Tiah Beautement's Blog, page 78

On 12 Years a Slave

Solomon Northup, 12 Years A Slave - My object is, to give a candid and truthful statement of facts: to repeat the story of my life, without exaggeration, leaving it for others to determine, whether even the pages of fiction present a picture of a more cruel wrong or a severer bondage. - - To the Almighty Father of us all - the freeman and the slave I poured forth the supplications of a broken spirit, imploring strength from on high to bear up against the burden of my troubles, until the morning light aroused the slumberers, ushering in another...

Cristy Zinn on Running a Writing Workshop (Originally posted on Books Live)

Help Make Short Story Day Africa 2014 a Success! Please Click HERE To Donate! Every year Short Story Day Africa receives inquiries from generous souls willing to run a writing workshop in a school, library or youth centre but the generous soul doesn’t know where to begin. ‘How do I run a workshop?’ they say. So we’ve gone out and asked a few writers who have previously braved the stomping grounds of our youth to write a guest post: How To Run a Writing Workshop. Our first guest is Cristy Zinn. If her post inspires you to run a workshop...

The Telling of Angus Quain

Jenny Hobbs, The Telling of Angus Quain - Serious writers don't drive convertibles. - - 'What is the madam looking for, please?' I answered, 'I'm looking for history.'- - Men have clubs and ol-boy networks. Women have - what Fragmented lives divided between their families and their work and their friendships, and if they're luck, a pragmatic shrink like Lauren to run to in emergencies. - - I wanted to smack his self-satisfied face. Instead I did the next bes thing: picked up the friend doughnut and looking straight at him, took a large bite. He flinched. . . it...

On dragons

People who deny the existence of dragons are often eaten by dragons. From within. - Ursula K. Le Guin

On character

- If you dig deep enough or put a character under enough pressure, you’ll find that almost everyone has little quirks and flaws. These are the things that make us human, unique, vulnerable. - Richard de Nooy

On The WoMentoring Project

The WoMentoring Project sound so interesting, I had to share: The mission of The WoMentoring Project is simple: to introduce successful literary women to other women writers at the beginning of their careers who would benefit from some insight, knowledge and support. The hope is that we’ll see new, talented and diverse female voices emerging as a result of time and guidance received from our mentors. To learn more, please visit their website.

On R.J.J. Michael

Help Make Short Story Day Africa 2014 a Success! Please Click HERE To Donate! One of the golden moments at Short Story Day Africa was when a young writer under the pen name R.J.J. Michael submitted his bio for Rapunzel is Dead. The then 16 year old wrote: R.J.J. Michael is an aspiring young writer of stories and poetry. He lives in Benoni with his mother, grandmother and brother. He is a socialist, an atheist, a slight absurdist and an avid Michael Bay detractor. That was a bit different. As Rapunzel is Dead went through the process of becoming a...

On having it all

I could have been a better mother. My children assure me it was fine. But when you are running to catch the train to go to a rehearsal and you know your kid has a hacking cough… We said we can have it all and do it all: I can have four children, write three plays a year and a book, go from Leicester to London and come back at midnight. But you can't do it all. - Sue Townsend, I hate it when people call me a national treasure

On Sand

Hugh Howey, Sand - It was the deep rumbles that emanated from No Man's Land far to the east, that rolling thunder or those rebel bombs or the farting gods- whichever of the many flavours of bullshit one believed. - - Palmer thought of the people he'd known who had gone down into the sand, never to be seen again. Could they feel it in the morning when they woke up? Did their bones know that someone would die that day? Did they ignore that feeling and go anyway? - - And he whispered memories of memories, only the best...

On class

- At that moment where I was discussing those books in my twenties, I was beginning to understand what a culture hop I’d made growing up poor and working class and then going to college and suddenly being in this world where people were telling me essentially who I was. I didn’t know what my culture was until I went away from it and moved into another one. And one of the things that struck me most profoundly in college—and maybe some of you in this room know what I’m talking about—is that by going to college and becoming educated,...