Solitude: a poem

May 17, 2021 in Creative Writing, Oulipo, Photography

I 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.

Who's the author?

May 17, 2021 in Reviews

If you write a play or a film script, presumably you have a mental picture of how it will look on screen or stage.

Language Barrier

May 17, 2021 in Creative Writing, Language

Here’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!

The traumatic process of de-booking

May 16, 2021 in News & views

In the process of identifying which books to send off to a new home, I’ve discovered some books I’d forgotten about and now look forward to reading (again).

On this day: Finding a book when you can't remember its name

May 14, 2021 in How to

If you can’t remember the name of the book you wish to read, then you are in luck.

Think outside the box, by Terry Freedman

Why constraints are a good thing for writers of all kinds

May 13, 2021 in Oulipo, Short form

When it comes to communication, being restricted is definitely better, ie more conducive to effectiveness, than having no limits at all.

The Professional Writer: Make your text readable

May 12, 2021 in Technology, Useful websites, Professional writer

What is readable by a particular age group today may not be readable by that same age group tomorrow.

Converting an offline course to an online one

May 11, 2021 in How to

When teaching a course online at an adult education institute I would say that proficiency in using the technology to teach a lesson online is an obvious prerequisite of success. In addition, an understanding of good practice in teaching adults is also essential.

The Professional Writer: Learning the tools of your trade

May 10, 2021 in Professional writer

Observe any specialist, and they know exactly which tool they need for a particular job. Writers, too, should know what tools they need, and how to use them.

A different form of ice-breaker

May 09, 2021 in Oulipo

For my course on the creative writing movement and technique called Oulipo, I’m working on a different kind of ice-breaker.

"Hugues Merle (French, 1823-1881), 'Hamlet and Ophelia'" by sofi01 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0. Speech balloons added by Terry Freedman using Phrase it.

Variations on Hamlet

May 04, 2021 in Creative Writing, Oulipo

In recent years I’ve become interested in a branch of writing called Oulipo, and have discovered that it’s not only people associated with the theatre or film who have put their individual stamp on Hamlet. Writers too have got in on the act.

experiments in style, by Terry Freedman.png

A Bang on the Head -- inspired by Malevich

April 30, 2021 in Oulipo, EiS

This article is part of series I am writing called Experiments in Style. It is my version of Raymond Queneau’s Exercises in Style (Amazon affiliate link), in which the author takes a very mundane incident and reworks it in various ways. A graphic version of the same thing is Matt Madden’s 99 Ways to tell a story (ditto). I think it’s quite interesting to see how a change in style can dramatically alter the feel of a piece. My ‘experiments’ are based on the article I wrote called A bang on the head.

This series of articles is an example of Oulipo. I’ll be taking a very short course called Writing the Oulipo: a taster, on 19 June 2021. As it’s name implies, this is an introductory class, and lasts for just two and a half hours. If you’re interested in learning a few techniques to expand your writing ideas, along with suggestions for further reading, then sign up. It will take place online, so from a geographical point of view it doesn’t matter where in the world you are. Details here: Writing the Oulipo: A Taster.

Free books for writers

April 30, 2021 in News & views

Free books for writers — but hurry.

A note about Oulipo

April 26, 2021 in Oulipo, Creative Writing

Sometimes what you produce is unutterable rubbish. But occasionally you really do produce something worth keeping, or which sparks an idea for a new piece of writing.

Review: Book Parts

April 25, 2021 in Bookshelf, Reviews, Research

When you start to read a new book, what’s your routine? My routines differ according to whether the book is fiction or non-fiction, and whether I’ve been sent it to review or not.

Call yourself a writer? Imposter syndrome

April 23, 2021 in News & views, Reflections

There’s a good chance that I’ve led a sheltered life, have very low standards, or both, but in my opinion the degree to which someone suffers from imposter syndrome is inversely related to how good they really are.