MARTIN DINHAM

Words are a writer's lego (a metaphor I've used before but it's apt). They come in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes and the more you have, the better chance of creating something spectacular. That's not to say those with the most pieces, the most shapes and the m...

In the late 18th century with the Napoleonic Wars keeping the rich from their Mediterranean haunts, Emmanuel Lousada spotted a business opportunity and turned a fishing village between spectacular red sandstone cliffs on Devon’s south coast into a holiday destination f...

Why would a 21st century writer want to bother with Shakespeare? The stuff’s written in early modern English (hard enough) and of another time. The answer is because he was the real article. He was a genius. His stories deal with issues and conflicts that still plague...

Helford Passage, the back pocket of Killigrew rogues who prove prison works.

More of an lazy amble then a ramble with its ferry and back-tracking, but with thick woods, lovely coves, open country, pretty hamlets and the glorious Helford River for company, an amble you’l...

Kindle ads cost. How much-what are the options-who to aim them at-where do they go-are they worth it and should you bother? Read on.

Assuming you already have a novel on kindle, log into your KDP account and click the promote and advertise button to the right of th...

Dandruff, sex and a sad demise. 

10 mile round trip. Parking at St. Pirans Inn or NT car park just beyond (going west). Both paying. Some free on-street parking in residential area above beach but you’ll be lucky to find a space (and be considerate).

This walk starts wit...

Luck can get your work found on Kindle but with 4 million competitors it's a fall-from-a-plane-without-a-parachute-and-survive luck. And if you’re that lucky, why bother spending years writing and months editing—buy a lottery ticket instead and save the heartache. Don’...

Durdle Door there and back 11 miles (4hrs) or 13 miles if you press on to Lulworth Cove. Parking in laybys as you enter village. Pub at Osmington Mills. Cafes, pubs at Lulworth. Easy going until last section of steep climbs and jarring descents too close together for c...

Meow or meow?

Getting italics right is important for wannabe professional writers because agents, publishers, literary judges and editors are notoriously conservative. With their in-box bulging to bursting, they’re conditioned like Pavlov’s dogs to filter out anything t...

6-7 miles or so with a few steep climbs but generally easy going. Cafés at start and along the way at Porthtowan and Portreath. Parking either free up the hill or paid at the NT car park by the beach.

This is copper and tin mining country. They’ve been doing it industri...