It’s been 75 years since the infamous book burnings in Nazi Germany in 1933, which coincidentally forms part of the plot of this month’s Crafty Writer Book Club. Books that were considered antagonistic towards Nazi philosophy were piled up in town squares and burnt in a frenzy of apparent public support for Nazism. Check out this BBC clip for original footage and modern-day reflections on the burnings. Continue reading ‘Book burnings’
Archive for the 'Asides' Category
Anyone else’s desk look like mine? Fortunately I don’t subscribe to the old “cleanliness is next to Godliness” cliche…
Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.
Continue reading ‘Writing space’
Arthur C. Clarke has died at 90. I’m not sure if it was a grand old age, but it certainly was a grand old literary life. I knew about Arthur C. Clarke before I’d ever read a book of science fiction because of his inspirational adaptation of his short story the ‘Sentinel’ to the screenplay of A Space Odyssey: 2001. I always enjoyed science fiction films - and for a time I even watched Star Trek - but for some reason I resisted reading them. It was only when I read Ursula Le Guin’s ‘The Left Hand of Darkness’ as part of my first year English lit at Rhodes University in 1989 that I first realised that the genre wasn’t so much about science, but the human condition. Continue reading ‘Remembering ‘the grandfather’ of science fiction’
Stephen King of Stephen King fame revealed recently that he has no time for writers who say they have no time to read. ‘If you want to write you’ve got to read - everything,’ says King. Continue reading ‘No time to read?’
The Crafty Writer’s Kathleen Kenny will be hosting weekly writing sessions at the Cumberland Arms in Byker, Newcastle, UK, starting 7 February. Every Thursday, avid writers will gather to share ideas, advice and constructive criticism of their ongoing work. £6/£4 concessions. No experience necessary. All welcome. 7.30 - 9.30pm. The Cumberland Arms, Ouseburn, Byker. Tel: (0191) 265 6151
Update 22/02/2008
Unfortunately this won’t be happening for the next while, but we’ll let you know when the bar opens again. Cheers!
I’m really chuffed that my first screenplay, Enemy Lines, is going to be made into a film. And thanks to Peter Dillon, my tutor, for helping me on my way. Enemy Lines is a five-minute film short about a British soldier returning from Iraq to face a barrage of anti-war protestors. It has been selected to be filmed for Northern Film and Media’s Stingers 6 programme and will be screened in September 2008.
Continue reading ‘Screenplay success’
My stage play, The Idol of Sarajevo, has been shortlisted for the People’s Play Award. Winner to be announced at the end of December. If I win, I shall be blogging about my experiences in the run-up to the staging of the play in May 2008. So wish me well and watch this space! I developed this play on my MA in Creative Writing at Northumbria University.
For more free resources on writing for theatre visit:
- Writernet - free information and subsidised critiquing for UK-based writers
- Open University - free course on approaching plays plus excellent, value-for-money short courses for everyone.
- New Dramatists - resources for US-based writers.
Books I can reccommend include:
- Val Taylor’s
- Alan Ayckbourn’s
- Stuart Spencer’s
- Jeffrey Hatcher’s
I’ve never written SF myself, but I’ve always seen something ’spiritual’ in its exploration of mankind’s inner and outer worlds. In fact, SF and fantasy are one of the last realms open to Christian writers to present an ‘alternative’ world view. Continue reading ‘Science Fiction, fantasy and Faith’
I’ve just relaunched my children’s book, Donovon’s Rainbow as an e-book, and made it available as a free download. Or you can buy print copies of the book; 10% of all sales will go to Beautiful Gate Ministries, supporting HIV Aids orphans in Africa. For more information click here.
Welcome to The Crafty Writer, published by Fiona Veitch Smith, a freelance journalist, author, playwright and writing teacher. This site is full of information and resources to help you on your journey to become a better writer. 
