'This is often the case with writing; extended longueurs when you simply have to trust that, beneath the implacable, icy mass, idea pebbles are being tumbled.'This is often the case with writing; extended longueurs which can seem to last for centuries, when you simply have to trust that, somewhere, beneath the implacable, icy mass, idea pebbles are being tumbled and turned. The post Alice Albinia appeared first on The Royal Literary Fund.

Vox: Short audio from the RLF

Alice Albinia: The Writing Life

'Patrick Hardy, interested in my project, asked me to demonstrate a few of the tricks. Mummified Finger? Flapping Thing? I wondered nervously.'Patrick Hardy, interested in my project — now called Tricky Tricks — asked me to come in to see him and demonstrate a few of the tricks. Mummified Finger? Flapping Thing? Vanishing Flower? I wondered nervously. The post Sally Kindberg appeared first on The Royal Literary Fund.

Sally Kindberg: My Most Treasured Moments As A Writer

'A classic crime story starts with a dead body and then we work backwards, often with a central detective character, to find out how this came about. 'A classic crime story starts with a dead body and then we work backwards, often with a central detective character, to find out how this came about. Whereas a thriller starts with a huge potential danger and a race against time to prevent it. The post Alison Joseph appeared first on The Royal Literary Fund.

Alison Joseph: Being Genre Fluid

'Many of us have Kindles and yet we still buy books, because sometimes we just want something to hold. Or because it's easier to study from a book. 'Many of us have Kindles and yet we still buy books, because sometimes we just want something to hold. Or because it's easier to study from a book. On the tube, at least half the carriage are reading something. The post Penny Black appeared first on The Royal Literary Fund.

Penny Black: The Future Of Literature

'The student distrusts their own abilities to evoke a fictional world and so they add in more and more detail. But they also distrust their reader.'The student distrusts their own abilities to evoke a fictional world and so they add in more and more detail. But they also distrust their reader, so they add in more words of explanation, and this has the paradoxical effect of crowding out the reader. The post Andrew Cowan appeared first on The Royal Literary Fund.

Andrew Cowan: My Reading Habits

'What a published text really gives you, is the smoldering possibility of more. A genuine afterlife for the play. 'What a published text really gives you, is the smoldering possibility of more. A genuine afterlife for the play. A published script can cross the world to be spotted by a director who has never heard of you. The post Fraser Grace appeared first on The Royal Literary Fund.

Fraser Grace: Getting Published: What No One Tells You

'At night, I meditate on the problem. I ask myself, what is the problem? Am I stuck because I have run out of ideas?'At night, I meditate on the problem. I ask myself, what is the problem? Am I stuck because I have run out of ideas, or do my ideas not sound authentic and interesting? The post Debjani Chatterjee appeared first on The Royal Literary Fund.

Debjani Chatterjee: Writer's Block

'You'll have three wonderful children, and you'll have the pleasure of rereading the books you reread, with them.'You'll have three wonderful children, and you'll have the pleasure of rereading the books you reread, with them. You'll decide to leave your publishing job to be a freelance editor, but also, to write. The post Teresa Heapy appeared first on The Royal Literary Fund.

Teresa Heapy: Letter To My Younger Self

'If something really gets to me, I want to figure out how and why. What is it the writer does that takes me to a particular place, or time? How do they expose a character?'If something really gets to me, I want to figure out how and why. What is it the writer does that takes me to a particular place, or time? How do they expose a character and make them compelling? And what makes a voice special? The post Cherise Saywell appeared first on The Royal Literary Fund.

Cherise Saywell: My Reading Habits

'Good nature poetry is about looking, but it's also about having the right vocabulary, which most of us townies are losing. 'Good nature poetry is about looking, but it's also about having the right vocabulary, which most of us townies are losing. It's worth reading a few poets who really know about trees and flowers. The post John Greening appeared first on The Royal Literary Fund.

John Greening: The Writer And Nature

'But what about the writer as insider? For every prophet in the wilderness, isn't there someone firmly embedded in the world? 'But what about the writer as insider? For every prophet in the wilderness, isn't there someone firmly embedded in the world? For every recluse, isn't there a social creature bouncing off others? The post Amanda Dalton appeared first on The Royal Literary Fund.

Amanda Dalton: The Writer As Outsider

'The writers who inspire me are those for whom writing is routine. The ones who, while fond of singing and dancing, wouldn't dream of making a song and dance about writing. 'The writers who inspire me are those for whom writing is routine. The ones who, while fond of singing and dancing, wouldn't dream of making a song and dance about writing. They write whatever the season. The post Caroline Sanderson appeared first on The Royal Literary Fund.

Caroline Sanderson: Writers Who Inspire Me

'Why do I go through this? I'm fifty-five years old. I've had twelve books published, and I've had thirty-six years of rejection. Thirty-six years? 'Why do I go through this? I'm fifty-five years old. I've had twelve books published, and I've had thirty-six years of rejection. Thirty-six years? There's been rejection for articles and features, short stories and poems, novels and non-fiction books. The post Caitlin Davies appeared first on The Royal Literary Fund.

Caitlin Davies: Rejection

'The main reason I struggle to be genre fluid is that to write good historical novels you need two sets of skills; those of the novelist as well as the historian. 'The main reason I struggle to be genre fluid is that to write good historical novels you need two sets of skills; those of the novelist as well as the historian. Both require research, patience, imagination and structure. But of slightly different kinds. The post Lucy Moore appeared first on The Royal Literary Fund.

Lucy Moore: Being Genre Fluid

'Eventually, creeping industrialisation and the seizure and loss of his beloved countryside caused John Clare such anguish it sent him mad. 'Eventually, creeping industrialisation and the seizure and loss of his beloved countryside caused John Clare such anguish it sent him mad. How are twenty-first century humans affected by rapidly disappearing natural things? The post Sally Kindberg appeared first on The Royal Literary Fund.

Sally Kindberg: The Writer And Nature

Short audio series where RLF writers explore topics around writing.

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Vox: Short audio from the RLF

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