Autumn is here and winter around the corner. We rub our hands in glee as we encounter cold and rainy weather, confining us to being indoors with plenty of time to write. My plan was to re-read sections of my novel set in the 1950s, to arrange them in a funky way with more spaces … Continue reading The Writing Timetable
With Chiswick Book Festival over – it has been fun – @W4BookFest – it’s a return to this autumn’s main task. To polish and submit short stories. The question of finding publishers of short stories came up more than one during the Festival’s sessions. There are 2 main destinations for short stories: competitions and submissions … Continue reading Short Stories – where to send them
The sights, smells and memories of the past weeks must be put away. No more moths drowning in the milk or dozing on a lampshade. The porcini mushrooms found in the garden have been eaten and we are still alive. The sun cream lotion is stored away, the beds are stripped and a large pile … Continue reading Moths in the Milk and Porcini on the Plate
Advice on how to maintain productivity in a writer’s life insists on the practice of regular writing. Whether you sit down for a session of free writing, have an outline or even a vague plan, the idea is to write something every day. Put the words on paper. Or, more probably, see the words on … Continue reading Disruptions to a Writer’s Life
In my last blog I described two of the book groups I’ve talked to and discussed the various questions which were put to me. Although this is putting the cart before the horse, (I am about to write several blogs devoted to writing a memoir) I said I’d deal with the question about a memoir … Continue reading Writing a Memoir – How a memoir is a Construct.
I've been away from London taking a break from daily life and the publishing world. I've been in Russia, a place which brings to mind those books and short stories set in that far away country. Years ago, Radio 4 broadcast Tolstoy's War and Peace as a serialised drama. Newly married, we had no TV … Continue reading Crossing Continents
We usually take self-catering holidays, often to places we have been to before. We know exactly what we can look forward to, whom we hope we'll run into, to share a drink or a meal, and what we need to take in the way of clothes, shoes, swimwear. Add to that the fact that we … Continue reading Writing and Going on Holiday
I've enjoyed a week of Fairs in the past 7 days. On Thursday 14th, I went to The London Book Fair courtesy of Indonesia, ie I had a free ticket. I wanted to catch up with the team at Matador Publishing http://www.troubador.co.uk/matador and to see another indie publisher Fairlight Books http://www.Fairlightbooks.co.uk . I remember, from trawling … Continue reading Book Fairs and Art Fairs
The monthly writers magazine Mslexia has a regular column called 'X,s (celebrity's name) Bedside Table.' My bedside table is an old wooden table I painted a blue-grey. It has two surfaces, the top and a shelf near to the floor. The permanent features are a lamp with shade, a travelling alarm clock - I never … Continue reading My Bedside Table
In 1942 Winston Churchill said, ‘Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end…’ Which is just a flashy way to say that today is the beginning of the end of our Masterclass on the Short Story at Unthank School. This coming week will be our last. It has … Continue reading Reading Short Stories
