How Fiction Works by James Wood James Wood has been at the forefront of literary criticism and reviewing for most of this century, and deservedly so. His knowledge of fiction is astounding and his writing brims with energy. Wood also knows intimately, and by association, what it...
The first workshop. I am ready. No more red tape, just a venue designed for 12 students and an audiovisual system prone to moodiness. Back-up plans are in place – my colleague Mike is coming along to help in any way and I have made...
Poetry and fiction are intertwined, and rightly so, because many craft skills required in poetry also serve fiction – take the quest to convey a message with clarity, triggering emotion in the reader or catering for reader involvement in the narrative – they are all...
FIFTEEN ESSENTIAL BOOKS ON CREATIVE WRITING Introduction The danger lurks: having studied books on writing, having carted off barrows of advice, trouble confronts you on the page. Here’s the scenario: You lay down a nine-word sentence and then subject it to a checklist of do’s and...
May 2018 For some time I have mulled over how to contribute in more ways at the university where I have (miraculously) taught for a decade. I thought about hosting another workshop at one of the staff development days. Or updating and delivering the lecture on academic writing....