comfort zone

Caroline O'Donogue interviewing Holly Bourne at the London Book Fair 2019, by Terry Freedman

Love and relationship writing -- same old pap?

March 19, 2019 in Creative Writing, London Book Fair, News & views

Why creative writing courses are good for your soul as well as for developing your writing technique.

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Could a book on time travel be useful for English teachers?

Bookshelf, Reviews

A book on temporal adventures may seem like an odd inclusion here, but it can actually be used in many ways.

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Review: A Date with Language: Fascinating Facts, Events and Stories for Every Day of the Year

Bookshelf, Reviews

David Crystal has triumphed again. This is a fascinating book containing hundreds of concise entries on quirky occasions, literary facts and significant events.

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Review of Triggered Literature -- useful for English teachers

Bookshelf, Reviews

At a time when even Noddy books have been declared ‘problematic’ due to their use of archaic terms such as ‘swot’ (since changed to ‘bookworm’), some of us might may feel the temptation to unleash our inner ‘Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells’ in response.

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Review of Handwritten: Remarkable people on the page - Great for readers and writers

Bookshelf, Reviews

In Handwritten we get to see handwritten manuscripts by monarchs, poets, novelists, scientists and many others.

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Bookshelf, Reviews, The lighter side

Spotting the BS

Bookshelf, Reviews, The lighter side

“You’ve been speaking to that blasted Freedman, haven’t you?!”

Bookshelf, Reviews, The lighter side

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A book I'm reading

Bookshelf, Reviews

I’m familiar with a few of the stories in this volume, which features some well-known names such as Raymond Carver, George Saunders, Grace Paley, Ursula Le Guin and Susan Sontag.

Bookshelf, Reviews

Review: The Notebook *CORRECTED*

Bookshelf, Reviews

I love the subtitle: A history of thinking on paper (my emphasis). I do think there’s much to be said for writing on paper, and there is no paucity of research showing the benefits of analogue over the digital approach.

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Bookshelf, Bookshops, News & views

Just William

Bookshelf, Bookshops, News & views

A few months ago I wrote about Barnabees Books, in Westleton, Suffolk. It’s a lovely warm place, not only heat-wise but atmospherically, not least because of its delightful owner, Ty.

Bookshelf, Bookshops, News & views

Bookshelf, Quick looks

Quick looks: Jane Austen; Write, Cut, Rewrite; Handwritten; The Book At War; From Edtech to Pedtech

Bookshelf, Quick looks

Since I read Northanger Abbey when I was in my twenties, I have to say that in the interim it has much improved. Clearly, Jane must have taken a creative writing course or two because it is now much funnier, more cutting and more modern, what with her stepping outside the story to comment on her characters and the novel form itself.

Bookshelf, Quick looks

Bookshelf, Creative Writing, Oulipo, Reviews, Reference, Audio, Oulipo book

Review: Oulipo and Modern Thought (Update)

Bookshelf, Creative Writing, Oulipo, Reviews, Reference, Audio, Oulipo book

If your interest in the Oulipo goes beyond simply trying out their techniques, and you wish to learn about the context in which it was conceived and the developments in went through, you will find this book very useful.

Bookshelf, Creative Writing, Oulipo, Reviews, Reference, Audio, Oulipo book