The Difference between a novelist and a writer of picture books…Quotes for Writers (and people who like quotes)
If you are a novelist, I think you start out with a 20 word idea, and you work at it and you wind up with a 200,000 word novel. We, … Continue reading
The Baileys Prize Shortlist – who the authors are and where they’ve come from…
The Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlist of six – announced this week – come from three continents, four countries and five publishers. Here they are (and Granta must be feeling … Continue reading
Creative Changes – Inspiring art for Writers
Two pictures for the price of one this week – both by the same man, Victor Pasmore; both representing very different ways of seeing. The one above is called Irish … Continue reading
Win Your Way to the Oldest Residential Writers’ School in the World*
Swanwick Writers’ Summer School will be celebrating its 69th anniversary at The Hayes Conference Centre, Derbyshire in August. You can win a free place** by entering the Swanwick writing competition for: … Continue reading
Painting with light – inspiring art for writers
This is a little different. The Finnish artist Karri Kola uses light as her medium. This installation “Nordic Elements” was on show at Lumina Light Festival in 2014 in Cascais … Continue reading
Never write down to children – E.B. White author of Charlotte’s Web QUOTES FOR WRITERS
Anyone who writes down to children is simply wasting his time. You have to write up, not down. Children are demanding. They are the most attentive, curious, eager, observant, sensitive, … Continue reading
Wild seas cooking up a storm – Inspiring Pictures for Writers
Three young women, a blond, a brunette and a red head, dance and make music and sip tea in the long grass while a storm spins the sea into a … Continue reading
Help! I’m looking for a writing group somewhere in France that wrote to me…
I have a ton of reasons why I didn’t respond immediately. The organiser of the English-speaking, English-writing group dropped me a line sometime around December 5th – 8th. I can … Continue reading
Love the reader, says Ellen Gilchrist QUOTES FOR WRITERS (and people who like quotes)
How often I have tried to tell writing students that the first thing a writer must do is love the reader and wish the reader well. The writer must trust … Continue reading
Sexual harassment depicted by a 17th century woman artist — inspiring paintings for writers
I found this painting because I follow @womtureensart1 on twitter. Every day I meet new artists and discover new paintings, sculpture, photographs. Go follow – it’s a breath of fresh … Continue reading
A fairy tale writing competition for unpublished authors who want to write for children
Have you always wanted to re-write a classic fairy tale? Perhaps you would you like Sleeping Beauty to be a little less passive or feel that Gretel should be given … Continue reading
A story is more like a house than a journey…Alice Munro QUOTES FOR WRITERS (and people who like quotes)
A story is not like a road to follow … it’s more like a house. You go inside and stay there for a while, wandering back and forth and settling … Continue reading
Inspiring Art for Writers -creating from the inside out
‘Clearly, it is not possible to paint the spirit. You cannot paint consciousness. You start with the knowledge we all have that the most significant human reality lies beneath material … Continue reading
What every writer has to learn…Robin McKinley QUOTES FOR WRITERS (and people who like quotes)
One of the biggest, and possibly the biggest, obstacle to becoming a writer… is learning to live with the fact that the wonderful story in your head is infinitely better, … Continue reading
BRIDGET WHELAN writer 