Where to write

Not that we would presume to tell you!

But you might enjoy p&g's own Bridget Khursheed blog on the subject over at the Scottish Book Trust.

You can find the blog post here. http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/blog/writing/2014/06/where-i-write-old-school-desk.

And if you want to delve further into the Khursheed psyche you can try her on the subject of home http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/stories-of-home/story/the-things-that-remind-me-of-home.

Re View

I have been writing a review for The Eildon Tree the Scottish Borders arts magazine. It is a pure luxury to read something several times and draw some connections between the work and other ideas, authors and their books. At a time, when most of us are busy running around and getting nowhere fast, I would recommend it.

My racing around has taken me up the same road to the same place 6 times in the past 24 hours. Rain and fog and darkness. The Scottish day dawns just before nine and ends just after half past three. Windscreen is a mist of rock salt splatter. I concentrate on getting from A to B and the white line at the road side to take me where I need to go.

Re-viewing on the other hand is a whole landscape with a new map. A spot of prospecting, a grid of connections and a satisfying algorithm. Even the missing pieces can delight.

Pick up that familiar book again even if you are describing it only to yourself.

See things.

The wrong word

Memorable or rememberable.

An earnest discussion ensues.

In fact, most people decided using the latter was just a sign of being badly educated. In fact, my spell checker is telling me so right now.

But is it?

Rememberable is a word. Acceptable and very common in the 19th century in Victorian English. Look in the OED. And quite usable.

Don't let the current usage mafia and spell checker get you down. Turn them off.

Decide when the wrong word is the right word. Write poetry.

Toothpaste poetry

No. Not poetry about toothpaste.

Poetry you just squeeze out.

Doesn't sound very enticing? But sometimes it has to be done. At worst you will have something to edit later.

Or to take the paste analogy a little further, why not:

1. Mix up some stuff already written.
2. Write a minty Sort macro.
3. Press between thumbs and see what happens.

Don't forget to floss.

Writing angry

This is one of the unwritten rules. Think of Virgil and his two lines of poetry every day. (That statistic has haunted me since I first heard it as a teenager).

They say "don't write angry". You might end up with an emotional mush like the worst kind of journaling - and yes, we have all been there as writers. Particularly the teenage stream of consciousness love poems that just seem to go on and on forever and then you did this and I did that and things never really come to a conclusion...no wonder poor old Virgil seems the enemy of teenagers with his methodical and concise method.

But perhaps we are just confusing anger with speed. Fast writing can lead to lack of form (but at other times it can be liberating).

So if you are a Virgil type poet let go of form and method and see where it gets you. Write when you have a rage inside. My guess is that the flow won't sink your boat. Who knows it might even take you all the way to Australia.