More than Writers

    When we have a piece of writing that we want to get done, it can be amazing how often we get interrupted, or distracted, just as we try to start. Sometimes it is simply a co-incidence – at other times I do wonder whether the enemy sends distractions to try and stop us from writing something that will have an impact on the world around us.   We can also get distracted just as we start because we have a fear of actually getting our ideas down.  There is a hurdle to cross in ourselves , which often includes self-doubt.   I know some will be utilising the extra space and time lockdown has provided, so distractions will be caused more by this inner dialogue – but perhaps that has  gone into overdrive during lockdown .   Today I want to focus on  a newer form of distraction , which has occurred during the pandemic. For those of us with kids of secondary school age, or upper primary, it is the constant interruptions by our kids that can be a real cha...

There's no doubt that the last year has prompted a whole host of polarised views. You only have to scroll through your Facebook page to see a range of them at play. The other day my local paper reported that 9 people had died that day in our local hospital, and the comments were full of anger, denial and hatred, people attacking one another, minimising pain and suffering and seemingly unable to listen to other viewpoints. Many of us are living with a sense of anger about all this that is near to boiling, and most of us probably think that our take on the situation is the correct one - that's human nature, right? What stands out to me about many of these posts on social media is the lack of grace for others. I am as much guilty of this as anyone, when I am blazing with anger I hurl it out in words, and it's not always kind (I thought the image above might be an appropriate representation of what some of us feel about some people's opinions in their writing at times!) As ...

I have just carried a huge wilting white poinsettia into my utility room to put it into the sink for a long deep drink. As I retraced my steps, collecting an abundance of fallen leaves, I thought I was probably too late. The remaining withered leaves are unlikely to cling to their stem for much longer.     But the pseudo flowering plant, with its blossom of pale leaves, has out-classed itself as it filled a corner that in other years has boasted a large bouquet of winter blooms to last across the Christmas period and just about into the new year. The room will look bare a fortnight later than usual, longing for the first daffodils.     Trying to decide whether it’s time to throw out the plant has made me think about other aspects of my life where I have hung on to things in the hope that they will revive or come in useful. Once- favourite clothes, reminiscent of weddings or outings, hang forgotten and at risk of moths. Over the years, the mending pile has col...

  Firstly, apologies for this being so very late - I actually got my dates and days wrong! Anyway, here it is. The garden is very quiet, still, grey this morning. As I step outside, my hands clasped around a warming mug of coffee, for my daily dose of garden therapy, it’s easy to feel disappointed. And I do. At first. I miss our regulars: flame fronted robin his song volume belying his size; camouflaged great and blue tits performing acrobatics from the branches; blackbird and his contrasting beak dipped in buttery gold paint pot; even the kiss chasing squirrels have disappeared. Then I hear two magpies having a to-and-fro discussion in the cypress above me before they fly off. I recognise (and realise that comes easily now) the distinctive flack-flack-flack of a wood pigeon taking flight. Then the surprise of the morning: the pterodactyl shape of a heron flying low across the sky and I work out that it must be travelling from night time perch on the canal to daytime fishing gr...

Read any good books recently?   As writers, we’re regularly reminded that we should be readers, too. In these times of online meetings and virtual interviews, we’re becoming much better acquainted with the contents of other people’s bookshelves. This is a good thing, in my opinion, although I often wish that the camera would zoom in a bit more so that I can see what people are actually reading.   An even better way to draw attention to your reading material, however, is to post a review, preferably in as many places as possible. Writing can be a lonely business and receiving a positive review can be a better pick-me-up than a large bar of chocolate, but with far fewer calories. (There's also the added bonus of a potential increase in sales.)   You’ll notice I focus on positive reviews here. That’s because I feel my time is better spent on those than on possibly upsetting another writer with what is – after all – only my opinion. Some negative reviews are really weird, too...

This picture is one of the very few detailed pictures that I have taken. I usually take pictures of a pretty bush, an old building. Having been inspired by others, I took a picture of a pretty, frosty leaf. It reminded me that God is in the details; it also told me to maybe have more of an eye for details too. I don’t really do details when reading. Long descriptions of stuff make my eyes glaze over. I read every word, of course, skipping bits in a book is sacrilege in my view. But I can move my eyes faster along the lines, can’t I? My wild imagination is happy to fill in the blanks, even if that means the main character wears silk rather than velvet. It was luxurious material, that’s all that counts. When I’m writing, I need to remind myself to add detail. Not all the time, but a splash of colour here and there. I can picture the scene perfectly, but it’s writing it down in such a way that others can see it too, without nodding off. When I write, I literally tell myself the story...

I've been thinking recently about what I actually mean when I write/say certain things these days. My words carry different meanings to the ones they might have held before Lockdown was a thing. I find this fascinating. Here are a few examples. I'm Zooming in the lounge now Before: (with the preposition in replaced with  into) I'm going to move at speed into the lounge Now: ( with a warning look) I'm going to chat with friends/my boss/my department, on-line, so you'd better pipe down or I'll kill you I'm shattered! Before: I've taught all day, cooked a meal, cleared away, hung up and folded washing, made two phone calls and been to a church meeting Now: I've done two Zoom calls and a Whites Wash I'm off for my daily exercise Before: Would never say it. (Or do it.) Now:  I'm going for a walk for half an hour.  I'm going to post a letter Before: I'll stop at the postbox en route to town in the car Now: I'm so excited  about leaving ...