For my friends in the U.S., Goodreads.com is currently running a 'Giveaway' where 100 copies of my novel "At Maunston Quay" are available for free. The 'Giveaway' runs until the second week in September. To be in with a chance of a free Kindle version of my book all you need to do is to … Continue reading Goodreads ‘Giveaway’
Category: Blog
“Border Districts”
If you were to put much of the text of Gerald Murnane's "Border Districts" into something like 'Grammarly', I dread to think what 'readability' score it would get. Almost everywhere the language used is convoluted, repetitive, arcane, self-indulgent. The sentences are so long you need a bus to get from one end to the other. … Continue reading “Border Districts”
“Tokyo Ueno Station”
One of the things I find with Japanese fiction is that it can often be, shall we say, 'quirky'. Murakami is probably the best, most obvious proponent of the fantastic view on reality. Yu Miri's "Tokyo Ueno Station" doesn't try and be surreal in the same kind of way, but I couldn't help compare it … Continue reading “Tokyo Ueno Station”
“Warlight”
I guess I should have expected something tremendous from the person who wrote "The English Patient", and "Warlight" is exactly that; a tremendously evocative and well-written story from Michael Ondaatje. It evokes the murky and dangerous post-war world where people are still coming to terms with what freedom means - and what freedom cost. Someone … Continue reading “Warlight”
La Rochelle (2)
A week ago I started work on a little idea that had popped into my head. The first draft of my latest novel completed, I found myself free to embark on something different, fresh. In my last post I made reference to 'a new story' that seemed to be writing itself. All week I have … Continue reading La Rochelle (2)
La Rochelle (1)
Having spent a large chunk of last night 'imagining' the beginning of a new story, I was up at 7 this morning and 70 minutes later had drafted 1,877 words. They may end up being nothing material of course, but boy was I in the groove! It's at times like that when the act of … Continue reading La Rochelle (1)
I may have finished…
I may have finished the draft of my latest novel..! I had two further chapters pencilled in, but the one I have just completed reached such a conclusion that any more work may could prove to be nothing but repetition. Let's call it done for now! It needs to be left alone for a while … Continue reading I may have finished…
“The Lost Sailors”
"The Lost Sailors" is an interesting one. About half-way through or so, I was really enjoying Jean-Claude Izzo's book; it seemed to be a really thoughtful and probing examination of sailors marooned in both a physical and emotional sense. Not that much had happened in terms of action, but that seemed to fit the theme … Continue reading “The Lost Sailors”
Getting published is easy; it’s getting read that’s hard…
Someone's moved the goal posts. The Holy Grail has shifted. It used to be that writers dreamed of being published, because 'being published' meant something. Now, thanks to Indie Publishing and services likes Amazon's KDP, lulu, IngramSpark etc., getting published is a piece of cake; having your words turned to into real physical books (or … Continue reading Getting published is easy; it’s getting read that’s hard…
Just write! It can be that easy…
Occasionally you come across posts from people who are struggling to write, either because they say they can't find a subject, or because they are waiting for 'the Muse' / inspiration to hit them. But in a way, writing is no different from almost any other endeavour. Take golf. When once teased about how much … Continue reading Just write! It can be that easy…
Ian Gouge - Writer 