Starting this Sunday, 12th August 2018, my debut novella, Not Every Room Has a View, is being serially published in five parts on subculture, lifestyle, art and fashion publication, Noctis Magazine.
To give you a little taste of what it’s all about, here’s a quick synopsis, or a bit of blurb, for you to feast your eyes on… Continue reading
The author must know his countryside, whether real or imaginary, like his hand – Robert Louis Stevenson
Imagine you’ve created the most heroic, heart melting, courage-perspiring hero plus a snarling, devious, and downright dirty nemesis for said hero to battle (or similar, depending on what your story is all about). Now imagine the setting your story is as dull as a dry cracker or simply doesn’t fit around your characters and their various plights.
Your story will fall flat – flat as the proverbial pancake. Continue reading
“A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.” – Roald Dahl
When it comes to darkly brilliant prose that appeals to both children and adults, it takes a lot to beat Roald Dahl. Continue reading
“The bullet we’re running from is almost never the one that hits us.” – Toby Barlow, Sharp Teeth
Toby Barlow’s Sharp Teeth is one of my favourite books. Continue reading
I’m the bracket
Believe it or not, we’re not an endless supply – some hunchbacked factory replicas made en masse to order. We’re rare – and we work harder than anyone – or anything. Continue reading
This week’s literary interlude comes from the one and only Tobias Wolff.
Born in Birmingham, Alabama on 19th June 1945, this prolific writer of classic American prose is best known for his distinctive short stories and memoirs, most notably This Boy’s Life – an autobiographical tale of a gifted young man and his extraordinary existence. Continue reading
It’s a Monday morning (or afternoon) and your mind is muddled from the weekend’s events.
You’re on your third coffee and you’ve been staring at that same page of text for the past two hours wondering how to bring the characters in your story to life.
Never fear, here are five quick fire ways to create a compelling character for your reading pleasure… Continue reading
Rejection is a funny thing. It’s not so much laugh out loud funny as it is grinning through gritted teeth funny, but I suppose by now I’m immune to it really.
People from all walks of life try to mask it as constructive criticism, and some even try to console you by letting you know that there are others out there who’ll want you, that you’ll be the perfect fit – now that makes me laugh; really makes my sides split in two. Continue reading
Jim pushed his paperwork around the table like a child does their peas around the plate. He recounted the phrase in his head, over and over again like clockwork. The syllables clasped his brain as he studied the sentence inside his head; words of wisdom served to him from beyond the grave.
‘You’re never too old to learn something new and never too young to teach’ was the phrase that had changed his life in ways he couldn’t quite explain, ways which were far less tangible; they were floating in the air around him. Continue reading
Jim was lost in an eyeball circus of beams, bells and Lucky Sevens. Today was going to be the day.
Having grown up in Reno, Jim knew all about the majesty of the slots; how they made men and broke them in two; how they sucked you in and then spat you out without warning. But, of course, that was the appeal. Continue reading
Catchy Content Writing 