Finding synchronicity in a singing stuffed toy

Posted on 10/03/2011 by inktuition

I found synchronicity in a singing teddy bear yesterday.

Bear with me (if you’ll pardon the pun!) One of my daughter’s teddies fell out of bed yesterday morning and set off his inner melody, singing some unrecognisable but cute ditty. Anyway, this teddy must have fallen awkwardly onto his foot (where the music mechanism is activated) and the singing just wouldn’t stop. He was still singing after breakfast… after we got dressed and brushed our teeth… after I’d come home after dropping her off at school. The singing turned into whining, but Continue reading →

Creativity comes from passion and practice, say scientists

Posted on 09/03/2011 by inktuition

Apparently creativity isn’t solely down to divine inspiration after all. Scientists now claim they can measure creativity – and, instead of waiting for the muse to strike, people can make their own creative juices flow, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.

How? Well, honing your craft is number one: once you’re good at what you do, you focus less on the mechanics of the craft and you’re able to let it Continue reading →

Happy Festa della Donna

Posted on 08/03/2011 by inktuition

My memories of International Women’s Day – in Italy 20 years ago – were of a huge party for every woman in the country, from the youngest to the oldest. Restaurants were packed with generations of women, and nightclubs had ladies-only nights (though the romeos, typically, managed to sneak in, as it was too good an opportunity to miss).

Mimosa symbolises strength and femininity.

Everyone gave each other Mimosa – which, for me, symbolises freshness, Spring, hope and vibrancy – and celebrated female company. While I appreciate that International Women’s Day is a reminder of how far we’ve come – and how far women have to go, in terms of beating sexism in the workplace and in their personal lives, and in closing the gender pay gap – for today, here’s to a happy Festa della Donna.

Is a deadline the answer to my unfinished novel?

Posted on 07/03/2011 by inktuition

There’s nothing like a deadline to focus one’s mind and get a job done. After 15 years as a journalist and editor, I know how motivating (and terrifying) a deadline can be. But without it, procrastination can take over – and all kinds of other jobs can fill that time between now and delivery day.

What I hadn’t considered was applying a deadline to the novel I’m writing. Robert McCrum’s blog in the Guardian on how deadlines can give life to creative writing highlights the difference between ‘naive’ and ‘sentimental’ poets, Continue reading →

The benefits of a meaningful spring clean

Posted on 06/03/2011 by inktuition

I’ve spent most of the weekend spring cleaning my house. To the unfamiliar eye, my house probably looks no different. But with the dust busted, the cobwebs cleared, the limescale zapped, and the clutter either recycled or allocated a new, meaningful slot, the house feels friendly, fresh, free.

My pristine worktops shine with pride. The kitchen sink, scrubbed and steely, harbours no more stuck little secrets. My upstairs windows stayed open all day, even with a temperature of six degrees outside, and the breaths of benign wind have Continue reading →

Hurrah for World Book Night

Posted on 05/03/2011 by inktuition

I love the idea of World Book Night – a new initiative to give away a million books (40,000 copies each of 25 titles) in libraries and book shops across the UK, as well as in homeless centres, pubs and hospitals.

It’s such a feel-good initiative that could revive the beauty of reading among so many people – as well as bringing books to people who probably can’t afford the luxury of buying them.

With the likes of literary greats such as Margaret Atwood taking part, I’m tingling with joy and excitement.

Why are some school mums so sweetly spiteful?

Posted on 04/03/2011 by inktuition

There’s a mum at my daughter’s primary school who went to the very same school when she was a little girl. She swaggers across the playground as if she owns it, and acts as though she’s the arbiter of everything and anyone who is right and proper at the school.

In the beginning, I was beguiled: she acted as a confidante, looked after my daughter after school, on occasion, invited me round for hot chocolate at her house, and shared her own little marriage challenges. It took me a while to realise that Continue reading →

Why I’m joining the Post A Day 2011 challenge

Posted on 03/03/2011 by inktuition

There are three reasons why I’ve joined WordPress Post A Day 2011. And gone public with it.

1. To conquer ambivalence

A few years ago, before the economy got into trouble, I was having trouble selling my house. People were coming round to visit it, but not with any enthusiasm or conviction (aside from the oohs and aahs over my lovely original painting hanging in the hallway that I seriously didn’t want anyone touching – least of all househunting strangers with greasy fingertips). I couldn’t understand why no-one was biting. Then a friend of mine told me to Continue reading →

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