Writer's Retreat

There are two types of writers. The writers who are rarely seen. Who cancel social arrangements. Who are elusive. Who lock themselves away and get frustrated when real people intrude, but populate the room with imaginary others. And the writers who love to socialise, who avoid time on their own. The last one at the party, talking about life and literature into the bottom of a glass. And then when they finally are alone, the silence is resounding. . . and they populate the roo

There’s been a rise of morally complex, morally ambiguous characters in recent TV drama. These characters challenge us to position them morally. They demonstrate an obscure or skewed moral compass – this makes us hard to pin and define them. But maybe this is a good thing. How many times do we need to adjust our moral appraisals of people in real life? And can fixing a moral standpoint ever be positive? The Antihero has become King. I use the word King advisedly – one thing a

Being your own boss is hard. As writers, we need to motivate ourselves, but there is a tipping point. My inner dialogue between my boss and my creative self runs something like: ‘I need to stay in bed and carry on dreaming to find out what happens’ ‘You’ve got nothing down on paper damn it, get to work!’ ‘But I’m not feeling inspired’ ‘You’re a waste of space, call yourself a writer?’ And so on. Before long the pressure I put on myself can turn corrosive. Before I know it tha

Life is filled with Admin. With the everyday business of caring for ourselves, caring for others, paying bills - There are a hundred things on the to-do list, before we even get round to doing the washing. And the dishes. And phoning the garage to book in the car for its dreaded MOT. And by then it's 3 o clock, and time to pick the children up from school. As for writing...? Many of us struggle to find time to write, but we writers are experts in procrastination. And by pro