April 1, 2019
I had a cough recently. One of those itchy, tickly ones that can hide in the background all day only to come out at night and keep going until you've not only woken up the other half, but the dogs, and probably the neighbours too. Having coughed and coughed all the air out of my lungs, and seriously doubted whether I could inhale again before I'd pass out, I ended up sitting up in bed listening to BBC Radio 4 Extra. I was in luck, I thought, an adaptation of E.M. Forster's A Room with a View was on.
It was the final episode of a four-part series, but that didn't matter as A Room with a View is one of my favourite novels, so I knew the story well. I wasn't particularly keen on the story being told by Lucy instead of a third person narrator, as having access to her thoughts took away the subtlety of the original. However, what really tempted me to turn the radio off was the way some of the characters' reactions and speeches had been changed, making their personalities quite different. Not only did it seem exaggerated, but the humour had been stripped away too.
I was left wondering whether the writer adapting it had read the same book as I, but that's the thing with novels–every reader brings their own experiences and knowledge to them, so that each one will find something different. In fact, read the same novel days apart, or in another mood, and they'll seem different. Night right or wrong, just different.
By the time I'd finished thinking all this it was nearly time to get up, but at least the tickle had gone, and I'd come to a decision–it's really time I read A Room with a View again. Any excuse!
Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Reviews
March 2, 2019
After a few months when nothing has seemed to move, everything has suddenly rushed on.
I've had news that my short radio play,
Wingbeats, is one of the three winners of the eighth annual Midnight Audio Theatre contest. I don't have a date yet for when it will be broadcast, and as
MAT is based in Columbus, Ohio, the chances are that you won't be able to listen to it then, but the theatre also has a weekly podcast. I'll post details as I get them.
My story, 'The Inspiration Machine', is due out...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Coming Soon
February 11, 2019
Inspiration doesn't always appear when you want it to. When you're short of ideas there are several recommended ways to get your creativity flowing. You could try an exercise like describing the room you're in, or writing a letter to a friend (real or imaginary), or simply writing down the first things that pop into your head without attempting to edit them. These are all good, so take your pick.
One of my favourite ways to get my writing brain working is to write a review. There are benefits...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration
February 4, 2019
A few weeks ago, I met someone who had been one of my closest friends as a teenager, but whom I'd not seen for decades. We'd lived in the same town for most of those years, and could easily have bumped into each other shopping, but we didn't. That's probably more remarkable than the fact that when we did meet, in ludicrous circumstances, we still recognised each other.
It was a real coincidence, and if I write a memoir I might put it in, but if I ever tried to base a short story around it, it...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
January 22, 2019
When I first saw trailers for
The Favourite, I was delighted.
I've been interested in Queen Anne's reign since someone gave me G. M. Trevelyn's England under Queen Anne when I was a teenager. It's a period that gets little attention compared with the Tudors or the Napoleonic era, yet it was pivotal in many ways. Not that I expected the film to be a history lesson. After all, it's a drama, not a documentary, so I wasn't disappointed that the film concentrated on the relationships between Queen...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Reviews
January 13, 2019
I watched too much television over Christmas. I don't suppose I'm alone in that, but I probably watched more bits of things than most people because I didn't buy a TV guide in the mistaken belief that I wouldn't be tempted to watch as much that way. Consequently, what I saw had an element of pot luck.
One of the things I almost missed was
Going Postal, the television adaptation of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel. I love Terry Pratchett's books, and I've wanted to love previous television ad...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
December 31, 2018
Where did this tradition of making resolutions at the new year come from? Frankly, I haven't a clue, other than the link with new beginnings, but it's very hard to escape it. Perhaps the reason so many resolutions are broken before the end of January is because they are half-hearted to begin with, made for form's sake rather than a true desire for change.
I'm not going to suggest what promises anyone should make themselves, and if you're heartily sick of being asked what your New Year's resol...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration
December 24, 2018
If you get a moment after the last-minute shopping for the festivities, and find yourself without a plate or glass in your hand, you might take stock of what's happened and what you've done in 2018. You won't be alone. Most of us do it at this time of year: another 12 months gone, and what happened to all the things you thought you'd achieve?
I know there are plenty of things on my list that I haven't been able to put a tick next to yet. Some things are no longer a priority, others have progr...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
December 16, 2018
When someone finds out I'm a published writer, I can guarantee I'll be asked one of two questions: 'Does it pay well?" and/or "In anything I've heard of?" Whether it pays well depends on whether you're used to champagne and flying on private jets, or dine regularly in your bedsit on beans on toast. Some people think that unless your earnings are in the J. K. Rowling bracket you aren't a proper writer. Maybe a list of my credits would impress them more.
I've had hundreds of pieces published or...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
December 4, 2018
One of the great things about the internet is that it's easier than ever to have your say about things. Put up posts on social media, blogs or reviews and potentially your views will be seen by a worldwide audience.
However, being persuasive means doing more than firing off Tweets as the impulse takes you. Look at the derision President Trump's brought on himself, and the ammunition he's handed to his detractors by not checking for typos. It always pays to spend a little time shaping wha...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
