Do you ever feel that your life is not your own? Sometimes life throws a curve ball, which disrupts our plans and we have no choice but to deal with the fallout. However, just as outside forces can limit our freedom, our own attitudes and behaviours can keep us imprisoned. There is one trait that… Read More The Danger of Pleasing Others
It’s no secret to followers of this blog or my twitter account (@nzstelter) that I write. I write daily. I write reports, briefings, proposals and correspondence for my day job. In my own time, I continue writing. I journal, write stories or blog posts. I invent stories for my daughter. Writing allows me to crystallise… Read More Feeling Like a Writing Fraud
Salman Rushdie and The Satanic Verses In 1989 my seven year old ears pricked up at the repeated mention of a name in our house. My extended family are big film and music lovers and it would have been more in keeping for them to be discussing Bollywood star Salman Khan. But it was Salman… Read More Should Writers Ever Self-Censor?
The importance of being modest If you’ve ever seen an old-school Bollywood movie, you’ll know that the heroine often hides behind her sari when faced with her true love. In India, as in many other cultures, brash and brazen behaviour, is viewed as unseemly; modesty is celebrated, especially in women. My family is originally from… Read More Arrogance: the Making and Breaking of Writers
Last week, someone I love confided how in me about how low she was feeling. We spent nearly an hour talking about her feelings, what she felt had gone wrong and how she could get to where she wants to be. I walked away from the conversation hurting for her but when I replayed the… Read More How Good a Listener Are You?
This week, I got the chance to be in a quiet room by myself to focus on my writing. Our son is eight months old, and the urge to write has been getting stronger now that he is sleeping better and I have more energy. Some friends and I decided that each week two mums… Read More The Ability to be Alone
After I published my first proper blog post yesterday I tweeted about it and sent the link to half a dozen family and friends. The chosen few, as it were: those who have been supportive of my writing dream or at least know about it. Not everyone does. I didn’t share the post on… Read More Leaving Fear Behind