Write for Radio and TV
TV and radio drama brings great stories to life like nothing else. From Radio 4’s Afternoon Play to peak-time drama on the TV networks, audiences love to lose themselves in … Continue reading
Our weird and wonderful chain story
One Week 13 writers (+ me) 29 comments Here’s the result….probably won’t win any prizes, but if you like pulsating purple orbes and moving dead bodies, read on. How did … Continue reading
Quotes for the People of Paris, for Everyone
Every Sunday I post a quote from a writer, usually about writing, sometimes about the bigger world we all inhabit. That didn’t seem appropriate after the events in Paris on … Continue reading
What not to do if you want to be published
If you are thinking of submitting a manuscript to a publisher or agent you really should read this list of 29 DON’Ts from Carole Blake of the Blake Friedmann Literary … Continue reading
Writing a chain story together – your turn
I’m not teaching at the moment – I said goodbye to the funny, talented and very creative class on Beach Hut Writing Academy’s course Write a Prize Winning Story last … Continue reading
Not everyone can – or should – be a ballet dancer or a writer – Joanne Harris Quotes for Writers (and people who like quotes)
The truth is, not everyone can – or should – be a writer, in the same way that not everyone can or should be an accountant, or a ballet dancer, … Continue reading
The FIVE best unreliable narrators in fiction (according to me)
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
DO YOU KNOW where the word spam comes from?
An actor named Kenneth Daigneau won a competition to name the new tinned meat product. His suggestion is supposed to be a blend of spiced and ham. Then, in the 1970s, the … Continue reading
What novels can teach you – Barrack Obama Quotes for Writers (and people who like quotes)
… the most important stuff I’ve learned I think I’ve learned from novels…It has to do with empathy. It has to do with being comfortable with the notion that the … Continue reading
GHOST Characters
This article has suddenly appeared from the archives, wailing and rattling chains… Ghost Character is a phrase used by academics for characters listed in a Shakespeare play but who don’t … Continue reading
George Orwell and his poetry
Originally posted on e a m harris:
George Orwell’s poetry was recently published as a collection. Apparently this is for the first time. Given how famous he is, I wondered…
The difference between poetry and prose – Philip Larkin Quotes for Writers (and people who like quotes)
If you tell a novelist, ‘Life’s not like that’, he has to do something about it. The poet simply replies, ‘No, but I am.’ Philip Larkin photo credit: Background_1 via … Continue reading
Quiz – can you judge a book by its cover?
The wonderfully talented book designer Simon Avery (see an example of his work on the right. Hint: it has creative writing in the title) has come up with a quiz … Continue reading
Proof that writers are generous souls….
….and that the internet can be a warm and cuddly place even when we are talking about technology. This is an introduction to a long, long, long list of resources … Continue reading