Fortunately, I don’t often suffer from writer’s block — my problem is more often a lack of time in which to write what I’d like to. But if you are stumped for what to write or, like me, you sometimes wish to publish something without having to spend hours on it, here are some ideas you might wish to consider. They have all worked very well for me.
Read MoreI thought I’d better take a photo of the last remaining hole before that, too, disappeared.
Read MoreRather than write the traditional sort of review, I thought I would do it in the form of one of those quizzes one sees in popular magazines. Answer each question honestly, and keep a note of your answers on a sheet of paper so you can add up the score at the end.
Read MoreOne of the questions that is bound to come up in the blogging taster course I’m teaching later this week is: how long should a blog post be? (I know it’s bound to come up, because I’m going to ask it!)
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a Writer's diary, by Terry Freedman
In the past I have tried giving copious guidelines to would-be contributors, or stating that the preferred document type is plain text. People did take notice of the guidelines, but the wordprocessor didn’t.
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a Writer's diary, by Terry Freedman
I’m rich! Well, OK, not rich exactly, but getting there. It can only be a matter of time before I am lying in a hammock somewhere dictating my next bestseller.
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a Writer's diary, by Terry Freedman
I don’t usually write short stories, but today I managed to think about, write (in my head, again) and then actually write a work of fiction which will fit nicely into a free newsletter I publish.
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a Writer's diary, by Terry Freedman
A great stimulus, I find, is photography. I always try and take a digital camera with me wherever I go. It fits into a pocket, and now and then there’s a great shot just waiting to be taken.
Read MoreThere is something to be said for short pieces that stand alone as impressions but yet together form a tapestry of a whole picture. Once certainly gets a sense of the aspects of Paris which, as in any tourist-attracting city, are not to be discovered in the guidebooks.
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Conversing, by Terry Freedman
A few years ago I was standing in the queue in the post office. The two teenaged girls behind me were discussing their forthcoming GCSEs, and their revision plans.
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a Writer's diary, by Terry Freedman
(Updated) All cafés should have free wireless internet access.
Read MoreGiovanni’s Room, which is the only work of James Baldwin’s that I’ve read so far apart from a few articles, also starts at the end. The result is a story that is intriguing and gripping within the first few minutes.
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I am not sure whether all of this would work for every kind of blog and every kind of audience, but it has a few interesting suggestions.
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Terry's desk, by Terry Freedman
I keep meeting people who tell me that one of these days they are going to write a book, or start writing articles to pitch to magazines. Really? Why “one of these days”? Why not today, or tomorrow?
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Click the cover to see this book on Amazon UK (affiliate link)
There is some very beautiful writing in this book, and plenty of humour.
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Click the cover to see the book on Amazon (affiliate link)
Dovlatov was a journalist in the then Soviet Union, and this book comprises a series of compromises he was obliged to make, in order to keep his job. What’s interesting to me is that the censorship he describes goes on a very subtle level.
Read MoreWhat is MVT, and why have I adopted the MVT approach?
Read MoreRather than spend time writing an article, I thought I’d draw a picture instead.
Read MoreThis was written as a creative nonfiction writing assignment I set myself, as a way of paying homage to a dedicated — if fierce — teacher.
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