Author Archives: Neil Mach ©

The Last Music Bearer

If the authorities banned music, what kind of world would we live in? Delving into medieval Europe, rock journalist Neil Mach skilfully depicts the torment & sorrow that results from censorship & exile in this ingenious story…

Does your mind get lazy?

Like everyone, creatives have a natural desire for connection and belonging, and so ‘reaching out’ behaviour can lead to procrastination, seeking shortcuts, copying others, and getting distracted from creative tasks at hand… Here’s how to avoid creative slapdashness…

The Qualities of a True Writer

Creative imagination involves generating unique mental images, concepts, and ideas. To be an effective writer, your ideas must be original. The ideas and recommendations generated by a device are never original. A.I. generates trite, identical outcomes based on the re-processed thoughts & notions of other writers and thinkers. So, using A.I. is a copy-cat cookie-cut production method: nothing more!

Why write a novel?

Writing a novel is an endeavour that aims to translate a sincere reaction to the human situation into language that will both amuse & educate readers. Since it derives from the Italian word novella, the heartfelt response must be new or at least presented in a creatively original way. By writing a novel, a writerContinue reading “Why write a novel?”

Norwegian dramatist JON FOSSE wins Nobel Prize in Literature

JON FOSSE a Norwegian playwright, author, and poet, has received the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature during a ceremony held in Stockholm. Since releasing his first fiction work, Raudt, Svart [Red, Black], in 1983, Fosse has authored more than forty theatre plays that have been translated into more than fifty languages, as well as prose,Continue reading “Norwegian dramatist JON FOSSE wins Nobel Prize in Literature”

Book Digitisation Boosts Sales

Cornell showed that digitalization can increase demand through online discovery, leading to an 8% increase in physical book sales…

How to Reach Creative Peaks

For the past ten years, I have successfully finished NaNoWriMo, writing over 50k words in 30 days each time. Here’s my list of eight helpful suggestions for unleashing your creative side… Steer clear of non-creative distractions, such as gaming and social networking. However, watching documentaries, listening to music, going to museums & galleries, and readingContinue reading “How to Reach Creative Peaks”

Taylor Swift responds to slut-shamers with new song

Slut! challenges Swift’s notoriety at the time and responds to those who were critical of her…

Six Books to Return to the Mill

I’ve been considering what books I’d like to see pulped and what they should be changed into after learning that 6,000 copies of Dan Brown’s best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code were destroyed by Turner Prize-nominated artist David Shrigley and reissued as George Orwell’s novel 1984….