I thought I would test ChatGPT’s mettle in a rather self-interested way. I write a lot of book reviews — a lot. I have three books I need to review for an education magazine by 21st January, plus two books I need to review for other websites soonish, and I have to write a review of an exhibition for a different education magazine by next week <gulp>.
Therefore I have two (competing) concerns.
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A couple of days ago I attended the launch of a new report into writers’ earnings in the UK. The quick summary is…
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Have you read any works written in the form of letters? Or have you written anything like that yourself? I've been interested in that genre for a long time, so I was delighted when, a few weeks ago, a course came up at the City Lit institute looking at epistolary fiction.
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If blogging was a person I can imagine it saying, like James Cagney, "I ain't dead yet!"
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I write about literature, life in general, odd things that have happened, the odd bit of fiction, experimental writing.
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In the next issue of my creative nonfiction newsletter for writers, I’ll be covering book writing, translating and the corporate mindset, as well as reviewing seven books for writers.
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The next time you’re offered the opportunity to write for a periodical that doesn’t pay as much as you’d like, don’t just dismiss it out of hand.
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So many authors think they ought to be the recipient of the Nobel prize for literature.
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I should have thought that part of the purpose of a book review is to tell potential readers whether the book is actually any good or not.
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Every so often I read a blog post or a ‘commentary’ on Twitter by some self-appointed guru or other saying that blogging is passé.
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What’s the point of doing exercise or yoga? The answer is, usually, to keep yourself generally fit and toned up. Unless you’re preparing for an athletic event, there is no specific or direct point to any of it.
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In addition to an update of my recent rejection story, the latest issue of my newsletter for creative nonfiction writers contains the following…
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Despite thirty years of success, one rejection was enough to dent my self-confidence. Self-doubt is never comfortable.
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Just in case I might get too complacent, a malignant Fate decreed that an article I’ve spent hours on has been rejected — by the person who commissioned it.
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It’s the 23rd June 2022, and this year’s National Writing Day. Here are links to reviews of useful books about writing, resources for use in schools (some are good for adults too!) and top tips (ditto).
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This course is running tomorrow (18 June 2022), and I’ve added a few more exercises for people to try out.
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Yesterday I attended the launch, at the House of Lords, of the latest report from the All Party Writers Group on writers’ earnings in the UK.
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Our aim was to cycle into London, specifically Green Park, and watch the fly past. Unfortunately, everyone else in the UK had the same idea…
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