One of the ideas we've sometimes toyed with - living as we do in something of a recreational paradise - is the idea of buying a set of holiday cottages and marketing them as writers' retreats. I'd do a little light cleaning of the cottages in between guests while Dave just got on with his writing - perfect. Or for real isolation, how about a little cottage on an island in the middle of our beloved Georgian Bay? That really would be total peace and quiet- nothing but the sound of crickets and the lapping of waves. We drop our writers off by boat; if they need anything, all they have to do is pick up the telephone, and we arrive laden with all the essential supplies - bottle of wine, chocolate, maybe a notebook or two...

That was the idea anyway; but when we'd thought about this a while, our enthusiasm waned. Would budding authors really pay to stay somewhere that is being marketed specifically to writers? Would such a niche market really work? Well the answer, judging by the amount of people who are already using this idea, is a resounding yes.

But looking more closely, I find that most of these so-called retreats aren't my idea of a retreat. They involve group activities, workshops, maybe the horror of forced participation in creative writing exercises, when surely all you really want to do is curl up in a secluded corner and write the next chapter of your novel. They use words like 'coaching' and 'instruction;' sounds too much like school to me.

Anyone who's watched the fabulous Jeeves and Wooster adaptation with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, will remember Rocky, the poet, holed up at his cottage on Long Island, whiling away the day in pyjamas, and occasionally – very occasionally - being inspired to think up the odd line of poetry. He didn't want to be bothered about 'doing' things; he just wanted the time alone to write.

How would Rocky cope at the 'The Writer's Retreat'? Not too well, I suspect. 'Participants should expect to work intensively, spending as much as 6-7 hours a day with the group, ' says their site. Plus, on registering for the retreat, you're also expected to outline your plans for your stay. Plans? – surely not.

To me, these sorts of organised group holidays, beneficial as they may be, just don't fit the idea of a writers' retreat. Perhaps the market could stand a few more vacation paradises with their promises of uninterrupted tranquillity, allowing you to write what you want, when you want, and not according to anyone else's schedule. Hmm, now where did I put those property listings…?

It's so difficult to find any reliable information on what you can hope to earn as a freelance writer, so I was very surprised and pleased to come across a blog post by writer John Scalzi, addressing this subject in considerable detail. Most writers are quite reluctant to divulge how much they earn, so it's very refreshing to come across someone who's willing to discuss this.

The article concentrates on how much John earns from science fiction writing, although if you look back at his 2006 post on the same topic, it provides a useful overview of his other earning opportunities from writing. Total yearly earnings from writing and editing are around $100,000. He also takes pains to stress that he earns money from sources outside writing- he's actually a landlord- and his partner is in a good job with benefits, which certainly helps.

What this really brings home is that if you want to earn a reasonable amount of money from writing in a relatively short space of time, you have to be versatile. If you're just concentrating on fiction for example, it could take a long time to build your writing career. John earned just $400 from his science fiction writing in 1999. Five years later, that had only risen to $5000. However, by 2006 that had risen to $67,000, which was almost twice the amount he'd earned in all the previous years. So over time, income from fiction can really snowball, from royalties and sale of rights for example, but it can be a slow process. So it definitely pays to explore other writing avenues and markets for your work.

As John makes clear, having contacts within the writing world is also a distinct advantage. He worked in newspapers and in a writing/editorial role with AOL prior to becoming freelance and credits this with playing a large part in his early success. Many writers won't have had such valuable work experience behind them, but can still network furiously and make as much use as possible of existing contacts. This can be especially useful in terms of securing opportunities within the lucrative business writing market.

For an author to share information like this is fantastically helpful to anyone aspiring to reach the same level with their writing and it’s great to see such a realistic overview of a writing career. Few writers will be an overnight success. But John shows that with hard work, creativity, discipline and patience, it is certainly possible to achieve a decent income as a full-time writer. What more inspiration do you need?

According to this report a number of schools who were presented with free classical books had them returned as being 'too boring' for current students.

I can sympathise to an extent. When I first studied Shakespeare in class it was mind-numbingly dull, the presentation was fundamentally flawed - Shakespeare's work are plays meant to be performed, not read as if they were novels. Nor were they meant to be analysed and pored over until every bit of fun and entertainment was wrung from it until all that remains is a 'carcass fit for hounds'.

Once I saw Shakespeare performed (especially by the RSC) I was hooked and realised just what these great works were all about. Not only that, I could then go back and 'read' the plays and gain an even greater understanding of them so that when I watched them again for a second or third time (which I did willingly) I was able to get even more out of the repeated performances.

What was needed wasn't that these works be abandoned, but simply that they should be presented well.

As  Alan Lakein said, "Failing to plan is planning to fail." and that applies equally when working on a large writing project as much as any business venture. So how do you approach planning a new novel or even possibly a series?

One of the great things about being a writer is that you have the best excuse in the world to indulge your creativity and daydream at will (make sure you have a good stock answer for when the boss catches you staring off in to space like a space zombie from the planet Threnk though!).

Not an idle moment needs to pass that can't be filled with mystery, romance, intrigue and adventure. The ultimate time filler if ever there was one!

If you're like me, thinking about writing can be performed just about anywhere...

A question often asked of writers is 'where do you get your ideas from?' and although it may seem 'cool' or 'artistic' in some circles, alcohol and drug inspired hallucinations are probably not the best source.

If you're employed outside the home, or have children, you'll know it can be a real struggle trying to fit in time for your writing. Everything I've ever read on the subject reiterates that the only way your writing will improve and progress is to write every day. Easier said than done. There are always demands on your time, and if you've just come home from a long day at work, you need to relax and unwind, so writing, understandably, might not be high on the agenda. So how can you achieve that often-elusive goal of finding enough time to write?