More than Writers

St Peter’s on the Wall Bradwell on Sea, Essex Today we will explore an opportunity that has arisen because of the pandemic.   We will worship, in a virtual environment in a place that has been very special to us in the past. To get there in pre-pandemic times would have necessitated a two hour journey and  a last minute review of weather conditions, for the place is in a remote part of Essex which had been far more accessible to us before we moved away from that part of the country.   It is a place that evokes many memories, some especially ours, some of gathering with others for worship on summer Sunday evenings. It had to be in the Summer for there are only very limited facilities there. But today there will be a technological presence sufficient to enable us to gain a sense of being present in that place which is part of our family history.   It is a place of pilgrimage - well ‘mini-pilgrimage’ on our part. It dates back to the middle of the 7 th  centur...

I realise today that I need to talk about the F word The F word, s urely not?  Yes, but it's not what you think. The F Word is the word we try to avoid at all costs And which devastates us when it comes but which comes to us all. Failure. Failure. I failed to get this blog in on time. The day is 3/4 over. I should have had it finished last night at the latest, but I completely forgot. I forgot right up until just now When it was virtually too late. That came on top of another failure today, To watch my timing when I was giving a talk. I went on far too long and made others feel pressured with what they were contributing. Failure! On top of other failures this week. Like a mountain. Do you ever find that one failure seems to ignite your awareness of 100 others and before you know it, you are in a prison of four high grey walls and no window? You cannot see the sun? You cannot hear the music? You cannot write the story? Are you saying to yourself today 'I am a failure?'   I...

  Snorri's House A couple of days ago I was on a tour of Iceland. It didn’t involve flying, or even thick winter coats. It was a virtual tour , and the guide was telling us about one of their most famous storytellers, Snorri. I love the name (the Dutch word for moustache is ‘snor’). It summons up images of droopy moustaches, roaring fires and whole chickens being roasted and eaten, washed down with mead. Snorri lived in the 12 th century and was a rather wild character by all accounts, but he was also a poet and writer. Apparently, Snorri went to Norway and he became the king’s storyteller. It sounded like those retreats or residencies for poets. After about three years, he seemed to have struggled with writer’s block and wanted to return home to Iceland. The king, like so many of our readers nowadays, clearly had no idea how hard it is to come up with fresh poems and stories every week, so he told Snorri to stay in Norway and to simply work harder to overcome his lack of inspi...

 Lockdown gives us the chance to do all those jobs put off because we didn't have time – like de-cluttering. Reality check! We don't want to do them now any more than then and there is a mountain to climb because of serial procrastination. What's difficult about filling a skip? Nothing. But that misses the point. Stuff is not neutral. I discovered this when masterminding a family rota to assist aged parents through a major downsize. We agreed what needed to be ditched. There was parental assent to let go – but not that it was skip fodder. Oh no! Things had to find the 'Right Home'. This might do Aunt Ethel a good turn, or maybe a particular charity shop – or could we (me) even sell it on Ebay? The other? Ah well .... do you remember ..... activity paused for lengthy stories about origins usually connected to long forgotten family members or sagas. None of it related to condition or value. Finding the right home for everything was key, a process that could not be hur...

Writing this month’s post for More Than Writers felt like a Lenten task indeed. We have put ourselves under rather a self-denying  ordinance: all subjects other than that of writing to be set aside. Everything in life that is exciting and interesting, everything that piques one’s curiosity, sets one’s adrenaline rushing, or makes one want to yell — barred, unless it comes between pen and paper or finger and keyboard. Someone once jested ‘They say that life is the thing, but I prefer books’. This is amusing in a superficial way. But really, Life is the thing, life in all its fulness and awfulness, together with all thought about life, engaging or repellent, that too is the thing. Books, then, what are they really? Simply mirrors to life and to thought. And writing is holding the mirror up. A mirror is, after all, a rather dull object. Just a piece of glass with some sort of reflective backing. It’s what the mirror reflects that we are all interested in, readers and writers alike. A...

