Iain Broome
Hello. I’m a writer from Sheffield, England. My first novel is called A is for Angelica and is represented by Tibor Jones Associates. I'm also the editor of Write for Your Life, a really good blog about writing, and Websites for writers, an independent directory of online writing resources.
By day, I'm a professional copywriter at The Workshop, a leading UK design, communications and learning agency.
Posts
Something I wrote for Write for Your Life that you might find useful. Well, if you use Scrivener, anyway.
If you watch nothing else today, take two minutes to watch this breathtaking labour of love: a stop-motion film of books playing after closing time.
Delightful.
Here’s an extract from my novel, A is for Angelica.
It comes right in the middle of a chapter that’s right in the middle of the book. The chapter is called New Testament.
There’s quite a bit of dialogue in the extract, which is generally trickier to read/perform, but that’s also why it’s worth recording and listening back. You know, for practice and that.
Hope you likey.
Just read: The Judgement and In the Penal Colony by Franz Kafka
Yikes! Grim! Wasn’t expecting that. Quite enjoyable though, in an unpleasant, gory sort of a way.
Just read: Bringing it all back home by Ian Clayton. Glorious, beautifully written memoir about growing up in the north, places and people, and above all, music. Also, totally and utterly heartbreaking. I cried and cried.
Abandoned: The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich. I got halfway through but couldn’t take the awful writing any longer. Watch the film.
I made a Spotify list of stuff I’ve been listening to this year. It wasn’t necessarily released this year. But I listened to it anyway. Just because I could.
If I ever own a house big enough (or at all at this rate), I’ll probably be buying and sticking up a few of these because they are great and have a variety of Sheffield and Newcastle/Gateshead prints. They’re ace.
They are wonderful aren’t they? And created by my pal, Jonathan, husband of friend and colleague, Joanne, who is also co-organiser of Words Aloud. Sheffield Connexions FTW!!!
Plain Song by Native and the Name, directed by Nick Park
I mentioned this a while back, but my pal Joe and his band have just released their first album and the lead single, Plain Song, is directed by Nick Park. I was part of the audience for the live shots. Even if you look closely, you won’t see me.
Also, I made their website for them.
I’ve spent the best part of six weeks working on the new company website here at The Workshop. It’s very much a 1.0, but that’s an achievement in itself.
When you work for a busy design agency, it’s difficult to set the time aside to work on your own projects. So we decided to dedicate this short period of development time to the site and then iterate as we go.
It’s been great fun to work on and there are lots of plans in store. I’m looking forward to putting more ideas into practice.
Just abandoned: Apples, Richard Milward. Mmm, not my cup of midnight cocoa. Sorry.
Hopeful Eyes (by Native and the Name)
This is my pal Joe and his excellent band, Native and the Name. The lad can sing, I might tell you.
Their album is called Under Branches High and is out now on the old iTunes. You can also nip to the Native and the Name website for more information. The album’s on Spotify too actually.
How CCTV can improve your productivity. This is something I recorded a couple of years ago. Here’s the theory behind it.
I found it because I was looking through my videos on Vimeo to try and find one where I liked my hair.
What? What’s wrong with that?
It does neither reader nor author justice. What you end up with is an impression of something having happened. Pale paragraphs that you can never fully recall. Silhouettes of broken sentences.
I want you to stop speed reading | Write for Your Life
My thoughts on speed reading and why, especially if you’re a writer, you should probably pack it in.
The past beats inside me like a second heart.
John Banville, The Sea
(via Ben Johncock)
Gorgeous sentence.
Just read: Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? by Lorrie Moore. Beautifully written and found myself totally hooked in some sections, but overall it felt like hard work. I’m not sure why either. There isn’t much of a story, but then that’s not much of a criticism, generally speaking. I think, perhaps, sometimes, a book simply isn’t one’s particular cup of tea. And that’s all there is to it.
Just read: The Sense of an Ending, Julian Barnes. Clearly well written and beautifully paced, but not enough soul for my ever so sensitive tastes. I like sentences that surprise me and characters with hearts as well as minds. I can see why it won the Booker, but yeah, I was a bit like, whatevs mate by the end.
A classic example of wackywriting, where mateyness and nonsense masquerades as proper copywriting. It’s a plague, I tell you. Started by Innocent. Infecting brands everywhere.
Believe it or not, I used to sing in a band. And believe it or not again, I was terrible at writing lyrics. Apart from one song, which I rather liked. It was called, lengthily, Mary Dropped a Plate and Everyone Applauded, and included the verse:
Their eyes met on the dance floor.
The chapel disco was known for miles around.
Everyone who’s someone said so.
Barney took a towel and Mary wore a frown.
I only mention this as we’re preparing to move house and I found loads of old stuff. I like finding old stuff. I also found my Year 7 English notebook which says ‘The Great Gatsby’ on the front. Gatsby is one of my favourite novels. The notebook is empty. I have no idea what this means.
Also, I am updating this site again. Mainly stuff about me. Sorry.
Audio
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Here’s an extract from my novel, A is for Angelica. It comes right in the middle of a chapter that’s right in the middle of the book. The chapter is called New Testament. There’s quite a bit of dialogue in the extract, which is generally trickier to read/perform, but that’s also why it’s worth recording and listening back. You know, for practice and that. Hope you likey.16 plays
