This week’s post is brought to you by the letters “WTF” and the news that 5 out of the current Top Ten Amazon bestsellers are colouring books… for adults. Now, I’ve nothing against colouring books for adults: in fact, I think they’re a bloody marvellous idea. I first heard of them when I came across an…
Category: Unscientific Generalisations
5 Cheeky Tips For Bloggers Embarking On The A-Z Challenge
April is a month when thousands of bloggers embark on what’s called the The A-Z Challenge: where people blog on 26 near-consecutive days (every day except Sundays) – on a theme of their choice. It’s a fantastic exercise. It can get the blog blood flowing, prodding bloggers either out of a pit, or into a routine; and it’s a sure-fire way…
Dublin Literature Festivals: This Town Ain’t Big Enough For…. Any Of Them
Festivals are fabulous. In Ireland, we have 143 of them every week. Some of them are small, such as the little-known Toenail Clipping Festival, which takes place in a short field in Leitrim on the first Friday of February at 11 o’clock. Some are larger, such as the annual feast of St. Patrick, which has…
Why I’d Be Really Crap At Having An Affair
I’m trying to carry on three fairly intense relationships at the moment. Simultaneously. And it’s no fun, let me tell you. I don’t know how some reprobates can do it with ease. I think it’s way too much pressure, trying to do right by more than 1 loved one at the same time, and still have time to wash…
The XYZ of Blogging, Or What It All Boils Down To In The End
Why do people blog? What’s the point? Isn’t it just about students putting their diaries up online, as a kind of extension of Facebook? Isn’t it just for those with far too much to say and nobody nearby to listen? * No candle jokes, please. the sheep are a bit sensitive about title of this post. I have to admit,…
Benchmarking Book Reviews, Or How To Untwist One’s Knickers
For a blogger, there’s nothing quite as sweet as gaggles of people getting their knickers in a twist over something. (Those of you who don’t blog yourselves probably don’t know that the blogging equivalent of Natural Law is a list, called “Things That People Get Very Angry About On The Internet”. Whenever we’re stuck for an idea of…
Taking Stock, Or The Electrical Side Of Blogging
Very shortly, I have some graphs coming which are so delicious they make me regret breakfast. I’m not promising you’ll like them as much as I do, but sometimes, when I look at them, I am beset by a moistness of the eyes, much the same as occurs if I watch a video of a…
2015 Book Trends Review
And so we come to the hours-old grand annual tradition, in which I review the year ahead in January, in order to save time at the end of the year, when I will be extremely busy with things I haven’t made up yet. They are here, Ladies and Gentlesirs: I now give you my review of 2015. Just…
Tark and Mara Do New Year’s Resolutions
Tark and Mara were holding their AGM. Their 12,000 square foot penthouse resembled the control room of an overly optimistic mission to Mars. Every window blind was a projection screen festooned with graphs and media strategies. Every surface, including the grand piano, was a sea of printouts, computer equipment, and swatches of ruinously expensive fabric.…
10 Reasons Why Being A Writer Is Like Being Santa Claus
Merry List-mas! It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, but before everyone stops reading blogs for Christmas, there is time for a top ten. So, in the spirit of one of my favourite posts from the last year (10 Reasons Why Being A Writer Is Like Working In Middle Management), here’s a seasonal take on the…
Tara Sparling writes 