BRIDGET WHELAN writer

for writers and readers….

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 →

April 5, 2017 · 6 Comments

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 →

March 31, 2017 · 4 Comments

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 →

March 26, 2017 · 5 Comments

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 →

March 24, 2017 · 5 Comments

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 →

March 20, 2017 · 7 Comments

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 →

March 19, 2017 · Leave a comment

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 →

March 17, 2017 · 4 Comments

A fairy tale writing competition for unpublished authors who want to write for children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 →

March 13, 2017 · 19 Comments

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 →

March 12, 2017 · 15 Comments

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 →

March 10, 2017 · 2 Comments

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 →

March 5, 2017 · 1 Comment

Inspiring Art for Writers – the painting that was the source for Waiting for Godot

This is a painting by Caspar David Friendrich, a 19th century German artist most famous for his land and seascapes which seem to tell stories while creating an emotional response … Continue reading →

March 3, 2017 · 3 Comments

The good stuff comes later, said SF writer Octavia E. Butler QUOTES FOR WRITERS (and people who like quotes)

You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I say one … Continue reading →

February 26, 2017 · 2 Comments

Inspiring Pictures for Writers – Paris 1950 in film

Breathe in. You can almost smell it…. This is not your world and probably not your language; I’m willing to bet good money that it is also not your time, … Continue reading →

February 24, 2017 · 2 Comments

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