Straighten up your ruff and fix your doublet, we're delving back into the archives for this week's "3 Things..." with historical fiction. 1) How fiction can educate We're taught history as a series of highlights, large events like wars or big social changes. Or we learn about a series of prominent figures such as Kings,... Continue Reading →
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and A Hopeful New Year
2021 was as unpredictable and uneven as the year-that-must-not-be-named that came before. Whilst some things have changed, others have stayed the same. Personally, I'm grateful for my health and the health of my friends and family, and that I've been able to get out a bit more than I did last year. Book-wise I finished... Continue Reading →
5 Signs You’re A Writer
If you're new to writing you might be thinking "hm, how do I know when I'm actually a writer?" I mean yes there's the whole writing stuff malarky but there are also some other tell-tale signs you're a writer that you should be on the lookout for. 1) Your search history is... interesting Also potentially... Continue Reading →
6 Christmas Presents For The Writer Or Reader In Your Life
It's my annual Christmas gift post (you can check out the lists for 2018 here, 2019 here and 2020 here). Whether you're buying for a writer, a reader, or both, here are some great ideas for Yuletide presents. 1) Writers Keyring charm A small but perfectly formed gift for any writer, these keyring includes charms... Continue Reading →
Sir John Betjeman’s Grave, St Enodoc Church, Cornwall
St Enodoc Church can be found hunkered down in the sand dunes at Trebetherwick, surrounded by a golf course. It's not the usual spot for a place of worship, and the building itself is also a curiousity. This unusual spot might be reason enough to visit, but it also happens to be where you'll find... Continue Reading →
3 Things All Writers Can Learn From… Horror
Number three in my "3 Things..." series and it's all getting a bit scary. We're delving into the horror genre to see what writers can learn from the mysterious and terrifying. 1) How to generate suspense Horror thrives on suspense. Horror writers must build and sustain an atmosphere, something that prickles at the sense of... Continue Reading →
A Moment Of Peace At Waverley Abbey
Waverly Abbey was the first Cistercian abbey in England founded in 1128. Unfortunately, being built on a flood plain, it was flooded more than once, leaving the inhabitants at the mercy of poverty and famine. The ruins are sparse but give the impression of how impressive the abbey would have looked in its day. There's a... Continue Reading →
3 Things All Writers Can Learn From… Romance
The second in my "3 Things" series about what writers can learn from various genres and today we're onto romance. I'm not much of a romance reader specifically but as you'll see romance informs a lot of books out there. 1) How to write relationships Relationships are at the heart of romance books. Romantic ones... Continue Reading →
The Definition Of A Castle – Arundel Castle, West Sussex
Chances are if asked to imagine a castle, you'd think of something like Arundel Castle. Towering above the small historic town it gets its name from, the castle has it all - towers, slit windows, a portcullis, moat, ginormous walls. It's the kind of castle where it's easy to imagine medieval knights and ladies. But... Continue Reading →
Walks In A Neolithic Land – Wayland’s Smithy, Wiltshire
Despite the name, Wayland's Smithy is actually a neolithic burial chamber found in Wiltshire, a county covered in remnants of the ancient past. The name of the place has apparently been in play since at least AD 955. It was called ‘Weland’s Smithy’ in a Saxon charter. So why Wayland's Smithy? As with most prehistoric... Continue Reading →
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