Category Archives: Writer Interrupted

I Suck at Social Media.

I have a confession. One that’s obvious to some, especially those who know me. I suck at social media. Social media as a forum is both a treasure and a bane. It’s an information and networking portal and a source of disinformation and anxiety. Not to mention underhanded data collection, stalking, cyber bullying and echoContinue reading “I Suck at Social Media.”

Book Sale! ‘The All or the Nothing’ at 20% off for a limited time

Hi all My first print poetry book, The All or the Nothing, is currently on sale for 20% off for a limited time. It’s normally $10.00 Australian but is now $8.00, which is approximately $5.60 American or 4.30 British pounds (my keyboard doesn’t have a pound symbol – DOH!). Inside, you’ll find 62 poems aboutContinue reading “Book Sale! ‘The All or the Nothing’ at 20% off for a limited time”

Writer Interrupted: Young Classics

An excerpt from a response I did for a Uni YA writing course some time ago: Do you have your own private classics? Name one. Why do you call it a classic? What do you think makes a children’s or adolescents’ classic? Witches, Ghosts and Goblins, by Ruthanna Long, is an absolutely awesome picture book aboutContinue reading “Writer Interrupted: Young Classics”

Writer Interrupted: my new Poetry book!

The print proofs are back and the new poetry book is ready! Today, my second poetry book – Poetry for the Sad, Lonely and Hopelessly Endangered – is available in print. Inside, you’ll find 76 poems for various states of mind: happy, infuriated, inebriated, dogmatic, dramatic, smiley, wily, cranky, spunky, overwrought, overworked, sad, lonely andContinue reading “Writer Interrupted: my new Poetry book!”

Writer Interrupted: The next poetry book

It has been about a year since ‘The All or the Nothing’, my first book of poetry, was published as an e-book. It’s now available in print, as well. I guess it’s time for the follow up. I’ve been working hard, compiling and editing, designing and laying out the book in Adobe Indesign and Photoshop,Continue reading “Writer Interrupted: The next poetry book”

Why do we blog?

Why do we blog? Some say it’s cathartic. Some say it encourages and develops us as writers. A creative outlet. Some say we do it for fun. To get in touch with like-minded souls. Some say they just need to vent—anger, tears, love and fears. Some say they want to inspire. To express their opinions.Continue reading “Why do we blog?”

The Real Book. A tale of two formats.

Remember that poetry e-book I released a year ago? Yeah, I thought not. The All or the Nothing is a book I’m very proud of, but it’s only sold a few copies so it’s safe to say my grand dream of being recognised for my poetic talents (real or illusionary) has fizzled somewhat. Then IContinue reading “The Real Book. A tale of two formats.”

Writer Interrupted: Writing Haiku

What is a Haiku? The Haiku is a poetic form that originated in Japan as early as the 9th or 13th Century, depending on what you read, but wasn’t known by the term Haiku until the 19th century. Want to know more about Haiku history? Click here. Traditionally, they focussed on nature and emphasised simplicity.Continue reading “Writer Interrupted: Writing Haiku”

Finding My Voice

“In truth, I never consider the audience for whom I’m writing. I just write what I want to write.” J.K Rowling. “You have to follow your own voice. You have to be yourself when you write. In effect, you have to announce, ‘This is me, this is what I stand for, this is what youContinue reading “Finding My Voice”

The Poetry Writing Process

Okay, a few people asked me this. I thought I’d oblige with a post. I write the majority of my drafts on my iPhone, while I’m walking, watching TV, or sitting on the toilet (my compositional repository of choice). My writing very much depends on my mood and what has impacted me that day. IContinue reading “The Poetry Writing Process”

On Writing and Editing Poetry

Explain your editing process. What works best for you? Do you take risks? Are you objective? How have you taken the poems through its steps to completion? The Song Poetic. A poem about writing and editing poems. The toilet provides solitude, composure in a setting sometimes peaceful, sometimes filled with the keen echoes of urgentContinue reading “On Writing and Editing Poetry”

The Narrative Poem.

Here’s another response I did for uni. You might want to try it out. Cheers Steve 🙂 Write a narrative poem of no longer than 15 lines about your childhood. Remember the narrative poem is a journey. Take the reader on a journey of your childhood. Free Stephen Thompson This new yard, so voluminous andContinue reading “The Narrative Poem.”

An Exercise in Poetic Styles

Here’s a response I did for Uni. You might like to try the exercise out yourself. Cheers Steve 😊 Write a haiku (formal style) on the theme of water and then write a free verse piece (of no more than 10 lines) on the theme of water. Which style worked best for you? What stumblingContinue reading “An Exercise in Poetic Styles”

Everyday Rhythm and Poetry

Here’s an exercise I did for Uni, a fair while ago. Use the question for a writer’s prompt, if you like. Do some exercise, listen to some music, or even listen to the clock tick. Find an everyday rhythm and write a poem of no more than 7 lines in response to the theme ‘Women’.Continue reading “Everyday Rhythm and Poetry”

Preludes. A Poem by the Master.

Preludes By T. S. Eliot I The winter evening settles down With smell of steaks in passageways. Six o’clock. The burnt-out ends of smoky days. And now a gusty shower wraps The grimy scraps Of withered leaves about your feet And newspapers from vacant lots; The showers beat On broken blinds and chimney-pots, And atContinue reading “Preludes. A Poem by the Master.”

