What Just Happened? Allusions and Settings are Oh So Character Building . . .

EYE OF THE BEHOLDER: DAVID FRANKEL ON THE POWER OF SUGGESTION IN THE SHORT STORY “In the short story there is no slack. Everything is a clue – a glimpse that hints at something larger. Often, a great deal of the plot is implied and this intensity requires more of the reader. It is a […]

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A Dog’s View – Paws for Thought

Some incidentals to start with: My Mistress, She Who Adores Me, is always telling everyone that Labrador intestines are the most robust in the world and should be thoroughly and scientifically investigated. Why? Because these studies would help find the answer of resistance to the most violent of indigestions or accidental poisoning. I have to […]

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‘Fetch, Boy’ How not to lose your VOICE when editing.

The second blog of the month is by Dexter Petley, a successful author who also works as an editor and adviser for new writers. Amongst his acclaimed works are a literary noir whodunnit, Little Nineveh (Polygon 1995), Joyride (Fourth Estate, 1999), and White Lies (Fourth Estate 2003). He’s a regular on the cult website www.caughtbytheriver.com TIME […]

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“She’s not a stranger; I’ve read her book.”

Our guest blog this month comes from Caro Clarke, author of ‘Furry Dice Chewing Gum’. She reflects upon the writer’s voice and what makes us who we are. As they say in Thailand, ‘Same, same but different…’ Writing: It’s Personal ‘When I was a girl, back in the time of cave painting and discovering fire, […]

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Furry Dice Chewing Gum – Problems for New Writers

Beginners’ four faults As an editor, I know when I am reading someone’s first novel. I have nicknames for the four give-away faults beginners make: (1) Walk and Chew Gum (2) Furry Dice (3) Tea, Vicar? (4) Styrofoam. I see at least one of these in every manuscript where the author has not mastered the […]

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Another Rejection Slip? Never Give Up, and here’s why…

Guest blogger Adelaide Godwin talks to Tracy Thomson about the launch next month of her new children’s book. Is this the first novel you have ever written? Yes What about when you were younger at school?  I enjoyed writing but I am not sure the examiners felt the same when marking! Was your first language French?  […]

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