BRIDGET WHELAN writer

for writers and readers….

Why we can all read Chekhov and learn from him, says Francine prose QUOTES FOR WRITERS

You can pick up a volume of Chekhov’s stories and open it anywhere, and, no matter how well or poorly the Russian has been translated, you will probably have a … Continue reading

September 30, 2018 · 5 Comments

MY BOOKS by the co-founder of an indy press, celebrating the launch of his company’s second novel

My name is Sean Campbell and I am the co-founder and editor at époque press. We established a new independent publishing house in order to support authors in getting the … Continue reading

September 26, 2018 · Leave a comment

So, you’ve never earned a penny from your writing? Anne Lamott has some words of comfort QUOTES FOR WRITERS

I still encourage anyone who feels at all compelled to write to do so. I just try to warn people who hope to get published that publication is not all … Continue reading

September 23, 2018 · 6 Comments

MY BOOKS by a poet who was once a puppeteer, artist and teacher and her one unfulfilled Parisian ambition

I am a poet now but have been a puppeteer, journalist,  artist,  teacher, tutor, mother, carer and therapist. I am a keen gardener and have a tiny allotment. I stared … Continue reading

September 19, 2018 · Leave a comment

September Competitions, Jobs and Opportunities for Writers

COMPETITIONS Grindstone International Poetry Prize – worldwide Grand Prize: £500 Runner Up: £50 Shortlist: Publication Line Limit: 40 Theme: Open Entry Fee: £10.00 Grindstone International Short Story Prize – Grand … Continue reading

September 17, 2018 · 2 Comments

Resist the urge to do housework, says Pat Barker. QUOTES FOR WRITERS

Keep your bum glued to the chair. It’s extraordinary how, if a piece of writing is going badly—and sometimes even when it’s going well—other activities become steadily more attractive. Not … Continue reading

September 16, 2018 · 13 Comments

MY BOOKS by an author who would love to see his own novels burnt and never ever re-reads…First lines, first books, first literary loves….and more

I have been writing crime as PD Viner (www.pdviner.com) and have two novels; The Last Winter of Dani Lancing (see Bridget’s review at the bottom of this post) and Summer … Continue reading

September 12, 2018 · Leave a comment

“…you can almost always make something better by making it shorter…” Keith Gessen QUOTES FOR WRITERS

I once heard George Saunders tell a story about being edited at the New Yorker, where his editor kept asking him to cut a highly precise number of lines—18 lines, … Continue reading

September 9, 2018 · 2 Comments

MY BOOKS by a writer who was read bedtime stories about the Napoleonic Wars and who would only save a book from burning if convinced it was truly the last copy. First lines, first books, first literary loves….and more

Lizzie/Elizabeth Enfield  is a writer and journalist, copious tea drinker and endless worrier. Her latest novel Ivy and Abe is a love story told over a lifetime and a series … Continue reading

September 5, 2018 · Leave a comment

Ghost short story workshop sold out in 24 hours…so we added a new date

Feel a bit flabbergasted about how quickly our Ghost Short Story workshop at the Regency Town House in Hove sold out (but quietly delighted that I found a reason to … Continue reading

September 2, 2018 · Leave a comment

Why life and reading begin after the age of 40 – W.H.Auden QUOTES FOR WRITERS (and people who like quotes)

Between the ages of twenty and forty we are engaged in the process of discovering who we are, which involves learning the difference between accidental limitations which it is our … Continue reading

September 2, 2018 · 2 Comments

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