Wow. That was intense. Three hours on a hard bench listening to poetry readings with no break and no refreshments. That’s a real test. Luckily it was an open-air event, on the boardwalk at Hastings (the Barbados one, not the UK one). It was easy to get up and stretch your legs occasionally, and the [...]

How writers generate ideas
One of the most common questions I’m asked whenever I give a talk is “How do you generate ideas?” The honest answer is: I don’t.
Oh, I’ve tried. Believe me, I have. I’ve sat at the computer all morning and willed myself to generate an idea. Sometimes, after a few hours of mental torture, if a deadline is looming, I’ve managed to squeeze out something, just one idea at least. The trouble is, I know even as I’m typing it out that it’s not very good.
The best ideas, you see, come in a completely different way.

Finding some inspiration
Sometimes, as much as I like writing, I get tired of it. Towards the end of last year, it became difficult, and I started to dread it, and I wasn’t happy with what I was producing, and I let myself get too busy with other things. I needed a change of scene. I am fortunate [...]

Reading 8 or 9 hours a day
George Lamming also said something quite amazing in his speech, and I forgot to mention it in my last post. He mentioned that he reads for 8 or 9 hours a day, and has done throughout his life. If he doesn’t read that much, he feels – I forget the word he used, but basically [...]

George Lamming on “The politics of reading”
While I was in Barbados over Christmas and New Year, I went to a literary event – the 12th annual award ceremony for the Frank Collymore Literary Endowment, on Saturday 9 January 2010. The keynote speaker was George Lamming, probably Barbados’s best-known writer. He gave a fascinating speech on the politics of reading, which I [...]
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“The Sense of an Ending” by Julian Barnes
19 September 2011
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The Sense of an Ending, explained
2 May 2012
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Introducing “A Virtual Love”, coming to a bookshop near you in Spring 2013
12 March 2012
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Finding some inspiration
15 February 2012
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Beauty is a sleeping cat
26 April 2012
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Test of stamina at Bim Literary Festival, day two
21 May 2012
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Earl Lovelace at Bim Literary Festival
18 May 2012
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Austin Clarke at Bim Literary Festival
18 May 2012
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Learning from Derek Walcott: Bim Literary Festival, day one
18 May 2012
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Great opportunity for unpublished UK writers
14 May 2012
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litlove: You did better than I would have done - three hour...
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litlove: Yes, Crossing the Mangrove is a great place to sta...
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Andrew Blackman: Ah, thanks a lot Vishy! It's interesting that you...
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Andrew Blackman: Hi litlove, Yes, I've been meaning to read Mar...
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Andrew Blackman: Yes, I've read most of Edward Said's work - one ...
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- Test of stamina at Bim Literary Festival, day two
- Earl Lovelace at Bim Literary Festival
- Austin Clarke at Bim Literary Festival
- Learning from Derek Walcott: Bim Literary Festival, day one
- Great opportunity for unpublished UK writers
- How to write a book review
- How writers generate ideas
- The Sense of an Ending, explained
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