There's a definite other-worldly feeling to Winspit Quarry, cut into the edge of the tempestuous Dorset coast. Fittingly then the place has been used as a filming location for two classic British sci-fi series, Blakes 7 and Dr Who. The quarry was used as the location for the planet Mecron II in the Blake's 7... Continue Reading →
This is not a thought. It is a spiked ball that rolls restless and pin-pricksdowneachvertebratill it lodgesand waits,for sleep, for sober, for silence, then pierces soone byone byonemore pour in. A dam breaks with neglect, so too this vessel,fit to burst. When it does there'll be no red flag,just a smoulder of regret and a... Continue Reading →
November 1943. WWII raged across Europe. In the small village of Tyneham, Dorset, the 225 residents were told they had 28 days to leave their homes. The army was commandeering the area for military use. The inhabitants left their homes believing they would be able to return once the war was over. But they never... Continue Reading →
I first encountered Jacek Yerka's work via a blog I frequent and as soon as I did, I knew I'd found something special. I've never studied art so I can't use fancy terms to explain what it means or why I like it, but I do find certain art works and artists inspiring. Needless to... Continue Reading →
The standard answer to this question is "a bit of both". But I actually think it's more complicated than that. Many people ask if writing can be taught - there are enough classes and courses and degrees out there to say the fair answer to that is yes. But others question the quality of work... Continue Reading →
Your characters are the heart and soul of your story. Unfortunately, there are plenty of novels out there where they're used merely as fleshy footballs, kicked around by the rampant plot. But if you want to write a book that grabs your reader and sticks with them for years to come, you need real, fully-formed... Continue Reading →
I love a bit of art. I think art and writing sit well together. In fact, I think all writers can benefit from a little bit of art in their lives. How you ask? Read on... 1) InspirationOk so this is an obvious one, but it's still worth mentioning. Experiencing any kind of artwork (and... Continue Reading →
Whether it's the hashtag du jour or not, all authors need to think about diversity when writing. There's a whole range of people out there and, as you might have heard, representation matters. Here are some tips to think about. 1) All Books Can Be Diverse Black people existed before slavery, gay people were around... Continue Reading →
Whether you're on your first book or your fifteenth, writing doesn't get easier (unless you can afford to get a team of ghost-writers to do it fo you). Sometimes you need a bit of oomph to get to the end and if that's you, then read on for some words of (kinda) wisdom. 1) Your... Continue Reading →
I love learning about the meaning behind words and phrases. So I thought hey, I'll do a blog post about famous phrases the refer to writing and books because well, I want to and it's my blog. But hopefully some of you out there are also intrigued by this kind of thing so - enjoy!... Continue Reading →
