…even memoir can work with this treatment, and a story or poem always seems very immediate and urgent if written this way. Although having said that, I could be lying, right? Continue reading 42 is the Right Answer, Day 3
Remember to think of who, why, where, what, when, how?
Consider using the different senses to capture the scene – sight, smell, taste, touch, sound. Continue reading 42 is the Right Answer, Day 2
42….everyone knows this is the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything… Continue reading 42 is the Right Answer, Day 1
I know it is early days – this is only a nomination before the drawing up of a shortlist to be published in May. Still. Continue reading Forward Thinking
Occasionally I’ll resort to going through old notebooks for inspiration, and I’ll sometimes find little gems I’ve forgotten about, pieces of writing I always intended going back to but never did. That’s why I keep all my old notebooks. It’s not that I’m a hoarder or anything… Continue reading Notebooks revisited
…I remember waking up in the middle of the night and going to check my emails (again) because I couldn’t quite believe that had happened in real life… Continue reading Does Winner Takes All – or Nothing?
Have you ever noticed the dictionary sandwiches ‘writhe’ between ‘writer’ and ‘writing’? Continue reading Horses, Camels and Collaborative Poems
Apologies if you’ve already seen this on Facebook! Park your bum on a chair and WRITE! Pen and paper or keyboard, your choice Read a lot: magazines, books, journals, books, cereal packets, books, Join a friendly, supportive creative writing group (see below) Do more writing (ahem, that’s what writers do) Read some more: books, newspapers, books, filmscripts, books, stories on-line, books Mix with people who get it – ignore the detractors (what do they know anyway?) Keep going, write every day if you can. Get good by practicing If you want to be a writer but you’re not enjoying the … Continue reading Ten Tips for Becoming a Better Writer
It is no secret that I enjoy running Creative Writing workshops for newbies. I love the challenge of working with people who may not have written anything more than a greetings card or a shopping list since their schooldays. The best bit is when they realise writing for pleasure is just that – fun with words! Some of these new writers may start off being reluctant to put pen to paper, thinking they ‘can’t do it’. It’s my job to show them ANYONE can write if they really want to. Often, tuition is arranged through the local ETB (Education and … Continue reading On the Making of New Writers
I was asked recently what makes ‘good’ writing? Someone who describes themselves as a ‘novice writer’ wanted to know how she could recognise good, better, best. Ha! She probably wished she hadn’t lit that particular touchpaper as I launched into a major rant. Let me tell you what makes good writing – personal taste. It really is that simple. If you want to get published, there’s the need to swallow a zeitgeist tablet, too. But really, if you are a writer enjoying the process of writing, you should not to be bullied by literary snobs or talked down from the … Continue reading The Good, the Bad and the Indifferent
