S.C Newland - Writer

C.S. Lewis's classic novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is 75 years old today. The classic childrens novel features four siblings in WWII England who discover a magical wardrobe leading to Narnia. They meet Aslan the lion, battle the White Witch, and fulfil an ancient prophecy. C.S. Lewis, an Irish-born author and scholar, is best known for his Chronicles of Narnia series. He was a Christian apologist, literary critic, and close friend of J.R.R. Tolkien Picture AI generation Nightcafe

Bouncing around the superhighway (remember that buzz-word for the internet, back in the day?) I came across The Writing District website. There you will find information for online classes, an informative blog, a current competition and paid-for services like proof-reading and critiques. Worth a gander.

Valentine's Day is the day for romance, and a chance to show your partner your feelings of love. This can be via cards, flowers, chocolates, and dining out, all designed for reciprocal feelings of the heart. Writing messages in cards is a great way to use the craft to express your feelings for the one you love. One of the earliest rhymes is still one of the best:  The rose is red, the violet's blue, The honey's sweet, and so are you. Romance writing is still very much alive, a recent list of a possible Top Ten of romance classics listed the following: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Of the above, I read Jane Eyre at school. My memories of it are more got...

It's Charles Dickens birthday today. The author of so many classic works and memorable characters would have been celebrating his 213th birthday. My personal favourites: 1. A Christmas Carol - What a character Scrooge is, the definitive miser. And set at Christmas, the original classic. Those ghosts - who is your favourite? My favourite line is Jacob Marley's: "I wear the chain I forged in life," replied the Ghost. "I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it." 2. Great Expectations - Wow, what a ride. From Pip to Estella to Miss Havisham and Magwitch. Here's a brilliant line: "You must know," said Estella, condescending to me as a brilliant and beautiful woman might, "that I have no heart—if that has anything to do with my memory." There ought to be a Dickens Day. Oh, there is, a few weeks before Christmas Tavistock, celebrates Dickensian Night. I wonder what the old...

Here we go again - it's the Bill Murray movie in real life. This morning, roughly 12.20 UK time, Punxsutawney Phil was lifted from his burrow, before a worldwide and local audience to deliver the verdict - would it be another six weeks of winter - or the start of an early Spring? The gentlemen of the Top Hats interpreted the message and for the inhabitants of the Philadelphia town - Phil had seen his shadow - which meant, another 6 weeks of Winter. Over here, locally on Dartmoor, he would have no shadow and we shall have an early Spring - whoopee! 'Groundhog Day' emerged from the Candlemas tradition signalling the end of Christmas celebrations, and became a way for farmers to forecast the weather. If it was bright and sunny - indicating shadows it would be a continued winter, but if the day was wet and dull, Spring would come early. Having spotted snowdrops in a lane yesterday, all indications are the latter. Writing stories is a bit like Groundhog Day - you finish it, look...