a rambling about art/vocation/passion/gifts

I’m reading a novel about a Hassidic Jewish boy who was born with a gift. He is under pressure from his father to turn his back on what his papa regards as “foolishness”, but Asher simply can’t stop drawing, the … Continue reading →

Finding stuff I’d lost

It’s over two years since I finished the counselling course and I’m still finding stuff that I’d lost back then. I had no idea what that course would cost me, and am still finding out.

I’ve gone back to work on my novel

Have restarted working on my novel, which has been gathering virtual dust for over four years. I’ll be posting it bit by bit on my virtual writer’s notebook. Unedited – editing is for later. If you’d like to join me … Continue reading →

Some thoughts on creativity and feedback

One of the people I follow on Google Plus is an artist, who shares some of his work there. So I get to see this stuff – not by going to an art gallery or buying a magazine or looking … Continue reading →

Not a clue where I’m going – can you cope with that?

“So what is it that you’re doing with yourself these days?” “Are you still working on that novel?” “How are you getting on with finding work in the field you trained for?” I get these questions from well-intentioned people, who … Continue reading →

Sometimes I miss typewriters

Those clunky old things, that made so much noise, and couldn’t do anything else apart from getting text onto paper. There’s a lot to be said for a single-function tool – yes, I love the computer and all the stuff … Continue reading →

So many words

A guy I read in the Times started his column today by mentioning in passing that he’s had about 130,000 words published in his name so far in 2011, and I thought, wow, that’s enough for a novel, and he’s produced that many words mainly by writing two weekly columns! Which means… maybe I could write a novel? A quick bit of arithmetic showed that

Me and my inner proofreader – a difficult relationship

I’ve been reading a novel which I’m enjoying even though my Inner Proofreader keeps noticing things that aren’t phrased so well – I find myself reading and thinking: it’s a good job there are enough people out there who are … Continue reading →