(Corrected) This article is around 50 years old. Unfortunately, it is still pretty relevant.
Read MorePseudo-intellectualism (corrected)
Creative Writing
A phone call to technical support reported as a one-sided conversation
Under normal circumstances you can only hear one side of a conversation over the telephone. With that in mind, I’ve reported this (true) conversation from my side only. You should be able to infer what the person on the other end was saying.
Read MoreThe Big Sweep
I think it’s important for writers to not only read widely, but also write widely. By trying out different styles and genres, you can start to see how they work.
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Photo by Rumman Amin on Unsplash
Bath time
Bath is a very beautiful city. It has a lovely cathedral, a nice canal walk (although I didn’t like the sheer drop on the edge of it), and an open, airy feel. But that’s not what made an impression on me.
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Review: Creative writing for social media
Good Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) practice may decree that the ideal blog post length is between 1760 and 2400 words, but I prefer to write for people rather than an algorithm.
Read MoreOscar
The following was written as an assignment for a course called Creative Writing for Social Media.
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The Oulipo: part of my writing ‘toolkit’. Picture by Terry Freedman
The Oulipo, and how it has helped me as a writer
Unlike other approaches to writing, Oulipo is based on constraints rather than such devices as free association.
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The clothes I wear when carrying out an experiment. Picture: Scientist, by Terry Freedman
An Oulipo Experiment
An account of my experimentation with an Oulipo technique called “acronymic poetry”.
Read MorePhotoPrompt #59: Man in a hat
I find pictures like this help me if I’m attempting to write ‘hard-boiled’ fiction.
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A selection of my reference books — Terry Freedman
Review of the Writing Inspiration Jam course
This one-off session from the City Lit looked like an exciting course to try. It ticked several boxes: no long-term commitment, and brimming with ideas.
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Two soft drinks, by Terry Freedman
Solitude: a poem
I don’t write poetry. My days of doing so have been over for several eons. However, the first homework we were set, and which I completed and submitted, was to write a poem inspired by a photograph. Here goes.
Read MoreLanguage Barrier
Here’s a piece of writing I submitted for a creative writing course at the City Lit. It was received quite well, and one of the other students said it was the most accurate description of Santa Monica that she’d ever read. Others liked the dialogue. Me? I still chuckle over the misunderstanding about drive-in movies!
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"Hugues Merle (French, 1823-1881), 'Hamlet and Ophelia'" by sofi01 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0. Speech balloons added by Terry Freedman using Phrase it.
Variations on Hamlet
In recent years I’ve become interested in a branch of writing called Oulipo, and have discovered that it’s not only people associated with the theatre or film who have put their individual stamp on Hamlet. Writers too have got in on the act.
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idea by Terry Freedman
A note about Oulipo
Sometimes what you produce is unutterable rubbish. But occasionally you really do produce something worth keeping, or which sparks an idea for a new piece of writing.
Read MoreA writer's woes
Today began promisingly….
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Locking yourself in as far as orators are concerned can lead to more creativity. Phrase: locus and chalet, by Terry Freedman
Courtroom: Yachtswoman The Oulipo: A Taxation
in Oulipo, Creative Writing, Events
Doglegs your yachtswoman need a boost of instigator?
Read MoreLocking yourself in as far as options are concerned can lead to more creativity. Photo: lock and chain, by Terry Freedman
Course: Writing the Oulipo: A Taster
in Oulipo, Creative Writing, Events
Does your writing need a boost of inspiration?
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Conversing, by Terry Freedman
An unexpected benefit of lockdown
Who would have thought that during lockdown, a time that you can venture out of your front door only if your life depends on it (or you’ve run out of milk), it’s been possible to have conversations with all sorts of people?
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No thanks!, by Terry Freedman
Writers: tear up the rule book!
Adverbs serve a purpose, or they wouldn’t exist, they would have fallen into disuse.
Read MoreA bang on the head as a cloze exercise
in Creative Writing, EiS, Oulipo
I failed to do much __________ , but I was pleased to have __________ a further 17% of my __________
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