My Confession
My Confession In the hush of a Catholic church in Italy, surrounded by the light of holy candles and ancient relics, I had a moment of quiet reflection and meditation. I was looking for answers. I’d just finished writing Amazing…
A Brain Tumour, Shoes, and Amazing Grace
Many years ago, Becky was a sweet teenager in my class. When she left school, I didn’t see her, but over the years, we’ve connected over Facebook. When I read that Becky had a brain tumour and, after surgery, subsequently…
When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Limoncello
‘Would you like a digestif? Limoncello? It’s on the house.’ The waiter, dressed impossibly tight, black jeans, white-tight t-shirt, thick leather belt, ankles bare above leather loafers, hipster beard, sculpted hair—you get the picture—tilts his head and we shrug a…
The Music of Life: Writing in Italy
The Music of Life: Writing in Italy The pop of a cork from a Prosecco bottle. Soft, murmuring Italian voices. Cucina. Mangiare. Si Grazie. Bene. Words, food, sharing, friendship in a bookshop café in Florence. My friend and I sit…
This Season Is About Becoming
There is a season for wildness and a season for settledness, and this is neither. This season is about becoming. Shauna Niequist I call myself a writer, but I haven’t written anything in the last two weeks. Travelling in Italy…
I Said Yes
Elizabeth Gilbert began Big Magic with a question: Q: What is creativity? A: The relationship between a human being and the mysteries of inspiration. Every chapter is an attempt to articulate the mysterious process that occurs in me,…
Accidental Grace
This last week I’ve glimpsed a lot of Big Magic. At a retreat as we wrote our Morning Pages we allowed the writing to take us places we never expected. Over the weekend each person had a Big Magic moment—a moment…
The Naked Creative
Have you ever walked into a room and felt naked? Have you ever shown anyone something you created and cringed? Have you ever felt like running away and hiding in shame? Being a creative person means being vulnerable enough to…
Write Your Own Permission Slip
We all have a story promise in us. Something sown deep within that seeks to be released. Perhaps some of you have that lump in your throat, that heart race, that visceral response in your body that tells you it’s…
Enchantment, Fairy Dust and Gratitude
It was 9am on the 26th of February 2010. I sat down at the kitchen table with a coffee and my notebook. I had an idea—an idea that I wanted to write a novel. I’d met a character in my…