-
‘It is our disease’ [Clea] said ‘to want to contain everything within the frame of reference of a psychology or a philosophy. After all Justine cannot be justified or excused. She simply and magnificently is; we have to put up with her, like original sin. But to call her a nymphomaniac or to try and
-
“Try and think about the absence of God, and do realise that before you can knock at the door – and remember that it is not only at the door of the Kingdom understood in the general way, but that Christ really says ‘I am the door’ – before you knock at the door, you
-
Each day that I write this blog (which I cannot promise will be every day), I will select a word encountered in the last 24 hours and see where it takes me. Today’s word is “invisible”, as in “The use of invisible fencing to allow the grazing of the area will be demonstrated.” This comes
-
Something I’ve noticed that many writers do – particularly those for whom English is not their first language – is pepper their essays, dissertations and articles with words they imagine will strengthen their argument, but which actually tend to have the reverse effect, particularly if the peppering is too liberal or the words are quite
-
And here’s one of Mark Forster’s books which I also recommend: Do it Tomorrow and Other Secrets of Time Management
-
The start of a new year is always a good time to consider one’s time management techniques. I’m a bit of an addict when it comes to lists and discovering new systems, but in recent years I have repeatedly come back to Mark Forster and his AutoFocus series – see Mark’s blog for details. The
-
A student whose first language is Italian was asking me recently what the difference is between ‘few’ and ‘a few’ and when to use which one. Does ‘a few’ mean many? she asked, in some frustration. No, I replied, ‘a few’ means several, more than one or two, but not many. But it does mean
-
With the current government’s tendency to want to divide people into sheep and goats – the ‘hardworking family’ or the ‘shirker’ (the latter previously known as the ‘undeserving poor’) – I find myself wondering which category I fit into, as a freelance writer and writing consultant who lives alone. Last night, for instance, I had
-
As promised, here is my poem about Ivor Gurney Beside the son of his dearest friend, Their names linked still in death, A Celtic cross and an inscription to Ivor Gurney: a lover and maker of beauty. In low land between Cotswold and Malvern, A place he might have chosen, He knows the silence after
-
The wonderful concert I went to last week at The Hall, St Botolph without Bishopsgate, as part of the Song in the City series, reminded me of how significant Ivor Gurney is in the pantheon of 20th-century English composers. His songs are gems, in the tradition of earlier composers such as John Dowland – succinct,
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Virginia Rounding: Author, editor, proofreader, indexer 