Fran Macilvey's Blog, page 13

Doing what we enjoy

Doing what we enjoy

I’m thinking of writing a series of articles about Life and how to live it well: observations and conclusions often drawn from the times when I’ve not lived so well, perhaps because I’ve found myself caught and bound into doing things I didn’t enjoy.

And now I would say that in life, which can be wearying at the best of times, if we want to live well and happily – I might even go so far as to say that, since we are given life, it is our sacred duty to live joyfully – we...

“Bitter Leaves” by Tabatha Stirling

“Bitter Leaves” by Tabatha Stirling

“Bitter Leaves” is a fascinating account of the maid culture in Singapore that pulls no punches, beautifully written and heartfelt: a worthy companion on my very overloaded bookshelves.

I am usually hesitant to engage with darker narratives, but from its beginning, this novel about the lives of four women held me, and I was very impatient to know what would happen to them, though the details of their lives were so engagingly laid out for examination th...

Reading real books

I like electronic readers. They are handy and lightweight and they fit easily into a pocket. I can carry one anywhere and load literally hundreds of books onto it. E-readers are slimline and sensible.

But – there’s always a “but” with that kind of optimistic opening statement, isn’t there? – despite their bulk, I still prefer reading real books. Perhaps some part of me is put off by the way in which electronic text sits flat behind a screen, perhaps it’s the way that the obviously monochro...

Times they are changing

Times they are changing

My daughter is now sixteen years old, a fact which gives me considerable pause. I have spent much time over the last two decades doing things for the family I am blessed to have around me. But have I used that as my excuse to not do things for myself? Probably.

There must be many people in my position, who surround themselves with details and preoccupations that put them at several removes from the concerns and convictions nearest their hearts. So how do we get back...

Katherine by Anya Seton

Katherine by Anya Seton

In April and May hereabouts the weather is usually fine, albeit unpredictable, and we tend to think, “It’s going to be such a wonderful summer…” Then in June it rains, and we think, “What happened?” and wonder how we can fill our summer days.

I can tackle my TBR pile, review books and sort out my shelves; in fact, I must: my mother has several hundred books in a collection which has been whittled down from several thousand, and the only way I know to handle all the...

Getting life into gear

Getting life into gear

My “to do” list reads like this: housework, swimming, shopping, recycling, visiting my mum, shopping, tidying, answering the door, and getting life into gear. You know, get a grip, get organised, do things.

But… I’m doing them already, and there must come a limit to the number of times, or the speed or the efficiency with which I tackle the jobs in my life. Some things are more fun than others. Visiting Mum, while sometimes worrying, is also enjoyable, interesting,...

Use of idiom in writing

Idiom: A group of words whose meaning cannot be predicted from the meanings of the constituent words. As for example, “It was raining cats and dogs”.

Creative writing is as much about playing games as anything in life is. We play games with words and meanings. If we are writing sci-fi or fantasy, we may even invent languages for our characters, whole new worlds springing up from our writing. I am delighted with inventive writing, and if I venture thus far, I will try to ensure that my worl...

Writing Honestly

Writing Honestly

Whether I am drawn to writing self-help, science fiction or fiction for me, there is nothing more fundamental than writing honestly. Not brutally, but trying always to be clear about my motives and what I am trying to say.

It is through writing honestly that the conviction forms in me that can lead to convincing writing, authentic dialogue, heartfelt emotions. For each genre the disciplines will naturally differ, but without core honesty – which perhaps I could call freedo...

Emotional support for writers

Since all writers borrow from their lives to pen their novels, articles, memoirs and stories, emotional support for writers is essential. Yet the habit which writing breeds of doing things alone and by oneself, can be hard to leave behind.

We write, presumably, because we feel compelled to; and presumably also because some part of us enjoys the process or the sense of achievement from the final product and its outcomes.

Yet perhaps, since reading – so often a precursor to taking up the pen...

Testing my resolve

There appears to be a belief among authors that of course we enjoy our writing, or else, why would we bother writing anything? And for most writers, that assumption is probably broadly true, though I suspect many of us also have procrastination down to a fine art. But when I began writing, it soon became obvious that doing so was testing my resolve almost to breaking point.

Though memoir reads like fiction, and enjoys elements of fiction, we may not get much enjoyment from writing our lif...