Mental health problems in creative industries

As a writer, and a literature student, my life is full of anecdotes about people who only became famous after their death, or who had to wade through endless rejections before becoming successful. Any creative person will be used to these little anecdotes, the ones like "Beethoven was once told he was unmusical", seemingly meant…

Thoughts from a writer in lockdown

It is well known that writers tend to be solitary creatures; it is less well known that in fact, they thrive off the world. What distinguishes a writer is not their imagination but rather the way in which they pick up, and pick up on, the world around them. They are not all trapped, like…

The importance of (not) being earnest; or, how I wrote a play

(Ashley, alone in her dressing room) ASHLEY: Morning, Jack. Here alone, are we? Where’s your cousin Sasha? Sasha would paint me like this, glass in hand, the exotic French mistress waiting for her lover on a sofa. Such a cliché, isn’t it? This is why they say you shouldn’t give me wine after shows. These…

Creative academic: balancing an English degree with creativity

I was in Year 7 when my English teacher read a poem I had written as a homework assignment for her and told me I was a poet. No, I’m not joking; those were her words. Whether or not they were true (there are times when I believe her and times when I definitely don’t)…

Overcoming writers’ block

Ah, writers' block. The greatest adversary of anyone who has tried to form sentences on a page into some kind of coherent piece of English. Fear not, for I am here with a few tips on how to overcome the monster As I write this, I am also working on Chapter 12 of my work-in-progress…