Hard to believe but Walter Smith has been talking sense. The real fear for Rangers should be ten-in-a-row. That’s five in the bag. Five to go. Obviously, Walter would play Goram in goal and Laudrup up front and use the other nine players as defenders. That worked for him, time after time. But Mark Warburton favours a more expansive game. Well, at least I hope he does. Because Walter Smith’s game plan is perfect for derailing the current Celtic...

'An agent needs to see you have done a creative writing course.' I was recently advised. So I spotted on Facebook a posoting about Future learn Open Univeristy course - Start Creative Writing. Now, with 4 novels written, this sounds like a step back, but its not. The great drummer Neil Peart decided to learn jazz drumming and went back to the start and this is how I've approached it. Its a well laid out course, and I have gleaned a few nuggets...

I didn’t watch this film all the way through. I got to the bit where Detective Sergeant, Bruce Robertson, (James McAvoy) of Lothian Police force looks in the mirror and sees the image of a pig. Pig, filth, black comedy. Gettit? I turned the telly over and watched the end of the Liverpool game. That was exciting. The truth is I don’t know what truth is. But I don’t really need to see the end of the film to know what happens. Writers have a...

This week’s picks stayed with me from the minute I read them. Both are stunningly constructed. Congratulations to Noo for her darkly woven prose-poem ‘My Reflection’ and Celticman for his richly impressionist fiction ‘Glitter.’ http://www.abctales.com/story/noo/my-reflection-poetry-monthly http://www.abctales.com/story/celticman/glitter This week’s IP is to write a story or poem inspired by a phrase you’ve found in some junk mail.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b077r82t/panorama-im-broken-inside-saras-story How many children die whilst in psychiatric care? You probably don’t know. If you were health secretary, you might say something to the effect, none that I know of, or you might guess the answer to be four this year, one of them Sarah Green. You might suggest that the knock on effects of broken Britain (my words) is the number of children seeking psychiatric care...

Just to let you all know there's a shiny new category just for you! Please make sure your work is labelled with it from now on

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p03ply8y/chasing-dad-a-lifelong-addiction Chasing Dad, is of course a play on Chasing the Dragon, or in other words, heroin addiction. This is a film about father and son. ‘This is it Phil. This is my life.’ ‘I don’t know who you are.’ But the filmmaker tells those watching. ‘My father’s been addicted to heroin as long as I can remember.’ Later, his dad confirms this. He tells his son, and the camera, he...

This is a difficult script to write. You could go with the no suggestion of impropriety, criminality or wrongdoing, and following good business practice [fill in any name here, for example, David Cameron, Pablo Escobar, Vladimir Putin] You could go all jokey and imply we're all in it together and we’ve all done it, signing on, or someone else signing on for you, for example, Bahama residents including a part-time bishop, because you’re too busy...

Wow, what a week for Poems and Prose. But Story of the week has to go to Storygirl95. I loved this http://www.abctales.com/story/storygirl95/light-shines-even-darkness And the Poem of the week has to be by Slaughter. http://www.abctales.com/story/fidud/slaughter Now then. Inspiration Point is going to be about Horses! Tomorrow is the Grand National.. Love it or hate it I want to know what you feel about HORSES! So Anyhing about these great...

March’s brief was to use repetition in your work. Not as easy as it sounds because rhythm needs to cooperate, too. Thank you to Silver Spun Sand for the gift of her idea. Here are three gorgeous poems chosen for the distinct ways in which they use repetition: Bear’s dynamic poem is a kaleidoscope of rhythm, live with energy: http://www.abctales.com/story/bear/poetess-poetry-monthly Philip Sidney bought us the music of broken glass and the highs...