Last week a student asked if it’s problematic when the original idea or prompt for a story doesn’t seem to connect (or is entirely absent) from the finished piece. The student is on a formal writing program, and was coming at this from the perspective of having her work graded, but it got me thinkingContinue reading “How to stay faithful (or not) to your story”
Category Archives: Craft
What’s the best way to learn how to write?
This question comes from Aniko Madi, who is embarking on writing a novel of speculative fiction: — What is the best way to learn how to write? Should I do a course? Do I need to go to university? Is it possible to teach myself? This is a great question, Aniko, and the short answer isContinue reading “What’s the best way to learn how to write?”
…books in formation: 6 to 10
6. Winter Journal, by Paul Auster Auster writes his journal in the second person. He is the you of his own story, but the reader is also the you of his experience, living with him and inside his mind. And so my own you is born, a you who is both me and not me,Continue reading “…books in formation: 6 to 10”
…the surgeon and the patient
27.You read Richard Selzer’s essay, The Knife, where he describes his experiences in the operating theatre, proposing that ‘if the surgeon is like a poet, then the scars [he has] made on countless bodies are like verses into the fashioning of which [he has] poured [his] soul.’ You have variously equated your writing with theContinue reading “…the surgeon and the patient”
…the eclipse of birds
6.You come to a place of understanding—you are in the midst of your own eclipse. In A Short Philosophy of Birds, Philippe Dubois and Elise Rousseau tell of the vulnerable moulting phase of ducks as they experience an ‘eclipse’ of plumage. They are grounded, paused, waiting for new growth until they can fly again. AnimalsContinue reading “…the eclipse of birds”
Listening to George
Last week, I went on one of those creative roller-coasters that only happen occasionally. It involved walking around the local park on a bright wintry day letting my thoughts follow their own course, beginning with how tired and low I was feeling, onto the Australian bush fires, then to reminding myself to look for theContinue reading “Listening to George”
Sometimes words are not enough…
I’ve always believed that words have the power to do anything you need them to do, whether it’s to tell a story, express an idea, or rouse people to support a cause. The written word is there for us to fulfil our need to communicate, a part of our biological make-up that we often takeContinue reading “Sometimes words are not enough…”
The Lure of the Unfinished Ending.
I’m having an unintentional Matthew McConaughey season at the moment (see previous post TV addiction — Food for the Creative Mind), and last night I watched Killer Joe, a dark film where McConaughey plays a deeply sleazy character with such conviction you’d be forgiven for thinking his dubious torso-stripping action/rom/com phase ever existed. His breakContinue reading “The Lure of the Unfinished Ending.”
TV Addiction — Food for the Creative Mind
One of the joys of the box set age of televisual viewing is that services such as Lovefilm and Netflix enable dedicated story lovers to acquire a new obsession at the touch of a button. Searching for the next spare hour when I can watch another episode makes the addiction almost drug-like, but has theContinue reading “TV Addiction — Food for the Creative Mind”
‘The Writing Process’ Blog Tour
Ever since I started the journey to becoming an independent writer, I’ve been reading about various marketing strategies and ways to be a part of the digital writing age (writing a blog is a really good start, apparently). I’d heard about blog tours without really knowing what they were about or how to get involvedContinue reading “‘The Writing Process’ Blog Tour”
Sally Gander 