Some Thoughts on Death and Dying
There’s been a bit of an existential theme happening with my kids lately, and they’ve wanted to talk about death and dying and the universe. My older son wrote a poem about a child’s funeral. He came up and read it to me and, naturally, it prompted a...
When You Don’t Want Your Kids To Make the Same Mistakes As You
Last week, I wrote about how I’d found it hard to let go of my children at puberty—the age when they started wanting autonomy over their lives. Although I spent a long time writing that post, I felt as if I’d barely skimmed the surface. Writing about...
Negotiating Puberty—Parenting Reflection #3
When I was growing up, I found puberty difficult. I wasn’t keen on the physical changes—I quite liked having a flat chest, hair that didn’t get oily, and armpits that were hairless and didn’t sweat. As a child, I hadn’t felt particularly...
Talking to Teenagers: How I Turned My Relationship With My Daughter Around: Parenting Reflection #2
In a blog post last year, I said I’d write a post about my second daughter and how, through her, I learnt to be a better mother. That was easier said than done, believe me. Once kids reach a certain age, it’s difficult to write about them other than in a...
On Not Shaming Kids: Parenting Reflection #1
This isn’t the post I intended for this week, but the original one has turned into an unwieldy epic and I’m still working on it. Our second daughter finished school last year and will turn eighteen next month. This means both of our girls will have...
Thank You, 2015
Here’s a summary of my 2015—it was a good one … THE NOVEL As most of you know, my novel, Ida’s Children, was shortlisted for the 2015 TAG Hungerford Award. It didn’t win, so I sent it off to an agent, who gave me loads of feedback and I...
A Touch of Writer’s Block and A Remedy
It’s been a while since I’ve written a post, and here’s why: About six weeks’ ago, maybe even more, my novel stalled. I was nearing the end of the rewrite, but the words weren’t coming. I knew how I wanted the story to end, but I...
What Not to Say to Young Women
Last week, our seventeen-year-old daughter sang at an Eisteddfod. She’s in Year Twelve and hopes to pursue classical singing after school. She always takes care with how she presents herself for a performance, and for this item, she chose a pretty strapless...
My Week—Errands and Exams
1. I’ll skim over the progress of my novel, because it’s going slowly and there’s not much to report. However, I do have plans to devote myself to it this weekend … 2. I have two doctor friends who’ve also written novels (both of which...
My Week—Kids, Writing, and Nothing Much to Complain About
1. This week has felt messy, mainly because of kids’ illnesses, all minor, but it’s meant trips to school in the middle of the day to collect them. Having them at home always interrupts my creative flow, even when they’re well, but especially when...
