All the fun of the book fair With the launch of Blue Tide Rising just a week away, I have a room stacked with of boxes of books, a fridge full of Prosecco and a brain bursting with things I … Read More
In fiction, characters drive the narrative and create a voice for the reader to relate to. In the second of our ‘Write Like A Girl’ sessions with author Helen Cross we’ve been looking at how to create characters, using the … Read More
“Treat it like a party!” Four weeks today I launch my first novel, Blue Tide Rising. I’m using a tried and tested formula, stumbled upon by accident in 2014 when a group of fellow writers and I decided to publish … Read More
We’re all familiar with Byron, Sillitoe and DH Lawrence, and their association with the city of Nottingham. What’s less well known is that a host of top female authors hailed from the city too. A new project, organised by Nottingham … Read More
The bad news is I’m confined to barracks with tarsal fractures after a two-ton Audi ran over my foot as I was walking home from work on Thursday. The car swung in from left-field as I was crossing a side … Read More
How do you feel about new year? Do you find it exciting and full of promise, or do you mourn the passing of the old year? For some, it’s a cause for celebration and hope, or a chance to wipe … Read More
‘There’s a right way, a wrong way, and a Whitby way,’ says the man. He’s silhouetted against the skyline wearing a long black coat, a bowler hat, and carrying a staff. This is Dr Crank, who’s here to lead us … Read More
For our last group session before Christmas we had a bit of fun with our writing. Here are a few games you might want to try. Names in a hat: This is a bit like the party game ‘Who Am … Read More
Fellow IQ writer Anne Goodwin has brought out a collection of short stories called Becoming Someone– all themed around the topic of identity. I went to her book launch last week which gave me me the idea for this week’s writing … Read More
As children we are naturally creative, but the disciplines we face as we progress through school, college and career often put constraints on that creativity. I get people coming to my groups who haven’t written since school and are surprised, … Read More