Sad To See Them Go!
A strange thing, to sell off old toys from my childhood. But yesterday I sold off a cowboy figure and two knights (one black, one silver, naturally). Like Action Men, they are all one foot tall, and their selection of weapons was quite well made and designed. The Action Men will also be going to … Continue reading
Nôtre Dame
Old ruins, like those shown in these pictures of Okehampton Castle, are appealing. It is wonderful to walk about them and imagine what the places would have been like in their heyday. Yet no one who loves history can help but be appalled at the sight of an international monument like the cathedral of Paris … Continue reading
The Trials of Typing
I have used many computers in my time. I started out with dedicated wordprocessors such as the Olivetti, and progressed to simple personal computers like the ACT Sirius (which was gorgeous) and Apple Ice. But I never could get to grips with Supercalc! I progressed from them to the lovely Wordplex machines, which I sold … Continue reading
Hoarding Can Be Good
Okay, I admit it, I am pretty bad for hoarding. Look at my bookshelves. I am not going to read every one of these again. In fact, I suspect only perhaps 15% of them will be read. I have books I adore (and know pretty much off by heart), and which I cannot get rid … Continue reading
Writing in the Cold!
It is rare indeed that I can wake up, stare out towards the moors, and see snow smothering the top of Cosdon Beacon. This is all wrong. The snows should not continue into April. I am happy enough to wake to the sight of snow in February and March, but those months have gone. I … Continue reading
Reporting Hatred
This morning I received an email. It came through at 08.40, and was long. Very long. Ten pages long. I won’t put up the bile-infected rant; there is no way I want to promote his lunatic theories. Suffice it to say, every terrorist attack, every rape and murder, pretty much, is entirely the responsibility of … Continue reading
Wednesday 20th
I have loved decent keyboards for many years. It’s a natural affiliation for someone who uses them every single day, really. If you go and see this video, you can win this very keyboard: https://youtu.be/k_gb9g26hcw (after 5.00 PM). Back in the 1980s, when I was a callow computer salesman, I grew to know and love … Continue reading
Tuesday 19th
A day of surprises The trouble with working from home is, you never know what interruptions you’ll get. Today I was out early with the hounds, up over towards Belstone, and we had a pleasant wander – but I knew that I had a lot to do today. So we cut the walk and came … Continue reading
Writing Essays – Student Help 5
This is a copy of a flow chart I talk about in my latest YouTube video for students. If you’d like to see the video, please go to this link. Feel free to print and use this if it helps.
Tips for Submitting Manuscripts
I was asked yesterday on Quora about how to present a manuscript for an editor. This is not intended to be a fully-detailed example, but it summarises my own experiences over the last 25 years of professional writing. Since it is pretty much the same whether you are looking at fiction and non-fiction books, I … Continue reading
