Z is for the end of the A-Z Challenge
Z is for… ZANI an Italian clown, a stock character – this is where the word zany comes from… Z is for… ZEITGEIST – time ghost in German – the … Continue reading
Creative writing exercise because it’s a good way to start the week. Find your place.
> Apologies I lost a day this week – and for that reason the Monday exercise is now on Tuesday but hey ho! it’s here…and I hope you enjoy it. … Continue reading
Y is for YO-HE-HO and why we have words
I didn’t expect Y to be so difficult. For awhile I thought I would be stuck with yarn, the old English word for a rambling story, similar to the Chinese … Continue reading
Quotes for Writers (and people who like quotes) Dorothy L. Sayers
A man once asked me … how I managed in my books to write such natural conversation between men when they were by themselves. … I replied that I had … Continue reading
X is for….a X rated short story
One look told me that this dame was a no-holds barred xanthippe. It was a slow day in a month busy with final demands so when my office door swung … Continue reading
W is for Writing Workshops
The case against Author and editor Louis Menand writing in the New Yorker in 2009 was deeply skeptical about the traditional workshop method. “Creative-writing programs are designed on the theory … Continue reading
Safari Friday searching the web for writers and readers Womagwriter
Safari = Swahili for long journey.I am on the look out for anything accessible from a keyboard that educates, entertains, intrigues, raises a smile. Anything that helps a reader get … Continue reading
V is for the VISAGE so irksome to a writer’s sight (or falling out of love with your manuscript)
ANNE BRADSTREET was America’s first published poet. Born in Northampton, she became part of 17th century Massachusetts aristocracy – the men in the family were state governors and founders of … Continue reading
U is for UNUSUAL WAYS OF REVEALING NEWS
In 1963 the British novelist and critic David Lodge was a student working on a satirical revue for the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. The cast included the soon-to-become iconic actress Julie … Continue reading
T is for TRICOLON – the power of three
A tricolon is a sentence made up of three clearly defined parts. It’s often used in speeches Veni, vidi, vici (I came; I saw; I conquered.) Julius Caesar “with malice … Continue reading
S is for SPOILER
In 2011 the University of San Diego’s psychology department researched the way readers react to stories where the end is revealed at the beginning. Subjects were given a dozen short … Continue reading
Monday CREATIVE WRITING EXERCISE because it’s a good way to start the week A SEPIA ROMANCE
Ten lines of dialogue that begins with an argument and ends with a kiss…
Quotes for Writers (and people who like quotes) Anne Lamott
Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you … Continue reading
R is for REBUS
A rebus is a visual pun – see below Rebus is also one of the most interesting and dysfuctional detectives in criminal fiction – created by Ian Rankin. I have … Continue reading
BRIDGET WHELAN writer 