And the ableist elite don’t listen to your complaint — In the cult of wokism buzzwords like social justice, equity and inclusion permeate throughout society but there is another ‘ism’ that is often left out of the conversation — ableism. Ableism is insidious. Examples can be seen in everyday life, in the use of language and in all societal, corporate…

This is the synopsis — does it cut the mustard? — Help! I need representation So…I’m thinking the time has come to snag myself some representation — I need a Literary Agent. Or…should I just take a chance and submit directly to some publishing houses? What to do? I’m at a stage with my WIP where it’s suddenly ‘come together’ — quite miraculously actually. This…

To understand who we are is a fundamental need — Parish records In the sixteenth century the Government began keeping records of persons who were neither royal, nor nobility. For the first time the names, occupations and relationships of ordinary men and women were recorded for posterity. It was also the first time paternity could be attributed to a particular sire. Pedigree…

Her life went from dreams to screams — Stories change each time someone tells them Inevitably, stories — even true stories — change each time someone tells them, but the facts in this story are largely undoubted as they were reported in the local newspapers at the time. My recounting of this story to you mainly relies on the information archived in libraries in large…

Until you asked me if I was in a mood, now I am — There’s one thing guaranteed to put me in a mood… There’s one thing guaranteed to put me in a mood — it’s when someone asks me if I’m in a mood. Moodiness is not in my DNA. I am rarely moody. I’m a naturally calm, composed, self-possessed person, one who is good in a crisis. I rarely react when others…

Working in two POV’s — For the first part of this exercise you will take an ordinary object and write about it as if you were it i.e. using the 1st person point of view. For the second part of this exercise you will give your object a name and write about it using the…

Letting your imagination flow from one word — For this creative writing exercise you will choose one abstract noun as your starting point and allow your imagination to answer a series of questions. The idea is to allow yourself the freedom to create a profile of your word in an unusual and innovative way and without mentioning the…

I’m in there if you take the time to look — Brain Injury Awareness Week — Seeing My Hidden Self Last week (16 - 22nd May) was Brain Injury Awareness Week. It was an opportunity for everyone to focus on what is, for many brain injury survivors such as me, a hidden disability. To the outside world I may look as…

It didn’t end well — Law and Order In Walmgate, York The 1839 County Police Act gave each county the power to set up their own police force. When Sir Robert Peel set up his London police force constables were paid a shilling a day’ — a ‘bob (hence the epithet ‘Bobby’). However, there was no ‘set wage’ for parish constables…