On 17 June 2021 I wrote a round-up of my reviews of books about the Oulipo. Here’s a link to that article.
Read MoreOn this day: Oulipo books
in Bookshelf, Oulipo, On this day, Reviews
Reviews
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#FlashbackFriday: Book reviews
in Reviews
I think a lot about book reviewing, and am continually experimenting with different forms.
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Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
Ways into advanced literary study: a review
in Reviews
For some years I’ve been considering studying for an MA in English Literature. Thus when this course came to my attention I was very interested in using it as a way of dipping my toes in the waters of academia once again.
Read MoreBook review: A Head Full of Everything: Inspiration for Teenagers With the World on Their Mind
Being a teenager is not easy.
Read MoreReview: Murder Your Darlings
The book covers language, voice, audience and other aspects of writing.
Read MoreReview: A Little Book of Language
It's always been my contention that practitioners should know as much about what they do as possible.
Read MoreReview: How to read like a writer
This is a very interesting, and useful, book. It covers a range of types of writing.
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Click to see this book on Thames and Hudson’s website.
Review of Gothic: An Illustrated History (expanded review)
If watching a film in a cinema makes you wish you’d brought a friend along to walk home with, or reading a story makes you leave all the lights on when you go to bed, then there’s a good chance the film or the story was gothic.
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Click the cover to see this on Thames and Hudson’s website.
Review of Gothic: An Illustrated History -- Education version
in Bookshelf, Reviews, Short form
This review was first published in Teach Secondary magazine. I’ve included it here because it meets some of the requirements of the English Programme of Study.
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On this day: The Greek Myths
in Bookshelf, On this day, Reviews
If you have forgotten what bad writing looks like, read on…
Read MoreReview: The New Penguin Book of American Short Stories
It is also worth bearing in mind that some of the best nonfiction writers, notably Gay Talese, make copious use of the fiction writer's tools.
Read MoreReview: Story Craft
An especially useful idea is the ladder of abstraction, which is equivalent, in cinematic terminology, to the level of detail in a scene, from close-up to long shot.
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Review: Index, A History Of The: A Bookish Adventure
This book has two indexes, one computer-generated, the other compiled by an indexer, so you can compare the two.
Read MoreReview: Audio for Authors
These days it’s as difficult as it is daft for writers to ignore the benefits of using audio applications.
Read MoreReview: American Short Stories course
in Reviews
For many years I’ve liked American nonfiction writing in periodicals such as Harpers, The Atlantic and The New Yorker, and it’s been interesting (for me at any rate) to learn that I also enjoy American fiction.
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Film, by Dean Shareski Some rights reserved
Review: A Taste of Film
in Reviews
Yesterday I spent a very interesting three hours on a course called A Taste of Film.
Read MoreWhy are positive reviews so boring?
It’s a sad fact of life that the most entertaining reviews are the ones that are highly critical of the thing being reviewed.
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Click to see this on Amazon
Quick look: The 12 Week Year for Writers
in Bookshelf, Quick looks, Reviews
This is a book about strategy and meeting objectives rather than a how-to-write guide.
Read MoreShort-form writing (book review)
When your word count is restricted, you have to make every word count.
Read MoreRecalling my Discovery of Sherman Alexie
in News & views, Reviews
I always try to follow my intuition. Thus it was that, with deadlines pressing on me, and pressure from all sides, I decided to ignore my intellectual protestations and listen to my inner voice.
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