Today on Radio 4, whilst stuck in slow-moving traffic due to an accident on the M40, I listened to the Midweek programme, in which Libby Purves interviewed four guests – Diana Moran, fitness expert; Jack Thorne, playwright; Dashni Morad, singer and presenter; and finally Omid Djalili, comedian and actor. For the purposes of today’s blogContinue reading “Creative Artists: In the Minority, and On the Outside Looking In”
Category Archives: Writing
What the Camp Comedian Has To Say to the Creative Writer
I love camp, on-the-cusp comedians who subvert gender stereotypes. A good example is Julian Clary who is above all a genius with words – playful, teasing, fluid, quixotic, suggestive, subversive – and he has an acute sense of irony. His camp public persona in itself subverts what I believe may lie much deeper in him,Continue reading “What the Camp Comedian Has To Say to the Creative Writer”
My New Book ‘Perilous Path: A Writer’s Journey’ Out Now
I’m delighted to announced that my new book is out now and available to buy on Amazon, both as a paperback and as an ebook. Perilous Path: A Writer’s Journey is a short informative and encouraging book of 126 pages, giving an insight into the writer’s life. It will appeal to aspiring writers, keen readers fascinatedContinue reading “My New Book ‘Perilous Path: A Writer’s Journey’ Out Now”
Cover Reveal of My New Book ‘Perilous Path: a Writer’s Journey’
I’m delighted to reveal the cover design of my new book which is due out soon:The cover was created by graphic designer Annabelle Bradford. Perilous Path: a writer’s journey is a short non-fiction book (106 pages) which will be available both as a paperback and also as a Kindle ebook. It’s in the Self-Help / CreativityContinue reading “Cover Reveal of My New Book ‘Perilous Path: a Writer’s Journey’”
I Have a New Book Coming Out Soon
I’m pleased to announce I have a new book coming out soon, this time non-fiction. It will be a short one, 100 pages, and will be available in paperback as well as an ebook. I’ve written it for all those who’d love to know about the process of writing novels: whether they be aspiring writers,Continue reading “I Have a New Book Coming Out Soon”
What the Tide at Lindisfarne Has To Teach a Creative Writer
During my visit to The Holy Island of Lindisfarne last year, I sat on the shore by the Lindisfarne Causeway and watched the tide come in and cover the road. Here are my insights – and a few images – from that experience. Sitting at the end of the causeway and watching the tide comeContinue reading “What the Tide at Lindisfarne Has To Teach a Creative Writer”
Staying Focused as a Writer: Learning From Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy, the author of the novel widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest, War and Peace, not only crafted characters we love and care about – Pierre, Natasha, Anna Karenina, and many others – but was also fond of sideways excursions into his theory of history during the course of a novel. SoContinue reading “Staying Focused as a Writer: Learning From Leo Tolstoy”
The Gatiss/Moffatt Post-StoryTelling World of Sherlock
We’re familiar with the phrase postmodern and more recently with the notion of post-truth. But now I think, for writers, it is true that there is a post-storytelling phenomenon – which moves beyond and over-turns current rules. And it’s illustrated in the scripts that Steven Moffatt and Mark Gatiss create for their TV drama seriesContinue reading “The Gatiss/Moffatt Post-StoryTelling World of Sherlock”
How Many Books Do You Read in a Year?
Recently I thought it would be fun and interesting to ask this question of fellow-writers on our own dedicated Facebook group, having just learned from Goodreads that I’d reviewed or rated 28 books this year. I made a fascinating discovery. Annual reading achievement varied enormously. I thought I was doing quite well at approximately 30 –Continue reading “How Many Books Do You Read in a Year?”
Dark TV Drama for Christmas 2016 and New Year 2017
This year darkness seems to be the keyword for some of our best drama offerings on TV: from Agatha Christie: The Witness for the Prosecution: through Jonathan Creek: Daemons’ Roost; Sherlock in The Six Thatchers. and the Bronte Family in To Walk Invisible. In Sherlock we discovered that Death had an appointment – with Mary WatsonContinue reading “Dark TV Drama for Christmas 2016 and New Year 2017”
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