My good writing friend Shannon wrote a post recently that really resonated with me and what I see aspiring writers struggling with. Her post is good and I recommend you click the link and have a read before carrying on. There’s a great quote she uses from a superb writer and generally very nice man,… Read More A Brief Guide to Writing 7 – Feedback
“Sex for Nin is an entirely selfish thing…There’s no kindness. There’s literally no love-making because there’s no love.” Anaïs Nin is recognised as one of the pioneers of erotic feminist fiction, seemingly taking the world by storm with her short stories here published in 1979. It’s a little odd because, by that point, there was… Read More Book Review: Little Birds by Anaïs Nin
“Pratchett has the ability, second to none, of bringing us characters who will become our friends.” It is always a delight to read one of Pratchett’s Discworld novels. It is a forever mystery to me how he managed to write so many (uncharitably, you could say ‘churned out’ so many) and yet make every single… Read More Review: Small Gods by Terry Pratchett
“…the science fiction equivalent of Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake albeit far more interesting…” This book was not one that had crossed my path and been added as a ‘classic must-read’. I’d honestly never heard of it before until a friend suggested I might like it. This friend’s suggestions are normally spot on, so I gave it… Read More Book Review: Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban
or looking after your mental health as a writer “The days of the depressed writer… killing himself after burning all his manuscripts and considering himself a failure, are over – or they should be.” The Covid Pandemic seemingly brought grief and joy in equal measure albeit often with some getting the joy and others, unfortunately,… Read More A Brief Guide to Writing: 6 – The Writer and The Black Dog of Doom
I started this piece quite some considerable time ago. At the time, my novel was in the early stages with the publishers. It has been published over a year now, which tells you something about how long it takes for me to get a job done sometimes! By sheer fate, and the irony of the… Read More A Brief Guide to Writing: 5 – Mistakes, editing and you
Having reviewed Armitage’s latest book a few months ago and not finding it quite as good as some of the selected poems I’ve read over the years, I decided to see if I could rekindle my love for this poet by reading his collection of – presumably – his best works. I wasn’t disappointed. I… Read More Paper Aeroplane by Simon Armitage
“So, disagree with my reviews, by all means. This is also useful for those that fall upon these pages.” Recently, I had a lovely little comment on this site from ‘Jimmy’ who clearly didn’t like my reviews very much. I didn’t publish the comment because it was the usual vacuous insulting type which always assumes… Read More What is the point of book reviews?
“…we always look back to a time that didn’t exist.” Hannah Rose Woods has crafted a superb book that entertains as much as it does illuminates and does so without trying to be witty or find some forced clever idea that doesn’t work. Instead, she writes with the absolute precision you’d expect from an historian.… Read More Book Review: Rule, Nostalgia by Hannah Rose Woods
“We’re losing nature in huge swathes and not realising it.“ I reviewed Macfarlane’s ‘Lost Spells’ a little while ago after reviewing a wonderful production at Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake. Although the production was named after the Lost Spells, it was very much based both on that book and this one, The Lost Words. Both… Read More Book Review: The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris
Write Out Loud 