Drawing Breath at the National Trust Her voice carries. No full stops she is all conjunctions: 'but' and 'so' and 'yet' and 'and'. Sixty-five years of catching up to do chasing herself through unpunctuated sentences. And then the crows come to pick at crumbs from the cheese scone taken an age to eat, minor mouthfuls … Continue reading Drawing Breath at the National Trust
Category: Blog
Brave new world?
Thirteen months ago I stepped off the edge of a cliff. In my post "The Daunting Prospect of Reinvention" I described how I was about to leave my most recent job - well paid, professional work - and embark on what had been loosely termed 'the glide path to retirement'. It was, I told myself … Continue reading Brave new world?
Writing Retreats: panning for gold…
I suspect just about everyone who attends a Writers' retreat uncovers a nugget of some kind. Often these priceless finds will be unearthed through informal interaction with other attendees, conversations over dinner, sharing writing experiences - or even experiences of life. At my first retreat four years ago (at Garsdale Retreat in North Yorkshire), my … Continue reading Writing Retreats: panning for gold…
Writing Retreat – mk. 2
The first time I enrolled on a writing retreat I ended up getting the inspiration for - and writing the initial short story of - my collection "Degrees of Separation". Next week I am enthusiastically anticipating my second retreat and hope for a similarly productive outcome! Once more I go into the week with questions … Continue reading Writing Retreat – mk. 2
“The Unconsoled”
When a new novel is published rarely does it polarise opinion as much as Kasuo Ishiguro's "The Unconsoled". For many it was a masterpiece, unlike anything else ever written - for others it was simply not very good and roundly vilified. There seemed to be no middle ground. My own reaction when I started to … Continue reading “The Unconsoled”
“The Lying Life of Adults”
Having read positive reviews of Elena Ferrante's "My Brilliant Friend', when I saw her more recent "The Lying Life of Adults" in the bookshop I didn't hesitate to buy it - it was, I was told, also 'astonishing', 'irresistible', 'intense'. Well, I'm afraid the word that kept popping into my head was 'dull'. More than … Continue reading “The Lying Life of Adults”
Sound body, sound mind – an update
Since my original post (appended below) I have now completed 12 stages of my journey since 'leaving' Land's End, cycling some 330km. In a virtual sense, I have now reached Cheddar. Nearly out of the West Country! I have decided to cycle the length of the UK - Land's End to John o'Groats - on … Continue reading Sound body, sound mind – an update
Always happy to read
I have always enjoyed reading my work aloud ever since my first experience of doing so when I was in my early twenties. Historically, being able to read to an audience usually requires an 'event' of some kind - such as a book festival - and then an invitation to do so. One of things … Continue reading Always happy to read
Watching Simon Armitage read…
Yesterday evening I attended the marque event of Ripon's fourth Poetry Festival, a reading by the Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage. Being slightly ambivalent to Armitage's work, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. Without any introduction, Armitage started by reading "Thank you for waiting" - and immediately had the audience in fits of laughter. The … Continue reading Watching Simon Armitage read…
A quick look in the rear-view mirror…
Although it was not that long ago I reflected on the challenge of having 'too much free time' to work on literary projects (see my 'dreams' post), it has been a while since I offered any kind of update on what I'm actually writing. It's odd how your perspective can change week-to-week; how one day … Continue reading A quick look in the rear-view mirror…
Ian Gouge - Writer 