The final blog post of the year is always a strange one; it’s that time when I feel compelled to look back on what was while also making plans for what I want the coming year to be. I’ll just say that 2018 was a very strange year, though each year now seems to fall into that broad category. Some…
Tag: Writing
November Blog: A Change of Plan
Attrition continues to move in the right direction although I’ve conceded that I won’t get the first draft completed within 2018, barring a Christmas miracle. It really has become an action of attrition itself, in every sense of the word. Sometimes it feels as though the characters are goading me on “come on, I dare you to finish this” so…
October Blog: In a Glass Darkly
With Halloween on the horizon I’ve recently been reading In a Glass Darkly, a collection of short stories by Sheridan Le Fanu. Le Fanu was a Victorian Irish writer who mostly wrote gothic horror and mystery. One of his best known works, Carmilla, comes from this collection of supernatural stories. Carmilla is an early work about vampires and pre-dates fellow…
September Blog: A Tale of Three Halves
We’re well into my favourite time of year; between now and January is usually my ideal season. I know it’s probably not the most popular opinion but I’m glad the summer is over. There seems to be a backlash against “fetishising” autumn, which is understandable when every second thing is pumpkin spice this and that, but that doesn’t mean that…
August Blog: Boy Pets Dog
While they may sometimes seems like interminable months I’m forever grateful for the 31st days, especially when I haven’t gotten around to updating my blog. That 31st day is a procrastinator’s dream and I (at least in my mind) join in the chorus line of Les Misérables in proclaiming One Day More. To be fair, this month has been busy.…
July Blog: Let Hope Eclipse Fear
During July I was a guest on Indulge in Writing, a new online group for writers at all stages in their careers. Indulge in Writing is run by Sharon Thompson, author of The Abandoned, which launched at #1 in Kindle Irish Crime Fiction earlier this year and she has been signed for a further two crime novels. Sharon is…
June Blog: Be Kind
Once again the time has flown by since last month’s blog. I’m now, thankfully, a lot more mobile and have started physiotherapy for my broken foot. I’m also down to one crutch and weaning off that, so it’s all going in the right direction. I returned to my day job this week and after not being there for three months…
May Blog: Made At MacDowell Part II
I’m writing the second half of this blog entry almost 5000 kilometres away from the first half. Time and distance gives, or at least changes, perspective. Breaking my foot in New Hampshire altered my experience of The MacDowell Colony so it’s hard to give an accurate overview as what it would be like under normal circumstances. I also believe that…
April Blog: Made At MacDowell Part I
Sitting in my Boston hotel I’ve less than 24 hours before I take that transatlantic flight back home. As per my usual modus operandi I’ve left my monthly blog until the eleventh hour and although I know there’s no one waiting with bated breath for me to hit the publish button, I’d hate to miss a month. I did…
March Blog: Grateful for the Good
My bags are (almost) packed for my imminent fellowship at the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire and I’m more than excited. The time has just flown around and even though I thought it would never come it now feels like it’s arrived out of nowhere. Last year I decided that for 2018 I was going to try to take more…
David Keane 