BRIDGET WHELAN writer

for writers and readers….

The Vanity of Youth and the Danger of Men and Umbrellas: ADVICE from the 1830s BRIGHTON HOUSEKEEPER AND AGONY AUNT

Mrs Finnegan, the Celebrated Authority in affairs of the HEART and HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT, is answering letters at The Regency Town House She is waiting for one of her own with hope in … Continue reading

July 21, 2020 · 4 Comments

Don’t wait to write – Henry David Thoreau QUOTES FOR WRITING

Write while the heat is in you. … The writer who postpones the recording of his thoughts uses an iron which has cooled to burn a hole with.Henry David Thoreau … Continue reading

July 19, 2020 · 2 Comments

Mrs Finnegan is up from her sickbed but her temper is short ADVICE from the 1830s BRIGHTON HOUSEKEEPER AND AGONY AUNT

Mrs Finnegan, the Celebrated Authority in affairs of the HEART and HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT, is much better and is now greeting every morning at The Regency Town House with the question: what excitement … Continue reading

July 14, 2020 · 1 Comment

START THE WEEK with a writing exercise using the power of ART and GOOGLE

Today it’s time for an ekphrastic exercise – writing about or inspired by a painting. In Dostoyevsky’s novel The Idiot, characters see a painting of Christ that is supposed to … Continue reading

July 13, 2020 · Leave a comment

Ray Bradbury’s Definition of Plot QUOTES FOR WRITERS

Remember: Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinationsRay Bradbury Photo by Josh Hild on Unsplash

July 12, 2020 · 2 Comments

Bargain price of £4 for a few more hours…(then it’s back to normal £6.99)

Back in March I cut the price of my popular paperback guide from £6.99 to a straightforward £4 and wrote this on my Amazon page. HUGE PRICE CUT because creativity … Continue reading

July 10, 2020 · Leave a comment

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

July 7, 2020 · 2 Comments

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

July 6, 2020 · Leave a comment

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

July 5, 2020 · 2 Comments

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

June 30, 2020 · Leave a comment

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

June 29, 2020 · Leave a comment

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

June 28, 2020 · Leave a comment

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

June 23, 2020 · Leave a comment

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

June 22, 2020 · Leave a comment

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