Writing psychologically
Psychological fiction. Mind first, plot second. Credibility uppermost.
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Civil war 1644 – recreating history
Near Melksham there is a lovely manor house built in the 1460s by Thomas Tropnell. The Arts and Crafts gardens are worth visiting in their own right, as is the manor itself but on Saturday 5th & Sunday 6thAUGUST 2017 from 10am there is an ENGLISH CIVIL WAR RE-ENACTMENT[…]
Read More »Fiction: EVERY character counts.
An exhibition of Breugel is showing at the Holburne, Bath, the first UK exhibition devoted to the dynasty. Not huge or cheap, but well displayed. The family tree shows the connections between the different artists. Breugel the elder, his two sons, one of Jan’s sons, two of his grandsons. According[…]
Read More »Icy Short Story – performance art
‘Icy short story’ could feature a crime, an arctic setting, or a scientific experiment – even cryogenics. These skilled stories heard by the packed audience at Story Fridays in Bath, UK. My own icy story explored the ultimate chill in a relationship. There’s a growing popularity for short stories as[…]
Read More »Writers, do you beautify your main character?
The recent TV production, VICTORIA, enchanted viewers in the first three episodes thanks to the girlish, if skittish character of Jenna Coleman’s princess. The appearance of the awkward and distant Albert added drama, if not as much attraction, as riveting Rufus Sewell, Lord Melbourne. I discovered that the ridiculous hair[…]
Read More »Genre? Striking a new note.
What genre? Writers are always advised to be clear about their book’s genre and to concentrate upon a target group for it. Fantasy stories, for readers of fantasies, sci fi for sci fi readers, and so on. But wouldn’t it be wonderful to please an audience of one genre with[…]
Read More »Writer blogs and their lifetime
Some few years ago I began my first writer blog: http://fictionalcharacterswriting.blogspot.com. But I didn’t want to show myself– I let my characters do the talking. Sadly, the characters didn’t live up to the image of Moliére’s group above. It was more like this on the left. I had just published[…]
Read More »Writing a suitable home
Settling in at home – again? Who is to decide what ‘home’ is ‘suitable’? How does it feel to the one ‘homed’? In HOMED, the second in my Crime Shorts series, a boy is being ‘helped’ to settle to a conventional home life. Something is wrong, but it isn’t easy[…]
Read More »Readers’ Christmas Sav(i)ours
Yes it’s that time again. Christmas Dinner. Marie couldn’t get a cloth to match the curtains and now Cyril’s coming (groan), the rattan chair will need to be squeezed between whoever looks thinnest on arrival. It will ruin the symmetry of the display. PRESENTS!!! Is there one for everyone? No? Off[…]
Read More »ARABIA – Walter de la Mare
ARABIA. What is left to say? This was the first poem I loved, and it’s still my favourite. Here the country is the character, and like all well-drawn characters it is complex and has its dark side. Far are the shades of Arabia, Where the Princes ride at[…]
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