There isn’t a plan

‘People are talking you know.’ It is mid-afternoon and I have crashed out for a nap. The book has come … More

Autobiography

I wrote a book with my coat I wrote with the coat of my childhood and I wrote with … More

‘Did you miss me?’ ‘It was only a couple of days.’ ‘Yes, but did you miss me?’ ‘Barely two days.’ … More

I am minding my own business, gazing out of the window, when the book appears. It looks as though it … More

‘I think we’re done,’ the book says. ‘Are you leaving?’ ‘I think so, yes.’ ‘So you’re going then?’ ‘Yes. I … More

‘Have you thought about acting?’ ‘I’m sorry?’ ‘Acting. You’re good enough. Bit of training and you’d be away.’ ‘What?’ ‘Or … More

The book has been working at my desk, which means it looks as though I have been burgled. ‘I can’t … More

I am watching a particularly bleak episode of Wallander when the book pops its head round the door. It stands … More

I have not left the house in days. I can hear the book pacing around upstairs, but neither of us … More

It has been a long day. Arriving home late and wanting nothing more than a bath and an early night, … More

The book has vanished. I don’t mean left the house, or popped out to see a friend. I mean vanished. … More

We are at the flat. Everything has worked out fine: the journey, our connections and now amazing sense of space. We … More

‘Passport?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Flight info?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Euros?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Underpants?’ The book glares at me. ‘What do you take me for?’ ‘It … More

Recently I have been reading the exquisite prose of Janna Malamud Smith, in her book-length meditation on creativity: An Absorbing Errand: … More

We have left the house. At first our walking is clumsy, comical, even. The book is three yards ahead of … More

I am at a thing. Canals are there. Sunlight on them, the last tourists, a shifting of the seasons. ‘Soon … More

Yesterday I listened to a dialogue between Debbie Millman and Seth Godin on art-making, resistance, anxiety, how the internet has changed … More

because of the words and because of the books because of the woman in the anorak at the swimming baths … More