You Are Worthy, You Are Enough
In 2015 I took a role in a small nutrition start-up and moved to Austin, Texas, to run their marketing. I knew one of the founders, who’d already had some success, and thought the move might be one of the biggest opportunities I would ever have. At the time, e-commerce start-ups looked from the outside…
How To Write (And Other Advice You Can Ignore)
There’s a truly frightening number of pieces on ‘how to write’ out there. Four billion, eighty million, to be precise. I just Googled it, and while the Big G only took 0.74 seconds to turn up all that info, there’s not enough time in my whole life to go through it all. Obviously, if you…
Do You REALLY Need To Do This Right Now??
I have to confess that I am a hopeless completionist. It’s kinda like being a perfectionist, but instead of being obsessed with getting things perfect, I’m obsessed with getting things done. I hate having outstanding items on a to-do list. It makes me twitchy, and I have a very hard time focusing on creative work when…
The Gift Of Anger
How do you feel about yourself when something makes you angry?I’m not talking about the little flares of anger that happen when the barista gets your order wrong or someone cuts in front of you.No, I’m talking about the type of anger you feel when a family member provokes you again when you’ve told them clearly that…
Fear, Reporting For Duty.
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about fear the past few days.The reason for this is that fear is the unwelcome but inevitable companion to any creative endeavour…And this project is bringing up all kinds of nutty fears for me.Here’s how I know that fear has reported for duty for the day: Compulsive interest…
What Does It Mean To Live A Good Life?
What does it mean to you to live a good life? I have been chewing on this question since about 2015. I leave it alone for a while, and then come back to it with a little more life behind me, and chew on it some more. Early on, the answer was loosely based on…
Shitty First Draft
I’m not feeling particularly creative today. I should be — I exchanged lockdown in the city for lockdown in a beautiful beach house, where I indulged in lots of lovely wine and cheese, played with my pup who was being the very best boy, and had some truly delightful naps. Nor was there a mountain…
A Moment Of Retreat
Every book I write has a soundtrack. A few days after getting started, when all the ideas are swirling around my mind and nothing has taken a hard shape yet, a song will appear out of a random playlist and grin at me. Here I am! That song will keep me company for the rest of…
The Vulnerability Hangover
You know what is the best feeling EVER when sitting down to write? A clear calendar. Nothing to do that involves anyone else. No calls, no urgent emails, no meetings or deadlines or deliverables. GOD I can just about chew on how good those days are. Anyway. I had one like that today, and I’ve…
Writing In Snatches
In the secret part of my mind where the future lives, I dream of a cottage in the English countryside. There are fireplaces and big farm-style windows, a study-meets-library with a big sturdy desk, and miles of rolling green to gaze upon as I ponder my writing. It’s a cherished dream, because it feels cosy,…