Wednesday
May082013
Red Nile out May 23
Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 3:04PM Red Nile- biography of the world's greatest river will be published on May 23 2013- probably available before then.
"Fabulous Storytelling" Mick Herron
I have been writing and publishing books on a variety of topics since my bestselling Angry White Pyjamas came out in 1997. Other bestsellers include Red Nile, a biography of the River Nile. In total I have written 15 mainstream books translated into 16 languages. The include creative non-fiction, novels, memoir, travel and self-help. My publishers include Harper Collins, Picador, Penguin and Hachette. I have won several awards including two top national prizes- the Somerset Maugham literary award and the William Hill sportsbook of the Year Award. I have also won the Newdigate Prize for poetry- one of the oldest poetry prizes in the world; past winners include Oscar Wilde, James Fenton and Fiona Sampson.
A more recent success was Micromastery, published by Penguin in the US and the UK as well as selling in eight other countries.
Micromastery is a way of learning new skills more efficiently. I include these methods when I coach people who want to improve as writers. If that's you, go to the section of this site titled I CAN HELP YOU WRITE. I have taught creative writing in schools and universities but I now find coaching and editing is where I can deliver the most value. In the past I have taught courses in both fiction and memoir at Moniack Mhor, the former Arvon teaching centre in Scotland.
"Micromastery is a triumph. A brilliant idea, utterly convincing, and superbly carried through" - Philip Pullman
Subscribe FOR FREE to the Micromastery Newsletter HERE
My instagram account is roberttwiggerinstantart HERE
Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 3:04PM Tuesday
Apr302013
Red Nile
Tuesday, April 30, 2013 at 10:00AM Red Nile- published in May is a recommended read in TGO (The Great Outdoors) Magazine
Monday
Apr292013
escape from colditz
Monday, April 29, 2013 at 6:41AM I went on a tour with the excellent Historical Trips company to see the site of the Great Escape and also Colditz. The tour - led by renowned author Guy Walters was fascinating, fun and highly recommended- here's the piece I wrote for the Spectator:
http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/8895371/great-escapes-2/
Friday
Apr262013
silence is the best medicine
Friday, April 26, 2013 at 5:21AM check out my latest article on selling silence: http://www.aeonmagazine.com/oceanic-feeling/robert-twigger-desert-silence/
Tuesday
Mar262013
traditional parenting
Tuesday, March 26, 2013 at 6:30AM Just as we have seen a move in the last forty years towards using traditional foodstuffs that haven't been mucked around by chemicals, hormones and anti-biotics; so I think we'll see a return to using the main ideas of traditional parenting, but in balance with whatever genuine modern benefits we have accrued. An analogy might be using organic vegetables but cooking with a juicer, mixer and an electric oven. I searched quickly on amazon for books on traditional parenting- there are plenty on non-traditional- but NONE on the good points of traditional parenting. It's a tricky subject because in the current era the culture suggests we blame our parents for just about EVERYTHING. So if the modern world is less than perfect then our parents - and their methods of parenting- must be at fault. The fact that the phrase 'traditional parenting' is now a cliche for bad 'Victorian Dad' type parenting means that the time is ripe for change- when something is a bonehead TV cliche its usually 100% wrong. Just as traditional food has been rediscovered, so too will the lost skills of previous generations of parents begin to be revalued- in all cultures not just our own. This is a key point- the Irish had organic potatoes before the famine- but it wasnt a healthy balanced diet. We may have to widen the search for better versions of traditional than our own recent past.
Monday
Mar182013
Slave?
Monday, March 18, 2013 at 3:58PM "The unsuspecting Britons spoke of such novelties as civilisation, when in fact they were only a feature of their enslavement."
Tacitus. The Agricola
Tuesday
Mar122013
spiral thinking and walking
Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at 2:23PM When we circle a subject we often end up going round and round in circles. When we spiral a subject we end up with a better result. Walking seems to add forward momentum to thinking- stretching a circle out into a spiral. Charles Dickens considered it 'immoral' to write for more hours than he walked. Walking was how he solved the problems which, sitting at a desk, would have just remained in a circle chasing its tail around his head. People have used walking to come up with new solutions for centuries but by adding the image of spiralling a subject as you walk you'll find your abilities to think things up kick started in a useful way.