I am beginning to branch out into a novel of interconnected stories like Russell Banks’s "Trailer Park". The opportunities for showing how the transformative moment changes not only the main character but those around him/her are endless.
The Guest
First, the car door. Slow to open. Then the visitor. Slow to emerge. It seemed she was having some trouble connecting with her purse. Problem apparently resolved, she finally tottered out, only to struggle with the car door, which didn’t catch the first time she tried to slam it, swinging back and nearly knocking her over. A second try, a little unsteady but with follow-through that did the job, left her teetering. It didn’t take much to see that something wasn’t right.
Misfits and Weaklings
John Steinbeck once said “. . . the writer is delegated to declare and to celebrate man's proven capacity for greatness of heart and spirit—for gallantry in defeat, for courage, compassion and love. In the endless war against weakness and despair, these are the bright rally flags of hope and of emulation."
A Northern Exit (Novel Excerpt)
Author's Note: This novel covers the 2016 national and international political scene from the perspective of the North East of England, using these events a backdrop for a young man's coming of age and initiation into the world of politics.
Two Unhelpful Lessons About Creative Writing
Whenever I sit down to write something new, there’s always a voice in my head warning me that I need to be mature and sensible, otherwise no-one’s going to think that I’m an adult or, even worse, a real writer.
Flowers of Transgression
The basal rosette of the flower is heavily wrinkled and the leaves have a dentate margin. The slender stem bears the delicate flower--a heterostylous hermaphrodite. My specimen is a pin flower waiting to be fertilized by a thrum flower. I glue it to the page.