Reflections on a difficult relationship Photo by N Kamalov on Unsplash When David had to deliver his first eulogy, he was forced to consider the realities of his relationship with a rock star in the making. In 1989 Dave joined a band. He'd been playing guitar for a few years, and sent an ad to the local paper.… Continue reading Rock Star Eulogy
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The Garden – a TFW Writing Exercise
Image courtesy of the author This simple little writing exercise should help get your creative juices flowing, and also engender a sense of calm. Imagine yourself in the perfect garden. Explore and describe this garden through writing. This is your garden. Don’t be constrained by realities. This garden can be anything and anywhere you want… Continue reading The Garden – a TFW Writing Exercise
The Evening Check-in – Reflecting on the Day
A valuable companion to morning pages Image courtesy of the author We rush through life: wake up, check the phone, walk the dog, dash to work, grab a coffee, lunch at the desk, trawl through emails, go home, have a quick dinner, watch a bit of telly, then sleep for a few hours until we… Continue reading The Evening Check-in – Reflecting on the Day
Ulysses knocks Scrivener off pedestal
I’m a long-time Scrivener fan. I’ve given workshops on Scrivener. I loved it so much I negotiated a discount for members of The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain. I've been as loyal as a dog to this app. But I’ve just subscribed to Ulysses, and love it. Here's why... I bought Ulysses some years ago,… Continue reading Ulysses knocks Scrivener off pedestal
Giving Away Dad’s Sax
The old man's gone, but the music lives on Photo by Molnár Bálint on Unsplash It's approaching the third anniversary of Mark’s dad's death. And he’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.… Continue reading Giving Away Dad’s Sax
Morning Pages
In a previous post, I mentioned morning pages; if you’re not familiar with the idea, this is what it’s all about. The term “morning pages” comes from Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’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
The Writer as Outsider
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
The Benefits of Writing by Hand
Clarify your thoughts, write a great first draft Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash 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… Continue reading The Benefits of Writing by Hand
