Posts Tagged Writing
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November 30, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
The Nostalgic Pull: Forever Grateful
I’ve always been aware of the nostalgic pull; it drives my writing in so many ways. The reason I wanted to get into writing about music in the way that I did was to recap. I used to keep diaries of the albums I bought, the albums I listened to each day. For years I […]Archive
November 16, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
So You Think You Wanna Be A Freelance Writer…
I finished school in Hawke’s Bay and moved to Wellington for University. I didn’t really know exactly what I wanted to do – but I was always interested in writing, so I figured I’d be a journalist. My plan was to do a BA in English and then apply to journalism school. In my second […]Archive
November 3, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
I’m On Substack – It’s $5 A Month – I’ve Written Over 100 Newsletters, Come Join Me!
I’ve recently written – and sent – my 100th Sounds Good! newsletter. It’s over on Substack. And you can get it direct to you inbox. You can even subscribe and pay a small feel, a contribution towards the work I do. Sounds Good! started in February of this year. Almost as a dare. My friend […]Archive
November 2, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
Science Fiction Double Feature: Writing and Reading Sci Fi
Advances in science and medicine have meant we can now predict the life expectancy – we can know how long everyone will live. We know if the life will be cut short. Everyone is given a medical passport when they turn 10. It is stamped with an expiration date. The last six months of anyone’s […]Archive
October 23, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: Mail Delivery
There was a special delivery in the mail yesterday, all of the records Alec Bathgate made as a solo act, all pressed to vinyl, brand new. Not only that, but Lindsay Rabbitt’s new volume of poetry – these were gifts from the creators; they’ll want me to write about them. But I want to write […]Archive
October 11, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
Georgia Pritchett: My Mess Is A Bit Of A Life
My Mess Is A Bit Of A Life: Adventures in Anxiety Georgia Pritchett Faber & Faber Georgia Pritchett is a British screenwriter. If you haven’t heard the name, you have absolutely devoured some of her work. Maybe a whole lot of it. She has been part of writing teams for a whole bunch of British […]Archive
October 8, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
What’s The Worst Music Bio You’ve Read?
I’ve never been as disappointed by a music bio/auto-bio as I was when reading the Bernard Purdie one; it’s hard to know what the book was even trying to be – it’s written in third person but claims to be an autobiography, there’s no attempt to even ‘get’ Purdie’s voice, there’s no real attempt to hide […]Archive
September 29, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
The Not-So-Great Gatsby
I’ve never liked The Great Gatsby, never been able to see the fuss. I first read it at school – I understood it enough to pass the test, to write the essay, answer the exam-questions and I took it seriously enough to watch the 1974 film adaptation (the one with Mia Farrow and Robert Redford). […]Archive
September 18, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
Rewriting School Field Trips
It was about 30 years ago. School field trip. We were on a bus. The way school field trips usually started. Well, they started with a sense of relief that it wasn’t a regular day of school. You walked in a little lighter that day. The bus would take you to a farm – the […]Archive
September 14, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
Lockdown Poetry
I thought I’d share some poems I’ve written in lockdown. I’m not sure they signify a state of mind – then again that’s exactly what poetry does. And all the time. Anyway, here are some of the newest poems I’ve written – across the last couple of weeks: Two FiresArchive
September 12, 2021 by Simon Sweetman