As someone who had little in the way of mathematical prowess at school, I initially opened Prime with some trepidation.
Read MoreReview: Once upon a prime
On this day: 27th December 2019 -- Preverbs
Many people advocate free writing as a way of cutting through writer’s block. Well, it’s never worked for me, and it doesn’t seem logical anyway. If you can’t think of anything to write, how would allowing your mind to just generate stuff do any good?
Read MoreReview of The Girl at the Tram Stop
On the surface, this would seem to be nothing more or less than an example of performance art presented as literature. However, there is much more to it than that because Johnson has introduced elements of randomisation…
Read MoreReview: Solutions for Writers
Just about every sentence contains a gem of advice. For example, Stein writes…
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Christmas reading
in Bookshelf, Quick looks
Here are a couple of suggestions for your reading pleasure. They are not Christmas books, but big hefty tomes that need a bit of time to wade into.
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Click the image to see this on Amazon (affiliate link)
Quick look: The Artist's Journey
in Bookshelf, Quick looks
Back in April 2023 I reviewed The Writer’s Journey, and this is a companion volume by the same author.
Read MoreExperiments in style: Hardboiled + Analysis
in EiS
A good way of honing your writing skills is to rewrite a simple story in different styles. That’s what I’ve been up to over on my Eclecticism newsletter. I post a new style every Sunday, and often on the following Friday I explain how I did it, what the challenges were, or the literary devices I employed.
Read MoreTreading the boards
in Memoir
The curtain goes up, to reveal Terry slaving over a hot keyboard. He turns to the audience….
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Robot reporter, by Terry Freedman
Can artificial intelligence be used to write blog posts?
I decided to find out! In this post I show the results of:
Asking AI to create some personas, ie target readers.
Come up with some blog post ideas.
Write an outline for one of them.
Write an article for one of them.
My blog post (a demo)
Blogging has become an integral part of our modern online culture. With its ability to easily share thoughts, ideas, and expertise, blogging serves as a platform for individuals to express themselves and connect with a broader audience.
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New Online Blogging Course
I will be running another online course in blogging in the evenings of the 17th and 24th November 2023.
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The path to St Peter’s Church — photo by Terry Freedman
Second-hand bookshops #1
Two bookshops reviewed! “Although the place gives the impression of haphazardness, what with armchairs and stools all over the place, it is anything but.”
Read MoreReview: How words get good
This title charts what we might call the journey of a book, from the earliest shape of a story, through to cover design and blurb writing
Read MoreReview: A Little History of Music
A broad sweep like this will inevitably overlook some aspects, and the lightness of tone might not appeal to academics – but…
Read MoreReview: The Notebook
I love the subtitle: A history of thinking on paper (my emphasis). I do think there’s much to be said for writing on paper, and there is no paucity of research showing the benefits of analogue over the digital approach.
Read MoreImaginative film-making
in Archives, Photography
The following article was written and published in May 1973. I thought you might find it interesting, as it looks at a few imaginative ways in which to make films — with a cine camera and actual film! Most of the techniques described can still be achieved with video.
Read MoreQuick looks: Once Upon A Prime
in Quick looks, Reviews
I recently received this book, and I’m enjoying it very much. It looks at the (usually hidden) existence of maths in literary works.
Read MoreQuick looks: Solutions for Writers
in Quick looks, Reviews
This is packed with useful information. I’m especially looking forward to reading the the sections called How to Show Instead of Tell, and Using the Techniques of Fiction to Enhance Nonfiction.
Read MoreQuick looks: The Notebook
in Quick looks, Reviews
This comes out on 2nd November. It has a very readable style, and interestingly the footnotes are in a different font from, and bigger than, the main text.
Read MoreSentence models for creative writing -- full review
Perhaps I’m judging by my own standards here, but I think a big mistake you could make with this book is to try to ‘get into it’. You can’t, because it hasn’t really been designed to be readable as such. It’s more of a source of reference material and ideas.
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