Christmas 2020 was never going to be normal, was it? But I suspect I am not alone in feeling a little sad that we’re approaching the end of the year and all that ‘it’ll be over by summer!’ optimism now feels like a far-away fever dream. Many people are facing a stressful, complicated Christmas – […]
Tag Archives: advice
When you are trying to carve a career as a writer, it can feel like you are competing with everyone – especially since a lot of writing opportunities are literally competitions so, um, you sort of are – but in truth, other writers can be the best friends you can have. Because one of the […]
What cross-stitch taught me about writing As anyone who follows me on social media knows, after months of mocking other people for getting their cook / craft on in lockdown (SO MUCH SOURDOUGH), with crushing predictability I finally gave into the urge myself. I have developed an interest in cross-stitch that can be kindly described […]
This blog previously appeared on my Newcastle blog, Prodigal Geordie “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colours. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same […]
So, a confession, and one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to admit: for the past couple of years, I have lost all interest in writing. No biggie, right? There are worse things to admit, even to yourself. But when you’ve spent more than half of your life defining yourself as ‘writer’, what happens […]
One of the things I have tried to do during this crisis is support small and indie businesses and creatives. Despite what our Government wants us to think, this crisis doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, and the hard truth is some people and businesses will struggle to weather it, especially in the […]
Another revisited post, yes – but one that feels really necessary right now. Lots of people in the creative industries are struggling with lost income and having to get jobs to supplement their losses – jobs which are often both low paid and time consuming, so leave little time to do anything else. Many will […]
How’s your lockdown going? I admit I envisioned putting all this time to magnificent use – I’d get that book finished, revamp all my websites, write some short stories, finally learn how to pitch an article. And… um, I haven’t done any of those things. I have drank an Oddbins’ worth of wine and eaten […]
Yes, I am shamelessly recycling some of my older posts at the moment. In part because I have zero focus and concentration, in part because (yes, admit this) am trying to keep myself visible and in the market for work, and in part because I feel like so many of us are going through so […]
Guys, writing is hard sometimes. Like, really, really hard. And while a deadline or a paycheque can force you to produce something if your income depends on it, if that’s not the case – and many of us are facing uncertainty around our work at the moment – it can be a struggle to get the energy or enthusiasm […]
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