Meet Jamie Orton, Film Earlsdon Volunteer

Today’s blog will be of interest to film lovers i

Meet Author A.A. Abbott

Today, I’m handing my blog over to a regular cont

“Was Bostin, Now Busted”

The Crooked House, once Britain’s wonkiest pub, w

What is a Woman?

Songs have been written about them for centuries and we thought we knew what, or rather…

Getting Steamed Up About a Sauna

I’m just back from Finland, a beautiful country with many lakes to swim in, and to…

A word About Queer

June was Pride Month and this weekend has seen Trans Pride in London and elsewhere. Along…

Meet Playwright Andrew Sharpe

For many years a partner in a law firm in Coventry UK, Andrew has been a…

Beta Readers

On occasion I act as a beta reader. I am currently beta reading the latest psychological…

Need the Loo?

Are you a sitzpinkler or a stander? If you are scratching your head at this question,…

John Steinbeck’s Writing Tips

In March 1919, John Steinbeck wrote to Maralyn Monroe asking for a signed photograph ‘for his…

In Praise of Eulogies

Maybe you have noticed I haven’t written a blog post for a few weeks. No? Ah…

Coronation Poem

Simon Armitage is the Poet Laureate – a post that is coveted more for the prestige…

You couldn’t make it up …

Fact, it is often said, is stranger than fiction. Put another way – you couldn’t make…

Words Matter – Just Check Out the 2021 Census

Every adult in England and Wales knows about the 2021 Census, and the findings have been…

The Law – a Costly Indulgence for Writers

Gwyneth Paltrow has been in the news recently. Terry Sanderson, a retired optometrist, took her to…

Welsh Latin – and the meaning of love

I wrote in my last blog about the surprising amount of Latin that still influences everyday…

Welsh Latin

It is well known that many words in the English language have Latin roots. What is…

Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 – Then and Now

Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 Trust has gone into administration. I remember the sunny summer…

Shakespeare – our Star of Poets.

Yesterday I went as the guest of a friend who had been invited to a special…

Sensitivity Readers

When Roald Dahl married the actress Patricia Neal, he was so little known that the headline…

The Accidental Director

I was out with friends, and friends of friends, one evening when one decided to entertain…

Writing About Sex and Gender for the Media

The Media in the UK have given a lot of coverage recently to the case of…

What is Back Slang?

Back slang is like a secret language; similar to professional jargon, but less snobby, and more…

If you haven’t lived it, can you write about it?

‘If you haven’t lived it, you can’t write it.’ That is the title of an article…

Meet author Isidora Sanger

An interview with an author is long overdue on this blog, so I am delighted to…