Lily Malone: On Writing Romance
My last writer in the attic for 2016 is Lily Malone. Lily was a guest here in 2014, but she’s been rather busy since then … Lily has worked as a journalist and editor of wine industry magazines, but discovered after years of writing facts for a...
Maureen Eppen: From Journalism to Creative Writing
When I started this series of essays and asked people to contribute, I wondered if I’d have any interested writers. But it’s turned into a beautiful series of personal stories that have really spoken to not just me, but to readers, too, as this series...
On the Eve of Fifty
I’m about to turn fifty. Half a century, a milestone. An age I once thought of as ancient. Until this birthday, I’ve not worried about my age, not ever. The number of years I’d been alive had never made me feel old. When I was a child,...
Threasa Meads: Being Brave As A Writer
I’m proud to welcome writer and artist, Threasa Meads, to the attic this week. Please read on for a beautiful piece about being brave in your writing. Threasa is the author of two liminal autobiographies, Nobody and Mothsong (Rare Bird Books, 2016), and a visual...
Helen Jones: Writing As A Self-Published Author
The days of snail mail and letters to pen pals in other countries might be behind us, but thanks to the internet, it’s easier than ever to form friendships with people overseas whom we’ve never met. I have a few such friends, people I correspond...
Teena Raffa-Mulligan: A Writing Life
Teena Raffa-Mulligan has stepped into the attic today and gives us another beautiful essay in this series. The honesty and simplicity with which she tells the story of what writing has meant to her will move you. Teena is a reader, writer...
The Story Behind My Story: My Grandfather
In the lead up to publication of my novel, I’d like to write more about the ‘The Story Behind the Story’: the genesis of my novel, and the people and places that inspired it. My Grandfather My paternal grandfather was...
Gulara Vincent: Writing For Healing and Self-Discovery
Despite all the downsides to the internet—its time-sucking capacity being one of them—it has made life easier—it’s easier to shop, to find information, and it’s easier to make friends. (Brilliant segue coming up –>) One of these friends is Gulara...
Midweek Moment #62: Simple Beauty
As I have more than one photo this week, I’ll start with Monique’s, which she took while in Tasmania a couple of weeks ago. Walking through the rainforest in cold, wet south-western Tasmania, I took the opportunity to get some macro shots before the...
Gill Kenny: A Letter To My Younger Self
Today, my dear friend, fellow dog-lover, and aspiring writer, Gill Kenny joins me in the attic. She’s written a beautiful and moving letter to her 22-year-old self. Gill left Ireland at the age of 18, to learn French while working as an...