Four years ago, on Monday, 11 December 2017, I attended a talk given by the Guardian columnist Tim Dowling at the Guardian newspaper headquarters in North London. Tim writes amusing observational articles about his life, which he calls ‘wonky trolley’ writing. He writes about his family, playing in a band, their animals at home, andContinue reading “Tim Dowling on how to write an article”
Author Archives: Rupert Davies-Cooke
The Power of Lists
Kurt Cobain, Stanley Kubrick, F Scott Fitzgerald. Strange bedfellows, but one thing they all had in common was their love of writing lists. I use lists to brainstorm ideas and dig into the story ideas. At first, the words feel disjointed, like fragments floating in space, but soon it is possible to find common linksContinue reading “The Power of Lists”
Writing towards the Truth
On page 112 of ‘Rising Above the Plains’, John McPhee writes about a time the geologist David Love was learning German and how he came across this line in a book. ‘There is an inscription above a doorway at the German Naval Officers School in Kiel that reads, ‘Say not ‘This is the truth’ butContinue reading “Writing towards the Truth”
Immortal Flowers
I begin by paying attention to the thoughts I have when I am not writing. These appear at any time as I am sure you know. It is usually when I am having a shower or ironing shirts or sitting on buses. I have got in the habit of writing these on slips of paperContinue reading “Immortal Flowers”
Writing the first draft
Just write. Don’t worry about the research. Start when two worlds collide. This gives an edge that generates tension and anticipation. The story is then born in the space where the objective and the subjective touch, where a man or woman seeks something that lies just beyond their reach. Start by writing what you wantContinue reading “Writing the first draft”
Who Am I?
Who am I? I am an orderly man. I like to put things back where they belong. That way, I can easily find them when I next need them. I am a man who likes to watch old movies with the sound turned down, as if I was deaf and had to understand what wasContinue reading “Who Am I?”
Socrate’s dilemma
The man who taught us how to think didn’t like us to write. Socrates was suspicious of two subjects. Rhetoric and writing. What he didn’t like about both was their intransigence. He said that with writing, there was no room to criticise. In Phaedrus, Plato quotes Socrates as saying that ‘writing is only useful toContinue reading “Socrate’s dilemma”
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