writing

  • A Lighter Look At Life

    I had an aunt who guzzled gin, A bottle a day was her sin, We kept away Until last May, When she gained a lottery win. ***

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  • Bite Size Writing Tips

    Using The Five Senses In Your Story Sight and sound are often used to bring a scene to life and for impacting upon the tone of a story. But the senses of smell, touch and taste can also affect a story’s mood. A rundown cafe might smell like a mixture of sweaty training shoes and…

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  • A Lighter Look At Life

    Knickers! Knickers is a funny word, And long johns are just absurd, Y-fronts is a silly name, And briefs just sound really tame, Thongs aren’t for the faint-hearted, On strings, don’t get me started, I don’t mind boxers one bit, But bloomers take the biscuit, I could give them names anew, But good old knickers…

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  • I Challenge You To…

    How’s your New Year going? I hope it’s going well so far. Last week’s challenge was all about New Year Resolutions. This week’s challenge is: Famous People Please send me your limericks, poems and stories – about anyone who’s famous. Here are your New Year resolutions from last week: Val Fish: I resolved to give…

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  • Markets For Writers

    Are you a Writers Bureau student – past or present? Then why not enter one of their 30th Anniversary competitions – open to students new and old. To find out more, click on the following links: Proofreading Competition Book Review Competition Flash Fiction and Poetry Competition ***

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  • Bite Size Writing Tips

    Write About…Your Own Experiences Open up any of the women’s weeklies and you’ll see pages and pages of true-life stories. These range from stories about ‘my operation’, to overcoming an illness/divorce/death in the family, to doing something special, to an amusing pet story. If you did something a little different for your 40th/50th/60th/70th birthday, you…

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  • Guest Writer Spot

    When I set my recent New Year challenge, a writer called Joy Lennick contacted me and sent me some of her wonderful poems. They weren’t on the subject of the challenge, but she wondered if I’d like to feature them on my blog. Of course I would! Enjoy 🙂 BREAKING THE SAMENESS She knew she…

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  • Bite Size Writing Tips

    Need inspiration for how to open a short story? Dialogue is a great tool:  “Leave me alone! I hate you and I’ll never forgive you,” she spat, her lips quivering.   “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. It wasn’t my fault,” the man said, tears in his eyes. See how, as a reader, you’re privy to…

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  • I Challenge You To…

    Well, Christmas is over (I hope you all had a good one) and so the countdown to the New Year is on. So my challenge for this week is: New Year Resolutions Limericks, poems, short stories… I’d like to see anything and everything! ***

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  • A Lighter Look At Life

    Watching Bem peered through the window, his eyes wide at the goings on inside. ‘Can you believe what they’re doing?’ Arun joined him, her cold and clammy skin touching his. She smiled at him. ‘Nothing could surprise me,’ she said, turning to look inside at the huge kitchen table, brimming with tasty treats. ‘No,’ she…

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