1st December. My Dear Wormwood, This is a dangerous time of year for us, so I write with urgent haste to advise you on strategies to keep your patient’s eyes and thoughts away from our enemy and his so-called promises. There is much else to occupy her at the moment, and we have made great strides in recent years - don’t be the one to let down our Father below and allow your patient to slip through your grasp and into that despicable state they call ‘faith’ or ‘hope’. If you do that, she might start to create ripples around her which will keep you out, she may even begin to ‘rejoice’, and, what with all our forward movement in spreading despair and turmoil recently, that will attract attention and you will find yourself in deep trouble. So, a reminder of the strategies that are proving most effective in attacking our enemy’s 'children', which he professes to want to be friends with, of all things. Ready? Firstly, distraction. Make sure your patient is never far from their d...
Most days, stories, images and ideas run through my mind. I find myself forming narratives as I walk, or cycle, or simply pause in stillness and imbibe the wonder of the world. I want to learn to capture the words, to riff on the themes I ponder. So now, instead of thinking about writing, I will write. Excuse the errors, the detours, the rookie mistakes. This is Riffing in Writing.