creative writing

I hate ‘books of the year’ lists. Collectively, they read as a flurry of smug nepotism and glib, superficial blurb-swapping – an easy way to fill column space while Britain’s few remaining arts journalists wind down for the Christmas break. I don’t think that, individually, any of the authors polled are being deliberately back-slappy or … Read more

Hello, fellow lovers of the tongue that binds, and welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. This is a blog about writing, writing better, and the deep love of stories that I know we all feel, pulsing within our hearts like a dino birthing from … Read more

Glad seasonal tidings and welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. This week it’s a Mailbag episode. Hope you enjoy! Please remember to share the blog with your friends if you like it, and do have a splendid week of writing and reading. – Dear … Read more

Hello and welcome back to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. This is a blog for authors, editors, readers and people who are interested in how stories work. If you’d like to submit the first page of your novel or short story, please read our submission … Read more

Hello and welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. This is a blog for writers, readers, editors, and anyone interested in the craft of writing. The blog comes out every Thursday, and most weeks, we take a novice author’s first page and look at ways … Read more

Hello and welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. Yes yes, it’s another week out of The Barber’s Chair while I push the second novel to project status and hammer away at the keyboard in a dismal spectacle of obstinancy triumphing over craft. I will … Read more

Hello and welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. For the first time in my many-faceted and frankly baffling life, I’m ‘doing’ Nanowrimo. That is to say, I have resigned myself to the arbitrary daily wordcount goal (is it okay to make ‘wordcount’ a compound … Read more

‘How do you think we stand it here?’ said the nurse. ‘You specimens come in here talking like ordinary people and then you go down to Shayol. Terrible things happen to you on Shayol. Then the surface station sends up parts of you, over and over again. I may see your head ten times, quick-frozen … Read more

Booya and welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. Each week we take the 1st page of a writer’s novel or short story and look at ways of making it better. If you’d like to submit a piece of your own work for consideration, please … Read more

Hello dear friends, and welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. This week I’m doing another Mailbag, because I’ve had some more questions, and I enjoy answering them. It helps mix things up and allows us to deal with some familiar topics in a bit … Read more

Hello and welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. Each week, we take the first page of a novice author’s novel or short story and look at ways of making it better. If you’d like to submit your own work, please read our submission guidelines. … Read more

I don’t often weigh in on the latest literary chattering points for fear of contributing to the very close-quarters farting contest I purport to detest. But the latest comments by Nobel judge Horace Engdahl really piss me off, so fuck it. As the publishing world waits to hear who has won this year’s Nobel literature … Read more

Hello and welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. This is a blog for writers, editors, and readers who are interested in the craft of fiction. Each week we take the first page of an aspiring author’s novel or short story and we look at … Read more

Welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. This is a blog about writing fiction then editing it to make it as good as possible. Each week we take the first page of a novice author’s novel or short story and look at ways of making … Read more

Greetings, fellow writers, and welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. This week, I thought I’d answer a few reader queries. Most weeks, on this blog, we look at the first page of a novice author’s novel or short story and consider ways to make … Read more

Welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. Each week we take the first page of an author’s novel or short story, and look at ways of making it better. We’re learning how to be better editors of our own fiction. If you would like to … Read more

Hey everyone – welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. If you’ve not been here before, this is a weekly fiction editing blog where we take the first 250 words of an author’s novel or short story and we look at ways to make it … Read more

Hello my loves. I’m giving myself a week off, this week, after a month hammering out two shows at the Edinburgh Fringe. Going to give myself the gift of actual, genuine rest. Don’t be too blue – click the tags and read the Death Of 1000 Cuts archive. There’s over 100,000 words of free content … Read more

Welcome to another Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. I am so tired I can barely explain it. The Fringe has been great (one last weekend to go!) but I am so exhausted. I’m going to take the first week of September off and spend it … Read more

Salut et welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. I’m up at the Edinburgh Fringe, doing my solo show Be Kind To Yourself, and bleeding from the eyes with exhaustion. On Tuesday we completed our run of Grave Invaders, a second show, so at least … Read more

Welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. I’m up at the Edinburgh Fringe all this month, performing my show Be Kind To Yourself. I’m… I don’t really know how to say this, but so far it’s been a wonderful experience. Audiences have been so nice … Read more

Hello and welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts, making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. I’ve just arrived in Edinburgh, for the Fringe. I’m performing my stand-up poetry show, Be Kind To Yourself, all month. If you’re about, please come to see me! It’s free. And please spread the word. I bet … Read more

Hey friends, and welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts. Making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. There are lots of blogs about fiction writing, but this one focuses on fiction rewriting. If you like stories, or making stories, or people who make stories, you’ll probably find something here that tickles your fancy. … Read more

Pip pip everyone! Welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts, making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. I am ill and busy so let’s keep this prompt and businesslike. Want to submit to this blog? Read the submission guidelines, my friend. As always, read the extract below, decide what you like and what … Read more

Welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. Want to submit? Please read the submission guidelines. I am taking two stand-up poetry shows to the Edinburgh Fringe this August – Be Kind To Yourself and Grave Invaders. I am going up out of my own pocket … Read more