Category: On Writing
Authenticity in Novels
At some point in the 1980s I came across Almonds and Raisins, a family saga by Maisie Mosco. Two things drew me to Maisie’s work: it described the Jewish immigrant experience in the first half of the 20th century, and it was set in my home town, Manchester. Maisie, who was born in Oldham in […]
In Search of Wilde’s Women
If you were asked to name a man you would not readily associate with women, Oscar Wilde might spring to mind. Due to the relentless focus on his sexuality and the magnitude of the injustice perpetrated against him, Wilde’s life is often examined in terms of his relationships with men. Yet, as I discovered when […]
A Tale from the Other Side
My heart is in my mouth. Nearly two years ago I went to an event where new authors read from their work in progress. One in particular stood out, and I set my heart on representing her. Her writing showed steel, and wit, and cool and I fell in love with it. Nervously I pressed […]
Beautiful Affliction: a Memoir
I never dreamed of writing a memoir. I just always had words in me. When I was seven years old I started to write poems, and the words somehow seemed stronger scribbled in my small notebook. In middle school my teacher constantly reminded me: “Speak up, Lene! We can’t hear what you’re saying when you […]
The Importance of Writing by Hand
Two weeks ago, disaster struck. I broke the little finger of my left hand. An inconvenience yes, but a disaster…? Seems a little overblown. But this is my writing hand and I’ve been cooped up in a tiny flat, impotent and frustrated ever since. Released from the hand cast I am at least now able […]
Writing About Lipedema
My body may limit me at times, but my mind travels at light speed. As I got pregnant with my first child, some annoying little pains and complaints I already had, became much worse. Two years later it got a name: lipedema. Lipedema – A poorly understood yet common condition that makes you swell with […]
Painful to remember, too important to forget
It would be difficult to overestimate the impact of Northern Ireland’s violent past. Victims are haunted by it. Politicians stalked by it. Peace initiatives stymied by it. Some observers argue that we should draw a line under it and move on. Given its sensitivity, I agonised over the ‘right’ thing to do when I unexpectedly […]
5 Stories about Publishing that are No Longer True (and maybe never were)
Maybe all professions like to scare young hopefuls — to weed the flock, so to speak — and the publishing industry, notorious for its gloom and doom predictions, is no exception. As a graduate student in a Creative Writing department, I heard all sorts of stories from teachers and other students that made it seem […]
The Impact of Yoga on Writing
Wet Silence was a book I wrote before I lost my mother or did a yoga teacher training. Wet Silence was a book I wrote at a time when I would show up to yoga classes during times when I needed clarity with my writing, career, or life in general. But, my world shook and changed after my […]
The Adventure of Writing
When you see the word adventure, you probably think of action, travel, and the outdoors. You don’t naturally think of writing. However, I beg to differ. I define adventure as something new, challenging, and perhaps frightening. In almost all cases, it’s all consuming. Deciding to do it and then executing it despite the fear is […]
Recent Comments