top of page

Welcome to The Jotter, my reflections on books, writing, and culture.
For exclusive content, browse paid subscriptions here.
Subscribe here for my weekly newsletter direct to your inbox every Monday:


Writing Prompt: Showing Not Telling
We're going back to basics in this week's writing prompt with Andrew.
Andrew Jamison
Sep 101 min read


5 Reasons I Started Writing a Blog
This is a picture of me writing at my desk, taken by my wife, Aimee. I’ve now been writing a blog for three months, and in this post I...
Andrew Jamison
Sep 35 min read


8 Lessons I’ve Learnt about Rejection as a Writer
Submitting your work to journals for publication is an exciting aspect of being a writer. I can vividly remember in the early days of my...
Andrew Jamison
Sep 37 min read


Writing Prompt: Using Imperatives in Your Writing
Try out Andrew's latest weekly writing prompt and see where it takes your writing.
Andrew Jamison
Sep 31 min read


5 Questions to Ask Yourself While Writing a Poem
To accompany the other posts I’ve written about questions to ask before and after you’ve written a poem, I thought I’d write another one...
Andrew Jamison
Aug 194 min read


5 Questions to Ask Yourself After You’ve Written A Poem
"As a general rule, these are the five questions I'll ask myself at the end of writing a poem..." As a follow-up to my previous post...
Andrew Jamison
Aug 134 min read


5 Reasons to Write Blank Verse
Blank verse brings the music of everyday language to life. Blank verse is unrhymed iambic pentameter , meaning it has 10 syllables with...
Andrew Jamison
Aug 134 min read


7 Reasons to Get a Writing Mentor
If you’re an aspiring writer and often find yourself wondering how to take the next step with your writing or maybe you want more...
Andrew Jamison
Aug 74 min read


Behind the Scenes: How I Wrote 'Swans We Cannot See'
Swans We Cannot See was my third collection of poetry and in this post I want to give you an idea of what went into it, how I wrote it...
Andrew Jamison
Aug 27 min read


6 Ways To Think About Imagery in Your Writing
"I am a camera with its shutter open..." "I am a camera with its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking.' This quotation is...
Andrew Jamison
Jul 254 min read


5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Write a Poem
While poetry is undoubtedly about the freedom of expression, and it's important to embrace impulse and inspiration, if you're serious...
Andrew Jamison
Jul 173 min read


The Seven Cs of Poetry
Discover Andrew's Philosophy on Poetry in Seven Words Beginning with C.
Andrew Jamison
Jul 178 min read


10 Reasons to Join a Book Group
"...it's always fun to take a book and its author to task..." 1. Reading is Good For You Committing to a book group means committing to...
Andrew Jamison
Jul 103 min read


5 Top Tips for Publishing a Poetry Pamphlet
"Here, I want to share with you some of my insights from writing a prize-winning pamphlet." So, you’ve started publishing poems in a...
Andrew Jamison
Jun 225 min read


14-Line Firework Display: A Guide to The Sonnet in 500 words
"It's a 14-line firework display of ideas, imagery, voices, tones, punctuation and line breaks." The sonnet has long been one of my...
Andrew Jamison
Jun 222 min read


Poetry Primers: 3 Poetry Anthologies to Get You Going
Poetry Primers: 3 Poetry Anthologies to Get You Going
Andrew Jamison
Jun 182 min read


5 Golden Rules for Reading Your Poetry Aloud
"Being able to read your poetry aloud is not simply an add-on to your craft, it's essential..." I’ve been to quite a few poetry readings...
Andrew Jamison
Jun 154 min read


3 Elements that Make or Break a Poem
"I’d say I value the following three traits most highly." While I approach all poetry with an open mind , and I’m always willing to...
Andrew Jamison
Jun 123 min read


5 Top Tips for Submitting to Poetry Competitions (from a Judge)
(For paid subscribers)
Andrew Jamison
Jun 113 min read


The Star in the Skylight
My first blog post for The Poetry Jotter, reflecting on how and why I write
Andrew Jamison
Dec 18, 20245 min read
bottom of page