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”
Category: Uncategorized
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…
“Hand & Skull”
In some places Zoë Brigley's collection "Hand & Skull" is remarkable. Indeed, in many of the pieces she manages to convey, with alacrity, what it means to be a woman - and what some men can represent to women, not all of it positive. I can't recall reading a female poet who has put me … Continue reading “Hand & Skull”
When you’re not sure what to say…
Today, even though I managed to write a few hundred words (my writing diary), I allowed myself to be distracted by meandering through a few WordPress sites. I had entered "writing" and later "literature" into the 'search' function just to see what came up. Not surprisingly there was a great deal. Which is fantastic, of … Continue reading When you’re not sure what to say…
The difficulty with juggling…
I have always liked to have multiple projects on the go: poetry and prose; differing themes and styles. I like to think the variety keeps things fresh. There comes a time, however, when striking a workable balance, juggling more than one thing, simply doesn't work - and that happens when I'm getting close to finishing … Continue reading The difficulty with juggling…
Ian Gouge - Writer 