Icy Sedgwick's Blog, page 46
November 24, 2016
What happened when a Northumberland midwife met the fairies?
Fairies appear in a lot of the folklore of the United Kingdom. But they crop up a lot in tales from Northumberland. As November has been Northumbrian Folklore Month here on the blog, I thought it was high time we went to visit the fairies! After all, last week we asked if they were responsible...
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What happened when a midwife met the fairies?
Fairies appear in a lot of the folklore of the United Kingdom. But they crop up a lot in tales from Northumberland. As November has been Northumbrian Folklore Month here on the blog, I thought it was high time we went to visit the fairies! After all, last week we asked if they were responsible...
The post What happened when a midwife met the fairies? appeared first on Icy Sedgwick.
November 21, 2016
9 important tasks to make a living with your writing
It’s only natural to want to make a living with your writing. But it’s also incredibly difficult! After all, you’ll be competing with thousands of other authors. And with readers trained to expect books for free, you might think it’s an uphill struggle. But writers like JF Penn prove that it is possible. I went to her workshop...
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November 17, 2016
Was the location of Callaly Castle really picked by fairies?
Callaly Castle stands around 9 miles west of Alnwick. Converted into private apartments, there’s currently no public access. Yet the castle features an odd history, and the fairy folk make an appearance in the story of its foundation. So what we’re going to ask ourselves today is… Was the location of Callaly Castle really picked...
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November 15, 2016
Guest by Emily Murdoch – More Fact than Fiction: (Re)Writing History
Historical fiction is actually a guilty pleasure of mine. So it brings me a lot of joy to throw open the doors of my blog and hand over the reins to historical author, Emily Murdoch. Take it away, Emily! More Fact than Fiction: (Re)Writing History When you are a historical author, you are constantly stuck...
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November 14, 2016
5 Simple Ways to Boost your Writing using CPD
Years ago, if you practised the skills needed for your job, you were ‘learning your craft’. Nowadays, it has a fancy new title, and most professionals are all too aware of ‘continued professional development’, or CPD! The idea is that you continually build and improve your toolbox of skills you need to do your job. You’re continually on top...
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November 10, 2016
Can King Arthur be found sleeping under Sewingshields Castle?
King Arthur continues to hold a fascination for folklorists and the public alike. After all, the deeds of Arthur and his knights are now legendary. They’ve become part of Britain’s mythology. Scholars argue over the location of Camelot. Tintagel in Cornwall is thought to be the most likely spot. But can King Arthur be found sleeping under Sewingshields...
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November 7, 2016
Why should, and shouldn’t, you do NaNoWriMo?
You pretty much can’t avoid NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) every November. Whether you’re an author yourself, or just someone who knows one, you’ll have seen that acronym pretty much everywhere for the last week. If you haven’t, the general point of NaNoWriMo is to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Yeah, it’s not quite a novel, but...
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November 3, 2016
Are the Simonside dwarfs like the miners of Middle Earth?
The Simonside dwarfs are a common tale around Northumberland. They apparently lure lost travellers to their doom on the moors near Rothbury. And as I spent October looking at folklore around witches and witchcraft, for November I’d like to look at folklore closer to home! So come with me to meet the Simonside dwarfs… Let’s travel...
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October 31, 2016
4 Weird Ghost Stories Direct From Real Life
Halloween is a perfect time of year to tell ghost stories. Lord knows I have enough weird ghost stories among my free short stories. But I ran a poll on Facebook and Twitter, and a whopping 93% of the respondents on Twitter wanted me to talk about my own weird experiences, rather than post yet...
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