This morning, facing up to a three-month cancer check, found myself sitting at the keyboard at 4 a.m., trying to explain to my on-line diary why I was sitting at the keyboard at 4 a.m. Failed miserably. Failed inevitably. Waving my hands in the air as if I might conjure unknown words that everyone couldContinue reading “Three Months Cometh”
Category Archives: The Arts
The ‘Rules’ of Writing
I’m beginning to doubt more and more of the ‘rules’ of creating writing. Maybe this is a good thing. Take, for example, the shock and horror that goes around writers’ workshops when someone dares to ‘tell’ some piece of back story instead of ‘showing’ it. It has become more and more apparent to me inContinue reading “The ‘Rules’ of Writing”
What to Write Next – the Author’s dilemma
So here I am, sitting at a desk, wondering in which direction I should let my mind wander. Here’s my problem: I recently finished a first draft; it’s out there sloshing from slush pile to slush pile, no doubt so wet by now that the ink has smudged and it’s hard to read the words.Continue reading “What to Write Next – the Author’s dilemma”
RIP Elmore
I just read on line that Elmore Leonard died. I can’t let that go by without recording this acknowledgement: everything I know about dialogue writing (which might be very little) I learnt from reading Elmore Leonard and copying what he did as best as I could. He was the guy who said, if you’re doingContinue reading “RIP Elmore”
The Problem with Sequels
So I am, for the first time ever, trying to write a sequel, and in the first few chapters, a couple of revelations have come to me out of the blue: 1) It’s damned difficult to write when one half of an audience know nothing about your main character and the other half know theContinue reading “The Problem with Sequels”
