For my last blog I highlighted (for many of us) the importance of background music when writing or undertaking creative pursuits. And not just any kind of music – Music To Write By. For me, this always means the same thing: classical scores, soft piano music and film soundtracks. Essentially, anything without vocals which creates … More More Music to Write By
There is nothing worse than reading over your creative work and thinking to yourself what is this? We’ve all been there. You’ve spent months working on a novel, poetry collection, stage-play, and suddenly, the pages that once seemed so perfect, make you shift in your chair; drop your face into your hands; have you question … More When Your Creative Idea Seems Hopeless
Last year, Surrey New Writer’s Festival had the absolute pleasure of listening to Julia Armfield talk about her sensational debut short story collection, salt slow, during our Magical Realism panel. Julia has now published her debut novel, Our Wives Under the Sea. As you can imagine, I was itching to get hold of a copy … More Our Wives Under the Sea Review
“Who is more to be pitied, a writer bound and gagged by policemen or one living in perfect freedom who has nothing more to say?” Kurt Vonnegut Writer’s block. We all know what it entails and we all know just how tough it can be to shake it off. Whether the block comes from an … More Stop The Block
Yes, you could be the most ambitious and hard-working person out there, but does it mean you would’ve never felt overwhelmed and exhausted, felt the need to just take a break, stop, and get some motivation to keep going? It is quite common for all of us to feel down and stuck, in a phase where … More How To Take Inspiration From Every Day
Each writer-in-the-making has their own method to spark creativity or break through procrastination, lack of motivation and writer’s block. Several bloggers from the Surrey New Writers Festival team have already written some great advice on this subject, so I thought I would explore my own take on this — the importance of background music. “Music … More Music to Write by
2022 is already off to a flying start when it comes to book releases. From Hanya Yanagihara’s To Paradise, to Rosie Andrews’ The Leviathan, 2022’s releases have so far been equal parts illuminating, daring and innovative. The year has only just begun and we have many more months of rich and engrossing book releases yet to come, but which books … More Our Top Five Anticipated Books of 2022
As a kid that was a question I found myself asking repeatedly. I’d be completely petrified by even the tamest of ghost stories told by my friends at sleepovers and I just truly didn’t understand the appeal of terrifying yourself as, apparently, a form of enjoyment. Then, in my late teens, I started to get … More Why do people enjoy horror so much, anyway?
‘At the touch of a lover, everyone becomes a poet’ Plato, The Symposium Every year, when Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, you are always bombarded with ways to impress and surprise your partner. Heart-shaped boxes of chocolate, bouquets of red roses, super adorable teddy bears which carry the message ‘I love you’, and some delicious … More Bring poems back this Valentine’s
“There is only one way I know I am done writing: when I am holding the finished hardcover in my hands for the first time and it is finally crystal clear that begging for a comma to be removed on page 134 will eventually, ultimately, mercifully do me no good.” Anonymous author As Kate Winslet … More Learning to let go of your creative work
Surrey New Writers Festival 