Are you an early morning riser, up at the crack of dawn at your desk with a cup of steaming hot tea by your side? Or do you prefer to hit the page late at night…
Writing (rewriting) the past
How reliable is your memory when recounting times long gone? Have you tested it out lately? Memoir writers face this question all the time and if there is nobody around anymore to verify your view of…
The luck of being a writer
I felt very lucky in June. I travelled to Iran to take part in a ten day residency in the south eastern province of Kerman. If I wasn’t a writer I probably never would have gone….
Finding focus for your writing
How do you find the focus to write words you need to write? It’s all very well to love the idea of writing, but if you want to write a book of 75,000 to 80,000 words…
Indulge your writing
I hope someone gave you chocolates on Valentine’s Day or if they didn’t, you went out and bought some for yourself. My indulgence is Pana Organic Chocolate — Sour Cherry is my favourite. I don’t eat…
Eat, sleep, dream your writing
When I make the time to write, I’m always surprised to remember how much I enjoy it. It’s strange to think that something we try so hard to avoid can be so pleasurable. The most enjoyable…
Nourish the writer
We are just back from our Bali Writer’s Residency at the beachside home of my publisher Sarita Newson. Sarita turned her the family compound by the beach near Sanur, into a bnb a while back. It’s…
Writing the village
I’ve never been one to travel for travel’s sake. That’s not to say I don’t admire people who travel on full itineraries, visiting a number of countries in one trip and every museum and art gallery…
Stealing away time to write
Technology, they said, would make our lives easier — they forgot to add, and busier. So how do you steal time away from your busy life to make time for your writing? You know the saying — if you want…
Is your writing going or gone?
I always love the moment when the auctioneer is close to closing the deal but he just wants to give the buyers one last chance to up their bid. going… going… going once…. going twice………….. going…
The art of bathing (and writing)
We are not long back from two great trips, to Morocco and Japan. These happen to be my favorite destinations at the moment and they couldn’t be more different. But one thing they do have in…
Writing with the Five Ws
Last week while teaching my Everyday Creativity class, I was talking about the usefulness of gently programming yourself for the day the moment you wake. Sometimes the night can offer up dreams of anxiety, worry and…