Death Of 1000 Cuts

This episode I report from deep in the middle of teaching a writing retreat at Arvon's Totleigh Barton. Many issues about creative writing, developing your practice, and growing as a writer are on my mind, so I try to get down to some fundamental principles as they occur to me. This is an unscripted episode, where I have a go at getting to the bottom of a problem or topic and puzzle out what I think about it. At the time of recording, I was rereading Osip Mandelstam's JOURNEY TO ARMENIA, and also Dorothea Brande's BECOMING A WRITER, the first truly iconic creative writing manual, originally published in 1934. I felt pretty amazed and inspired by both, so I talk about - and read from - both texts. This is a great episode to listen to if you want to know: - the best way to build a sustainable writing practice - how to cultivate your imagination - how to silence your inner critic - a classic exercise to get through writers' block and stimulate ideas - how a writing retreat works Here's Dorothea Brande's bestse