Night of 10,000 words
So there’s a challenge on the nanowrimo forums to write 10,000 words between 8pm tonight and 8am tomorrow. (Unfortunately I can’t find the link so there is a chance the crazy part of my brain made this up…) I’ve tweaked the rules a little, going from 6pm until 6am so I can function on a […]
National Novel Writing Month
So it’s been awhile since I finished my novel and it’s sat there ever since, an unedited mass of smelly words that are daring me to edit it while I, with similar tenacity, have ignored it. I don’t want to launch into a new work because then I’ll never actually finish anything so instead, as […]
A Cautionary note on “Historical” Fiction
There is one important word in the phrase ‘Historical Fiction.’ Clue: That word is NOT ‘Historical.’ If you want to learn history pick up a text-book, or a first hand account, or watch a documentary. Historical Fiction is fiction, first and foremost. I won’t deny that some historical fiction novels are extremely accurate while others […]
Prostitution in Game of Thrones
There has been much criticism of Game of Thrones, especially of the TV series. It’s been accused of being sexist, racist, sexist, too violent, sexist and sexist again. Now most of this critisim has been levelled at the HBO adaptation so I’ve studiously ignored it but I was at a friend’s house the other day and […]
Chuck Wendig: A Writer’s Prayer
Chuck Wendig’s Writer’s prayer should be compulsory reading for all writers. Go read it, read it now. I’ll wait… Did you read it? Of course you didn’t. I’ll give you another chance to follow the link… Hillarious right? But true. Here are the concluding lines: I am the Commander of these words. I am the […]
‘Rapeseed’
So, Considering I’m only two weeks away from holding a finished draft in my hands, I thought I’d take this opportunity to explain at least a little bit of what I’ve been at. My work in progress is a novel set in Cold War Ireland form the point of view of a twelve-year-old girl […]
Creative Writing Drinking Games
As promised: Alcohol induced literary madness gleaned from the finest corners of the internet! 1. The players in this game stand in a line and each person will say a part of a story. This can be as short as one sentence per person; however, the people in line do not tell their part of the […]
Maynooth (Epic) Writers group
So a friend of mine started a writers group in Maynooth recently. We’re hoping to get a blog and a facebook page set up eventually and possibly an online critique system but for the minute I’ll just explain what it is. Anyone is allowed attend and we critique each others creative writing. You don’t need to […]
Ugh… Vampires
Says it all really, doesn’t it? But why does it say it all? Why do so many of us cringe at the word Vampire these days? Hmm… I wonder… Oh yeah, this heap of shite: Or “Twi-Shite” as it’s fondly known amongst my friends. I know this is probably like flogging a dead horse to […]
1st Person Vs. 3rd Person
So the battle of perspectives has begun. I spent most of the summer obsessing over my Work-in-Progress (a novel): What will my main character be like, What order will things happen in, researching life in Ireland in th 1850’s, deciding that was too boring, changing it to Ireland in the 1950s… Stuff like that plus […]