Hazel on June 25th, 2009

I’ve just finished reading Alan Bennett’s Untold Stories – in the hardback version, 658 pages. (Only fit to be a doorstop! as a certain gentleman of my acquaintance would say.) But there’s something about Bennett’s understated approach to life and writing that I find strangely appealing. Without knowing what he sounds like in person I [...]

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Hazel on June 18th, 2009

Some of the visitors to my blog have asked me to talk about what I do when I get writers’ block. Good question.
Now, up till this point I thought I didn’t have a superstitious bone in my body … hmmm. I find I’m having to inhale deeply … touch things … mutter mantras … [...]

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Hazel on June 11th, 2009

‘Show, don’t tell.’ The creative writing mantra. I’m grappling with the reality of that right now in my current novel. Describing a road traffic accident … doing justice to someone’s philosophising … capturing a child’s resentment … I feel like a tightrope walker. Will the reader understand the subtle nuances of this section? Am I [...]

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Hazel on June 4th, 2009

It’s 3.41am. And I can’t sleep. So here I am drafting my weekly blog. Sad, I hear you mutter. So perhaps you’ll forgive me if I indulge in a mini-rant this week – actually it’s hard to be vitriolic when your ears are assailed by a fantastic chorus of birdsong.
Last week saw the final [...]

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