How did the English comedian Spike Milligan break through writer’s block?
Read MoreWriter's Block, by Terry Freedman
Review: Stranger than Fiction
At first glance, this book's table of contents seems puzzling. Despite running to nearly 500 pages, Frank seems to be using fewer than 50 different novels to represent a hundred years of literary evolution — but appearances can be deceptive.
Read MoreThe benefits of a massive clearout #2
in Reflections
Here at Freedman Towers a massive clearout has been underway for some time. I thought I'd share my thoughts on why this has proven to be a very useful exercise.
Read MoreThe benefits of a massive clearout #1
in Reflections
Here at Freedman Towers a massive clearout has been underway for some time. I thought I'd share my thoughts on why this has proven to be a very useful exercise.
Read More“The style is plain and simple, and all the more powerful for that, and I like the sense of foreboding.”
Quick look: Hard Rain Falling, by Don Carpenter -- Progress report
in Bookshelf, Quick looks, Reviews
The style is plain and simple, and all the more powerful for that, and I like the sense of foreboding.
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Click on the cover to see this book on Amazon (affiliate link)
Quick look: Conversations with Third Reich Contemporaries
in Bookshelf, Quick looks, Reviews
Context is given regarding the manner in which the interviews were conducted, and there is a great deal of nuance regarding the concept of “bystanders” vs “perpetrators”.
Read MoreHow I write: books (Updated)
How can you start writing a book if you don’t know where to start?
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“You got a problem?” Self-portrait cartoon by Terry Freedman
Problem resolved!
in Events
As it happens, I did have a problem: one dead link and two dud links
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Generated in AI
Epistolary: Letter to Rebecca #25-11
Did you know that Rebecca Holden and I write a letter on Substack to each other on Wednesdays? Well, we do, and this is the latest one from me to her. Read on for a jolly good chortle.
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Books, by Terry Freedman
Updated: An unintended consequence of wishing to be nice when reviewing books by female authors
in News & views, Research
I’ve been reading Phillipa K. Chong’s “Inside the Critics’ Circle”, in which she attempts to discover the process by which books get reviewed. It’s a very interesting read. I haven’t finished it yet, so am not in a position to review it as such, but I was struck by the extract cited here.
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Seminar, by Terry Freedman
Nonfiction notebook: Three reasons that non-fiction authors should speak
Why you should do some public speaking.
Read MoreThe electrophone? The Gecophone?
in Audio, Bookshelf, Quick looks, Reviews
Although I’ve been writing for donkeys’ years, I’ve never written anything for radio.
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How can you write a blog if you don't read any blogs?
Every time I teach my Writing for Blogs course, it transpires that some most of the people on the course do not read any blogs.
Coming soon...
My blogging course: reflections.
Quick looks at the four most recent books I read.
Battersea Power Station. Photo by Terry Freedman
My Writing Machine
I first had the idea for a writing machine many years ago, while watching an episode of the Avengers.
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On this day: Further thoughts on using Word for Desktop Publishing: Frames
in How to, Word, Archives, On this day
If you have the occasional desktop publishing to do, or if you only require a sort of limited desktop publisher or simply don’t have the time to learn a whole new program, Word will do fine.
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Quick look: The many lives of Anne Frank
in Bookshelf, Quick looks, Reviews
The structure of this book is very interesting.
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Quick look: Hard Rain Falling, by Don Carpenter
in Bookshelf, Quick looks, Reviews
The style is plain and simple, and all the more powerful for that.
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Graphic by Terry Freedman
My North Thames Gas Saga
Quite by chance I’ve been reading about bureaucracy recently — such as in customer (dis)service — and it reminded me of North Thames Gas’s attempts to drive me mad. That was many years ago and North Thames Gas doesn’t even exist any more, but even now the mere mention of a gas company starts my nervous twitch going.
Read MoreTerry Freedman and Fred Terryman discuss the question: What makes a great and successful writer?
in Creative Writing, EiS
This is a transcript of a conversation between Fred Terryman and myself. It’s been lightly edited, with the pauses taken out for ease of reading.
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