The Luminous Details of Poetic Description

Exercise: Poet Ezra Pound described the “luminous details” that reveal and transmit an image swiftly and deeply. Find an image that resonates with you. Write a poem about this object in no more than 10 lines, keeping in mind the art of description, and the luminous details that move the reader. When you have writtenContinue reading “The Luminous Details of Poetic Description”

Advice for the Young (Poet) at Heart

Poetry was not really my thing. I wrote poetry as a shy, insecure and sensitive teenager, much as other shy, insecure and sensitive teenagers did, but as I grew older it lost its allure. Not because I was less inclined (I was in bands and writing my own music and lyrics by that stage), notContinue reading “Advice for the Young (Poet) at Heart”

Edgar Allan Poe and the First Exegesis

Edgar Allan Poe is considered one of the foremost exponents of the Gothic horror genre and is also well known for his poetry. His poem The Raven, published in 1845, was his most famous and successful work, and his short stories include The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Fall of the House of UsherContinue reading “Edgar Allan Poe and the First Exegesis”

‘The All or the Nothing’ – My first book of poetry is available NOW!

62 poems to make you laugh, cry, get depressed or get drunk by! My first book of poetry is available as an e-book for $5.99 from the following distributors: Kindle/Amazon – https://www.amazon.com.au/All-Nothing-Unorthodox-Orthodoxy-Hearted-ebook/dp/B078JDTPDF/ref=sr_1_103?ie=UTF8&qid=1514113702&sr=8-103&keywords=the+all+or+the+nothing Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/au/en/ebook/the-all-or-the-nothing (Australia) https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-all-or-the-nothing (United States) and other countries Google Play – https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Stephen_Thompson_The_All_Or_The_Nothing?id=he5DDwAAQBAJ Scribd – https://www.scribd.com/book/367654215/The-All-Or-The-Nothing-Unorthodox-Orthodoxy-for-the-Lonely-Hearted Barnes and Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-all-or-the-nothing-stephen-thompson/1127694153?ean=2940158721397 Ebookit.comContinue reading “‘The All or the Nothing’ – My first book of poetry is available NOW!”

A Poor Poet’s Cause

I’m putting together a book of poetry to self-publish, hopefully before Christmas. I’m working on whittling the two hundred plus poems I’ve written over the last nine months down to about fifty, as that’s the general size of most poetry books. The book will include some poems I’ve published on this site and new workContinue reading “A Poor Poet’s Cause”

Chuck. A character study.

I created Chuck for one of my short stories, written for uni. Following is a character study I wrote for him. If you’re not familiar with a character study, it’s used to develop a character’s background and personality traits. From these elements the character’s mannerisms and dialogue come to life. Some character studies are complex,Continue reading “Chuck. A character study.”

What do you want to write?

What are the issues that you especially want to talk about / celebrate / examine in your stories? There are a lot of stories in the world. There are many more hovering in the random threads and wings of my head. They long to burst forth from their cocoons, bright and beautiful butterflies ready toContinue reading “What do you want to write?”

The Novel-writing Locomotive.

My novel is (once again) back on track. How many times have I said that? It seems every time I slip the rails I have some new excuse (for a list of the latest ones, click here). Coupled with my short attention span, my novel-writing train has jumped the tracks every few weeks, as ifContinue reading “The Novel-writing Locomotive.”

Writing…stuff.

So, I’ve posted a few things about writing. Not that I’m an expert or anything, but readers seem to like me rambling on. I’ve made it a ‘thing’ (I like to do that–‘Haiku Friday’ anyone?). So, now you can find all the posts grouped under Writer Interrupted in the menu. It saves me from creatingContinue reading “Writing…stuff.”

The Art of Observation, Character, Dialogue and Navel Gazing. An occasional post on writing.

Do you suffer from depression? If so, you’ll know the Black Dog. If not, click here or here before reading on.  An Observation on Observation Every writer should be an observer. Every writer should watch the people around them, taking in the nuances, the poetry of conversation, the body language electric that at once disguisesContinue reading “The Art of Observation, Character, Dialogue and Navel Gazing. An occasional post on writing.”

The Great Australian Novel. A pondering.

So, what exactly happened with the writing of my great Australian novel (and I use the term ‘great’ very loosely)? I don’t have writer’s block*. I know a lot of writers suffer from this, and I am always sympathetic (did I say sympathetic. Sorry, I meant uncaring and sociopathically lacking empathy), but not me. Actually,Continue reading “The Great Australian Novel. A pondering.”

Place and Setting. A writing perspective.

Yet another of my long-overdue university out-takes. Following is an answer to a question about establishing place and setting for stories, that I wrote several months ago for one of my writing subjects. I moved back to my parents’ house after being away for many (Read: MANY) years and I’m now living in the roomContinue reading “Place and Setting. A writing perspective.”

A Writer’s Lot. A poem.

And at that certain time Heads emerge from shells Where they were buried Dreaming tales to tell And cloistered in my womb Loneliness and black dog thoughts Of doom and gloom I send my words to you Sometimes liked Sometimes not at all Left wondering what the magic recipe must be But liked or notContinue reading “A Writer’s Lot. A poem.”