Marc Nobbs's Blog

Back on Track: Blogging Consistently and 140,000 Words Later

Mon, 28 Apr 2025 08:34:53 -0700

For roughly the past decade, a period coinciding with my loss of enthusiasm following the 2016 UK EU membership referendum, consistently updating this blog has been a challenge. Each January, I would resolve to post regularly again, managing to do so for a few weeks or months before the effort would lapse.

After restarting my blog eight months ago in June, my posting frequency has significantly improve...

posted by Marc Nobbs on April, 29

From Placeholder to Perfect Fit: Developing a Character

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 08:32:12 -0700

I want to share an insight into how ideas for a plot, subplot, or character can sometimes develop in a short period.

As you know, I’m writing the final two chapters of “A Healing Love.�� One of the concluding subplots in these chapters will involve two characters spending an afternoon with a photographer, having their photos taken at various locations around Westmouth and then at the photographer’s stud...

posted by Marc Nobbs on April, 16

Year-End, Recharge, and Writing

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 06:07:04 -0700

It’s been a couple of weeks since my last post. After a hectic first week of April, I took last week off to visit family in France and recharge my batteries.

I previously mentioned that this time of year is, without question, the busiest period for anyone involved in business finance. Many businesses align their own “year-end�� with the conclusion of the tax year, and the end of a financial year not onl...

posted by Marc Nobbs on April, 15

More Than Words: When a Reader’s Journey Makes Your Day

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 15:28:43 -0700

One of the absolute privileges of being an author – especially one fitting writing around a busy life – is connecting with readers. Sometimes, an email or message lands in your inbox that does more than just provide feedback; it offers a window into the reader's experience and provides a powerful jolt of motivation.

I received one such email recently that truly brightened my day, and with the sender’s ...

posted by Marc Nobbs on April, 02

Balancing Budgets with Bitter-Sweet Endings

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 10:07:30 -0700

The annual financial year-end crunch is upon us. The Peak Season for financial professionals the world over.

My ‘IRL�� job is in finance—I’m the finance manager at a small law firm. March represents our “Year End,�� so naturally, February and March are the busiest months for me. It’s also, of course, coincides with the year-end for the nation’s tax system on April 5th, meaning those year-end pressures af...

posted by Marc Nobbs on March, 25

May You Live in “Interesting Internet�� Times

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 09:03:50 -0700

If you've spent any time online lately, you've likely encountered a familiar phenomenon: the unwavering confidence of those who know the least.

Here’s a tweet/bluesky post I made under my legal name earlier this week. I think it neatly sums up the state of the internet and its chilling effect on the world in 2025.

“If you spend any length of time on any internet platform or in any internet forum where p...

posted by Marc Nobbs on March, 18

Chapter 36: Not the Chapter I Thought I was Writing

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 03:53:27 -0800

This week, I completed chapter 36 of ‘A Healing Love,’ which is now available for Postgraduate members on the story’s Ream Stories page.

But it wasn’t the chapter 36 I expected.

I mentioned in a previous post that I’d completed an emotional chapter 35 and was staring at a blank page with “Chapter 36�� written at the top. But once I had finished “Chapter 36,�� I found myself with two connected yet short ch...

posted by Marc Nobbs on March, 08

A Short Break

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 08:28:19 -0800

I’ve taken a little break from writing “A Healing Love” for the past week or so because, I have to be honest, while the past five or six chapters include some of the best writing I think I’ve ever done, they have also been emotionally very draining.

These characters—Paul, Clarissa, Emily, Mark, Imogen and the rest—are all very real to me. I know them. I’ve been living with them in my head for over a de...

posted by Marc Nobbs on February, 26

Slice, Dice, and Write? My Post-Op Update

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:54:59 -0800

It’s been a while since my last update because I went in for minor knee surgery and have been in recovery.

Yep, I finally got that lump on my knee that’s been bugging me for a decade removed on February 7th. Day surgery, so I was back home before I knew it.

The procedure was smoother than I expected. It was under general anaesthetic, so one minute I’m talking about what I do for a living and the next, I...

posted by Marc Nobbs on February, 19

The Road to 150,000 Words: A Progress Update

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 10:30:00 -0800

Things are moving along nicely with A Healing Love. I’ve completed the thirty-third chapter, which has taken the word count up to 150,000—over twenty thousand more than my next longest novel, A Tortured Soul.

While I’m thrilled with the progress, I recognise that the book is far from complete. And Paul’s story is even further from a resolution—although I’m now very confident that the fifth book will in...

posted by Marc Nobbs on February, 04