This essay has been a long time coming. I started drafting it eight months ago, to be precise. I intended it to be something very different, but in the end, it was a tool for catharsis. It’s funny, I always used to tell people I wrote creatively to help process my trauma and to make […]
writer
Short Story – Rabbit
I will be releasing my first novel in 2022, an as-yet unnamed collection of four intertwined novellas. The world it is set in and the characters it involves are introduced in this short story – “Rabbit.”
Story Planning—How I Move from Inspiration to the Page
How I plan a story is very similar to how I plan a road trip: the car is packed, I have a full tank of petrol and I know basically where I’m headed, but the actual route I will take to reach my destination is anyone’s guess. My writing philosophy is something akin to, “Let’s […]
I Get By
The Beatles knew it was important. They sang a song all about it. And at least fifty other people (including Joe Cocker and Wet, Wet, Wet) covered that song too. The Beatles asked for Help and they would often Come Together, but mostly, they Get by with a Little Help from (their) Friends. For a […]
Saying Goodbye and Looking Ahead
As the festive season really begins and 2019 draws to a close, I wanted to make my last post of the year about goals and challenges. I’m not always very good at seeing the “bigger picture”, I usually tend to focus on what’s immediately ahead of me and what I need to do to tick […]
This Year’s Best Of Me
I think it can be terribly easy to fall into the trap of feeling embarrassed or unsure about celebrating your achievements. For a long time I would laugh and say any wins on my scoreboard were a fluke, or a mistake. I would deflect the compliments and play down my hard work. I can’t even […]
Don’t Self-Reject!
Have you ever felt super excited about doing a Thing, only to suddenly find yourself crippled by unexpected anxiety, uncertainty and a strong urge to run away and hide? I don’t just mean a physical Thing, but also a creative or artistic one. Self-rejection is the nasty little brother of the Imposter Syndrome Gremlin, and […]
Busy Bee, Busy Being Me
These past few weeks have been extraordinarily busy. I’ve spent a lot of time hunched, (apologies to my physiotherapist,) over my keyboard and churning out a steady stream of short stories. I’ve sent out six submissions in two weeks and I’m currently working on two more. I know these massive spurts of inspiration are likely […]
Finding My Way Back
My regular readers and followers will know that I frequently write for mental health. I’m also aware that this often turns people off too. “Oh great, she’s going on about depression again.” “Why does she always focus on the serious stuff?” “She must be pretty unstable if she has to keep focusing on all that.” […]
Being a Wild Woman
Cross-posting from my sister blog “Well-Written”, which is also a huge part of my writing identity, I talk a little bit about conquering one of my biggest fears – speaking in public and in front of my peers – to lead a brand new writing workshop in Wellington. https://wellwrittennz.wordpress.com/2019/05/13/being-a-wild-woman/