Far from being late all the time, I am ridiculously early. We all know that there’s nothing worse than a convert (just try smoking within a mile of where I’m sitting if you’re not convinced of the veracity of this statement).
Read MoreIt seems to me that for satire to work it has to walk a fine line between being so close to reality that it’s not funny, and so far-fetched that it’s not credible.
Read MoreAn especially useful idea is the ladder of abstraction, which is equivalent, in cinematic terminology, to the level of detail in a scene, from close-up to long shot.
Read MoreI would love to be able to write blog posts or conduct my social media affairs in such a way that I became an overnight sensation, as verified by an astronomical rise in my bank balance. But…
Read MoreTwitter allows only 280 characters per “tweet”. That’s around 20 to 25 words on average. How can that be any use for creative writing?
Read MoreShe walked over to the window and reflected on her deprived surroundings. She had always loved urban Truro with its plain, pong parks. It was a place that encouraged her tendency to feel worried.
Read MoreThe exercise was to take photos on the theme of reflections, and then write about one of them.
Read More(Corrected) This article is around 50 years old. Unfortunately, it is still pretty relevant.
Read MoreUnder normal circumstances you can only hear one side of a conversation over the telephone. With that in mind, I’ve reported this (true) conversation from my side only. You should be able to infer what the person on the other end was saying.
Read MoreI think it’s important for writers to not only read widely, but also write widely. By trying out different styles and genres, you can start to see how they work.
Read MoreBath is a very beautiful city. It has a lovely cathedral, a nice canal walk (although I didn’t like the sheer drop on the edge of it), and an open, airy feel. But that’s not what made an impression on me.
Read MoreGood Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) practice may decree that the ideal blog post length is between 1760 and 2400 words, but I prefer to write for people rather than an algorithm.
Read MoreThe following was written as an assignment for a course called Creative Writing for Social Media.
Read MoreUnlike other approaches to writing, Oulipo is based on constraints rather than such devices as free association.
Read MoreAn account of my experimentation with an Oulipo technique called “acronymic poetry”.
Read MoreI find pictures like this help me if I’m attempting to write ‘hard-boiled’ fiction.
Read MoreThis one-off session from the City Lit looked like an exciting course to try. It ticked several boxes: no long-term commitment, and brimming with ideas.
Read MoreI don’t write poetry. My days of doing so have been over for several eons. However, the first homework we were set, and which I completed and submitted, was to write a poem inspired by a photograph. Here goes.
Read MoreHere’s a piece of writing I submitted for a creative writing course at the City Lit. It was received quite well, and one of the other students said it was the most accurate description of Santa Monica that she’d ever read. Others liked the dialogue. Me? I still chuckle over the misunderstanding about drive-in movies!
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People say “It’s all a matter of context”. But I think that it’s when you take ideas, styles or objects out of context, or juxtapose them with apparently incongruent other ideas, styles or objects , that things start to look interesting and exciting.
