Striking while the iron is hot? What’s all that about? It’s about me getting hold of the book edit I’m engaged with and making it happen, forging ahead (and other inspirational clichés). Quite an apt metaphor, I’d say, given the name of FT Publishing. Just stand in front of the damn mirror and repeatContinue reading “Striking While the Iron Is Hot – A Regime”
Category Archives: The Arts
A Return to the Blog (and a return to the novel)
So here’s the thing: I haven’t posted much in a long while, but I have a good excuse: I’ve been working on the first draft of a new book. Well, not so much a first draft as a zeroth draft: 90,000 words of unconnected vignettes that don’t hang together. No change there, you might thinkContinue reading “A Return to the Blog (and a return to the novel)”
Review of ‘The Bullet Catcher’s Daughter’ – Rod Duncan
I don’t usually blog about books I’ve read, but I’m going to make an exception for the Bullet Catcher’s Daughter, known to its friends as TBCD. The book deserves all the hype it’s getting elsewhere, and if you haven’t heard about it, then you’ve been spending too much time on the Scottish Referendum. The realContinue reading “Review of ‘The Bullet Catcher’s Daughter’ – Rod Duncan”
My Fury About English Literature GCSEs
Many of my writer friends have been getting very exercised this week about the suggestion that US novels are to be removed from English Literature GCSE syllabus. My Facebook account has caught fire with their indignation. Their excitation arises mainly from articles written by John Sutherland in the Guardian. For reference, look at http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/may/26/10-american-writers-english-children-study-gcse-michael-Gove thoughContinue reading “My Fury About English Literature GCSEs”
Writing Clubs and Workshops – yes or no?
I recently read a very inspiring blog article on writers’ clubs ( see Mahsuda Snaith’s great post) which championed the power of work shopping prose in front of your peers. It got me thinking about my own experiences with writing groups. I have been associated with two writing groups in my life, and what aContinue reading “Writing Clubs and Workshops – yes or no?”
