When is a shop not a shop?
Read MoreShops in the time of Covid, by Terry Freedman
Creative Writing
A school, closed, by Terry Freedman
PhotoPrompt #31: Schools in the time of Covid
Is a closed school a school?
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A Minor Harp, by Terry Freedman
Writing the blues
What do these pieces of writing have in common, apart from being examples of creative nonfiction about blues music?
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Cat in a box, by Terry Freedman
PhotoPrompt #29: Cat in a box
This photo reminds me of one of the first books I read. Could it provide the basis of a new story?
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Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay
The long goodbye
This is an article I wrote for a creative nonfiction writing assignment, dealing with dementia. It was first published in an anthology called Between The Lines.
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Robin, by Terry Freedman
PhotoPrompt #27: A robin
If I were a poet, I think this photo would inspire me to write. It’s not a great picture from a technical point of view — or at least I don’t think so — but the early Spring colours are lovely.
Read MoreAlways wear trousers on Skype
Seeing as we are in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, with millions of people either in lockdown or self-isolating, many previously face-to-face activities are starting to be carried out online. I thought this true story might serve both as a cautionary tale and as some light relief.
Read MorePhotoPrompt #26: Rush hour
Here is what the rush hour looked like on the last day I travelled in London.
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Spitalfields in the rain, by Terry Freedman
PhotoPrompt #25: Spitalfields in the rain
The building shown in the photo is located just before you enter Spitalfields itself.
Read MoreReview: Oulipo and Modern Thought
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.
Read MoreThe 100 word constraint
Working within a limit of 100 words is both terrifying and liberating.
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Blue Cube, by Terry Freedman
A short story involving homophonics: the answers
In a recent article I set a puzzle: identifying the hidden homophonics in a short story. Here are the answers.
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Neon tube map, by Terry Freedman. I’m thinking: does this count as a visual homophone (a homovide?) of a tube map?
A short story involving homophonics
Homophones are words that sound the same but don’t mean the same, such as fare (food) and fare (cost of travel), or their and there. In Oulipo, you take a phrase and think of one which sounds like it. I believe that it is permissible to stretch the definition of “sounds like”, so I have taken advantage of that fact.
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Shock, Horror! by Terry Freedman.jpg
Sect's Grindstones! The message decoded
My Christmas, Oulipo-inspired message decoded.
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Review of the Oulipo Compendium
Terry Freedman in a cafe, where he often writes — by E Freedman
Best of 2019
A dozen of the best articles on the Writers’ Know-How website in 2019.
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A different way of thinking! Photo of a notice outside Chives cafe in London, by Terry Freedman
Using preverbs to break writer's block
How to use an Oulipo technique involving proverbs to get through writer’s block.
Read MoreReview of The Penguin Book of the Prose Poem
If you are a teacher of English or creative writing, you will find this book to be a rich source of material to discuss and analyse with your students. And if you are a writer, this book will I’m sure prove to be a good investment in extending your craft.
Read MoreFilm Studies as a way to improve your writing
You may not believe this, but film-making and film studies on the one hand, and writing on the other, have a great deal in common.
Read MoreReview of the Penguin Book of Oulipo
The word Oulipo is an acronym of a French group, Ouvroir de littérature potentielle. This is usually translated as Workshop of Potential Literature, although given its association with the sharing and critique of work on creative writing courses, the word ‘workshop’ might be ditched in favour of ‘work room’.
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