it as the year when we had a huge amount of fun and grew up a lot. So, why did I chose it as the backdrop for my book?