Category: Being a Writer
Shelley Day: Why I write
Oh, the irony, the irony, of being asked to write a piece on Why I Write, when I’m not actually writing at all, and haven’t done for months. I say ‘not writing,’ but I don’t actually mean Not Writing. Because I have been writing. I couldn’t not be writing. Only what I’ve been writing is […]
The Scariest Moments in a Writer’s Life
Vampires? Witches? Ghouls? Yes, they’re Halloween scary (maybe), but they’ve got nothing on the spookiest moments from a writer’s life. All writers can list at least three things that can send us screeching and cowering under our bed covers. I’ll tell you mine (including my fright-busting fixes), if you tell us yours. 1. Eeeek! The […]
Procrastination
I’m just over halfway through writing my novel and the whole process reminds me of the one time I went on a diet. I started it on the Monday morning, which is of course the Law of Diets, and by Tuesday lunchtime I was feeling a little bit thinner and very virtuous. Look at me, […]
The Gatekeeper
On the morning of Friday, May 30, my husband and I got a call from India: my mother was in critical condition and hospitalized in New Delhi. I thought it was a bad joke because (a) My Mom wasn’t sick. I had barely spoken with Mom two days ago and promised to cook, Kalam Polow, a […]
Talking to Myself: The Importance of Keeping a Diary
I’m driving along under a gray March sky in the gray company car to a town I’ve never been to before on a highway that climbs over the Cascades and then rolls south along the coast but nowhere really near it. My iPod is playing songs I fell in love with 20 years ago. Salsa […]
Revenge in writing
I was flicking through an old copy of my local paper when an article caught my eye. They were looking for submissions for a writing competition on the theme of “anniversary” to tie in with the Queens Jubilee celebrations. One drawback – the deadline was that day! Immediately, an idea came to mind. I’d been […]
You don’t need support to write: you own your own words
This week @WomenWriters asked on Twitter: How does your family view your writing? Are they supportive? — Women Writers (@WomenWriters) July 20, 2014 My initial response was pretty harsh. @WomenWriters Conversations like this can mislead. We don’t need family support or approval to write. — Racheline Maltese (@racheline_m) July 20, 2014 Who needs support? And […]
Rosie Garland: From Mslexia Novel Competition to Harper Collins
This month, three judges decide the winner of the 2nd Mslexia Unpublished Novel Competition. Someone is about to receive a life-changing phone call. Two years ago, I was that woman. I never imagined I would be. Fairytales are for other folk. I’d lost faith in my writing ‘getting anywhere’: indeed, I’d lost faith in my […]
Literary Friendships
We have always felt fortunate to have found each other. Ever since meeting as young English teachers in rural Japan, when we talked of our literary ambitions over bowls of noodles and bottles of Asahi, we have shared both the uphill struggles and delightful discoveries of each other’s creative journeys. But we only recently realised […]
On mirror neurons and Schrödinger’s cat: writing as exploration
Some explore to answer questions. Others explore to ask them. The map is ridiculously simplified, as the three-block walk from the hotel has proven. I cram it in my pocket and turn into the narrow alley that apparently doesn’t exist, stepping willingly into uncertainty. No matter where I end up, I will have seen that […]
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