Advice from the sickbed of the 1830s BRIGHTON HOUSEKEEPER AND AGONY AUNT
Mrs Finnegan, the Celebrated Authority in affairs of the HEART and HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT, is feeling much better thank you very much and is now able to answer all letters IN … Continue reading
START THE WEEK with a creative writing exercise – reclaim the word NICE
Hope’ is the thing with feathers –That perches in the soul –And sings the tune without the words –And never stops – at all – And sweetest – in the … Continue reading
Fred East reveals why Show Don’t Tell is good advice…QUOTES FOR WRITERS
If you tell the reader that Bull Beezley is a brutal-faced, loose-lipped bully, with snake’s blood in his veins, the reader’s reaction may be, ‘Oh, yeah!’ But if you show … Continue reading
THE 1830s BRIGHTON HOUSEKEEPER AND AGONY AUNT is UNWELL. Mrs Finnegan regrets a temporary reduction in advice-giving (but fear not, the quality is undiminished)
Mrs Finnegan’s Chronicles: the Celebrated Authority in affairs of the HEART and HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT has a chill in danger of turning into a cough which may become a cold of … Continue reading
START THE WEEK with a creative writing exercise – start a memoir with a drawing
There’s a big difference between thinking about a story concept or the way a character develops and thinking with a pen in your hand. Writing – even when you know … Continue reading
Writing…It’s the streaming reason for living Enid Bagnold QUOTES FOR WRITERS
Who wants to become a writer? And why? Because it’s the answer to everything. … It’s the streaming reason for living. To note, to pin down, to build up, to … Continue reading
The Puny Fair Sex and Knowing When to Eat Umble Pie ADVICE FROM THE 1830s BRIGHTON HOUSEKEEPER AND AGONY AUNT
Mrs Finnegan’s Chronicles: the Celebrated Authority in affairs of the HEART and HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT is looking after The Regency Town House and a newly arrived member of the gentry. I enjoy … Continue reading
START THE WEEK with a creative writing exercise that will work for ever and ever….
Actually, this isn’t a writing exercise at all. It is a writing prompt. There’s a difference: an exercise is designed, it is crafted and – ideally – should be tested … Continue reading
…Books are patient where we are slow to understand…Carl Sagan QUOTES FOR WRITERS
Books, purchasable at low cost, permit us to interrogate the past with high accuracy; to tap the wisdom of our species; to understand the point of view of others, and … Continue reading
Mutton Fat (again!), Servants and Chaperones ADVICE FROM THE 1830s BRIGHTON HOUSEKEEPER AND AGONY AUNT
Mrs Finnegan’s Chronicles: the Celebrated Authority in affairs of the HEART and HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT living in her own bubble where the land meets the sea, while also looking after The … Continue reading
Happy Bloomsday – listen to the definitive recording of Ulysses
Ulysses – James Joyce’s 700-page masterpiece – is 100 years old today. June 16th is known throughout the world as Bloomsday, after protagonist Leopold Bloom. This Bloomsday to celebrate the centenary of … Continue reading
Literature declines to eradicate one truth in favor of another…says George Saunders QUOTES FOR WRITERS
Fiction is a kind of compassion-generating machine that saves us from sloth. Is life kind or cruel? Yes, Literature answers. Are people good or bad? You bet, says Literature. But … Continue reading
Tears and Temper and Dear Old Ladies ADVICE FROM THE 1830s BRIGHTON HOUSEKEEPER AND AGONY AUNT
Mrs Finnegan’s Chronicles: the Celebrated Authority in affairs of the HEART and HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT At present she is meeting with six people from one household, or visiting six households, or … Continue reading
START THE WEEK with a writing exercise: a character lucky dip
I love the random nature of this exercise. Most of the time it is just writing practice, exploring how to reveal emotion and develop character, but it is a bit … Continue reading
