The Literary Sofa
Isabel Costello
6⅔ Things I Learnt from Rewriting my Book
Last week it was a real pleasure to be asked to write a guest post for Writers’ Workshop on the much hoped-for outcome of my rewriting mission – getting an agent. Literary Sofa regulars have followed the process, given me invaluable support and shared their own experiences here (see Writing section), but the WW post … Continue reading
Book Review – The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
It’s daunting to attempt to do justice to Donna Tartt’s 784 page novel The Goldfinch in a mere thousand or so words. Last night I was part of a large audience who saw her in conversation with Kirsty Wark at St James’s, Piccadilly. If the weight of expectation surrounding the release of what is only … Continue reading
The Joy and (mostly) Horror of Houseguests
Last week we had a family of French friends staying with us, which led me to reflect on the subject of houseguests. This time we were exchanging bisous by the hundred with my oldest friend, her husband and their three children, the youngest of whom is my gorgeous eight-year-old goddaughter. Although we usually meet in … Continue reading
How To Run a Successful Book Blog – Guest Post on For Books’ Sake
This week I am delighted to be appearing as a guest on the fabulous and dynamic webzine For Books’ Sake. The editors invited me to contribute some thoughts and tips on running a book blog, and for the benefit of my own blog followers who aren’t on Twitter, here’s a link to the post. If … Continue reading
What’s Your Kind of Book?
Once again thanks to Ben Blackman and Sanjida O’Connell for contributing such stimulating guest posts and for keeping the Literary Sofa in business whilst I was, I hope, career-advancingly occupied. Ben and Sanjida proved to be extremely popular guests sending the stats soaring and I’m hoping they’ll both make return visits to coincide with their new … Continue reading
Guest Author – Sanjida O’Connell on Editing her Novels
I’m very grateful to this week’s guest, the multi-talented Sanjida O’Connell, for offering to step in and keep the Literary Sofa warm. It’s fitting that she has chosen to share her extensive and varied experience of editing novels since that’s precisely what’s keeping me so busy as crunch time approaches for my own manuscript. Sanjida … Continue reading
Guest Author – Ben Blackman on writing Narrative Non-Fiction
Today, for the first time, I’m delighted to welcome an as-yet-unpublished writer to the Literary Sofa. My guest is a popular and witty presence on Twitter and has livened up my day many, many times. Together we have plotted to take over the Vatican. We are engaged in an apostrophe war with no end in … Continue reading
I Remember
Following the excitement of the York Festival of Writing, I am spending every possible moment polishing my manuscript but I don’t want to neglect the Literary Sofa. So for this week’s blogpost, I decided to cheat and use a fantastic writing exercise from the York mini-course led by editor Andrew Wille on the Four Elements … Continue reading
The York Effect – Festival of Writing 2013
I first attended the Festival of Writing organised by Writers’ Workshop in 2012. If you’d told me then that I’d end up going two years in a row, I would have been surprised, not least that I could spare the money or the time away from home. I would have been frankly appalled to think … Continue reading
Second Blog Anniversary Competition – NOW CLOSED
Things have been pretty frantic since I returned from my month in America: I got straight back into my manuscript for the final push before I send it out to readers and then agents. On the blog I’ve posted a travelogue, a fantastic piece by Wendy Wallace, the first guest to ‘reappear’ on the Literary … Continue reading
My new novel SCENT – out in paperback on 19 May 2022
The Literary Sofa 