I'll be appearing at Birmingham Literature Festival on October 6th, talking about literary entrepreneurship. The panel, called Making Writing Work, will be chaired by Malachi MacIntosh, and also feature Nick Makoha and Crystal Mahey-Morgan. We are in the midst of a literary revolution. Gone are the days when writers followed just one career path, as now we welcome … Continue reading Sightings
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Setting Headers and Footers at Compile Stage in Scrivener
It's easy to get your writing out of Scrivener into another editor for the final polish using the Compile function. In my case, I always compile to Microsoft Word. Something I've wrestled with for a while, however, is getting the headers and footers in Word just how I want them. Fortunately, as with most things … Continue reading Setting Headers and Footers at Compile Stage in Scrivener
My standout gigs
I’ve been to some great gigs in my time. Here are five of my favourites, in no particular order. Suede, Wolverhampton Civic Hall, 1 November 1994 I was into Suede from the first moment I heard their music, and really loved the angst in the guitar sound. This was one of the first gigs at … Continue reading My standout gigs
Punctuation (and other) Basics
I know punctuation was one of your favourite things at school, right up there with long division, but there's often confusion over certain points. I've put together the examples below to help clarify some of these, as a misplaced apostrophe or hyphen can cause all manner of problems. So first up, a family favourite: APOSTROPHES … Continue reading Punctuation (and other) Basics
Bringing the ghosts of Birmingham’s criminal past back to life
Always quality writing from the BOLDtext collective. Book your tickets for this unique event now!
By BOLDtext writer Tim Stimpson
If you’ve ever walked down Steelhouse Lane in Birmingham you more than likely have no idea what lies behind the front door of the unprepossessing redbrick building on the corner of Coleridge Passage. Unless you’re a police officer or have been arrested, it’s even less probable you’ve seen inside. But the old Central Lock-Up has been the first stop for many of the city’s criminals for 125 years. As such it’s an important and fascinating part of Birmingham’s heritage.
The Lock-Up closed its doors in 2016 and West Midlands Police are now in the process of transforming the grade II listed building into a new home for the force’s museum. All being well it will start welcoming the general public in the next few years. In the meantime BOLDtext have been busy writing short plays about some of the people who would have passed through…
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Trans-Europe Express: A Break in Bruges
My wife and I recently took a short break in Bruges. (It's in Belgium.) A wedding anniversary treat. We travelled on the Eurostar from St Pancras to Brussels. This was partly because Mrs S is a nervous flyer, and partly for reasons of cost. We both had reservations about the subaquatic rail tunnel, but the … Continue reading Trans-Europe Express: A Break in Bruges
Random Acts of Senseless Violence by Jack Womack
I’ve just finished re-reading Random Acts of Senseless Violence by Jack Womack. Set in New York at an unspecified date, Random Acts… is the story of 12-year old Lola Hart’s experiences as her family’s situation takes a downturn, against a backdrop of political and economic turmoil. We see Lola’s development through entries in her diary, … Continue reading Random Acts of Senseless Violence by Jack Womack
