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Reading in the garden

It's been very warm here the last few days. Feels like it'll be a hot summer and indeed all weather forecasts suggest that'll be the case.I've been hard at work around the place, waterblasting, painting, and tidying after winter's wear and tear, often accompanied by my feline friend Poppy (my next door neighbour's cat) who enjoys being in the thick of things with her Auntie Jane. Getting sprayed with water doesn't bother her and her inquisitive nature is not deterred by open paint cans that must...

Keeping a journal is good for you

We hear a lot these days about the value of keeping a journal.It's interesting to note that journaling has been around for a very long time. It is nothing new and one of the earliest journal/diarists is thought to be the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius (121AD - 180AD) who famously said, "When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."First up, how does journaling differ from keeping a diary? A journal is a wr...

Time to Restart the creative engines

2024 is here. We've recovered from the festivities and over-indulgences, we're taking some quiet moments to rest, recover, recharge, and read in the garden. It's also a good time to get the creative engines running again.  It's a stepwise process.  Add some fuel ... turn the key ... spark the engine and 'give it some gas' as my Mom used to say when she was teaching me to drive ... and you're in motion, movin' on down the road. It's the same with our writing. Ideas are the fue...

Set achievable writing goals

The New Year is upon us, just like that. Many people I've spoken to recently say 2023 was one of the worst they can recall for several reasons: the climate (floods and destruction), the cost of living (high), wars in the world, the constant COVID resurgences ... and they're glad to see the back of it. At times 2023 seemed like a year without end, piling more and more upon us and now, all of a sudden, here we are in 2024.The New Year means summer holidays for us in the southern hemisphe...

'Be a good steward of your gifts.'

"Be a good steward of your gifts. Protect your time. Feed your inner life. Avoid too much noise. Read good books, have good sentences in your ears. Be by yourself as often as you can. Walk. Take the phone off the hook. Work regular hours."The above is a quote from US poet Jane Kenyon (1947 - 1995) who died of cancer at the age of 47, just when she was writing some of her best poetry. Her poems are resonant of a clear simplicity, each word chosen with care, loaded with meaning, and as her hu...

The mysterious process of creativity

How do we nurture that creative flicker into the flame needed to write imaginative stories? Setting the wheels in motion to create, allowing the mind to fly free ... as writers we all have different ways of reaching that place, zone, space, whatever you'd like to call it, that taps us into the creative well and flow. Having a time to write when you are at your creative best is a good start. Also, having a place to work where you feel content, whether that be the garden shed, the kitche...

Being a writer is the No. 2 dream job

It came as no surprise to me to read this morning that, according to a survey undertaken by Remitly, (a financial services company for immigrants), being a writer is the second most popular 'dream job' of those surveyed.Remitly describes how they came up with this information:  "To find out, we looked at global search data to discover the dream jobs of every country in the world. To achieve this we looked at searches for ‘how to be a police officer’ rather than ‘police offic...

Set your writing goals for 2023

Will 2023 be the year you write your memoir?Maybe you'll finish the crime novel you started writing last year or begin a new project, perhaps a work of fiction, non fiction or life story.A fresh, new year spreads out before you. How will you make the best of it with your writing? It's time to make a start with new energy, ideas and inspiration.Best of intentions? Ah yes, often the way with a new year. We decide on a writing goal, take steps forward ... and then falter on the path. How ...

The pohutukawas are blooming ...

.. so it must be Christmas!It always lifts my spirits when I see the first bright red blossoms of our gorgeous native Pohutukawa trees, and we are blessed with a goodly number here in our little bay.We have some on the beachfront and of course they cling to the clifftops too, tenacious in the face of wind, weather and salt sea spray.A good friend of mine said that the Pohutukawas are all individuals. They bloom when they want, to the extent that they wish and I believe that's the case. Some will...

Halloween is a great time to write horror

Ah yes, it's one of my favourite times of year - Halloween weekend!My love of the scary comes from Mom who delighted in ghastly things: books, movies, and, in the 'old days' (by this I mean 1960s!), gathering around the radio to listen to that classic series The Uninvited. Each episode began with the words that made my spine tingle: 'Have you heard them? Those fearful sounds in the dead of night? The muffled creak of a loosened board? The shuffling step of a ghostly figure? The ee...

What's the story with cats?

The neighbour's cats make themselves at home.Often in my home.That's the way with my two feline friends Poppy and Mr. Boy who live next door. I've written about them since they were kittens and now they're a couple of fully grown adventurers who prowl around our bush-clad properties here in Arkles Bay.They visit me most every day, either at home or here at The Writing Place. Often Miss Poppy is at my front door in the early mornings, waiting to accompany me down the stairs to work.Cats just walk...

It's the little details

Winter is well and truly here. Those cold, clear days - we've had some of those - and the windy wet ones too. Early July and we're past the winter solstice so it's full steam ahead towards summer.I was walking at our beach the other afternoon and happened across this: someone had wrapped a small wreath of colourful flowers ( artificial but no matter) around the trunk of one of the pohutukawas we have along the beachfront.​A few years back someone took to a couple of these gorgeous native trees...

Coping with the unknown

I haven't blogged in some time because I've been hunkered down and hiding out. My mate Poppy from next door has the right idea. She secludes herself amongst the foliage and the bush, only peeping out when she cares to, or can bear to.I don't think I'm alone in this coping strategy as we continue to deal with waves of COVID, war in Europe, Chinese encroachment into our Pacific patch,  gas well over $3 a litre, not to mention the cost of food which sees five essential items in my trolley...

