I am about to start a new book and the blank page is daunting. There is a long way to go from a thought or an idea, maybe a theme or a character, to finished novel. I use a three-step process to build a novel from story seeds
Category Archives: Arts
School’s Out For Summer!
It is the end of the school year and my work as Author in the Classroom has ended until September. So, back to the day job of being an Author and guess what I am writing about? Quite by coincidence, my next publication will be a Non-Fiction book for writers called: How to be an Author in the Classroom
Writing Scenes
How being a filmmaker influences my novel writing. Whether we read or watch or even listen to our stories, they all start with words on a page.
Morning Pages and My Creative Process
Morning Pages is part of a process and not a product: I write without fear because no one will ever read it, except myself, sometime in the future when I might rummage around my hard drive for the nuggets of gold. It is a place where stories emerge, plot twists are resolved and ideas explored.
Hold The Fronted Adverbials
The fear of getting it wrong is prevalent amongst children in many of the schools I work in. It stifles creativity, curiosity and engagement. And disengaged children don’t learn very much at all.
My 2020 Writing Life
Some may say that 2020 has been rubbish and in some ways it has. I have been able to explore new skills and new audiences for my work.
Do You Use Real Locations in Your Fiction?
Here at Bookends, we recently did a Vodcast about asking questions. Gerald Hornsby asked me random questions from my workbook: 100 Questions for Fiction Writers. (Coming Soon) One of them was; Do you use real locations or do you make them up? And it made me think of the use of location in our books. Are they realContinue reading “Do You Use Real Locations in Your Fiction?”
What is the most important question writers ask?
How many books have I sold this month? Do I get an advance? Why is Amazon’s algorithm so complicated? Can I eat this cream cake as research? Is it ok to write someone I know into my book – and kill them? You mean I have to re-write the whole thing? Why is this soContinue reading “What is the most important question writers ask?”
Theatre Calls
“Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your half-hour call. 30 minutes please” The half-hour call, known as the half, is 35 minutes before curtain up (in the UK. I believe it is different on Broadway.) The next thirty minutes are a busy and thoughtful time on any show.
Where the Magic Happens
Behind the Scenes 1 There is something magical about Theatre. About the anticipation as the lights dim and silence decends. That expectant hush; the audience sitting in a charged space waiting for the lights and music, the performers and settings, to transport them into another world. Today, however, we are going behind the scenes toContinue reading “Where the Magic Happens”
