Why we bother with words… the last item from the archive
I’ve discovered that three main theories attempt to explain why language developed. Supporters of the BOW-WOW theory are convinced that humans first began to communicate by imitating the sound of … Continue reading
Literary Names (and the seductive qualities of research) Writing article number 7 from the archives
This post is really about the dangers of being seduced by research. It all started with a tiny snippet of irrelevant information on twitter telling me that a popular girl’s … Continue reading
Unreliable Narrators Writing Article Number 6 from the Archive
As readers we tend to be on the side of the narrator. We trust what he or she says – we have no one else to tell us what happened … Continue reading
RHYTHM IN PROSE Writing Article Number 5 from the Archive
Rhythm isn’t the sole preserve of poets or musicians – prose writers can also be lyrical if we write with our ear as well as our hand. This short passage … Continue reading
FLASHBACKS Writing Article Number 4 from the Archive
Flashbacks in literature are scenes within the chronological narrative that reveal events before the story began. In a novel the ‘now’ of the story might be about two old friends … Continue reading
REVIEWS Writing article number 3 from the archive
Reviewers have probably never been so important. They have always been the life blood of an author’s career, but they are no longer the sole preserve of the ‘professional’, the … Continue reading
WHAT IS A SHORT STORY? Writing Article Number 2 from the Archive
Someone asked me recently to define a short story. I could understand her difficulty because it’s much easier to say what’s it’s not. It’s not an idea that could have … Continue reading
BACK STORY Writing Article Number 1 from the Archive
Different writing disciplines aren’t locked into tight compartments. If you’re writing a novel I think it helps to read poetry for the richness of the language and the way it … Continue reading
ART FOR WRITERS Without doubt, my favourite all-time painting Number 7 from the archive
I didn’t have to think about which painting I would choose today. It had to be Rembrandt’s The Jewish Bride This is only oil and pigment and egg (or whatever … Continue reading
ART FOR WRITERS Description doesn’t have to be realistic to be real…Picture number 6 from the archive
Looking at this wonderful seascape, I am reminded of the words of American novelist E.L. Doctorow: “Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader—not the fact that it … Continue reading
Creative Writing Courses and Books with Bridget Whelan
I’m over on novelist Ruth Hunt’s blog today being interviewed. Good questions about writing and writing courses and writing guides….
ART FOR WRITERS a picture (and artist) I fell in love with…number 5 from the archives
I want this picture on my wall (the orginal if I’m longlisted for the Booker for the novel I haven’t written yet, or a print if I manage to save … Continue reading
ART FOR WRITERS Ice hot white… painting Number 4 from the archive
Two for the price of one today because when I was looking through the picures in this series of blog posts I was struck how essentially the same colour range … Continue reading
ART FOR WRITERS picture number 3 from the archives – a working class hero
I don’t know where I found this painting – on some pleasant thrawl through the internet I imagine. And there she was: a real woman with a big-bellied, lived-in body … Continue reading
BRIDGET WHELAN writer 