Tearing up the book

‘What are you doing?’ I say. ‘What does it look like?’ the book says. ‘It looks like you are tearing … More

The voice you hear when you write

Writing is about hypnotizing yourself into believing in yourself, getting some work done, then unhypnotyzing yourself and going over the … More

‘Hullo,’ says the book. ‘I thought you had gone away.’ ‘I lied,’ says the book. ‘What are you going to … More

‘Hullo!’ says the book. ‘Have we been introduced?’ I say. ‘I’m your new book!’ ‘But I haven’t finished the last … More

Padding down the stairs to make my mid-morning coffee, I become aware of a large black bag lying in the … More

“I like writing best because it’s the hardest art. There are more balls to keep in the air at a … More

I know I am hardly the first to draw parallels between running and writing. But, for what it is worth, … More

The Fear of Poetry In this moment when we face horizons and conflicts wider than ever before, we want our … More

This blog is a thrilling ‘Howdunnit?’…possibly. You find me just starting on my fifth murder mystery, you see. I do … More

This blog would be nothing without its readers. Thank you to everyone who stopped by, made a comment or a … More

When I write, I feel like an armless, legless many with a crayon in his mouth -Kurt Vonnegut A friend … More

One of the great joys of writing this blog in the last year has been to invite some of my … More

There is a certain jubilation and truancy at the heart of an inspiration […a] liberation and abundance which is the … More

I arrive late back at the house. It is already dark. The usual reassuring things are there: unopened mail, the … More

Teachers’ words should not be ‘How to write’ but ‘How to try to say what you really mean’ – which … More

‘There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as … More

An event of this magnitude Overshadows the destruction of the Berlin Wall And the troubles in the Caucasus. –Robert Rehder, … More

‘80% of success is showing up.’ -Woody Allen I was chatting with a student the other day when I said … More