The short story, So Much Water So Close To Home by Raymond Carver, is told through a woman’s voice as she narrates this story about her husband and his fishing trip with his friends. There is also something else, something seen in the newspaper, about a girl who was found dead (and only later in … Continue reading So much water so close to home – Carver and writing menace
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Four Novels that Deal with Mental Illness
From the 8th – 14th May 2017, it is Mental Health Awareness Week. As someone who has experienced a variety of mental health problems in different people, I’ve come to understand people better and to learn to be more aware of their mental health. It’s not something that affects a minority. It affects us all, … Continue reading Four Novels that Deal with Mental Illness
20 Books That Inspired Me As A Writer
This is a list of 20 books that have had some sort of major impact on me as a writer. 20. The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood I read The Handmaid’s Tale when I was about 16 or 17. I was in school and back then I wasn’t much of a reader. I was drawn … Continue reading 20 Books That Inspired Me As A Writer
The Netflix Era – Are We In The Golden Age Of Television?
I’m not one to watch much television, not since I was a kid when I watched cartoons every morning and afternoon after school. But as an adult I just either didn’t have the time or didn’t want to give my time to something like that. I’d watch films, listen to music and read books. But … Continue reading The Netflix Era – Are We In The Golden Age Of Television?
The Breakfast Club – Comedy, Drama, Psychology
One of the best comedy-drama films ever made is The Breakfast Club. I must have first watched it at university back in 2007 maybe, but it stayed as one of my favourite films. We all know the charming story of five high school students on Saturday detention – each of them their own stereotype and … Continue reading The Breakfast Club – Comedy, Drama, Psychology
Radiohead – The Most Important Band Since Nirvana?
I think a number of companies could take advice from Radiohead’s marketing team since even I was on the proverbial bandwagon for their new album, A Moon Shaped Pool. They’d deleted their entire online presence, which strangely attracted an audience. I noticed people quoting their song lyrics like ‘Is this really happening?’ from Idioteque or … Continue reading Radiohead – The Most Important Band Since Nirvana?
Jesus’ Son – Denis Johnson’s American Emotion
I read Jesus’ Son last month while sitting on a train from Liverpool to Manchester. My friend, James Rice, had bought it for me for my birthday, as he’d mentioned it when we were in university. It’s a collection of 11 short stories, which all are quite short and which touch upon drug addiction, alcoholism … Continue reading Jesus’ Son – Denis Johnson’s American Emotion
The Psychology of Horror Films
I can’t remember the first horror film I watched, but I remember I did watch a lot of them when I was younger. My mother seemed to enjoy them back then – my parents were okay with me watching them, they didn’t think I'd be able to sit through them. But I did. I kept … Continue reading The Psychology of Horror Films
Breaking The Fourth Wall – How and Why It’s Used
The fourth wall comes from the traditional, three-walled box set stage production where there are three walls on stage – two walls at either side and one at the back – and the fourth is the front of the box, or the invisible wall through which the audience can see. I’ve been watching House of … Continue reading Breaking The Fourth Wall – How and Why It’s Used
My Top 20 Short Stories
1. Hills Like White Elephants – Ernest Hemingway 2. The Girl with Curious Hair – David Foster Wallace 3. Anne Moore’s Life – Roberto Bolano 4. The Most Beautiful Woman in Town – Charles Bukowski 5. A Room Forever – Breece D'J Pancake 6. Jerusalem’s Lot – Stephen King 7. Heat – Joyce Carol Oates 8. Gazebo … Continue reading My Top 20 Short Stories