How many ways can you organise a library?
Read MoreImaginary libraries
in Creative Writing, Oulipo, Events
I have been...
Have you ever thought about all the jobs you’ve had, whether paid for or as a volunteer?
Read MoreReflections: Navigating a book
One of the first things I look for when reviewing a non-fiction book is whether or not it contains an index. If it does, the next thing I check is whether the index is actually useful. This post explains how to create an index in MS Word.
Read MorePointless data
An article I wrote for a client is characterised by 24 pieces of data. More correctly: metadata. So what?
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Upcoming book reviews June 2025
in Quick looks, Reviews
This is just a very quick heads-up. I’m just about to send off four reviews to Teach Secondary magazine. I will post the reviews here once they’ve been published there (that’s the deal), but here are one-liners to whet your appetite.
Read MoreReview: Bookish words and their surprising stories
If, like me, you enjoy reading around a subject, and probing a little deeper than strictly necessary, and you are an avid reader or a determined writer, Bookish Words should appeal to you.
Read MoreCompare and contrast #4
In this article, I republish a review of mine that was first published in Teach Secondary magazine. Next, there follows the article I actually sent in. The differences are only minor, but I thought you might find it interesting to examine the differences, and consider what difference they make, if any, to your experience and understanding of the review.
Read MoreCompare and contrast #3
in Bookshelf
In this article, I republish a review of mine that was first published in Teach Secondary magazine. Next, there follows the article I actually sent in. The differences are only minor, but I thought you might find it interesting to examine the differences, and consider what difference they make, if any, to your experience and understanding of the review.
Read MoreCompare and contrast #2
Taking the reader from the Middle Ages to more or less the present day, Gray shows how the kind of places we do our shopping in, and what we buy, have changed over the centuries.
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Terry Freedman. Photo by Elaine Freedman.
A typical example of how I prepare for my courses
in Handy hints
On the 21st June I’ll be teaching a course called Creative Writing with Constraints. (Note the word “constraints”, not “restraints”.) This article outlines how I prepared for it.
Read MoreCompare and contrast reviews #1
In this article, I republish a review of mine that was first published in Teach Secondary magazine. Next, there follows the article I actually sent in. The differences are only minor, but I thought you might find it interesting to examine the differences, and consider what difference they make, if any, to your experience and understanding of the review.
Read MoreA few of my reference books
Just because I love technology and spend a lot of time on the web, and writing for the web, doesn’t mean I’ve eschewed books.
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Shoredticth in black and white, by Terry Freedman
Applying constraints to enhance creativity
in Creative Writing, EiS, Events, Oulipo
The standard advice for writers who are feeling uninspired or blocked is to allow your mind to wander where it will or to just start writing aimlessly to see what happens. Therefore to suggest the opposite approach, that of imposing some constraints on your thinking, seems completely counterintuitive.
Read MoreOn this day: Immersive journalism
From the archives: How will Virtual Reality reportage affect our experience of the news? What are the ethical issues involved?
Read MoreNonfiction Notebook: No excuse for poor spelling
Unless you’re so poor at spelling or English in general that a spell-checker wouldn’t do you much good anyway, there isn’t really any excuse for this sort of thing.
Read MoreThe Shakespeare insult generator is still working!
Listen, thou fobbing clapper-clawed clotpole! The internet is useful for more things than mere facts.
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Picture generated in Ideogram.ai
Is it OK to plagiarise yourself?
in Reflections
Yesterday I was going to write an article, using chunks of a couple of articles I’d published before (plus some original material).
Read MoreCreative writing using constraints: a course
What is writing with constraints? In a nutshell, it means writing according to specific and tight rules. The “official” name for this is Oulipo, which is a French acronym for Ouvroir de littérature potentielle.
Read MoreOn this day: PhotoPrompt #30: Skies in the time of Covid
“One of the unexpected benefits of the Covid-19 pandemic has been clear blue skies.”
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Blogger, by Terry Freedman
Nonfiction Notebook: Is creative writing teachable?
Some people say "of course creative writing can be taught", while others say the opposite. I take a slightly more nuanced view.
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