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Haven for the Head-Wrecked
I’ve become particularly aware in the last while that many of the people I am in contact with in my everyday life both physically or virtually (through twitter or email) are struggling in some way and putting a brave face on it. They are feeling confused, vulnerable, lonely, disheartened, unsure or scared and they are…
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Why I’m Missing 1970’s Wallpaper – Inspiration for Far Out Writing Dudes
I grew up in the 1970’s: the era of swirly carpets, psychedelic curtains, bed coverings and wallpaper. The wallpaper was flock, groovy, funky, floral, paisley, repeating geometric, colourful, clashing, kitsch. But you have to admit it, compared with the pared down smooth walls in neutral cream paint of the minimalist mode we have now, there…
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Of Semi-Colons and Sandwiches
As a writer, once you get your bum on the seat, it is all too tempting to concentrate on the story, the creativity, the word count, the dreamlike moment when you go up to claim your award……Anything, anything but grammar. ‘Don’t they have a thing on Word for that?’ I am aghast, you charlatan! Not…
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Writer DNA: Blood, sweat, nails and hair
The better my writing goes, the more of myself I leave behind. That is true for the story, where the stronger the impact of the piece, the more likely it is that I have imbued it with some authentic emotion, some recognisable evidence of common humanity, my version of it. It is also true of…
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RTE Francis Mac Manus Competition 2009
This year the Frances Mac Manus Short Story competition celebrates its 25th anniversary. It is one of the foremost competitions in Ireland, both in terms of prestige and the generosity of its prizes. Prizes of €3,000, €2,000 and €1,000 will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd winning stories. The story must be should be…
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Eulogy (tribute, acclamation) to my Thesaurus
I read a while back, when I was getting into writing more seriously, that the serious writer should beware of overusing the thesaurus function on their computer. The implication was that, if you were a writer of worth, you wouldn’t need to. Well actually, maybe I’ve just backed myself into a corner and proved his…
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Hand sewing a hem with invisible thread
It’s one of those mindful things, isn’t it, sewing? One of those repetitive actions, that, if you are comfortable with the process and more or less left to it, you can sink right into and your thoughts gently flow through the sense of what you’re doing, the rhythm, the steady harmony. I suppose that’s what,…
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Why I write.
What has been wonderful in the last few days is getting feedback from my published story Bog Body. Although I’ve had a couple of stories published in magazines before, this was the first time that – thanks to modern technology – I was able to receive feedback not only from friends and acquaintances but also…
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Bog Body Discovered by Sunday Tribune!
Get my head above water? Well I must have done or perhaps not… My story Bog Body – which is about being submerge and trapped among other things has been published by Ciaran Carty in The Sunday Tribune’s New Writing section, yesterday August 2nd! http://www.tribune.ie/arts/article/2009/aug/02/bog-body/ I discovered it was to be published only a few days before while visiting family in…
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Spaced out in front of the TV
Okay, okay. I am committed to my calling, my literary vocation, really, really, I am. This quote that keeps going around, variously attributed. How to be a writer – put bum on seat, write. Or, ala Stephen King, ‘I write every day’ and many many other worthy examples of writerly dedication. And yes its what…
Welcome to my Head above Water blog! I’m Alison, writer, mother and public librarian with a background in Communication Studies and Psychology. I have a particular interest in creative resilience, motivation and how nature and wonder can restore us. In my day job I run book clubs and creative events for children and adults.
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Alison Wells Author 