I'm writing this and objecting to it at the same time! It's the afternoon Boris Johnson stood up at Prime Minister's Question Time and...

A while back, in the writing group, I suggested that the secret to character development was to take two or three different people and...

Sometimes the story is all from the writer. Sometimes the writer has an easier time of it and simply writes down the story as it occurs....

Julie turned the TV on and I said, “Oh, Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. It’s one of those film that, no matter where you start watching...

When I set writing prompts for the group (and myself), I try to be creative; to suggest something that will stimulate the imagination....

The wonderful people at Renfrewshire's Sheltered Housing department sent me this very cool poetry collection because I judged a...

Did anyone watch Netflix's Red Notice over the holiday? Look away now if you want to avoid spoilers although you won't be missing much....

So, we took a trip for a big birthday. How did that translate into a magazine article? Well, the locations were beautiful, but what makes...

This is just a spur of the moment prompt. A friend posted Dire Strait’s Telegraph Road on Facebook. I told the story of a time in my 20s...

Writers talk of "show, don't tell". Here's an example, if you have four minutes fifty to click the link. This song is ALL about one...

Julie and I just had a conversation on the frustrations of putting something in a safe place - only for it to never be seen again. I...

I've just been handed a cup of tea at Oran's playgroup. That's his snack in the bowl. But I was reminded of the poet Ian McMillan who, in...

Julie and I are hunkered down in the Paddle Steamer in Largs and making plans for the winter. If you were to write about how we humans...

Perhaps two years ago, I first mentioned Ian McMillan's Twitter habit of describing his regular early morning walks. I can't remember if...

Kathleen Jamie wrote a poem for the Scottish Parliament (and the rest of us) about the Morrow Bird. It tells of a bird from the future...

One of the writers most useful tools is the phrase "What if..." But, sometimes we are hesitant to get too imaginative with it for fear of...

Alexander McCall Smith on the 27 volumes (so far) of his Number One Ladies Detective Agency series. "It started off as a short story,...