Edgy and entertaining insights from the dangerously-talented writers in the Colony…explore at your pleasure!
Skimming Stones
The pebble skimmed the surface ten times before running out of momentum, then seeming to flounder for a split second, sank into the dark still…
Hide and Seek
“I’m home, darling! Early finish today. Hurrah!” The masculine voice echoed through the house, and fell on the ears of Mrs Brown and the insurance…
Italy: Liberation Day
The 25th April is a national holiday here in Italy and it’s called Liberation Day. I had noticed, however, as the years went by, the…
The Worst Part Of Being A Writer
“So, what is the worst thing about being a writer?” my neighbor asks me at the Spring Social. “Ummmm,” I say, looking past him to…
Writes and Wrongs
Remember lockdown? Remember how we all got a bit excited in the first one and felt we had to make it count? And some of…
Can Songs Teach Us Something About Writing Novels?
Rules and Commonalities I’m not a musician but even I know that songs have a structure, verses and a chorus, that they often have a…
What Wordle Taught Me About Writing
I’ve been doing the daily Wordle puzzle since it started. In case you missed it, Wordle is an online game that gives you six chances…
Stories that stay with you
Last time, I spoke about stories that stay with you – or more accurately, the ones that don’t. This month, I want to take some…
Rejection
You Are Not Alone Most people experience rejection when querying. Beatrix Potter, author of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, got so many rejections she ended…
Writing Routines
Time and Head Space When I was teaching full-time, I found it difficult to fit in any writing. It’s definitely not a nine-to-three job! My…
Like Collo Hadn’t Warned Me
“He’s gonna stuff me.” “Don’t talk like that!” Collo grabbed my arms. “He’s just a twinkling fairy!” “Yeah, but look at the size of him!”…
Cue the Music
In that heady, comforting, all-encompassing safety-net that is the deep love forged by a long life together, my soul-mate and I tried to find ‘our…
Self-Critiquing
Who the hell do you think you are? I once heard that authors alternate between two perceptions of their work-in-progress. One is: ‘This is amazing!…
The International Children Books Illustration Exhibition
The International Children Books Illustration Exhibition opens its doors for six weeks every year at Sarmede, my home town, gathering the usual crowd of fans…
Read. Write. Repeat.
“Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,” grumbled Jo, lying on the rug. That opening line is indelibly inked in my memory. Other fictional characters…
Business Speak
The Brother has a view on modern verbiage ++ Now, c’mere ’til I tell you this. I’m all ears. What is it? The brother has…
What Makes Great Writing?
We All Have Our Own Opinions Of course we do! Life would be very boring if we didn’t. But there are elements to story that…
Multiple Points-of-View
Say What? Writing a novel with more than one point-of-view can be tricky. How can you juggle different personalities and motivations – and somehow use…
The Cat Blog
There’s something about cats. Yes, in January I burst my eardrum trying to cure the ear mite infection I caught from our two….
Ghost Writing
Sorry! I’ve been a tad disingenuous with this title because I’m not referring to the act of writing on behalf of others, but rather the…
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