professional development

The benefits of attending writing courses

February 18, 2020 in Professional writer, Research, Staying updated

Although I've been getting articles published and paid for since 1990, I still take writing courses. How come?

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A book I'm reading

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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.

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Review: The Notebook *CORRECTED*

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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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Just William

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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.

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

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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.

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Review: Oulipo and Modern Thought (Update)

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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.

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Quick looks: Triggered Literature PLUS an extract from my new version of Macbeth

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A very timely publication. The first section is replete with anecdotes about trigger warnings and similar. Some of these are, in my opinion, ill-informed (such as the charges levelled against Jane Austen) while others are ridiculous (like the rewriting of parts of the Noddy books).

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Libraries and readers in an age of conflict (book review)

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The Book at War is a fascinating study of how books and other reading matter have variously influenced politics, propaganda and history over time.

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Review: The Artist's Journey

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Elborough’s central premise is that artists’ travels have always influenced their art – albeit more obviously in some cases than others.

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Review of Fantasy: Realms of Imagination

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The shelves in libraries or bookshops labelled Science Fiction and Fantasy interest me only for the former, not the latter. Games like Dungeons and Dragons have never appealed to me, and much as I like maps and strange lands, the works of Tolkien leave me cold.

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Review: The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper

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Who would have thought that a material as commonplace as paper could have such a rich history and profound effect on our lives?

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