giving writers: identity
I came across a Philip Pullman quote when writing this article: “After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” It made me think about how stories are an integral part of our everyday. The way we share them almost constantly when interacting with those around us. We edit…
Approaching a new piece of fiction is like entering a maze. There are many entrances to consider and whichever one we take has a bearing on how clearly we see other aspects of story. If you began at the entrance with a board that read ‘setting,’ the perfect one(s) may have been obvious from the…
As I write this article I’m holding a hairdryer, trying to melt a block of frozen soup away from its non-microwavable container. I’m sure my ancestors had a better system, but then again they didn’t have freezers. Often unconscious of the fact that Caveman Joe, Erik the Beardless and Sophie Hairdryer Soup Queen are the…
Although many authors travel abroad for the intention of research, I wanted to explore the ways we can expand our writing horizons when it’s not our main intention. Whether it’s a family holiday or a weekend getaway, there’s always an opportunity to collect information that can be used later, whether it’s for a character, setting…
What do you think of when I say the words ‘Ancient Egypt’? Perhaps you’re imagining the Great Pyramid of Giza, stately, protective cats; maybe even the vibrant hieroglyphs on the walls of Tutankhamun’s tomb. In other words, I doubt you’re thinking about literature. Why? Because why would you? History has obliterated most of this ancient…
I thought there was room to squeeze in another Halloween special before the magic begins; and what better than an article on the hottest creepy subgenre of recent times! Now largely undefined by location or tropes, ‘folk horror’ was originally used to describe a particular genre of British films spanning the late 1960s to 1970s….
Writing about love is not my forte; in fact I don’t think I’ve ever attempted it other than in fat-lettered diary entries from when I was twelve. Due to a current project it’s something I need to work on however; so I sat down and wrote these exercises to warm the cockles of my pen….
