Editing workshop. Last week I was asked to do a last-minute editing workshop for Year Nines (13-14). With little time to prepare and not much information on what they wanted or expected from me, I had to come up with something quick and adaptable. I’m currently eighty hours into the editing process of my latest … More My top ten editing tips.
Over the next few days it began to dawn on me exactly how far behind I had become. Years of not doing any homework and not paying attention in class, coupled with my weeks of bunking off had left me with absolutely no idea what any of the teachers were talking about. I had been … More Leg It (Part forty-nine)
“Ignore it,” Elizabeth grabbed Kev’s arm. “What if it’s important?” He reached over to get to the phone. Elizabeth dragged him back, kissing his shoulder gently. “They’ll ring back. I thought you didn’t use your home phone for business anyway.” She climbed on top of Kev, pinning his shoulders to the bed. He liked it … More Leg It (Part forty-eight)
I could sense that something was going to go off. I also knew that when it did I would have to move quickly. I realised that none of the lads really trusted me but as I was on good terms with Ingham they decided to tolerate me. Tomma remembered me from school and I think … More Leg It (Part forty-seven)
A writer when he’s not writing. The life of a writer is rarely all about writing and along with working on novel number four, the last month or so has been a frenzy of activity. Once the Great North Run was out of the way, the focus was on culture. As mentioned in a previous … More What a writer does when he’s not writing.
It’s been a while since I posted about the editing of my new novel as I’ve been a little bit busy with other stuff. More to follow on that in another blog soon. In my last blog on how long it was taking to write Troll Life, I was up to 158 hours. I’ve had … More Time to write. (How long does it take to write a novel? Pt 4)
Claire placed her arm around me. The orange glow of the streetlights and the fret coming in from the sea combined to form a luminous haze. “Do you never miss seeing the stars?” I asked her. “Do you not wish that you could lie back in the grass and stare up into the evening sky … More Leg It (Part forty-six)
Apart from the damage from the initial blow, Kev had survived quite well. The beating had been so frantic, nobody had connected properly and he had just curled into a ball. He suffered a broken nose, bruising to his face, arms and legs but very little else and returned to school a week later a … More Leg It (Part forty-five)
As you may have gathered from previous blogs, I am a big supporter of Sunderland’s bid to be UK City of Culture 2021. I believe that we have the most to offer and the most to gain from winning and I was proud to be selected as one of the 21 community champions adding our … More Sunderland 2021 City of Culture bid (Community champion)
“It’s sad the way he’s turned out.” Elvis and myself were sat in the Bungalow Café having a coffee. I looked out over the harbour and towards the lighthouse. The sea was quite choppy but inside the harbour walls it remained calm. Tim was stood outside taking photos of the sea. He had changed since … More Leg It (Part forty-four)
