Some people say "of course creative writing can be taught", while others say the opposite. I take a slightly more nuanced view.
Read MorePhoto by Brad Neathery. Licence: CC0
Creative Writing
June 21st: National Writing Day
Today is National Writing Day!
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Now there's someone who seems pretty laid back. Photo by Terry Freedman 2017.
Everyone needs a special writing day
What's a special writing day? And what's so special about them?
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What I've been reading: Killing Hope
OK, so this is a review of a fiction book -- but I think we can learn a lot about great use of language, convincing research and pace from reading it.
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Bill Shakespeare made a personal appearance at this year's London Book Fair!
Teachers and writers
Teachers and writers have more in common than you might suppose -- a theme I explore in this article written in 2008.
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Taking a black and white photo somehow enhances the atmosphere.
3 minute inspiration: empty benches
Vacant park benches and the like can be very evocative, and a source of inspiration for the writer.
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Keep on blogging! Photo from pixabay.com CC0
7 Things that every serious blogger should do
If you're serious about blogging, here's a list of things you must do.
Read MoreThe joy of monochrome
Not everything in life is black and white -- but perhaps more of it should be.
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Autumn in a park. Photo from pixabay.com CC0
Monochrome pictures and the writer: a heads-up
Can taking monochrome photographs enhance a writer's creativity?
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4 things that writers must do
Here is a list of four things that I think you have to do in order to a writer. Well, I do anyway!
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Miss Fortune SeriesBox set 1
What I've been reading
What I've been reading this week. It's not my usual reading tipple, and I've been thoroughly enjoying it! A good fiction book that I believe has something to teach humorists.
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We should disinfect our writing against ugly language! Picture from www.pixabay.com CC0
"Driving" should be driven out!
Management-speak, clichés and just plainly ridiculous terms that nobody uses in their normal everyday lives should have no place in our writing.
Read MoreThe place where I like to write
The café I like to write in is full of books and magazines, which not only creates a fine bibliographic atmosphere but also encourages me when my self-doubt starts winning. There is a slight problem though...
Read MoreA self-referential autobiography
I know that autobiographies are, by definition, self-referential, but Stan Lee's one is actually written in a self-referential way.
Read More5 Ways to further your writing project when you can’t work on it directly
There can be several reasons why it is not possible to work on your book, blog or other writing project. Maybe you’ve saved it in the cloud, and don’t have an internet connection. Perhaps you didn’t think you would have the time to write, so didn’t take your laptop with you. Or maybe you’re waiting outside the school gates. Whatever the reason, you can usually still do something. Here are the strategies that I’ve found work for me.The Writing Machine (Patent Pending)
Playing with context
People say “It’s all a matter of context”. But I think that it’s when you take ideas, styles or objects out of context, or juxtapose them with apparently incongruent other ideas, styles or objects , that things start to look interesting and exciting.The get-rich-quick itch
I would love to be able to write blog posts or conduct my social media affairs in such a way that I became an overnight sensation, as verified by an astronomical rise in my bank balance.
That’s why I tend to read a lot of adverts that say things like “How I turned my blog into a licence to print money in just three months!”
Handwriting on the web
So, you’d like to use a handwriting font on your website or blog? It’s pretty easy, but you ought to think about the impression you want to create. And perhaps use it sparingly, unlke in this article.Review of Your Creative Writing Masterclass
I love books that you can dip into, and I am always interested in what writers have to say about their craft. Jurgen Wolff’s Your Creative Writing Masterclass has proved to be highly rewarding on both counts.