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Tuesday 30 June 2015

Riddles

Alive without breath, 
As cold as death; 
Never thirsty, ever drinking,
All in mail, never clinking.

The Hobbit

Writing is like solving a riddle. There is a puzzle and the writer has to find all the pieces. 

Fishing for the internal logic that brings the different parts together as a coherent whole, requires patience and ruthlessness. There is no room for a kiss and release approach. You need to be prepared to snag and bag the ideas wherever and whenever you find them.  

Like riddles, the act of writing is sometimes ridiculous, frustrating, challenging, hilarious and nonsensical. But if you can work it out, the satisfaction whumps you like a punchline.

Tuesday 16 June 2015

No Agony - Let the Bird Sing!

'There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.' Maya Angelou - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings


Everyone has at least one story to tell. If you have ever tried (and failed) to keep a secret, then you know how insistent the urge can be to pass on the story you have been given for safe-keeping. 

As a writer, the story inside is like a secret that is beating its wings against the bars of the cage, trying to escape.

Friday 5 June 2015

Frogs Trilling

'If we can discover the meaning in the trilling of a frog, perhaps we may understand why it is for us not merely noise but a song of poetry and emotion.'- Adrian Forsyth

If you've ever walked through a wetland you will know the trill of a frog. But did you know these multi-lingual creatures offer poetry no matter where you travel?


cra-cra (Italian)
ribbit (English)
vrak (Turkish)
kwaak (German)
kum-kum (Polish)
op op (Thai)
brekeke (Hungarian)
kerokero (Japanese)

Next time you hear them, make sure you sing along.