Category: about writing
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Where do ideas come from?
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It’s a common question for authors. I was reading an interesting article the other day, from a writer who was facing severe idea-blockage during the COVID lockdowns, until his wife convinced him to get a dog. He found inspiration in the new relationship, as so many people have. Maybe blockage…
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Book Promo: our love\hate relationship
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Would you turn down a $175,000 prize to avoid having to do promotional activities? That’s exactly what US writer Helen DeWitt did in April. It made the news. I’ve been reading through her blog posts about this, and, without passing any judgement, she seems highly stressed by a series of…
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From Draft to Published
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“Writing the last page of the first draft is the most enjoyable moment in writing.” Nicholas Sparks It’s alive! It’s alive! Well, sort of. I feel like a proud mad scientist, having stitched together my creation, given it its first breath of life. But it’s not ready for the world…
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On hiatus this week to finish the book
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“You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.” — Jodi Picoult Like the storm that brought Dracula to the shores of England, a storm of evil is descending on the town of Llithfaen. I’m down to the last few chapters that will decide the fate…
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Bringing a dream bookstore to life
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It was the bookstore of my dreams – literally. White shelves zigzagging in and out along the walls, on a raised perimeter just a couple of steps above the central space. A treasure trove of wonderful books of all kinds, from fiction to historical. Tables in the centre with delightful…
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Are mirrors dangerous?
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I busted a mirror and got seven years bad luck, but my lawyer thinks he can get me five. Steven Wright Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody… How do you feel about mirrors? Are they annoying…weird…creepy? We’re in the final week of Halfoween. It’s also Folk Horror Week, something celebrated on…
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What lurks in the fog?
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Fog: “a weather condition in which very small drops of water come together to form a thick cloud close to the land or sea, making it difficult to see” Cambridge Dictionary Not long after I graduated from university, I worked on a funded project at a horticultural research station that…
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Creating cursed places – inspiration from Dark Shadows
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“If I could speak the language of rabbits, they would be amazed, and I would be their king. I would be kind to my rabbit subjects. At first.” Rajesh Koothrappali, Big Bang Theory Have you ever played a Simulator game? One where you create a community, placing homes, stores, a…
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The Lovecraft Legacy
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“…he had had an unprecedented dream of great Cyclopean cities of Titan blocks and sky-flung monoliths, all dripping with green ooze and sinister with latent horror.” The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft We’re going to begin April/Halfoween with a creeping whisper rather than a bang. There are authors who’ve created…
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March Madness in Bookland
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‘But I don’t want to go among mad people,’ said Alice. ‘Oh, you can’t help that,’ said the cat. ‘We’re all mad here.’ Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll Do you also feel as if we’ve all tumbled down a rabbit-hole into a strange world where nothing makes sense? When I…