In defense of being a tourist in your hometown
writing tips, writing, writing inspiration, indie author Alex McFarlane writing tips, writing, writing inspiration, indie author Alex McFarlane

In defense of being a tourist in your hometown

I live in Edinburgh (Scotland) and yes, it’s as beautiful as people say but I think it's easy to get bogged down in all the negatives of a place. Edinburgh, like a lot of places, is prone to over-tourism. It’s gone from being busy in August, to busy in the summer, to basically all year round. This makes it hard to navigate the city and pushes locals to stay where they are, but I implore people to explore where they live.

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Three ways to beat writer’s block
writing tips, indie author Alex McFarlane writing tips, indie author Alex McFarlane

Three ways to beat writer’s block

Like a lot of authors I caught the writer's block bug. This was due to a whole host of reasons, but mainly because life is hard and the world is burning.

2025 may not have been the publishing success I expected (sorry book 2, you’re a 2026 joint now!), but here are three things that helped me beat writer’s block and re-start my creative life.

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