Ink, felt tips, Financial Times
12 April 2026
In this issue: a book seven years in the making, a dog seeking fallen crumbs, and a private AI experiment.
But first:
The book that waited seven years
At the end of February, I ran a week-long memoir course for the Arvon Foundation, alongside my friend the author Wendy Jones.
Instead of reading from published work, I showed participants pictures I’d made in hospital – raw, unfinished, awkward. I wanted to demonstrate that raw, unfinished work may be what most needs to be put out there. And then I took my own advice.
For a while now, I’ve been telling participants on my own Micro-Memoir course that they can produce a 40-48 page fragment of a life story in just 30 days. I wanted to prove to myself that it’s true. And that’s what I did, in March.
Mine ran to 124 pages, because once I started I couldn’t stop – but the core of it, daily practice, publishing in public, willingness to show unfinished work, is exactly what I teach.
This book had been in my mind for a long time. Something about finishing that Arvon course, and showing those pictures to strangers, made me think: now.
So I started. Daily emails to a small list, describing what I was doing. Audio recordings. Drawings. And then – I was genuinely surprised – people started to ask if they could buy a copy. I scrambled to set up payment links. The list kept growing. And here we are.
A Speccy Man Has a Breakdown is a 124-page illustrated hardback – drawings made during a psychiatric admission in 2017, curated from about 300 sketches, signed and numbered, first edition of 250 copies, with an A5 art print included.
If you’ve ever had a project living in a drawer for years – mine waited seven – this might be the thing that nudges you.
PS – A few people have asked about the Micro-Memoir course. I’m thinking about running it again soon. If you’d like to know when, just reply to this email.
***
Dogs of Hampstead
Location: outside Gail’s, Hampstead.
This dog, of breed unknown, was determined to eat something that had dropped off the table. Quite right too.
As well as capturing the dog, I enjoyed painting the many different colours in the paving stones.
Other world news in brief
🌍 Why do publishers bother with hardbacks – and why do most readers prefer paperbacks?
🌎 OpenStreetMap – open source alternative to Google Maps and Apple Maps. Worth knowing about.
🌏 A fragment of Artemisia Gentileschi’s painting of Mary Magdalene is up for auction later this month – but the face is missing. Which seems like a significant omission.
My private AI
This week, I installed my own private AI on my Mac. It’s a thing you can do!
And, as you’ll discover if you read on, it’s also a thing you can uninstall.
I didn’t have a very clear idea what I was doing it for, but several things were floating around in my head. For a start, I wanted to try using an AI that would not at the same time be sending back to HQ everything I typed into it.
I mean, if you ever type anything you care about, you’re giving away a lot of information to tech companies that haven’t exactly covered themselves in glory, privacy-wise. And if you type something you don’t care about, you’re wasting your time.
This was prompted, in part, by the need to prepare my accounts. Keep reading…
Housekeeping notes
Thanks to everyone who came along to the Writers Support Group, which has moved permanently to the second Thursday of every month.
Unoffice Hours runs every Wednesday lunchtime – half an hour, one to one, just the two of us. Not a group thing. Book whenever you need it. Book your slot
My website now has a Guestbook. Please sign! Say hello!