Category Archives: Psychology

A hug a day keeps the doctor away, and Brooklyn’s new Center for Fiction

Posted on April 14, 2019 by Angela

I read here, the other day, in an article by a South Korean Zen Buddhist monk called Haemin Sunim, that hugs have health benefits. Here he is and here’s part of what he wrote: Anthony Grant, a professor of psychology at … Continue reading →

Posted in Bookshops, Creativity, Mental Health, Psychology, Things I'd Love to Have Made | 1 Comment

How Doctors use Poetry, and a blue-green stone

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Angela

Recently I spent a night in hospital and the thing that struck me about the nursing staff, as I watched them admit new patients to the ward, was their infinite kindness; their ability to explain exactly the same things to … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Creativity, Jewellery, Mental Health, Poetry, Psychology, Science | Comments Off on How Doctors use Poetry, and a blue-green stone

A new writing resolution; and a new (to me) altruistic way of advertising

Posted on January 14, 2018 by Angela

I’ve made a new writing resolution: I will not allow the confusing complexity, the sheer size and the constantly changing, shifting nature of a novel’s first draft to eclipse the excitement I felt when its guiding idea first electrified me. I. Will. Not. … Continue reading →

Posted in Baby Boomers, Creativity, Fiction, Millenials, Psychology, Rewriting, Things I'd Love to Have Made, Uncategorized, Writing | Comments Off on A new writing resolution; and a new (to me) altruistic way of advertising

Atul Gawande and Being Mortal; and a Remembrance Poppy Badge

Posted on November 14, 2017 by Angela

Atul Gawande‘s Being Mortal – which I wrote about here in the context of his 2014 Reith Lectures – is extraordinary for its courageous and honest confrontation of our failure to confront how we want to die. Or, as Atul Gawande … Continue reading →

Posted in Death and Dying, Psychology, Storytelling, Things I'd Love to Have Made | Comments Off on Atul Gawande and Being Mortal; and a Remembrance Poppy Badge

Chaos & Creativity; and Beautiful Bookshops

Posted on October 14, 2017 by Angela

I dislike hate chaos. Very much. Who doesn’t? But it’s an essential state if you want to write fiction. Messiness of the mind is the sine qua non for writers. But, when a piece is finished, it looks so orderly that … Continue reading →

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Auditioning to become a WI Speaker, and ‘Born Baffled: Musings on a Writing Life’

Posted on May 14, 2017 by Angela

In March I auditioned to become a WI speaker. The WI, you say? Don’t they just make jam, sing Jerusalem and talk a lot? Yes to all three, but no to JUST. There are 6,300 WIs in this country with 220,000 members … Continue reading →

Posted in Psychology, Talks, Things I'd Love to Have Made, Titanic, Women, Writers, Writing | 3 Comments

A History of Britain in 21 Women, by Jenni Murray

Posted on March 14, 2017 by Angela

This is both the thing I’m writing about this month and the thing I’d love to have written, in a parallel universe where time is infinite and all things are possible:What an entirely brilliant and inspiring idea. It begins with … Continue reading →

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How dramatic stories change brain chemistry, and NOT the Booker Prize

Posted on August 14, 2016 by Angela

Good strong stories, as we all know, transport us to other people’s worlds. So, when we’re reading fiction, even though we know the people we’re reading about aren’t real, if the story has a successful dramatic arc we’ll empathise with those imaginary people and … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Literary Prizes, Mind, Psychology, Things I'd Love to Have Made, Writers, Writing | 2 Comments

The UK Referendum, Brexit, and Meike Ziervogel on the importance of listening to other people’s stories

Posted on July 14, 2016 by Angela

On 1 July Meike Ziervogel, founder and publisher at Peirene Press, published this: Translation is Europe’s only common language. Umberto Eco It’s a thoughtful and thought-provoking piece about the UK referendum, Brexit, and the importance of listening to other people’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists, Creativity, Equality, Love, Psychology, Storytelling, Things I'd Love to Have Made, Writing | Comments Off on The UK Referendum, Brexit, and Meike Ziervogel on the importance of listening to other people’s stories

brainpickings and mindset

Posted on May 14, 2016 by Angela

I’ve just discovered a website called brainpickings. I was noodling around on the internet, trying to find out something for one of my characters (what it was escapes me now) but I recommend brainpickings for the heart and for the brain. The articles are written by Maria … Continue reading →

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