Dialogic and the King

Ergh…but in a good way. I have a 3,000 word life writing assignment to finish by Friday 04 December, and a further 3,000 words in which I cleverly illustrate my learning of theory to a short story also due to be submitted by Friday 04 December. Through my mentoring with Sam Kelly I have finally chosen the writing project I am going to focus on and I should have something on paper by my next mentoring session this Thursday. In closing, the course coupled with all I have to do to earn the barest living has resulted in a review … Continue reading Dialogic and the King

Withnail and I

During our life writing class today we were split into groups of three, given about four of five pages of work written in the first person and then sent off for 20 minutes to analyse our piece against some given criteria. We looked at whether we liked the character or not, and why; the tools and techniques used by the author etc. Our group was given the introduction to Withnail and I, The Screenplay 10th Anniversary Edition. Copyright ©1985 Bruce Robinson I do not usually put myself in the role of the mummy (shudder) or the hall monitor but I … Continue reading Withnail and I

Sophie Hannah Prediction

OK I was right. There were nuances and details I had not properly fleshed out but I was dead on with the general gist. Obviously I can’t say too much here because I don’t want to spoil the mystery for anyone who has not read Little Face. My one disappointment with the book was that it contains one of these scenes: hero/ine is two steps in front of the police and one step behind the murderer and is at that crucial point where they are about to reveal/find the evidence/set a trap when the killer turns round and there is a … Continue reading Sophie Hannah Prediction

Sophie Hannah

I once watched a friend successfully smoke a cigarette whilst taking a shower. It was very impressive and so expertly done I knew this wasn’t his first time. He wasn’t staging a ‘look-at-me’ trick.  He simply had to smoke in the shower owing to time constraints. He was hung-over, just out his bed and we had to get ready to attend a wedding. In a much earlier and similar scene, I once successfully finished the last chapter of a Dean R Koontz book in the shower for the same reason. I had to. I was a little scared of the events … Continue reading Sophie Hannah