In the post on Leo Myths we looked at the quest for meaning in the story of the Holy Grail. The fulfilment of this quest is the healing of the Fisher King and that brings us to the 1991 film by Terry Gilliam. The Fisher King is a comedy-drama about Jack Lucas, a misanthropic DJ… Continue reading The Fisher King: Forgiveness and the Quest for Redemption
Adam wasn’t there when I arrived at the concrete seats. I leaned over the fence and watched the river tumble by, my breath condensing in the frigid air. A polite cough sounded behind me and I turned. Adam was sitting on one of the seats dressed in his usual exquisite tailored suit, having made no… Continue reading Addled Chapter 9: A Grand Prix of Cogitation – part 1
The lights had been up since October but it was only with the Big Day looming, that the mania set in. Everybody was getting stressed. I’d already had three desperate calls from panicked clients freaking out over poultry or puddings or oversized trees. Town was heaving. I dribbled forward like a snail, squeezing between crazed… Continue reading Addled Chapter 6: False Pretences
Addled: Adventures of a Reluctant Mystic is a novel about spiritual awakening in a crazy world, and how the crisis of spiritual emergency can become an awakening. The story follows reluctant mystic Zoe Popper on her quest for inner peace and self-knowledge. Addled explores the line between mysticism and madness using the philosophy of Zen… Continue reading Addled Now Out in Paperback!
The tide was coming in at Tynemouth and the water-logged sand reflected the cold blue sun, dazzling the handful of hardy dog walkers trudging up the beach, wrapped tightly against the wind. Their dogs ran and leapt and barked at the sea, which crashed and rolled as it advanced. Jonah and I ran down the… Continue reading Addled Chapter 3: Three Scary Monsters
Jonah’s red and rusting transit van was a treasury of sweet wrappers, empty crisp packets and assorted fluff and sticky stuff. I was surprised. His flat was an oasis of order and cleanliness. I shot him a questioning glance as we drove into town. ‘Not me,’ he said. ‘The text writing bitch?’ He chuckled and… Continue reading Addled Chapter 2: Popper Originals
This story isn’t easy to tell. It’s a bit like one of those obscure films where nothing happens for hours but then you realise that, somehow, everything has changed. It started the day I met Jonah. He was coming out of the tunnel by the bridge and heading for the quay. I’d been cleaning in… Continue reading Addled Chapter 1: Jonah and the Whale
After busting a few writing myths last week it got me thinking about why writers are often seen as crazy – by others and themselves. Is there something about writing that leads people to become unhinged? Or do you have to be crazy to be a writer in the first place? A Swedish study published in… Continue reading Why Writers Are Crazy
