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: Writing Fiction
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?”
Feeling the fear of reinvention
‘…if you are writing without zest, without gusto, without love, without fun, you are only half a writer.’ Ray Bradbury I’ve had to reinvent myself many times over the years, sometimes in a way of my own choosing, sometimes it was forced upon me. However it happened, these transitions have always evolved into positive change,Continue reading “Feeling the fear of reinvention”
…books in formation: 1 to 5
1. Becoming a Writer, by Dorothea Brande Brande taught you how to think into your stories. She explained the strange alchemy between movement and creativity, a cocktail of circumstance that is both individual and universal, and, if the measurements are right, as potent as morning light on a sunflower. Still now you think while washingContinue reading “…books in formation: 1 to 5”
The Writer’s Retreat with Anna Freeman
The Writer’s Retreat is an irregular feature I started back in October 2013, sending writers off to an imaginary scenario of isolation and standing back to see how bonkers they go when cut off from the outside world. My very first resident was poet and novelist Anna Freeman, and with her debut novel The Fair Fight hittingContinue reading “The Writer’s Retreat with Anna Freeman”
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.”
This is not a true story
I’ve recently found myself wondering about the real truth behind stories that claim to depict actual events, and if/why it matters. Anyone who watches a lot of films and TV will have to contend with this question sooner or later, and the series Fargo is a perfect example. Every episode begins with the words This isContinue reading “This is not a true story”
What it means to be an amateur
Sometimes, if you’re listening and being open to the world around you, messages and lessons will be delivered just when you need them most. For example, a couple of weeks ago I read an interview with singer-songwriter Banks, where she said, ‘I don’t know what chords I play, but that’s liberating. I don’t have boundaries.’Continue reading “What it means to be an amateur”
Café Culture for Creatives
I was sitting in a well-known coffee chain this week (the one that sells red velvet cake), drinking an americano and trying to write, but the inevitable happened and I was distracted by the conversations going on around me. This is an occupational hazard for anyone with a caffeine addiction and fascination for other people’sContinue reading “Café Culture for Creatives”
‘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 