Inspiration A series of conversations recently has had me thinking about the subject of inspiration, and the fact that many writers have a fear, verging on the pathological, that inspiration will ‘vanish’. I put this down to GCSE English (or O Level, if you’re old enough). Nearly every student of English literature gets told the […]
A potentially frabjous day First, because I posted my novel mss to an agent yesterday. Now the trick is to forget all about it and get on with the new novel … Second, because a very special set of research materials arrived this morning. Five 1920s ‘dirty postcards’ from a dealer in Paris. There is […]
Two things, information and a rant First the good stuff, Shaun Levin, excellent writer and tutor, is giving a course via New Writing South on Saturday 9 & Sunday 10 June. It’s called Making a Living for Writers and it’s geared towards writers looking to increase their income from arts-based activities: residencies, workshops, exhibitions, etc. […]
The cover letter conundrum What to include? How to write it? One year’s publishing credits or more than one year’s or no credits at all? Biographical information? It’s a bit of a minefield, and as we tread carefully with each submission, reading the guidelines, buying the back issues, sending within the open to submissions periods, […]
Swimming with Kangaroos No, not a threat from the Australian Mafia (if there is such a thing) but an acceptance. Swimming Kangaroo Books, an Australian publisher, puts out a monthly newsletter, and has selected one of the stories from the ‘Green Thought’ project to feature in their short story slot in July. Visit them at […]
And sometimes the editor is just plain wrongAnd a writer has to nail their colours to the mast. Below is a series of emails between me and an erotica editor whose details I have removed to save unpleasantness. This is a publisher that asks for a sample story – a process I’m always dubious about, […]
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