Writer / Woodcarver / Tree-whisperer
Everybody’s busy. Everyone I meet says they are. With so much to do in our Western, post-industrial lives, it is easy to resent being made to wait. It can seem like a waste of time, during which we are prevented from engaging in the many activities that fill the rest of our existence. Overstimulated, short… Continue reading Waiting is…
“The road to hell is paved with works-in-progress.” ― Philip Roth Often I have too many ideas about what to write and don’t know what to do with them. Scribbled thoughts abound in multiple notebooks, of which I have at least one per jacket or coat plus some spares to make sure there’s always one… Continue reading Works in Progress
In 1830, at the northeastern tip of the Black Isle in the Scottish Highlands, on the shore of the picturesque village of Cromarty, Hugh Miller discovered imprints of life sandwiched between layers of rock 400 million years old. Last week, embraced by walls fashioned from the same sandstone, thirteen undergraduates gathered to marinate in time… Continue reading Creative in Crom-Arty
Firstly, I need to request that if you identify as an “aspiring writer”, you drop that term immediately. If you write, you are a writer. If you don’t feel confident with that label, and you must seek an alternative, might I suggest “improving writer”? I recognise that most writers could fit into this category, but… Continue reading Book Recommendations for Improving Writers
I’m generally quite a calm, thoughtful, reticent kind of guy, not given to emotional outbursts or ranting. To a certain extent, this is due to my upbringing by parents who were children during World War Two, the “mustn’t grumble” generation. They faced food shortages and other hardships that could not be overcome or lessened by… Continue reading Alter Egos
I am honoured and delighted that multi award-winning author, Joanne Harris, took time from her busy life and agreed to my request for an interview. Biography Joanne Harris (OBE, FRSL) was born of a French mother and an English father. She studied Modern and Mediaeval Languages at Cambridge and was a teacher for fifteen years,… Continue reading Interview With Joanne Harris
“Erudite Vernacular Utilized Irrespective of Necessity” - Daniel Oppenheimer After my last blog, I thought I should confess that there are some words and phrases that bother me. Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE words and I love playing with them and I believe their creative use can entertain, enrich and educate. I love… Continue reading Mind Your L#ngu@ge – Part 2.
Mind Your L#ngu@ge. I find it interesting that some people consider certain words in the English language to be offensive. If I want to cause offence deliberately (which I generally don’t), I could do so quite easily without using any of these so-called expletives. I say ‘so-called’ because the Oxford English Dictionary defines expletive as:… Continue reading Mind Your L#ngu@ge.
It’s hard to believe that despite being an avid reader for most of my life and a writer for sixteen years, I had never been to a book festival until last week. When I ask myself why, I’m pleased to reply that it’s not only because of my prejudices and assumptions, though I confess they… Continue reading My First Book Festival
Helen Sedgwick is a multi-genre author of literary fiction, science fiction and crime. She writes about human connection across time and space, juxtaposing science with the supernatural and realism with ghost story. Before she became a writer she worked as a research scientist, first as a physicist (she has a PhD in soft condensed matter… Continue reading Interview with Helen Sedgwick
Geoff King 