I am over half-way through a writing course on the short story with @UnthankSchool. I'm enjoying it and facing new challenges. Which is good. Later, I intend to make a list of all the new things I have learned or read, the advice the tutor has given us and his recommendations for improving our writing. … Continue reading Writing Short Stories
Last week a teacher tweeted asking any writers for co-operation with a project she was leading on Notebooking. The idea that schools teach creative writing is a joy to me. We had the subject Essay Writing, which could have been interpreted as creative writing, although the words sound formal, discouraging to children. Creative Writing speaks … Continue reading Notebooking
I’m late with a new blog this week and my head’s all scratchy with guilt. I’m following an 8-week course with the UnthankSchool.com on writing the short story. As well as a crit from the tutor, the students read everyone’s writing each week, post comments and ‘chat’ online on Sunday mornings. Whilst I’m flattered by … Continue reading Writing Help You Must Have
Copenhagen gave birth to one of the most famous writers of fairy tales. Not children’s fairy tales you note, although it is children who generally read them. Or it used to be. Recently a newspaper article expressed the opinion that today’s children are less aware of harmful elements of growing up than the previous generation … Continue reading Two Danish Writers II: Hans Christian Anderson
Before I became a child who watched television, I was familiar with lines of speech. Both my parents were keen am-drams. I was holding a script, hearing them say their lines, as soon as I could read. As an adult, I’m a great film goer. I love the instant action, the drama which can be … Continue reading To Tag or not
I have a completed manuscript which I am trying to place. It began as the diary of a certain two years of my life which soon became a complete history. I amended a chapter of the manscript to read as a complete piece and submitted it for the Fish Short Memoir Prize. It was shortlisted. … Continue reading Memoir…or not?
One of the delights of returning to the same house each summer is finding books which are old favourites. Looking for a book to read I found Jane Gardam’s A Long Way to Verona. Great! Because the novel is told by a child narrator and the next draft novel I have to consider and re-write … Continue reading Child Narrators (2)
We all know taking a break is a 'good thing'. We've been hearing about the benefits of a sabbatical in the news this week as the government considers sabbaticals for teachers. Apparently they refresh your attitude and energize you to put more into your day, in short, work miracles. I've never had a sabbatical, only … Continue reading Taking a Break
We are drawing to the end of Module Three of the How to Write a Novel course, on-line with theUnthankSchool. I will talk more about this illuminating course later - giving away no free-bies. However, I want to show you what emerged from an exercise we were asked to do during a section of the … Continue reading Writing a Walk
Are you the busiest unpublished writer in existence? At times it seems I could be. Like now. I have too many projects to keep up with but I don't want to give any of them up. There's this blog, for instance. Why am I late with writing a new blog? Because there's no one sitting … Continue reading Too Many Irons in the Fire
