Food is an important part of human activity. You might be breaking bread with a former enemy, enjoying a meal with old friends, or scrabbling to survive in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. But how much focus do you actually put on food when you’re designing your characters? Food can be a tremendous way to improve your […]
The Awesome Power of Daydreams for Fiction Writers
Daydreams are probably the easiest (and cheapest) way to pass the time. Stuck in a waiting room? Sure, you could check Facebook or see if there are any Pokemon around. Or you could let your mind wander to somewhere far more exciting! And as writers, we should be taking advantage of daydreams for two pretty […]
Can a creative rule system boost your creativity?
If you’re looking to boost your creativity, then the last thing you might consider is a creative rule system. Stop shuddering at the back there. Rules don’t inhibit creativity. In fact, you could argue that they promote creativity. Let me give you an example. For a few years, I wrote stories to post on my blog every […]
3 powerful people to meet at the crossroads!
Last week we looked at what 3 weird things you might find at an English crossroads. A lot of people on Twitter wanted to know more, so I’ve widened my focus to include more global crossroads legends! This week we’ll look at a more well-known legend about the Devil and the Deep South, a Vodou figure, […]
Road to Nowhere: Exploring Ghost Ramps
Spend any time on Pinterest or Flickr and you’re bound to find a slew of photos of abandoned spaces and ghost ramps. I’ve got a fondness for abandoned houses, theatres, and so on. Both sad and mysterious, they don’t always give up their stories easily. You need a lot of imagination to re-paper the peeling […]
Charles Dickens in Newcastle upon Tyne
Charles Dickens is more commonly linked with the great city of London. Throughout his career, he immortalised its dark streets and troubled inhabitants in his fiction. But you can also go looking for Dickens in Newcastle – and not just in his stories. The great man himself made appearances at the Music Hall during the […]