 Alpha: It's about the Journey by Rebecca Seaton                                A journey can take us to many different places.     I’m still enjoying helping with an Alpha course. It reminds me of the importance of the journey. It’s about the walk with God and a reminder to embrace the stages of that relationship not just an end goal of becoming a Christian or a mature Christian (let me know when you’re there!). It’s the same with testimonies. Yes, we’re excited about what we see God doing but that can’t just be about the ‘win’. We like to see success but it’s the process that intrigues us. A journey includes milestones...     What excites me about Alpha is change – of course when people meet with God, but it’s the steps along the way which are just as exciting: seeing people come out of their comfort zone, asking questions, being increasingly open with each other, etc. ...

@aaronburden on unsplash.com On the cover of Ruth Leigh’s novel, The Diary of Isabella M Smugge , Fran Hill writes, ‘Reminds me of Austen, but with added Instagram, selfies and hashtags.’ Judging by Fran’s words above, Isabella and I are very different. I had a message from a friend yesterday: ‘Great Instagram, Emily.’ Dear reader, I am not on Instagram (apparently a poem of mine is though). I have a dislike of cameras, let alone selfies. #IAmNotGreatWithHashtagsEither Undeterred by Isabella’s raging social media success, I thought I’d share with you a recent Facebook post of mine: ‘5-year-old niece is learning to read. On zoom yesterday: Her: “A Hen In A Pen” *Pause Me: “A hen in a pen?! Wow!” Her (clearly thinking I overreacted): “A pen is like...um...a small container.” I’m thankful to her for ensuring I no longer imagine a hen squashed into a biro.’ The post generated a few comments – fowl puns ranged freely – culminating in linking hens and biros to Matt...

    "Go, eat your food with gladness  and drink your wine with joyful heart,                      for it is now         that God favours what you do ."                        Ecclesiastes 9:7  Finally, last Sunday I launched Week 1 of the new 'Food for Thought' series.  This time to feed the body as opposed to the mind.  However, I hadn't realised Pancake Day came in the midst of that so I brought forward Recipe 36 which is Savoury Pancakes.  The mixture is so cheap to make and I can make ten pancakes in my 12" frying pan cost about 40p, add the juice of a fresh lemon and sugar about 5p each and yummie! So much so that I've been making them since April after Sunday's online church, so must by now have made 400!   The picture above is those,...

I've mentioned before on this blog, that I am not a fan of editing. I find it difficult, I don't enjoy it and after a certain number of  times reading the text, I end up regretting ever writing it. This year I have been challenged to change my attitude towards editing. To become the type of writer who crafts, reworks and reworks again to make my writing the best that it can be. I've asked God to help me with this and a small epiphany, we'll call it an epiphanette,  came to me just recently...    I’ve spent quite a bit of lockdown doing jigsaws. Yes, I am one of ""those"" people. I have a proper zip-up 1000 piece jigsaw board, two smaller boards inside! Over time, I have come to prefer jigsaws that are photographs. I find jigsaws that are paintings or animations not just more difficult, but confusing. Take my most recent one, pictured on the left.  If I’m doing a jigsaw that is a photo of a house and it has a tiled roof, I look for pieces with tiles. ...

  Write the vision, make it clear....from Habakkuk 2:2 Strolling around in the antique/junk shop, I suddenly stopped in front of a painting on the wall. Actually, I froze. Couldn’t move for the life of me. You see a photo of that painting which is a print (alas) in this post.  In the moments I stood before the painting/print I stared at the chairs, silent around an outdoor table. My spirit began to listen, really listen as I could hear the whisper of my Shepherd.  “Each chair has a name, each chair an invitation.” I began to name members of my family, quickly realising there weren’t enough chairs yet this could be the start of family communion. There was the wine, and the bread. There were the places ready for those confident enough to come, to begin or continue conversations. I knew in my knower that this art pictured my purpose. It gave me a vision. For life. For writing. My sudden realisation of a vision wasn’t to draw or paint (heaven help us), but to pray and write t...