Don’t hold on to your stories reminds you to let go of your ideas about reality and yourself. It’s also about not taking these slogans too seriously. They’re just ideas or thoughts in your mind. They may be useful tools, but it’s important not to get too attached to them. The original lojong slogan is:… Continue reading Buddhist Writing Prompt: Don’t Hold on to Your Stories
I kept trying to write this post but didn’t know what to say. How do you follow a year like 2016? What a mess! This upheaval has been a long time coming – there’s nothing strange or unexpected about it. If you understand how reality works, it all makes perfect sense. (Honest!) People are freaking… Continue reading 2017: The Year of Writing Better Stories
I started self-publishing early and, as it turns out, I was writing fantasy and science fiction right from the start! My first books were small but ambitious, and lavishly illustrated. In Write Like a Beginner I shared one of these stories – Creepy Castle – which wasn’t really a book, more a couple of sheets… Continue reading My First (handmade!) Books
A little while ago I went to a Writing for Wellbeing workshop and one of the exercises was called ‘Writing Like a Beginner’. The idea was to stop worrying about getting it right and just write any old stuff – like you did when you were a child. It frees you up and gets you… Continue reading Write Like a Beginner: A Silly Tale of Derring-Do
In this fascinating interview, Philip Pullman talks about His Dark Materials and some of the ideas in the books, including: loss of innocence, religion, William Blake, the oral tradition and why fairy tales differ from novels, plus a little dig at CS Lewis and Tolkien. Recorded at the Durham Book Festival in October this year.… Continue reading His Dark Materials: interview with Philip Pullman
No doubt you’ve heard the story of the two wolves and the importance of feeding the right one. The idea is you’re meant to feed the ‘good wolf’ and the ‘bad wolf’ will wither away from neglect. But this isn’t how the story actually goes. Somehow, our way of telling this tale has become distorted,… Continue reading Two Wolves: How to embrace your Dark Side
Agenda: Awakening! is part of my quest to find a meaningful response to the destructive insanity being unleashed upon our world. Like many people, I have experienced a lot of disruption over the last few years. I lost my job and my health, and was plunged into a dark night of the soul. I’d been there… Continue reading What is Agenda: Awakening?
