My kind of place: nice and quiet. Can’t think why…
Read MoreAn alleyway, by Terry Freedman
Sculpture near Paternoster Square, by Terry Freedman
PhotoPrompt #57: Sculpture near Paternoster Square
This is a great geometric pattern in my opinion.
Read MoreFrom the archives: Publishers discover e-learning!
UPDATED With a correction! Why are ebooks priced at almost the same level as printed books? (I’ve actually seen a Kindle book priced higher than the print version.)
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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.
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Cameraman, by Terry Freedman
Who's the author?
in Reviews
If you write a play or a film script, presumably you have a mental picture of how it will look on screen or stage.
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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BOOKS , by Terry Freedman
The traumatic process of de-booking
in News & views
In the process of identifying which books to send off to a new home, I’ve discovered some books I’d forgotten about and now look forward to reading (again).
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On this day: Finding a book when you can't remember its name
in How to
If you can’t remember the name of the book you wish to read, then you are in luck.
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Think outside the box, by Terry Freedman
Why constraints are a good thing for writers of all kinds
in Oulipo, Short form
When it comes to communication, being restricted is definitely better, ie more conducive to effectiveness, than having no limits at all.
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The Raygor reading level graph
The Professional Writer: Make your text readable
What is readable by a particular age group today may not be readable by that same age group tomorrow.
Read MoreConverting an offline course to an online one
in How to
When teaching a course online at an adult education institute I would say that proficiency in using the technology to teach a lesson online is an obvious prerequisite of success. In addition, an understanding of good practice in teaching adults is also essential.
Read MoreThe Professional Writer: Learning the tools of your trade
Observe any specialist, and they know exactly which tool they need for a particular job. Writers, too, should know what tools they need, and how to use them.
Read MoreA different form of ice-breaker
in Oulipo
"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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A Bang on the Head -- inspired by Malevich
This article is part of series I am writing called Experiments in Style. It is my version of Raymond Queneau’s Exercises in Style (Amazon affiliate link), in which the author takes a very mundane incident and reworks it in various ways. A graphic version of the same thing is Matt Madden’s 99 Ways to tell a story (ditto). I think it’s quite interesting to see how a change in style can dramatically alter the feel of a piece. My ‘experiments’ are based on the article I wrote called A bang on the head.
A bang on the head, by Terry Freedman
This series of articles is an example of Oulipo. I’ll be taking a very short course called Writing the Oulipo: a taster, on 19 June 2021. As it’s name implies, this is an introductory class, and lasts for just two and a half hours. If you’re interested in learning a few techniques to expand your writing ideas, along with suggestions for further reading, then sign up. It will take place online, so from a geographical point of view it doesn’t matter where in the world you are. Details here: Writing the Oulipo: A Taster.
Free books for writers
in News & views
Free books for writers — but hurry.
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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 MoreReview: Book Parts
When you start to read a new book, what’s your routine? My routines differ according to whether the book is fiction or non-fiction, and whether I’ve been sent it to review or not.
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imposter syndrome, by Terry Freedman
Call yourself a writer? Imposter syndrome
There’s a good chance that I’ve led a sheltered life, have very low standards, or both, but in my opinion the degree to which someone suffers from imposter syndrome is inversely related to how good they really are.
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