I’ve always felt that my compulsion to write has been a blessing in my life, taking me to unexpected places, having surprising thoughts, and meeting some thoroughly magnificent people. But this blessing can also be a challenge to navigate, not least because living a writer’s life often means inhabiting opposite states of mind, sometimes simultaneously. Continue reading “The Duality of Being Creative”
Tag Archives: creativity
The future is built on the dreams of today – Part 1.
Yesterday I caught the end of an old episode of The South Bank Show, where Melvyn Bragg interviewed Steven Spielberg in 1982, the year ET: the Extra-Terrestrial was released. I tuned in at the right moment, when Spielberg looked at him with a childlike smile and said, “Movies are dreams. They’re the daydreams you haveContinue reading “The future is built on the dreams of today – Part 1.”
Café Culture for Creatives
I was sitting in a well-known coffee chain this week (the one that sells red velvet cake), drinking an americano and trying to write, but the inevitable happened and I was distracted by the conversations going on around me. This is an occupational hazard for anyone with a caffeine addiction and fascination for other people’sContinue reading “Café Culture for Creatives”
Small Book, Big Idea.
I was walking past Hunting Raven Books in Frome last weekend, with no intention of stopping to buy anything, when this book caught my eye, sitting up perkily in the window display. A bold title with a strap line interesting enough to drag me into the shop to have a look — 10 ways to shareContinue reading “Small Book, Big Idea.”
If you don’t know the answer, still ask the question.
This week has seen a hiatus in my own writing while I mark my students’ work. This is for the Teaching Writing module, and the work they’ve produced is in the form of a blog, charting their progress over the past few months and reflecting on how the theories and ideas about teaching have fedContinue reading “If you don’t know the answer, still ask the question.”
The Science of Mooning Around
Last week I watched a thrillingly inventive film called Holy Motors. It follows a day in the life of an actor as he’s driven to various jobs, but when he’s working the cameras are hidden and nothing is as it seems. From the strange bearded character who ate fingers, to Kylie Minogue singing a songContinue reading “The Science of Mooning Around”
Paperclip Girl loses the plot (and her character)
This is the time of year when the high wire act of balancing teaching and writing becomes most tricky. End-of-semester submissions have been handed in with another batch due at the beginning of May. This means I’m going to be marking, immersed in other people’s writing, for around six weeks. In addition to this, thereContinue reading “Paperclip Girl loses the plot (and her character)”
Sally Gander 