This morning I got a rejection email for a short story I submitted to a competition. This lunchtime I went for Nando's with my good friend Fiona, a fellow writer. I told her about the rejection, and the realisation that I was fine with it. In fact, it felt good. I enjoyed my spicy hot … Continue reading Rejection buzz
Writing
My theatre heroes
(Pictured: the pot of tea I drank after seeing the glorious The Lounge at Soho Theatre. On until 20th May, worth running to get tickets) Inevitably my blog posts are filtered through the context of my life, so before I launch in, here's a spot of context for you. (1) I'm freelance, and am often … Continue reading My theatre heroes
Recession of the Imagination
My latest blog post 'Diversity and Creativity' reminded me of a short story I wrote in June 2015 following the Anti-Austerity march. As it currently lives on a defunct blog site I thought I'd take the opportunity to give it new life in here, as it remains as relevant as ever. For the Anti-Austerity march I was part … Continue reading Recession of the Imagination
Bamboozled
Have you noticed that different professions have their own languages? Technically they might be speaking something approximating English, but their communications are so littered with jargon, if you are one of the uninitiated you may well struggle to understand what on earth is going on. The advertising world is one such profession. We love our … Continue reading Bamboozled
Escaping the writing cage
There is nothing like writing a novel to make me feel caged as a writer, the tyranny of a project that feels both never-ending and solitary. At one point in my novel writing journey I stopped writing altogether. Why? There are several possible reasons I could give, including my struggles with depression, or a more generic loss … Continue reading Escaping the writing cage
Too old to start writing?
Sometimes it can feel like the world is geared to the education of the young. Which is great. If anything we need more opportunities for some of the youngsters out there, those who have a taller mountain to climb because they weren't born into a family that owned a chalet near the summit. That's why … Continue reading Too old to start writing?
A Guide To Writing For Me, By Me
In 2015 I went on a writing retreat to Lumb Bank in Yorkshire. It was an Arvon Foundation writing course and our writing tutors were the fabulous Stephen May and Emma Jane Unsworth. It was a really special week, not just because of the inspiration we got from our brilliant tutors, but because I found … Continue reading A Guide To Writing For Me, By Me
