I’m a better writer because I travel, which is good, because I travel a lot. Let me demonstrate by looking only at this year so far. I saw 2019 in from the Isle of Skye in Scotland. I spent most of January driving around Scotland and England. Right now I’m in Cambodia with my…
Social media for writers
As a writer, is it really that important to have a presence on social media? My opinion, in short, is absolutely. That being said, one thing I’ve struggled with since I started growing my channels earlier this year, is how time consuming it is. I’ve saved myself a lot of time by using a social…
Markus Zuzak’s Bridge of Clay: How to survive trauma and loss
Markus Zuzak’s latest book, Bridge of Clay, is a much anticipated story about how 5 young brothers survive trauma and loss. While many have eagerly waited for the follow up to his 2005 bestseller, The Book Thief, Zuzak’s latest book has already had its fair share of negative reviews. By virtue of its length (592 pages), reading it is…
The books I turn to when I’m sick
We all have guilty pleasures we turn to when we’re sick and, like most people, I’ve managed to keep mine very well hidden. I’ve been sick for 5 weeks now. I have asthma so, when I went to the doctor with a bad cough and breathing problems, the diagnosis seemed fairly obvious. Three courses of…
Is a creative writing degree worth it?
Today I want to talk about whether or not a creative writing degree is worth it. In short, yes, yes it is. The thing to keep in mind though, is that the degree itself, the piece of paper you get at the end, has no bearing on whether or not you get that novel published…
OCD and putting yourself out there anyway
Today I want to talk about how hard it can be to put yourself out there and share your work. Part of the issue, for me at least, is vulnerability. My writing, while fictional, is always going to reflective of me in some way. Sharing it, and accepting critique and interpretation, makes me vulnerable. I’m…
Artist Q and A: Lexi Sargeant on creativity and illness
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lexi Sargeant ☼ (@lexisargeant) on Apr 11, 2018 at 3:29am PDT Today I’m not interviewing an author, but an artist. Lexi Sargeant is a graphic designer turned photographer whose life changed two years ago when she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Lexi’s work…
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi: How to support someone with cancer
My step-dad* has follicular lymphoma that morphed into the more aggressive diffuse b-cell lymphoma. Yesterday he went into hospital for a month long stem cell treatment. There was a 6% chance his cancer mutate. He now has a 30% chance of survival. There’s a 2% chance he’ll never make it out of hospital. My mother…
Why you should back up your work
Please remember to back up your work. I went to the UK for a holiday over Christmas and New Year. When I got back home, a month after I left, my laptop would not turn on. I could not remember my iCloud password and I ended up locked out for 24 hours. It was a…
Resources for emerging writers
Today I want to talk more about how scary it is being an emerging writer. A lot of people know me as a poet. Very few people know me as someone who writes fiction. Creating a name for myself in a new field is challenging. While I’m mostly focused on creating new work, I’m also…