The Bloggery

Hearty cheesy mushroom bake with red lentils, succulent inside and crispy on top . Gluten-free | Veggie Ars longa, vita brevis , as I sa...

Creating and getting to know our characters is one of the most joyous parts of writing. It's also an area where we easily slip into hab...

Magic is a joyous aspect of fantasy, but without limits, magic will scupper your plot or leave giant plot loopholes. Some ways of restricti...

My two favourite soundscape sites for writing, MyNoise and Ambient Mixer, both create soundscapes of different places and situations by mix...

Markets and their ilk are a lovely moment in writing: a rich opportunity for description and world-building, filled with sensory potential...

It’s so normal, when we want to commit to new writing habits, to draw up a Dramatic New Plan and throw all our strength behind it. Especi...

In any kind of fiction writing, we need to manage our secrets. We want to hide the ending so it's a surprise, not a slow-moving inevit...

If you're coming to a Summer of Writing workshop from outside Oxford, and want to make a weekend of it, here are my favourite suggest...

Fresh crunchy green salad that  stays  fresh and crunchy, topped with all your favourites. Gluten-free | Vegan, Veggie, or Omnivore As a...

Writing mysteries is partly about an intense atmospheric sense of place, and partly a complex little puzzle of laying out your clues, rev...

“How do I know if my planning is actually just procrastinating now?” “Should I stop planning and start writing?” “Is my planning j...

If you fancy writing an absolutely tiny short story, this Writing Skill will give you the shape and all the tiny twists to make it exciti...

I’ve had some good teachers – in drawing, singing, running a business. Every time I find a good teacher, it reminds me of the differen...

A hefty flavour burst of preserved lemon, artichokes, olives, garlic, ginger, turmeric and fresh coriander, all vibrant and zesty. Glute...

Just as my students start to compare notes on an activity, I can hear the comments:     “Okay, so this is awful.”     “I’ve probably do...