A girl I taught was highly intelligent, very helpful and had a great sense of humour. Unfortunately, though, whenever she disagreed with somebody she immediately flew into a temper, insulted them and told them to go forth and multiply — though rather more crudely than that. I imagine she has a huge following on Twitter these days, as that seems to be the main way of “communicating” for a lot of people.
Read MoreWe don’t say, “Nice factory you’ve built up there, but it’s unfair that you get to keep it for more than a few years, and even if you do, you can’t pass it on in your will.” Who would bother investing their own time and money in the enterprise if they thought that would be the outcome?
Read MoreJust in case you were thinking that there must be some areas of English Literature that are safe from being banned, burned, discontinued…
Read MoreApparently there are proposals to pass a law in the USA that would require freelance writers to pass the so-called ABC test.
Read MoreHere is a list of writing competitions.
Read MoreIn the first session of a course called the Seven Ages of Poetry, the tutor, Julian Birkett, divided the class into breakout rooms and asked us to translate a translation of one of the verses.
Read MoreThe Society of Authors has published an updated statement about Brexit.
Read MoreHere are two useful articles about what the Brexit deal might mean for writers.
Read MoreIf you don’t already have a collection of articles that you can (legally) republish or rework, then today is as good a time as any to start.
Read MoreWhat does one do about books and authors with which one disagrees? In my naivety I've always thought that the best thing to do is not buy them, and not read them. Apparently I'm wrong though….
Read MoreThese are some of the books I’ve started this year, and which I’m determined to finish this year. Well, maybe I’ll settle for reading a bit more of them at least.
Read MoreI am looking forward to spending time on myself and my own projects.
Read MoreOne of my rules is that when I see a quote from a report, say, or a news item, I don’t re-quote it until I’ve read the original document from which the excerpt was taken. The reason for this is quite simple…
Read MoreLater today I shall hit ‘Publish’, after which the latest issue of my books bulletin will go flying out around the world.
Read MoreI’m a very private person, and I don’t like sharing things about myself with complete strangers. I don’t even like sharing the fact that I don’t like sharing things.
Read MoreWhat is MVT, and why have I adopted the MVT approach?
Read MoreWhen you pick up an English edition of a foreign language book, you have to rely on the good intentions and skill of the translator. But can they be trusted?
Read MoreMy copy of The Author, the magazine of the Society of Authors, has arrived. I always look forward to it, and am never disappointed. This occasion is no different.
Read MoreEver since I started my newsletter I have used a double opt-in system. What does that mean, and why do I do it?
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