More than Writers

(Guest Post.  Posted by Rosemary Johnson on behalf of Stephen Poxon) Empathy:  The ability the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.  My little old mum, all 4'11" of her, will, God-willing, be 90 in approximately two-and-a-half years' time. Throughout my fifty-eight-year experience of being her son, I have only known her to be unwell twice; once with flu in the 1970s, and again when we lost Dad suddenly, and shock and grief played havoc with her sodium levels.  I mention this because, at this time of writing, I am convalescing from surgery. I'm fine (please don't feel obliged to send chocolates), but I have spent the last few weeks in some pain. It's no big deal, but it did lead to a conversation between Mum and I during which she remonstrated with herself for what she admitted was her failure to demonstrate empathy towards Dad when he was ill and, as it transpired, dying.  Mum is stoic, and doesn't overdo empathy. For example, I broke my...

The power of words to create a deeper understanding of what cannot be easily seen is an amazing reality and responsibility.  Some say that a picture speaks more than a 1000 words and I agree that it is very powerful.  I have pictures all over my house, most of them chosen because they have stirred a deep response within me.  A picture truly can get to the heart of an emotion or give the shape and form to what has only previously been imagined.  Yes there is something about words and the way they are put together that enable you to understand, empathise and identify.  So those of us who write novels will create characters whose viewpoint becomes our lens on life even if personality wise they are very different to us. Somehow the act of creating that character enables their feelings and experiences to be opened up so that we are seeing them from within not just gazing at the external view. Not all of us are novelists (I've never written one myself...

WHAT CAN I DO?    by Sue Russell Yesterday Veronica Zundel posted about the value of a retreat. I had intended to post something about the delights of Penhurst Christian Retreat Centre too, and I knew that Veronica went there a day or two after I left some weeks ago. I went with Claire Dunn, and we both planned to use the time writing and editing (our own and each other's) as well as taking a step back from normal life in this warm, welcoming place set in the rural heart of Sussex. We were blessed with crisp winter weather: hard white frosts every morning and red skies every afternoon, and when we weren't working we were walking, encountering pheasants, rabbits and deer. The staff were as kind as ever, the other guests interesting people from varied backgrounds. We got a fair bit of work done, and enjoyed the meals we hadn't cooked, the log fire and huge sofa, and the deep peace. We attended some of the prayer sessions and I found it touching that one of the other guests...

Charlotte Bront ë     Life has been getting in the way of my two WIPs.   (Yes, I’m writing two at once, ghost writing a second book for a pastor in India and working on my second novel).   But working full time and caring for elderly, disabled relatives had begun to sap my energy and I decided that my imagination needed a kick-start.   I can’t change my circumstances, so I tried an experiment.   As I normally read a lot of non-fiction, especially for my work, I decided over the summer to read only fiction books.   I almost kept to it – I was beguiled, after listening to Dave Andrews, into buying his book, The Jihad of Jesus, on Muslim-Christian relations.   (I haven’t yet finished it, but I recommend it as a thought-provoking read).   But that was the only exception. So, what have I read?   Many and various authors – Jonathan Swift, Thomas Hardy, George Eliot, Charlotte Brontë, Elizabeth Goudge, Jenny Lee, Georges Coulonges...