And so another year has gone by. 2009 has brought me many new friends and experiences, both personal and in my writing. There has been challenges and achievements.

So what where they?

A friend of mine recently asked me if I plan every little detail of my novels before I start writing.

After giving a bit more thought, I realised that the real question wasn't whether or not I planned everything before I start writing, but more whether everything goes according to plan when I do start writing.

If I answered 'yes' you'd probably not believe me. Especially if you're a writer yourself. So how much planning do you do and how much do you go with the flow?

A while ago I posted a short story onto one of the numerous writer/readers/critiquing sites. The majority of the feedback I received was relating to spelling: Corrections on words such as neighbour, colour, socialise, etc.

Based on what I was taught in English class, those words were spelled correctly, though, according to my readers, they weren't. With a groan, I realised that I walked head-on into the old debate of British vs American spelling: most of the readers were from the US.

Many will argue the fact that when you write, you must use the American spelling. Particularly if it will be published on the web. Others argue that you should use British spelling, as that is proper English. So where do you draw the line?