Almost forgot to report on last week’s literary jaunt. On a night of such wind and rain as would have kept any self-respecting pirate below decks, I took myself off to Thornbury library where Adrian Tinniswood (writer, historian and fellow Tweeter) was on tour with his Pirates of Barbary. This means I am now cognisant … Continue reading High Seas
Say the word ‘self-publishing’ in a room of writers and it’s a fair bet a lively skirmish will break out, if not an all-out war. Since I’m just giving technical help to a friend, I don’t have to make a decision on the pros, cons rights and wrongs, but Nathan Bransford’s post on questions to … Continue reading Self-publish and be …?
For people like me whose short stories come few and far between, one of the bugbears is getting the word-count right. Now that my new baby is down to 2,750, nearly all the upcoming competitions want 2000 max. – and there’s only so much editing that can be done before the thing loses its character. … Continue reading Short(er) Cuts
Today I’ve been scanning the obits of K.J. Dover who died a week ago. Dover was my professor of Greek at St. Andrews University and a commanding figure though not in the way one might have assumed. By the time I arrived in 1970, he had already put St. Andrews on the map for classics, but … Continue reading Memento Mori
What makes a book stand out from the crowd? Agents tell us they are looking for ‘good stories well told’. But in an age when everyone wants to write and very many can, being good simply isn’t enough. You actually have to be brilliant. So what constitutes brilliance exactly? In revamping a novel regarded as … Continue reading Tall order
Ali Bacon, Author 