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Giving Away Dad’s Sax ๐ŸŽท

The old man’s gone, but the music lives on It’s approaching the third anniversary of Markโ€™s dad’s death. And heโ€™s just given away the old man’s saxophone. It was the day of their son’s graduation. Mark and his wife, Sue, went to the university for the ceremony, accompanied by Mark’s mum, Mary. It was a … Continue reading Giving Away Dad’s Sax ๐ŸŽท

Morning Pages โœ๐Ÿป

In a previous post, I mentioned morning pages; if youโ€™re not familiar with the idea, this is what itโ€™s all about. The term โ€œmorning pagesโ€ comes from Julia Cameronโ€™s book The Artistโ€™s Way. This is an inspirational book for anyone interested in exploring creativity, or who feels their creative impulse is floundering. I was first … Continue reading Morning Pages โœ๐Ÿป

The Writer as Outsider ๐Ÿ“„

It’s OK to be you As writers, we observe and analyse, document and comment, our own feelings and opinions thinly veiled behind the exploits of allegedly fictional characters. A certain level of detachment is essential if we’re to be at all effective in our craft. As writers are typically introverts, this tends to come easily. … Continue reading The Writer as Outsider ๐Ÿ“„

The Benefits of Writing by Hand ๐Ÿ“„

Clarify your thoughts, write a great first draft Computers, phones and other gadgets are essential to everyday life. With their convenience and speed, we use them to communicate daily. But for reflective, exploratory writing, writing that’s just for you, I’m a firm believer that writing by hand is much more effective than tapping on a … Continue reading The Benefits of Writing by Hand ๐Ÿ“„

A Letter to My Younger Self ๐Ÿ“„

But which one? A letter to my younger self. I admit that I thought this would an easy little exercise. But then I sat down to write… To what age me should I address this letter? Which of the many people I’ve been? On considering the options, a certain song by Frank Sinatra sprang to … Continue reading A Letter to My Younger Self ๐Ÿ“„

How Julie’s Subconscious Memo Helped Reduce Her Stress ๐Ÿ“„

When Julie was writing in her notebook recently, a nine-word observation by her subconscious appeared on the page. As a result, she made a simple change that has reduced her everyday stress. Each evening, Julie prepares four sides of paper in her notebook. Three are for her morning pages โ€“ the stream-of-consciousness brain dump long … Continue reading How Julie’s Subconscious Memo Helped Reduce Her Stress ๐Ÿ“„

Working 9 to 5 ๐Ÿ“„ how Lucy poured herself a cup of ambition

Iโ€™m a novelist and scriptwriter, Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow and Advisory Fellow, workshop lead and creative coach.ย Click here to get the lowdown on updates, insight into projects, and a look behind the scenes on creative stuff. You can also follow TFW on Twitter, or like the Facebook page.