A very stubborn writer
“We’ve all heard that the unexamined life is not worth living, but consider too that the unlived life is not worth examining.”― Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way I’ve always known I wanted to be a writer. But it took me forty years to finally become one. It started in primary school, when my mother, who... Read More
A need for magic
I haven’t been able to write of late. I type and delete and type again and delete again. I’m not sure it’s writers block – I know what I want to write about – it’s just that the writing feels bad. I’m trying to recycle a bunch of old essays, using old materials, old ideas.... Read More
Going sober(ish)
It’s Saturday morning and I count seven empty bottles of wine on the kitchen counter. We haven’t drunk them all last night, but still, the way they stand there like witnesses, staring me with their existence I can’t forget or deny, stirs something uncomfortable inside of me, like the sudden flick of a light switch... Read More
Seven years
As some of you might know, I’ve been working on The Love Project for seven years. Wow! Seven years is a very long time. I’m not going to lie. I’ve had my fair share of periods of despair, discouragement and wallowing, as I was trying to balance the demands of work, moving countries, renovating houses, setting up a new business, being married and wanting... Read More
What happened to The Love Project?
Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time there was a single girl who really wanted to be loved. She also really wanted to be a writer. Despite the fact that she didn’t lack talent, she had an amiable disposition and relatively no disfigurement to talk about, she didn’t believe that she had... Read More
Exploring Resistance
A friend recently asked me why I stopped blogging. I found the question deeply uncomfortable and I immediately launched my defence: because I don’t have time; because I work from home and I run a holiday rental business, not to mention two houses to look after. Then the real reasons began to reveal themselves. Because... Read More
The Binding of Isaac
The legend goes that Abraham, the father of the three Abrahamic religions, married Sarah who was barren. By God’s grace, says the Old Testament, Sarah gave Abraham a son, Isaac, when Abraham was one hundred years old. The same God later asked Abraham to show his faith by sacrificing Isaac. But the story goes that, when... Read More
Felling like a fraud? I hear you!
I recently got into a conversation with a friend on Facebook in which I confessed my fears of becoming a mother. I often feel guilty for not experiencing the need for having children. I never quite longed for a child, as much as I long for a variety of other human experiences. In fact, I... Read More
Tell the truth
Monday, I broke a tooth at breakfast. It was my second tooth. The first one was impossible to save, it had to be removed a couple of months before. As someone who rarely had to visit the dentist, I was shocked. I am approaching forty and I am starting to lose my teeth. I mean,... Read More
Forget the happy ending. Enjoy a happy process
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Once upon a time, I had the pleasure of interviewing writer Lionel Shriver at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. I remember how nervous I was when I saw her sat in a rattan chair, luscious tropical background behind her, sending lazy clouds of smoke into the air from an electronic cigarette (one of the... Read More
