Blogs

The start of a cracking tale from Kilb50 - do make sure you read the following parts - wins the Story prize this week: http://www.abctales.com/story/kilb50/ned-1 Our poetry award goes to a piece that is brilliantly well observed: http://www.abctales.com/story/veraclark/magic And we go up to Edinburgh for our inspiration: http://www.abctales.com/inspiration-point-ip Congrats to all!

I liked Charlie Sherry’s interview with Irvine Welsh, and I talked about it with him on my mobile. I’m not a great man for phones. Boy can Charlie talk. Irvine Welsh probably never got a word in. But one thing stuck with me the last few days and it’s not the Renton quote from Trainspotting, which I’ve some sympathy with, ‘It really is shite being Scottish.’ Nor is it Welsh’s upbeat message, ‘Scots now have a positive can-do attitude which bodes...

I hope your summer’s full of sun and laughter. Thank you to Blackjack Davey for last month’s brief of enchantment, there were some traditional narratives and symbolic twists emerging in your pieces. This month, let's encourage even more collaboration! Encourage your fellow writers and friends to have a crack at our monthly briefs. Share them on social media. Here’s three magic poems from July: Heavenly imagery about a parent’s love: http://www...

I knew this would be a weird week. It had started off well enough with the Indiana-Jones-style trip to my Niece’s son’s Christening yesterday, 17 th July 2016, which if so inclined you can read all about in my ‘Tale of Simple Country Folk and a Pair of London Townies’ on this website. Monday morning dawned bright and early with him indoors up at 5 to get to work at the local Nick for 6.30. I had to be in school early too to fulfil one of my...

“It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious.” ~ Oscar Wilde, Lady Windemere’s Fan “I say ‘the great literature’ not because of its aura of cultural strenuousness, but simply because, in the past, there is only great literature. Only the great stands the racket of time and survives from generation to generation; the rest dies for lack of staying power.” ~ V.S. Pritchett, My Good Books (courtesy of...

You can see the shell of the La Scala from Second Avenue. I can’t remember the first X-rated movie I went to see there, but you can bet the fear on my face was real enough as I got to the turn at the top of the stairs and I expected the woman taking the tickes to eye me up and say, ‘Nah, son you look about fifteen’. Which would be about right, even though I did have a proper suit jacket on and open-necked collar to somehow make me look older,...

Huge thanks this month to Coral (seashore) who very kindly took the time to select July's Poem and Story of the Month. Congratulations to the worthy winners! Whilst reading through so many wonderful pieces for this month's picks, I had a strong sense that my late daughter Julia (Overthetop1 on Abc) was with me, and maybe influencing my final choices. I’d like to think this was the case, so my shortlist consisted of pieces that I could relate to...

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Debut novel. Lily Poole. Set in Dalmuir. (Well, actually, the house I stayed in Dickens Avenue, if we're being specific). Got a lot of support here for this novel. Have a read and tell me what you think. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lily-Poole-Jack-ODonnell/dp/1783522356 One reviewer said was a 'compelling read'. And he'd 'demolished it in two days.' He made a comparison. 'Opened my eyes to issues of mental health and its perceptions in the same way...

Two great pieces this week. Poem of the Week goes to Philip Sidney for the pitch-perfect Daguerreotype, and Story of the Week to proudwing for Witnesses - his first piece (of many I hope!) on the site. Congratulations to both: http://www.abctales.com/story/philip-sidney/daguerreotype http://www.abctales.com/story/proudwing/witnesses Good luck with this week's Inspiration Point: http://www.abctales.com/inspiration-point-ip .. and finally don't...