BALI FIJI BURMA MOROCCO LAOS We all know writing is a lonely job, not unlike that of a goatherd, I sometimes think. All day long the lonely goatherd must watch his or her…
Writing the sacred
Seven writers set out early this month to write the sacred at The Fes Sacred Music Festival. By the time we began our workshops we were eleven, joined by three local writers, including Moroccan screen writer…
Learning to have faith in your writing
What is this thing called faith? Ministers of religion preach it from the pulpit, census forms ask us to write what faith we belong to, or teachers tell us we have to have faith in our…
Taking risks for your writing
You have to be brave, foolish or both, to stick at this writing game. Actually for most of us there is no choice; we are driven to put words on paper no matter what. I saw…
Leave your writing fool behind
April fools day has been and gone and if you got caught out, we have three April workshops in Newtown designed to leave your writing fool behind. Meditating On Memoir – April 18 – May 23,…
The inspiration to write
It didn’t take much for a group of intrepid writers to jump at the chance to join me at Burma’s inaugural Irrawaddy Literary Festival early this month. It must have been one of Asia’s best kept…
Finding the space to write
Sometimes you just have to get away, far away, to clear enough space around your head to let the writing in. We did this recently on our twelve day writing journey in Morocco. Starting in Fes…
Renewing your commitment to write when you can
New Year’s Eve has been and gone but for those of us who have trouble making New Year’s resolutions, let alone keeping them, there are there are plenty more opportunities to have another try. In February…
A talent for writing
What is this thing called writing talent? Are you born with it or is it something you can learn or acquire? I had plenty of time to muse on this question on our Mekong Meditations week…
The beauty of a deadline
Deadlines! We complain about them when we have them and fantasise about them when we don’t. This year I experienced the beauty of the deadline, handing in 4,000 word assignments for my Masters coursework every seven…
How to get published – get yourself some writing friends!
In other posts I’ve talked about the importance of mutual mentoring and the value of having a writer’s group, somewhere you can go not only to get feedback for your writing but share all the ups…
Finding your (writing) room with a view
If you were in Bali with us last month you would know how inspiring it is to have a room with a view. At Lakeview Hotel at Kintamani where we held two writer’s retreats, Backstage Bali…