Tag: Stephen King

Origins of five horror monsters

Origins of five horror monsters

Happy Halloween! Let’s start with a personal halloween story. On October 31st 2016 I was invited up to London for a Halloween party. Although the party was a bit dead (puns!) we all had a good time and at midnight I left to catch the train home. Some of you might also remember that there …

+ Read More

Top five dreams that inspired books

Top five dreams that inspired books

Did you know that scientists don’t understand why we dream at night? They don’t even know how we dream, only that our sub-conscience plays a role and that dreams happen during a part of our sleep cycle called REM sleep. What purpose do dreams serve us? Is it our body training us for a fight …

+ Read More

Spitfire Review: Living Literature Frankenstein

Spitfire Review: Living Literature Frankenstein

Today I’m reviewing something a little different. Instead of reviewing a novel or a film I’m reviewing a party I went to… a literacy party. Every year the School Of Advanced Studies at the University Of London throw a Living Literature party in which a famous novel is brought to life. In 2016 Senate House was …

+ Read More

Top Five Controversial Novels

Top Five Controversial Novels

Sticks and stones can break my bones but… Whenever I write I never aim to deliberately offend anyone. I work with the understanding that some people will be offended but that is inevitable. Alice in Wonderland was banned in China because it is gives animals the ability to speak. The Harry Potter series has been accused of  promoting …

+ Read More

Happy New Year/2017 goals

Happy New Year/2017 goals

Happy New Year! 2016 is finally over. I think that the general consensus for 2016 was that it was a bad year. There have been lots of celebrity deaths. Gene Wilder, Kenny Baker, Muhammad Ali, Prince, Ronnie Corbett, Paul Daniels, Sir Terry Wogan, Alan Rickman, David Bowie and Carrie Fisher to name a FEW. There was …

+ Read More

Writers and Mental Health Issues

Writers and Mental Health Issues

Update – 01/10/2017:  Betterhelp is an mental health counselling company who offer online sessions to anyone dealing with mental health issues. Their website is full of free advice, regarding a wide variety of problems including depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. You can also ask to be paired to a councillor who can speak to you through …

+ Read More

Adaptations

Adaptations

Adapting a book to a film can be a very difficult process. Not everything is going to reach the final script, you have to choose what to keep, what to ignore and where to add your own bits in. Sometimes it can be a masterpiece or it could become a disaster. Let’s talk about it…

Top Ten Urban Legends, Mysteries and Conspiracy Theories

Top Ten Urban Legends, Mysteries and Conspiracy Theories

One the most common questions writers are asked is where do you get your ideas from? The answer is anywhere and everywhere. Anything can spark an idea, a clipping in a newspaper, an overheard conversation or perhaps a well-known mystery, legend or theory. These ideas give writers a lot of wiggle room as the line …

+ Read More