Born Cicily Isabel Fairfax in 1892, Rebecca West was a writer, literary critic, and journalist, named "indisputably the world's number one woman writer" by Time magazine in 1947. Both a CBE and DBE, West died in 1983 and is buried in Brookwood Cemetery. Cicily took the pseudonym "Rebecca West" from the rebellious young heroine in "Rosmersholm" by Henrik Ibsen... Continue Reading →
Spring has sprung and traditionally this is the time of year when we get ourselves sorted - or at least try to. Yes, we get busy putting our houses, flats, vans etc, in order. A spring clean is about getting rid of old stuff, uncovering things we usually ignore, and starting afresh after hunkering down... Continue Reading →
Brean Down is a natural pier, protruding out between Weston-Super-Mare and Burnham-On-Sea in Somerset. At its very end lies what remains of Brean Down Fort, an eerie ruin. The Down appears to have had settlements on it from the early to middle bronze age. Some Roman artifacts have also been recovered there. Brean Down Fort... Continue Reading →
Glastonbury is a place long entwined with myth and legend, most famously that of King Arthur. Even today it's a pace that attracts those with an alternative bent, and the town is filled with shops selling crystals, herbs, and various Pagan items. If you're interested, I also have a post about Glastonbury Abbey. But today... Continue Reading →
You smug-faced crowds with kindling eyeWho cheer when soldier lads march by,Sneak home and pray you'll never knowThe hell where youth and laughter go.”Suicide in Trenches, Siegfried Sassoon You'll find the grave of Siegfried Sassoon in the lovely small Somerset town of Mells. Sassoon is one of the most famous poets of the First World... Continue Reading →
I try to post once a week, but I took last week off as it was my birthday. I'm going to use that excuse again (sort of) as it's a milestone birthday which means I get to stretch it out a bit. So this will be a short, personal post instead of writing advice or... Continue Reading →
The latest in my "3 Things" series - this time the humorous genre. 1) Er... how to be funny Yeah ok, I know this is obvious - but as I've mentioned in a previous full blog post, I think all stories no matter their genre or subject matter can benefit from humour. Even if it's... Continue Reading →
At their most basic, stories are made up of two things - description and dialogue. What, how, and when your characters speak can do a lot for your writing. Dialogue can say something about the character, drive the story, unlock a twist, be part of how all your characters interact - In other words, it's... Continue Reading →
When people think "writer" they tend to think "books". Even someone who's not necessarily thinking about being a writer might think "they've got a book in them". We spiel off authors of great books like Dickens, Austen, and Tolstoy as the best examples of what writing is meant to be. But this obsession overshadows all... Continue Reading →
I didn't post last week because, well, I'm sure I don't have to tell you that world matters have (once again) been hard to comprehend. And the post I was going to share didn't quite feel right. So I've dug this post out instead. Sadly, I've had cause to share this more than once over... Continue Reading →
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