Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Writing Magazine

    SHELF LIFE

    May 05, 2022 5 minutes

    Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman

    ‘I can still vividly remember the day a single book changed my life. I was shut away in the family living room, aged twelve, ripping through the last few pages of Malorie Blackman’s with such vigour that I’m surprised I didn’t tear them from the binding. I expected the story to swivel at the last minute and end in the only way I knew: tied up in a perfect bow, with the villain getting their just deserts, and the protagonist getting their Happy Ever After. But the ending Blackman delivered changed my view of storytelling forever. ‘As I stared at the infamous last page, a fervent need ignited me. As a reader, I no longer wanted the cookie-cutter ending, or the perfectly likeable characters. I wanted flaws. I wanted pain and tragedy. I wanted to feel every emotion I possibly

    You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

    More from Writing Magazine

    Writing Magazine1 min read
    Writing-competitions
    www.writers-online.co.uk/writing-competitions ■
    Writing Magazine3 min read
    REAL LIFE, Great Stories
    We think of our lives as a single narrative, a sequence of big events that have made us into the person we are, and this story is where most people start when they first consider writing a memoir. But the single narrative view is not the only way to
    Writing Magazine3 min read
    Standout, Breakout
    For a few years I had pinned above my desk a Private Eye cartoon by Peter Cook. Two literary types at a book launch, ‘I’m writing a novel,’ says one, ‘neither am I,’ replies the other. It’s a curious irony, given the amount of time that authors spend

    Related Books & Audiobooks