The problem with writing is similar to the problem of parenting: there is no one right way to do it.

Which is, of course, beautiful, but also hard. We cannot simply sit down and learn the rules and apply them. We have to try out suggestions, apply, modify, improvise. Until we find something that works for us. This time. But not necessarily the next time round. 

This is an attempt to share what I’ve learnt from others by trying, failing, modifying, improvising. 


The Writers’ Journal is brimming with beautiful poems, interesting memoirs and engrossing short stories. And I’m lucky enough that my story ‘Gone’ is featured in this edition, titled ‘Live and Learn.’ It is ava
Repost doesn’t work atm for nefarious or other reasons. Screenshot as a reminder how important ceasefire is. #people_demand_peace_in_gaza
This month, for the #1world12books challenge, I chose zone 3 - North-East Asia - and read Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien. I have never before reached the end of the year and thought, ‘THIS is my book of the year!’ Until
The rule of six I first heard about the rule of six from the fabulous writer and teacher John Claude Bemis @johnclaudebemis . It was a great way to help me along with many of the issues in my writing. Since then, I’ve found out that it’s
The Water Cure is quite a bizarre book, but in a good way. A family consisting of parents and three daughters lives on an island as a haven from toxicity that has swept the rest of the world. This is implied, as are a lot of other things. What exac
A writer, recently divorced, gets on a plane to go to Athens to teach a one-week writing workshop. On the plane, she meets an ageing man telling her his life story. This is repeated over the course of the book with other people she meets - her stu
My November #bookstackchallenge I’m finally jumping on the Elif Shafak train. Excited to see what it’s like. Middlemarch is a re-read and a slow read. It’s just too big to take anywhere but to bed.
Do you read different books depending on the mood/location/time of the day? This is my reading day at the moment: Morning coffee with a dash of Cohen. Trip to and from train with Angela in my ear. On the train with Diana Reid. In bed with G
This month, for the #1world12books challenge, I chose zone 8 - WEST and CENTRAL AFRICA - and read Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi It spans three continents and eight generations, telling the story of slavery and its continuing effects, from its origins in
Show, don’t tell Every single person who has ever engaged in creative writing will have heard this mantra. The most famous example of what that means is Anton Chekhov’s advice: ‘Don’t tell me the moon is shining. Show me the