The Paris Wife – Paula McLain

March 13, 2012

A fascinating glimpse into the private world of Ernest Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley, during their years living in Paris. The story is all the more fascinating for a writer to read because of its insights into Hemingway’s struggles to write and for recognition. Written in Hadley’s voice, the story is drawn from their [...]

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Chances of Success

March 12, 2012

There was an interesting article in Script Magazine this month and, although it refers to finding success as a screenwriter (which is even harder than as a novelist), probably the breakdown calculations of the odds are very similar. What Are Your Real Chances of Success? by Corey Mandell Writers know it’s not easy to launch [...]

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Talking vs Writing

March 11, 2012

We all know that talking about writing is not the same as writing but is it helpful to talk about what you are writing – or is it counter-productive? My belief is that it depends what aspect you talk about. For example, if I’m starting a new project and, someone asks me what I’m working [...]

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My Week with Marilyn – Movie Review

March 7, 2012

The first half of the 20th century is a rich source of inspiration for filmmakers and has delivered some wonderful British dramas set in the periods before and after the wars. The fifties has its own brand of nostalgia, recent movies like An Education capture the innocence of the period beautifully – as does A [...]

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WRITE at the Kitchen Table – Workshop

March 4, 2012

The kitchen table has a long and distinguished history as the place where thousands of aspiring authors have sat, night after night, and carved out their dream. This year my kitchen table will be the venue of a number of intimate and specialized workshops that are tailor-made for aspiring authors who are writing or editing [...]

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Curl up with a Kindle?

February 13, 2012

I liked the idea of a Kindle from the outset. I do love ‘real’ books but my house is bursting with them and these days, when I lend someone a book and they promise faithfully to return it, my response is ‘Please don’t!’ I was given an Amazon credit for Xmas and decided it would [...]

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On becoming a writer

January 8, 2012

“One hasn’t become a writer until one has distilled writing into a habit, and that habit has been forced into an obsession.” Niyi Osundare Image: SusanNYC

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Creative Doodles

January 8, 2012

I was recently introduced to the idea of doodling in an art class as a way to connect with the right side of the brain. As I’m sure you know, the left side of our brain is the analytical side and the right is the more dreamy, creative side. Writing calls on both parts in [...]

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The Help

January 4, 2012

If you are working on your first novel you can’t fail to be impressed at the standard of Kathryn Stockett‘s work and by the dazzling success of her first novel. ‘The Help’ is interesting and inspiring from a number of perspectives. Firstly the ambitious approach of telling the story in three distinctly different voices two [...]

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Don’t Break The Chain

January 4, 2012

I am always suspicious about new kinds of software or ‘fool-proof’ techniques to get writers to write but this little trick is simple and free. Basically you download this one page from ‘The Writer’s Store’ print it out and every day that you actually WRITE ie. work on your novel or screenplay or whatever (Facebook/email/text [...]

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BELIEF & TECHNIQUE FOR MODERN PROSE – Jack Kerouac

December 10, 2011

1. Scribbled secret notebooks, and wild typewritten pages, for yr own joy 2. Submissive to everything, open, listening 3. Try never get drunk outside yr own house 4. Be in love with yr life 5. Something that you feel will find its own form 6. Be crazy dumbsaint of the mind 7. Blow as deep [...]

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The Ides of March

November 29, 2011

An excellent example of how plot drives character development, this one will have you discussing the main protagonist  (played by Ryan Gosling)  and his decisions long after you leave the cinema. For non-US audiences, there is always that slight crisis of confidence with movies that centre around US politics as to whether we will get [...]

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