Writing.ie has published an article I wrote about the fiasco that was my attempt to get writing last week, whilst out west for the Galway International Arts Festival. Go on. You know you want to read it. Go on. Seriously. Your week would be incomplete without it. If you don’t, you might never know why, ever…
Through the Looking-Glass: Power. Money. Baldness
Tark and Mara who? I did warn you. Explanation here In a universe not far from here, but somehow very like here, Tark was busy writing. “Darling, what are you doing?” asked Mara, newly transplanted eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement and distrust. Her husband’s industrious expression was severely out of place in their six-bedroomed chrome-and-mirror penthouse. Tark never…
What Makes Me Buy A Self-Published Book?
It’s summer holiday season. Therefore it’s self-published e-book time. I’m currently loading up to my Kindle. But what makes me choose one non-traditionally published book over someone else’s? It’s tough to know which marketing works, and which doesn’t; as a reader, I have to say that I find a lot of book marketing intensely annoying, and at best…
This Summer I’ll Be Reading My Ego: The Farce of Holiday Reading Lists
All the newspapers are doing their “Recommended Holiday Reads” for 2014. Of the ones I’ve seen, only the one in the Sunday Times wasn’t hilarious. The Sunday Times listed books by genre, giving their picks of the best romance, crime, thrillers, non-fiction etc this year. So far, so sensible. However, every other paper I read…
The Cynic’s Guide To Blogging
Tomorrow is my 1st bloggerversary bloggaversary Blogiversary! (Pause. Wait for silence). It is, though. On 9 July 2013 I started blogging about book sales, writing for money in an environment where there is no pay for writing, and other things generally in the book and writing worlds I felt like poking fun at. Anyway, I thought I’d celebrate…
10 Reasons Why Being A Writer Is Like Working In Middle Management
1. Both the people at the level below you and the people at the level above you suspect there is no need for you at all. 2. You’d rather not be at your desk most days, but if you didn’t have a desk to go to, you’d probably die. 3. You do all the work,…
On Blogging, And Memories Of Those Who Never Were
Following on from my last post, in which we discussed online personas, factual or ridiculous, I’ve been thinking about a couple of characters I dearly miss from blogging misadventures past. One very talented writer whose blog I love (thank you, Elaine Canham) suggested that whatever personal stuff writers say about themselves online could just be made up. This made me…
Author Privacy and OverSharing: How Much Of You Is Enough?
I’ve been reading one of the most thought-provoking books I’ve encountered in a very long time (it’s also brilliant, and called piteously to me each and every time I was forced to put it down, despite the fact that I felt like I was bashed over the head with one particular metaphor towards the end). It’s called The…
Writing Weather
It’s been a sunny week in Ireland. This is more important than you know. Summer in Ireland usually lasts about a week. Think about what that does to the average human psychology. You trudge through a grey world for 355 or so days a year, knowing that actual colour will only be available for…
Showbiz/Political Autobiography Book Title Generator
So you’re famous! Congratulations! You’ve spent years building up enough fans/cash/scandal/failed relationships/headlines/backhanders/gratuitous nudity, to be recognised on the street! Well done, you! Now all you need is to bung out the first volume of your autobiography. After all, a few million in royalties will give you some extra pocket money, and your bad habits have been catching up with…
Tara Sparling writes 