Stories From Litopia
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Get up, pull yourself together, and get back at it!
I recently had total hip replacement surgery. I used to run for pleasure, was a basketball player in...
How to procrastinate like a boss
Some writers sit down every morning and commit to writing X-number of words that day. And then they...
Finding Voices
I tutor IGCSE First Language English in one-on-one classes. These are quite difficult lessons, because spending ninety productive...
The Critique Conversation
One of the most important steps in getting your story, poem or essay submission-ready, is to ask somebody...
The Kindness of Strangers
In a previous post, (‘Research’), I wrote a section on utilising the knowledge of experts, something that Honest...
Scammers
The insidious presence of online scammers targeting authors is frightening. The increasing number suggests that for every author...
The Other Side of the Table
I recently found myself in the situation of being able to vote for my favourite novel extract. The...
Legend of the Selkie
'Legend of the Selkie' started as a short piece for the Creative Writing Masters at UCC, Cork. After...
When We Shot the Last Rhino
. A fabled hunter from Milan or Mombasa or somewhere raised his arms high and screamed in bloody triumph. ....
On the shoulders of giants.
I’ve got to stop hanging out on X. The writing community has, yet again, been rent apart by...
Lit Mags for Beginners – Part Two
Last time we talked about finding publications to send your work to. Now you’ve imagined your story or...
A Word from Nigel
This is Nigel. Nigel is a horse. More specifically, Nigel is a feral stallion responsible for a herd...
Lit Mags for Beginners – Part One
It’s less than a year since I started writing short stories, having only worked on novel-length fiction previously....
Days Like Those: Jacob, James and the BSG
February 2018… Mrs Treaclechops and I took grandchildren Jacob (aged four) and James (aged three) for a walk...
Matt-y numty had a great fall
I had an appointment in Berlin’s Mitte recently. Since then, I’ve been thinking a lot. Now, the appointment...
Scheherazade’s Sandbox
The Year of the Snake, now coming to a close, promised introspection and wisdom. To help with this,...
