M is for MEMORY AND MEMOIR: HOW TO FORGET
MEMORY, according to the philosopher Suzanne Langer, should not be thought of as a noun – a storehouse or recording machine – but as a verb, an activity that makes … Continue reading
L is for LETTER WRITING
Using letter writing as a narrative structure has a long history. Here are some examples…. Dangerous Liaisons written by Pierre de Laclos just before the French Revolution. Most of it … Continue reading
K is for KENNING
I wasn’t familiar with this word before (except in its Scots form to ken, to know). It has its origins in the Old Norse phrase kenna eitt við, which means … Continue reading
J is for JUSTIFIED
JUSTIFIED is the word given to text where both sides are nice and neat and aligned. It is achieved by adjusting the space between words which can look ugly if … Continue reading
I is for IMAGIST POETRY
A short lived but very influential poetic movement that flourished both sides of the Atlantic around WWI. It was a reaction to the abstract language used by poets … Continue reading
H is for HISTORICAL NOVELS
I love and loathe historical novels. I’m rarely indifferent. LOVE the books that capture a different way of thinking and being, that give you the feeling that, while human nature … Continue reading
G is for a GHOST CHARACTER
This is not a term for characters who happen to be dead…I have just discovered it is a phrase used by academics for characters who are listed in a Shakespeare … Continue reading
F is for FLYTING (ancient and modern)
Flyting is an abusive slanging match in verse, usually between two poets, usually between two Scottish poets. Although the language was violent, there was also a grudging professional respect. True … Continue reading
E is for the LETTER E
E is the most common letter in the English language. A Void, translated from the original French La Disparition (The Disappearance), is a 300-page novel written in 1969 by Georges … Continue reading
D is for DIALOGUE TAGS
A dialogue tag identifies who is speaking. Used too often and they becomes irritating to the reader with an almost childish repetitive pattern of he said, she said. Too few … Continue reading
C is for CYBERPUNK
The word cyberpunk was first used as the title of a short story about teenager hackers in 1980; you can read it here The science fiction genre was developed by … Continue reading
B is for BOAT DRINKS, BUCKWHEATS and BACK STORY
All from the 1995 film Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead. BOAT DRINKS was the good luck phrase used by a group of ex gangsters when they said … Continue reading
A is for ALL IN A DAY
We tend to think of a novel having a big landscape with a great sweep of characters and the story told over weeks, years, even centuries. But some writers have … Continue reading
