Category Archives: Writing

Roald and the chop-up factory…

Posted on February 22, 2023 by literarylad

The new editions of Roald Dahl’s children’s books have been edited for ‘sensitivity’, and as you may have seen, it’s caused something of a furore, with allegations of ‘political correctness gone mad’, and that horrible pejorative word ‘woke’ being thrown … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Satanic Verses – Book Review

Posted on December 6, 2022 by literarylad

I bought this book more out of a sense of duty than anything else – a desire to show support for its author. As I’m sure you’ll all know, shortly after the book was published (1988), Salman Rushdie had a … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion, reviews, Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review – The Reluctant Gay Activist

Posted on October 28, 2022 by literarylad

This is the memoir of the late Terry Sanderson, familiar to me as a leading light in the National Secular Society (NSS), of which I’ve been a member for some years. I never spoke to Terry, but I remember him … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion, reviews, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Why has no-one asked us if we actually want another Monarch..?

Posted on September 10, 2022 by literarylad

An aging monarch has died, rather suddenly, and without a second thought the Establishment has fired up the archaic, grinding, heavy machinery that will install a replacement. There has been no pause, no chance for people to think about the … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Perfect Storm

Posted on August 17, 2022 by literarylad

I have a difficult relationship with throw-away metaphors like ‘The Perfect Storm’. They can be amusing. They can make language more colourful. And occasionally, they may even put across an idea more effectively and succinctly than plain language. But mostly, … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Flash Fiction: The Streets Ran Red…

Posted on April 1, 2022 by literarylad

Flash Fiction is not a format I’ve tried before, but on holiday in Spain last week, I was inspired to have a go. Here’s the result… Cold, damp and windy; strange weather for a holiday in the sun. At the … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

What Can Writers Do About Climate Change?

Posted on February 18, 2022 by literarylad

It’s hard to comprehend the ability of supposedly well-educated, intelligent people to shut out the blatantly obvious. Britain holds the Presidency for COP26, and at the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow at the end of last year, our leaders … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Top Ten Songwriting Tips…

Posted on December 23, 2021 by literarylad

My first forays into writing, around four decades ago (a frightening amount of time) were as a lyricist, and I’m still writing songs, now and then; when I can spare a little time. So I thought, why not share with … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

What was it I came upstairs for…

Posted on October 19, 2021 by literarylad

I used to think the old folk were making something out of nothing when they complained about forgetting what they went upstairs for. I used to think I’d always done that, even when I was young. Let’s face it, we’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Seventy thousand words and counting…

Posted on August 12, 2021 by literarylad

At the risk of repeating myself, writing a novel involves a lot of work. Like setting up in business as a funeral director; it’s a big undertaking. Progress on my latest novel has been slow, and frequently been put on … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments