Frankenstein was released on 21 November 1931 in the USA. It wasn’t the first adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel since a silent version was released in 1910. Yet James Whale’s black-and-white version reversed the ailing fortunes of Universal and kickstart a wave of horror production. It also turned its Monster, played by Boris Karloff, into […]
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3 reasons you might have writer’s block (and what to do about it)
Some writers don’t believe in writer’s block. Writers like Lee Child will liken writing to plumbing. If a plumber can’t turn up to a job and say “Oh I don’t feel like plumbing today” then apparently writers can’t do that either. Bit of a weird comparison. Others are afflicted with writer’s block on a regular basis. […]
8 Things You Need To Know About Hiring An Editor
Hiring an editor can sometimes seem to be a bit of a minefield, full of do’s and don’ts. It’s super important to have a proper editor look over your work, so I’ve thrown open my blog to the brilliant Sarah Fox to give you 8 crucial things to consider when you think about hiring an […]
Why should, and shouldn’t, you do NaNoWriMo?
You pretty much can’t avoid NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) every November. And with just three days left of October, it’s time to decide if you’re in or out. Whether you’re an author yourself, or just someone who knows one, you see that acronym pretty much everywhere soon. If you haven’t, the general point of NaNoWriMo is […]
3 Classic Ghost Stories Perfect For Halloween
Ghost stories have quietly sneaked into the 21st century. They made their presence felt as the Woman in Black stalked Daniel Radcliffe around a peeling Edwardian pile back in the 2012 movie by Hammer Films. I’m not talking about the Paranormal Activity model of low-budget demonic visitations dressed up to look like ghosts. I’m talking about supernatural spectres capable of […]
5 Ways to Use Where You Live to Generate Ideas
It was the 148th anniversary of the death of Charles Dickens this year. While much has been written about his life and work, we can still learn a lot from his methods! His depiction of a supposedly-fictional London was so realistic because he drew from how people lived and worked in Victorian society. Some of this he would […]
