Penstricken
Andrew Ferguson – Author
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5 Writing Laws I Just Can’t Keep
Posted on June 3, 2021 Leave a Comment
If the Writing Police ever do raid my house at four in the morning and drag me before the Fiction Judge, I’m pretty sure the list of charges will be a long one and he’ll throw the book at me for every one of them. And so, today I’m here to confess my crimes.
Are You Making The Best Use Of Your Writing Time?
Posted on May 29, 2021 Leave a Comment
I’ve recently made a few more changes to my weekly writing schedule which I hope will allow me to make better use of my limited time. While I’m sure your writing schedule won’t be exactly the same as mine, I thought I’d tell you about it anyway to provide you with a bit of food for thought.
How To Write When Time Is Short
Posted on April 24, 2021 Leave a Comment
Good writing takes time. That’s why it’s so important to write frequently and regularly.
50 Quotes About Writing
Posted on March 17, 2021 Leave a Comment
Well, we’ve already had fifty quotes about fiction in general so today it’s time for another fifty quotes, this time providing advice, encouragement and general reflections on the process of writing.
Writing Six Word Stories
Posted on February 25, 2021 Leave a Comment
If you’ve been following Penstricken for any length of time, you’ll know that I appreciate the delicate art of the six word story (don’t worry though, today’s post isn’t going to be another instalment of 6 Six Word Stories). When I first encountered this phenomenon several years ago, I wasn’t sure it was possible to cram any meaningful kind of narrative into so restrictive a word limit. Even if it could be done, I wasn’t convinced of its artistic or literary value.
I was wrong. And really, I should’ve known better. Ernest Hemingway’s(?) six word story about the death of a baby and the subsequent sale of his/her clothing proves that you can pack a mighty punch with very few words indeed. It’s no small task, however. Some of the traditional rules of writing need to be bent or artfully re-imagined to make it work.
Being a ‘Real’ Writer
Posted on February 24, 2021 Leave a Comment
There seems to be a notion in a lot of folks’ minds that while lots of people may wish to be authors, and may even actually sit down and try to thrash out an original work of fiction, not all of these are real writers. If you look around the internet or other public forums where writers gather, you’ll see what I mean. People will say things like ‘if you don’t write something every day, you’re not a real writer,’ or ‘real writers read at least twenty books a year– oh and newspapers as well!’
These are just examples but you get the idea. Many try to be writers, but only those who do this-this-and-that are real writers. But wait just a minute. What does it even mean to be a ‘real writer’?
Throwback Thursday: Being a ‘Real’ Writer
Posted on September 3, 2020 Leave a Comment
There seems to be a notion in a lot of folks’ minds that while lots of people may wish to be authors, and may even actually sit down and try to thrash out an original work of fiction, not all of these are real writers. If you look around the internet or other public forums where writers gather, you’ll see what I mean. People will say things like ‘if you don’t write something every day, you’re not a real writer,’ or ‘real writers read at least twenty books a year– oh and newspapers as well!’
These are just examples but you get the idea. Many try to be writers, but only those who do this-this-and-that are real writers. But wait just a minute. What does it even mean to be a ‘real writer’?
Throwback Thursday: 50 Quotes About Writing
Posted on January 16, 2020 Leave a Comment
Well, we’ve already had fifty quotes about fiction in general so today it’s time for another fifty quotes, this time providing advice, encouragement and general reflections on the process of writing.
5 Writing Laws I Just Can’t Keep
Posted on April 28, 2019 Leave a Comment
If the Writing Police ever do raid my house at four in the morning and drag me before the Fiction Judge, I’m pretty sure the list of charges will be a long one and he’ll throw the book at me for every one of them. And so, today I’m here to confess my crimes.
Are You Making The Best Use Of Your Writing Time?
Posted on April 7, 2019 Leave a Comment
I’ve recently made a few more changes to my weekly writing schedule which I hope will allow me to make better use of my limited time. While I’m sure your writing schedule won’t be exactly the same as mine, I thought I’d tell you about it anyway to provide you with a bit of food for thought.
