Description Writing Exercise: an extract from BACK TO CREATIVE WRITING SCHOOL
EVERY SATURDAY for the month of January I’m going to share some exercises from my popular writing guide Back To Creative Writing School – I want it to be a … Continue reading
An exercise that can help you travel back in time – sensory description in memoir writing
Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader—not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon – E.L. Doctorow Adapted from Back to … Continue reading
ART FOR WRITERS Description doesn’t have to be realistic to be real…Picture number 6 from the archive
Looking at this wonderful seascape, I am reminded of the words of American novelist E.L. Doctorow: “Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader—not the fact that it … Continue reading
Moon Madness by Andrew Wyeth: art for writers
A painting by one of the most popular American artists of the 20th century, Andrew Wyeth (1917 – 2009). A writing exercise linked to this painting has to be about … Continue reading
What good writing is all about – E.L.Doctorow QUOTES FOR WRITERS (and people who like quotes)
Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader – not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon. E. L. Doctorow
Join me on inspirational writing holidays in Portugal 2015 and 2016
GOOD WRITING is about discovering ways to break away from the ordinary and the routine, about finding stories that are important to you and telling them in the way only … Continue reading
The Seven Deadly Sins of Short Story Writing and how to avoid them
This post grew out of an article I originally wrote for the Hysterectomy Association when I was writer in residence of their annual writing competition earlier this year. I recently … Continue reading
Stephen King on why readers stop reading — Quotes for writers (and people who like quotes)
“In many cases when a reader puts a story aside because it ‘got boring,’ the boredom arose because the writer grew enchanted with his powers of description and lost sight … Continue reading
Monday creative writing exercise because it’s a good way to start the week. Character study
You are in some kind of a waiting room: the accident and emergency department of a hospital, attending a job interview, waiting to be interviewed by the police after witnessing … Continue reading
Creative Writing Exercise because it’s a good way to start the week. BREAKFAST with a twist
Your subject Breakfast this morning. Compare it with other breakfasts you’ve known: childhood breakfasts, breakfasts with lovers, breakfasts with children, breakfasts in greasy spoon cafes, in chic coffee houses, hung … Continue reading
You can learn only by doing…STEPHEN KING Quotes for Writers (and people who like quotes)
Description is what makes the reader a sensory participant in the story. Good description is a learned skill, one of the prime reasons why you cannot succeed unless you read … Continue reading
MONDAY CREATIVE WRITING EXERCISE because it’s a good way to start the week – making description stand out for all the right reasons
Good description never just tells you what something is like. It also does something else. Very often the something else adds to the emotional atmosphere of the story or helps … Continue reading
MONDAY creative writing exercise because it’s a good way to start the week. DESCRIPTION
This a great exercise for the days when you have no time to write. When you’re in the kitchen preparing dinner you can jot down ideas while the pasta is … Continue reading
BRIDGET WHELAN writer 