Category: Uncategorized
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5 ways to be a writer when you’re not writing.
You may burn to be a writer, you may understand that it is your true calling and be prepared to put in the hours tapping away on the keyboard or scribbling with your pen but depending on your work situation and personal/family circumstances, there may be stretches of time when you are not able to…
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What I want to say to you – a Novel-in-Waiting
Theme I want to say that we choose a path and that maybe it’s the right one and maybe it’s the rightest one and maybe we’ll never know. I want to say that sometimes you feel that you are living the wrong life, that this isn’t who you are, that you could have been more,…
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Back-Pats and Explosive Stats
Just back from a mother and baby conference weekend where the baby speakers had us enthralled and the mummies went ga ga over the plush surroundings. It was a meeting of the hardworking volunteers of the fabulous Cuidiu (caring support) organisation for parents, particularly of babies and small children. If anyone deserves an award it…
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Five ways to procrastinate procrastination
I’m going to write a post on procrastination but first I need to make a cup of tea, check on a few emails, update my twitter feed, clean the bathroom and take my pet giraffe out for a walk. Oh and the keyboard could do with a bit of a polish. Right. Sorted. So here…
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Five fives for inspiring the mind
The overarching theme of this blog, as you know, is head space. In the context of my endeavours as a writer this in particular means the kind of head space that will engender creativity, that feeling of flow that connects you with the wellspring that is your subconscious and your memory, allowing you to draw…
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Haven for the Head-Wrecked
I’ve become particularly aware in the last while that many of the people I am in contact with in my everyday life both physically or virtually (through twitter or email) are struggling in some way and putting a brave face on it. They are feeling confused, vulnerable, lonely, disheartened, unsure or scared and they are…
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Why I’m Missing 1970’s Wallpaper – Inspiration for Far Out Writing Dudes
I grew up in the 1970’s: the era of swirly carpets, psychedelic curtains, bed coverings and wallpaper. The wallpaper was flock, groovy, funky, floral, paisley, repeating geometric, colourful, clashing, kitsch. But you have to admit it, compared with the pared down smooth walls in neutral cream paint of the minimalist mode we have now, there…
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Writer DNA: Blood, sweat, nails and hair
The better my writing goes, the more of myself I leave behind. That is true for the story, where the stronger the impact of the piece, the more likely it is that I have imbued it with some authentic emotion, some recognisable evidence of common humanity, my version of it. It is also true of…
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RTE Francis Mac Manus Competition 2009
This year the Frances Mac Manus Short Story competition celebrates its 25th anniversary. It is one of the foremost competitions in Ireland, both in terms of prestige and the generosity of its prizes. Prizes of €3,000, €2,000 and €1,000 will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd winning stories. The story must be should be…
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Eulogy (tribute, acclamation) to my Thesaurus
I read a while back, when I was getting into writing more seriously, that the serious writer should beware of overusing the thesaurus function on their computer. The implication was that, if you were a writer of worth, you wouldn’t need to. Well actually, maybe I’ve just backed myself into a corner and proved his…
Alison Wells Author 