Rebel On The Page
Do you consider yourself a rebel? Do you always make up your own mind, not giving a damn about what anybody else thinks? Do you get a little frisson out of shaking shit up? I don’t. Things are so easy when you just stay in line, when you play the role you’ve been cast for.No…
There’s A Book In You
Alexander McCall Smith, author of the sweet and unbelievably popular #1 Ladies Detective Agency series, told me on a book tour years ago that everybody has a book inside them, but that it’s so uncomfortable to pass that most people would rather deal with the stomach ache. The image made me giggle at the time, but looking…
One Book Baby, Please
I started working on this new book back in October. I told my coach I should be able to have an introductory chapter to her in 3 weeks. LOOOOOOOL lolololololol I still don’t have a chapter. Well, I do actually, I have like 4 chapters, but I’m not going to use any of them because they’re…
Why Did I Start This Again?
I have a confession. I feel a bit gross about it. I have been sneaking back onto Instagram this week. Just on my browser — I didn’t go full hog and install the app again (I deleted it in September and holy Moses has that been good for me) but I just really wanted to…
Like Fire And The Blade
Words are one of humanity’s most versatile tools. Like fire and the blade, words have transformed the course of human history and continue to shape us to this day. So too can they can be used for good or for ill. Words can warm our spirits, cut us free of our limits and empower us…
Assemble Your Crew
Today I had another call with my Mistressmind girl gang. We talked about building waiting lists to control work flow, equity partnerships and how to deal with clients who think it’s OK to try to circumvent your process. We also talked (raged) about Lisbon’s take-away coffee ban, where we are gonna go for a luxury…
A Fear Of Visibility
In every writing project intended for the public eye (at least, all the ones that I’ve worked on), there comes a moment when the author has a moment of reckoning.It’s the moment when they come face to face with the fact that when this thing goes out in the world, they will become forevermore a…
Industrial Creativity Vs Organic Creativity
Today I have been thinking about the differences between what I’m calling ‘industrial creativity’ and ‘organic creativity’. If your creativity pays your way in the world — as it does for many writers, artists and musicians — that’s the industrial kind. You deploy it in a systematic way, following processes you’ve established to produce a…
Gut Check
You know what we don’t talk about enough?Our guts.Did you know that if you stretched out all your intestines they would cover about half the surface area of a badminton court?Or that feeding your microbiome with yogurt makes you better at interpreting and responding to negative emotional stimuli?I could honestly talk all day about the gut and all…
No Perfect Moments, Only Right Ones
One of the most difficult (and often hidden) hurdles to overcome as a writer is waiting for the perfect moment. Maybe it’s the perfect moment to actually sit down and write, or the perfect moment in the piece you’re writing to reveal the triumph you’ve been working toward. We assume other people are having perfect…