The solace of a cat in the lap

Watching the nightly news is almost too much for me these days.I'll sit down and watch three horror movies end on end so I'm pretty tough but the daily news at 6pm has me beat.It's one adversity after another: the ever increasing COVID numbers here in New Zealand as Omicron flexes its muscle, the continual hammering of the Prime Minister and the government, the widespread protests creating social divisions to a degree that is profound and disturbing, the rising cost of food, the startling escala...

Writing a good old-fashioned love letter

It's Valentine's Day, the occasion when we express our love and feelings for our nearest and dearest, or send a message of endearment to someone we would like to capture in our lasso of love.These days it's easy to communicate our passions on Facebook or Instagram, send an e-card with bursting love bubbles and blossoming roses, or Zoom our beloved for a face to face tête-à-tête.But what about that way of communicating which now seems out of date and, dare I say it, old fashioned? Ac...

My writing place

It was Virginia Woolf who insisted that, ''A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."  Or if she is to write anything, I think.Money is nice but most writers probably don't have the luxury of enough cash in the bank to be able to write full time. There are part time jobs to top up the coffers or writing hours squeezed in between full time gigs.However, most of us will have a room of our own, or a place, where we can write. I have a few places, ...

What's on your writing radar this year?

Is 2022 the year you'll finally tackle that romance novel you've been wanting to write, or get cracking on the family history? Maybe the memoir about the adventure you had traveling in Nepal or living on the island of Corfu in the '60s?If there is one thing the COVID pandemic has taught us, it could be, 'Get on with it!' We can never know what is around the corner. Time is precious and it's finite. If you don't have a writing project in mind, how about journaling? 'I have nothing to write a...

You're never too old to write a best seller

Not far from my house there's a small reserve with this lovely, cool green tree right in the middle. It sits bare and forlorn all winter and then, without you even noticing, it begins to unfurl these gorgeous lime-coloured leaves. The tree affords a delightfully cool place to catch one's breath on a hot day. I took a photo of it the other day because I suddenly noticed it had all its leaves!On my walk today I saw my tree had some company. A lady was sitting on her folding chair with a ...

What is it about toasters?

I don't know about you but I've had so many toasters in my life I've lost count. My work-day breakfast routine includes a piece of toast with jam or honey and a cup of coffee,  and if I don't have a toaster that works, well, you can imagine the rest. This kick-start to the day has to be right.I'd purchased yet another toaster during lockdown. The predecessor was off its nut, burning the bread to cinders no matter the setting. So this one arrives by courier, all shiny and flash looking ...

Last night I had a dream about Betsy-cat

I've written before about my cat Betsy - indeed she had her own journal for a while. She was with me for 21 years. That's a lifetime, you could say.She died last December and I still miss her.You know how it is. Sometimes you see a flash of grey-brown in the garden and your brain in its instinctive wisdom goes, 'It's Betsy-cat' and then it rationalises, 'No, she's dead - that's a young blackbird you're seeing.'Or you'll be sitting watching TV at night and you'll hear what sounds like a plaintive...

One word at a time

How do you write a book?One word at a time, or, on a good day, several words.It can seem like an impossible task, this book-writing gig. You have an idea, you can see the end result (your book sitting in the shop, people flocking to purchase, the movie deal knocking at your door), the fame and glory, cash rolling in ... fabulous!But how do you get there?I hate to tell you that the movie deal and tsunami of cash may be a bit of a challenge - but aim high, I say - and the reality of writing a book...

The goodness of gardening

What do we do when we are locked down for months at home?We garden.Gardening has kept me sane most days, and we've had some glorious weather in which to work outside. Spring is definitely here and summer is dangled tantalizingly in front of us although we are not sure at this point how much enjoyment of the traditional kiwi summer break we will have. There is no bright horizon when it comes to COVID so we take each day as it comes.​I looked at my last post and couldn't believe it was from...

Stay cool and groovy in spite of it all

This morning is stormy - here's the view from my office window. Rain, wind, wild seas and a neighbourhood shut in not only by the weather but by another two weeks of Level 4 lockdown in Auckland. Not much sleep was had last night as lightning flashed, thunder rocked and rolled and the rain barreled down on the old tin roof.We were warned about this level continuation by our Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, a few days ago and it was confirmed yesterday. Even so, having a heads-up beforehand didn't...

The COVID Delta variant can really 'bite us in the bum'

The COVID Delta variant has arrived in New Zealand with a hiss and a roar, or would it be better to say, like in insidious interloper, now well accustomed to finding its way into populations all over the world with its well-honed and crafty viral skills.Once again New Zealand is in the highest level lockdown and we are watching the world go by from the windows of our homes. Not that my home and view looks anything like this from master Henri Matisse but the gorgeous colours gave me some cheer th...

Writing as a healing tool

If there was ever a time when writing could help us heal from trauma and challenge, this could be it.Even though COVID 19 and it's repercussions have become very familiar to us, the anxiety continues. Will it spread, what about this horrid Delta variant that is so much worse, when will I get my vaccine, why are we letting sick mariners bring their boat to within coo-ee of our largest city ... it is relentless, every day, every night on the news there is more.'Healing writing' helps us make sense...