Sandra Harris Writes

  A BITTER WOMAN’S GUIDE TO WRITING. BY SANDRA HARRIS. 1.         Don’t bother with goals- you’ll never keep them anyway and you’ll only get depressed. 2.       Always wait for inspiration to strike before you write anything- there’s no point sitting staring at a blank screen twiddling your thumbs. Go on social media instead, see if inspiration strikes there. 3.       Don’t waste your time looking for writing ideas in nature or in observing other people. The ideas are already all in your own head- no outside input needed. 4.       Why bother reading anyone else’s books or writings? They’ll only confuse you and your own style will end up as an irritating hodge-podge of other people’s. Best to develop your own distinctive voice by staying away from other people’s. If you really must read something, try a celebrity magazine or, again, social media. 5.       Don’t waste your precious words on wh...

ARE YOU GOING THROUGH A WRITING SLUMP? BY SANDRA HARRIS. © I’ve found myself writing a lot less lately and that’s unusual, as anyone who knows me well, even just from online, can confirm. I used to write nearly every day, opinion pieces, film reviews, works-in-progress, like novels and novellas, etcetera. I haven’t stopped writing altogether; I don’t think I could ever do that. But this year I’ve been writing a lot less, and I thought it might be helpful, not just to me but also to other writers, to explore some of the reasons why. It’s not so much a writer’s block, in which you have no idea what to write about next, it’s more of a writing slump in which I just don’t feel like writing much at the moment. Or, rather, I want to write, but the flesh is unwilling and the mind is weak too, lol. I’ve been writing consistently since 2009. I reached a milestone birthday and decided that, if I was going to be a writer as I’d always intended to be, I’d damn well better get a move on. I...

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR WRITING IDEAS FROM? BY SANDRA HARRIS. © People who know I’m a writer are always asking me where I get my ideas from. You can find inspiration literally anywhere in life, I tell them. Look around you in the house; pick up an ornament and make up a story about it, or write a non-fiction piece about its origins, if you know them. Read books, watch films, study paintings or listen to music. Better yet, get out of the house altogether and go for a walk.  It’s better than a book of writing prompts. You’ll see ideas around you wherever you look. People always look a bit dubious when I say that. A walk? Really? Just walking around and observing things and people? They probably wouldn’t believe me if I added that, if walking around the place observing and inter-acting with people were a job that you got paid for, I’d do it in a flash. And, just to prove my point about how rich and fruitful our local neighbourhoods can be as a source of inspiration and ideas for...

LET’S HAVE A HALLOWEEN CATCH-UP! BY SANDRA HARRIS. © It seems like ages since I wrote anything personal so I thought a dreary Monday afternoon in the run-up to Halloween might be a good time for a chat. Speaking of Halloween, I’ve officially decided that it’s my favourite festival of the year, even more so than Christmas. Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas and I’ve had some magical festive seasons, but I’m fed up with the terrible commercialisation of Christmas. The pressure to spend money on certain things is ridiculous. In previous years, I’ve given in to it like a turkey to the slaughter, but no more! No more tubs of feckin’ Celebrations, Cadbury’s Roses, Miniature Heroes and Quality Street that will be still sitting there in the cupboard in March. No more chocolate-covered toffees, sexy-delicious as they are, and no more of the boxes of jellies, fudge or liquorice sweets with the smiling Santa on the box, because, you know, our teeth, lol.  And in what universe would ...

  HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION. BY SANDRA HARRIS. © This is the time of year when school kids are traditionally required to pen the essay on what they did over their summer holidays. I myself had the best summer I’ve had in ages, not for any major, spectacular reasons but for a load of little bitty reasons, which are every bit as worthwhile. And I normally loathe summer too, for a myriad of reasons, which makes my enjoyment of this one all the more miraculous, and baffling. Here are some of the reasons why I normally hate summer; if I have to suffer through them, then you guys have to suffer through reading ‘em... 1.       I have goth leanings, and prefer to wear black and hibernate for the whole of the winter and much of spring. Summer is usually a horrible shock to the system. 2.       Summer makes my hair do a ‘Monica-from FRIENDS in the One Where the Gang go to Barbados.’ 3.       It also m...