Icy Sedgwick's Blog, page 54
April 4, 2016
7 Tips for Submission Success
Short fiction, be it flash fiction or longer ’short stories’, is a good way to learn dialogue, characterisation and structure. They are by no means “easy” to write, but they’re less daunting than a novel! Once you’ve amassed a few stories, you might want to get them published. Be aware there are hundreds, if not thousands,...
The post 7 Tips for Submission Success appeared first on Icy Sedgwick.
April 2, 2016
My 500 Words a Day Challenge – Update 3
So how am I progressing with the 500 words a day challenge now it’s Day 26? As in update 2, I’ve been a bit sporadic around hitting 500 words a day. But whenever I have missed a day of writing, I’ve made it up the following day. On average I’ve written 543 words a day so...
The post My 500 Words a Day Challenge – Update 3 appeared first on Icy Sedgwick.
March 31, 2016
The Vampire Rabbit of Newcastle
A couple of weeks ago I posted a photo of Newcastle’s Vampire Rabbit in the #FolkloreThursday hashtag on Twitter. He proved rather popular, and on Saturday I went to a talk given by cultural historian Gail-Nina Anderson about the city’s favourite lagomorph gargoyle! The Vampire Rabbit sits above the weirdly ornate rear entrance to Cathedral Buildings. The...
The post The Vampire Rabbit of Newcastle appeared first on Icy Sedgwick.
March 28, 2016
Celts at the National Museum of Scotland
The Celts occupy a somewhat romantic and wild position in the British imagination. This new exhibition in conjunction with the British Museum has helped to spark new interest in these enigmatic peoples. I’ll be honest, I always had a mental image of primal tribes led by thunderous figures and advised by mysterious groups of druids....
The post Celts at the National Museum of Scotland appeared first on Icy Sedgwick.
March 26, 2016
Plague Exhibition at the National Library of Scotland
It’s not often you get to talk about the plague in polite society. But if you should find yourself in Edinburgh between now and 29 May, might I recommend a visit to the National Library of Scotland? As a writer I’m duty-bound to recommend a visit to any house of books, but in this case, the NLS...
The post Plague Exhibition at the National Library of Scotland appeared first on Icy Sedgwick.
March 21, 2016
Edinburgh: Celts, Plague and Yarn
Have you ever been to Edinburgh? If not, you should. It’s great! It was my birthday last week, so I popped up to the glorious Scottish city as a belated day trip on Saturday. I managed to fit Celts, Plague, and yarn into just one day! How mad does that sound?! Here I am on the…
The post Edinburgh: Celts, Plague and Yarn appeared first on Icy Sedgwick.
March 18, 2016
The Dolls – Friday Flash
Lily arrived by accident one day, a dark haired doll among a box of blonde angels, and Mrs McGarry had never quite known what to do with her. For a time, Lily had shared a shelf with them, and late at night after the shop was closed, she’d tried talking to the other dolls. They…
The post The Dolls – Friday Flash appeared first on Icy Sedgwick.
March 16, 2016
My 500 Words a Day Challenge – Update 2
I’ve talked about the delectable Tony Bengtsson on my blog before, and if you’re any kind of fan of folk music, Americana or country, then I highly recommend that you check him out. I went to see him play last Friday with the whole band, and found myself madly plotting the next two books in the…
The post My 500 Words a Day Challenge – Update 2 appeared first on Icy Sedgwick.
March 14, 2016
Why is it sometimes okay to fail?
Why on earth would it ever be okay to fail? Here’s a handy life reminder that you’re probably aware of, but probably not brilliant at putting into practice. It is perfectly okay to fail. You don’t have to be excellent at everything you do first time out. You are allowed, nay encouraged, to suck at stuff.…
The post Why is it sometimes okay to fail? appeared first on Icy Sedgwick.
March 9, 2016
My 500 Words a Day challenge – Part 1
Being a writer should be fairly straightforward. Sit down, and write, yeah? Oh if only. So I’m setting myself a writing challenge. Write 500 words a day for 31 days. Easy. I write 750 words a day using 750words.com on my lunch hour. 500 words a day should be no problem at all. But there’s…
The post My 500 Words a Day challenge – Part 1 appeared first on Icy Sedgwick.
