Writer's Block
In the past, I have run workshops on writer's block. I've advised clients on the topic, talked them through how to navigate a long dry winter in a writing savanna and yet, when it's my own desert, when my cactus characters are desperate for water, I am sinking in the sand. It turns out that…
Why Can't I Follow My Own Advice?
For almost three years, I've been telling people to 'just write'; put pen to paper, put fingers to keyboard, stop procrastinating and get on with it. So, why am I finding that such a hard task? At home, I crave opportunities to sit down and immerse myself in a warm bath of imagination, to luxuriate…
All Change
A week ago today, four months after arriving in Malawi, I packed my bags (and shed a tear or two) and headed southbound for Norman Carr Cottage, a peaceful haven that sits on the southern lakeshore, near Monkey Bay. It was a long old journey. It's only about 230 km, but as demonstrated by the…
Good Times, Good Vibes and Goodbyes
I must plead forgiveness for the tardiness of this post but I have a long list of excuses! My last week in Nkhotakota was busy, busy, busy. There were exam papers to mark and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to master the art of doing that quickly! There was also swimming…
Half the World Away...
Well, I've just passed the halfway point of my time over here and my morning soundtrack of the gentle (and sometimes not-so-gentle) waves on the lake shore have become my normal. I joked this week that I must have become a Malawian, as on a couple of days I've woken up cold (the temperature rarely…
Pandora's Box
So, with the end of term exams starting last Tuesday, there has been no teaching for me this last week (apart from a couple of revision sessions with Form 3). I got to invigilate one afternoon, but other than that, and a bit of exam paper marking, I busied myself with the task of tidying…