Once again I am presenting you with two very slightly different reviews of the same book.
Read More
Compare and contrast: The Library of Ancient Wisdom reviewed
Once again I am presenting you with two different reviews of the same book.
Read More
Compare and contrast: Adaptable reviewed
Once again I am presenting you with two very slightly different reviews of the same book. The first is the review I sent in to the editor of Teach Secondary magazine. The second is what was actually published.
Read MoreReflections on language
in Language, Reflections
If it is such an effort to deny that you’ve done anything wrong, then you must be guilty. Otherwise, it would be easy.
Read More
Quick looks: The Great Exchange: Making the news in early modern Europe
in Bookshelf, Quick looks, Reviews
The real history of news is not about a chronology of technological inventions.
Read More
Quick look: The Penguin Book of Polish Short Stories
in Bookshelf, Quick looks
The stand-out aspect of this collection for me is the way it has been organised into categories, a brave choice I think.
Read MoreQuick look: The Penguin Book of Bengali Short Stories
in Quick looks, Bookshelf
These stories really provide a short glimpse into a culture of which I am almost completely ignorant.
Read More
A 60 second guide on how ro write a product manual
in How to
If you have a product that requires a manual, and you wish to write it in-house, I would suggest the following…
Read MoreFree articles (for now)
in News & views
I have temporaily removed the automatic paywall on my Eclecticism site, thereby freeing up 557 pieces for you to read should you so desire.
Read More
Oulipo word cloud
An upcoming creative writing course
in Oulipo, Events, Creative Writing
Can creative writing be automated (without using A|).
Read MoreImaginary libraries
in Creative Writing, Oulipo, Events
How many ways can you organise a library?
Read MoreI have been...
Have you ever thought about all the jobs you’ve had, whether paid for or as a volunteer?
Read MoreReflections: Navigating a book
One of the first things I look for when reviewing a non-fiction book is whether or not it contains an index. If it does, the next thing I check is whether the index is actually useful. This post explains how to create an index in MS Word.
Read MorePointless data
An article I wrote for a client is characterised by 24 pieces of data. More correctly: metadata. So what?
Read More
Upcoming book reviews June 2025
in Quick looks, Reviews
This is just a very quick heads-up. I’m just about to send off four reviews to Teach Secondary magazine. I will post the reviews here once they’ve been published there (that’s the deal), but here are one-liners to whet your appetite.
Read More
Review: Bookish words and their surprising stories
If, like me, you enjoy reading around a subject, and probing a little deeper than strictly necessary, and you are an avid reader or a determined writer, Bookish Words should appeal to you.
Read MoreCompare and contrast #4
In this article, I republish a review of mine that was first published in Teach Secondary magazine. Next, there follows the article I actually sent in. The differences are only minor, but I thought you might find it interesting to examine the differences, and consider what difference they make, if any, to your experience and understanding of the review.
Read MoreCompare and contrast #3
in Bookshelf
In this article, I republish a review of mine that was first published in Teach Secondary magazine. Next, there follows the article I actually sent in. The differences are only minor, but I thought you might find it interesting to examine the differences, and consider what difference they make, if any, to your experience and understanding of the review.
Read More
Compare and contrast #2
Taking the reader from the Middle Ages to more or less the present day, Gray shows how the kind of places we do our shopping in, and what we buy, have changed over the centuries.
Read More
Terry Freedman. Photo by Elaine Freedman.
A typical example of how I prepare for my courses
in Handy hints
On the 21st June I’ll be teaching a course called Creative Writing with Constraints. (Note the word “constraints”, not “restraints”.) This article outlines how I prepared for it.
Read More