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
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
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
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
BRIDGET WHELAN writer 