It’s late, I know. My blogging has fallen off in recent weeks and I can only blame the day job workload and a stinking cold. But a quick few words because it’s National Libraries Day. My first library was a bus. A mobile library that came to the close where I lived. I on’t remember… Continue reading National Libraries Day
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January – the read pile
A belated post but here’s what I read in January. Bill Bryson – The Road to Little Dribbling I once had dinner with Bill Bryson. I worked for Waterstone’s events team, he was on a book promotion tour and we had a two-performance night at Newark Theatre. We had a tight turnaround for food between… Continue reading January – the read pile
Slashing… and mortifying realisations
I’ve been tackling draft three of the book. This is the slasher one. I added about 7,000 to the word count with the second draft, filling in gaps, adding scenes and so on. I knew I would add to the word count – for one thing a character who was pivotal to the plot only… Continue reading Slashing… and mortifying realisations
American Housewife – Helen Ellis
Originally posted on The Writes of Womxn:
The women of American Housewife tell their stories in tales that range from between a page and forty pages in length. Some, anonymously, tell us about themselves: I shred cheese. I berate a pickle jar. I pump the salad spinner like a CPR dummy. I strangle defrosted spinach…
The broken pushchair by the back door or… writing with a family
I don’t know if it’s a current trend or coincidence but I seem to have seen quite a bit of chat about mothers who write recently. Some pieces have advice about finding writing time, others are just describing what it’s like and more still, ponder that it’s not the same for men. Practically all of them… Continue reading The broken pushchair by the back door or… writing with a family
The to be read pile…
There’s no real need for New Year resolutions when it comes to reading. I did set my Goodreads challenge as 50 books this year so we’ll see how I get on. The days of reading 100 books a year are long gone, but 50 is tough but not impossible. Anyway, here’s the current to… Continue reading The to be read pile…
2015: Books of the Year
I am expecting masses of hardbacks as a Christmas gift – the bonus of cycling to work means that I mainly read at home and therefore don’t have to worry about carrying them – so this books of the year list is not going to feature many published this year. Instead I’ve had a look… Continue reading 2015: Books of the Year
To re-read or not?
I’m re-reading Cranford at the moment, as it’s my reading group’s choice for December. My main memory from the first time I read it was that it was very funny, and so I’m rather disappointed to find I’m not laughing as much this time round. It is still full of delightful observations and little… Continue reading To re-read or not?
A writer’s Christmas list
Stuck for what to get the writer in your life for Christmas? Need a few stocking fillers? There are loads of literature-inspired gifts out there but for practical useful gifts, here are my recommendations: Coffee. All the major chains do gift cards, or you can get beans delivered. Being a Nottingham-based lass, I recommend you… Continue reading A writer’s Christmas list
Unthank Books – How to Write a Novel
Having had a case of the wobbles mid-way through rewriting my book, I did what I often do when I’m panicked about something, I enrolled on a course. Unthank Books, based over in Norfolk, publish fiction and teach creative writing. A three month online course on something called How to Write a Novel looked just the… Continue reading Unthank Books – How to Write a Novel
Susan E Barsby 