Reading fiends: More stories please

Last week I asked for your stories about how you became a reading fiend – if you did – and whether fiction still holds you. The responses came flooding in, and they were delightfully warm, funny and honest.

I’d still like to hear more, but I’ve written some stories I did receive already. There’s also something in there I haven’t shared before – a memory from a sixth-floor apartment in Brussels, a book I read aged seven, and the moment I ended up utterly inconsolable.

Dogged reportage

Just wanted to sniff the bin [Outstagram]

This dog was pulling hard on its lead. It seemed to be interested in sniffing the overflowing municipal waste bin that stood, beside the bus stop, outside Waterstones in Hampstead.

That’s my belief, and I’m sticking with it.

As mentioned previously, I’m attempting a kind of canine reportage with these drawings: they’re not posing for the camera but just going about their business.

This is the sixth in the series, itself part of my Outstagram project. Outstagram?, you ask. I’m posting on my website things that I might previously have posted on Instagram, and even repurposing here a few things that I did post on Instagram.

From the archive

Last week, I mentioned meeting several people at a book launch, incl people I haven’t seen for a long time. One was Anabel Cutler. I feel a strong bond to Anabel because we were once part of a group that did something really quite scary, but also quite funny.

I wrote about that experience for The Financial Times magazine, and you can read it here:

That sinking feeling

A mile and a half from the coast, we stride off the boat and into the sea.

Resetting our masks, we blow powerfully through the breathing regulators on our scuba gear to eliminate residual water. Then, pressing a button to release air with a hiss from our buoyancy jackets,…

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No longer cannibalising myself

I wrote recently about how silly it was to start a Substack when I already have a perfectly good website / blog, much larger than it may seem from outside, with four bathrooms, sauna, good transport links and a pleasant view etc.

I wrote that my friend Kamin Mohammadi told me I was cannibalising myself. She was right. So I’m trying to stop. I’m bringing back here to my website things I’ve posted on Instagram, LinkedIn and Substack (and probably other places).

I thought it would be polite to explain this on Substack, and did so this week, thus:

Mostly, you can find me elsewhere

Hello dear friend on Substack.

I came here in 2022 (I think), and it seemed like a wonderful thing, what with Twitter up in flames and so on. Then a friend of mine pointed out that being here and (more to the point) publishing here was basically to cannibalise myself, because I have a very wonky little website of my own already, with a wonky little newsletter too, with charming subscribers.

The tagline for my website is “About creative self-expression, through writing, drawing and speaking, and I haven’t changed that for more than a decade, so hey.

Mostly the stuff on my site and in my newsletter is aimed at people – ie, individual human beings. But some parts are written for organisations I work with. I try to be very honest – and not only about difficult stuff.

I continue to love receiving several email-based publications I signed up for here, but Substack wants me to install the Substack app and be on it all the time – basically doing the dance of the seven veils, etc, like on Facebook etc – which I don’t want, each to their own!, but I’d probably end up in the psych ward again – so I frequently miss messages, sorry about that.

Writers Support Group

I’m running a week-long memoir course with Arvon this week, alongside Wendy Jones. Hurrah, hurrah!

But also: this means 👉 the lunchtime Writers Support Group will be shorter than usual, from 1.15 to 1.45.

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Writers and uncertainty

In planning for Arvon this week, I’ve been reminded of something that comes up a lot on these courses: the worry that you can’t write about something because you weren’t actually there.

Nonsense! Didn’t worry Shakespeare, did it. But to be fair the people who express worry about this tend to be writing non-fiction, and the problem can be quite paralysing.

Learn how embracing uncertainty – rather than hiding it – can make your non-fiction writing richer and more truthful: Read more

A (Still Quite) New Thing: Unoffice Hours

• I’m opening up my calendar for 1-to-1 Zoom calls with anyone who chooses to book the time. That could be you! We can talk about work, compare notes about an idea, or whatever. Anything.

One 30 minute slot each week. Wednesdays, lunchtime UK.

Book Your Slot

Gratifyingly, the slots have started filling up, and I’ve enjoyed the conversations so far. The format is VERY open. Last week we agreed happily that it had not been productive, just a pleasure.