On one level, Kathleen Jamie's The Keelie Hawk is impossible to read - that is unless you happen to be fluent in Scots. Luckily on every verso page is an English 'translation' of the Scots poem, all of which meant I could only read the translations and not the original poems. Given the musicality of … Continue reading “The Keelie Hawk”
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“North Woods”
I really like Daniel Mason's work; The Winter Soldier is one of the best novels I've read in a long while. Consequently, I was looking forward to reading North Woods... But I'm afraid it wasn't in the same league. This wasn't down to the quality of the writing (far from it!) but rather the nature … Continue reading “North Woods”
A new book – and highlights from October’s posts…
"when you see anything of mine that you don’t like remember that I’m sincere in doing it and that I’m working toward something." - Ernest Hemingway A link to my new book, plus a selection of links to recent posts from my Substack site. "Writing until the light goes out" "Writing until the light goes … Continue reading A new book – and highlights from October’s posts…
New book out today!
My new book is based on decades of experience writing, running workshops, mentoring and conversations with other writers. Perhaps you don’t know if what you’re trying to write is the thing you should be writing; perhaps you’re feeling disheartened by years of competition and Agent rejections. Or maybe you’re simply struggling to finish ‘your novel’. Or even … Continue reading New book out today!
“Petersburg Tales”
I suspect that, based on prevailing theory and practice, many would regard Nikolai Gogol's Petersburg Tales (written nearly 200 years ago) as an example of how not to write short stories. And with some justification. There are four in the collection, each of them surreal and comic in equal measure, and - given modern sensibilities … Continue reading “Petersburg Tales”
“The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman”
I was intrigued by the premise of Denis Thériault's novel, The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman. There seemed so much you could do with such an idea. But in the end I was profoundly disappointed, and for two main reasons. The first is that there is some clumsiness in the writing here and there, … Continue reading “The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman”
“Love, etc”
I must have read the precursor to Julian Barnes' Love, etc - Talking it Over - some time before 2017 because I can't find any review for it on this site. I was looking to see what I thought of the unfortunate Oliver back then given he is such an obnoxious and pompous dick in … Continue reading “Love, etc”
New book this month!
Published on the 31st October: My new book is based on decades of experience writing, running workshops, mentoring and conversations with other writers. Perhaps you don’t know if what you’re trying to write is the thing you should be writing; perhaps you’re feeling disheartened by years of competition and Agent rejections. Or maybe you’re simply struggling to … Continue reading New book this month!
Highlights from September’s posts…
"when you see anything of mine that you don’t like remember that I’m sincere in doing it and that I’m working toward something." - Ernest Hemingway Here are a selection of recent posts from my Substack site. "Writing until the light goes out" "Writing until the light goes out"
“Town & Country – New Irish Short Stories”
Given all the authors in Town & Country are Irish there should be no surprise at various common themes running through many of the poems: the city, the countryside etc. And, given this is collection contains twenty stories by twenty different authors, it is not something I would normally comment on in any detail (or … Continue reading “Town & Country – New Irish Short Stories”
Ian Gouge - Writer 