I don’t know how I found The Writers Hour, perhaps it found me.

All I know is that since November, I have been logging on almost daily to a Zoom call with upwards of 300 writers, and I haven’t wanted to stop.

The process is simple; we set our writing intentions and open up whatever we’re working on. We then mention what we’re working on in the chat box, with the rest of the other writers.

One of the hosts reads an inspirational quote to get the creative juices flowing. It might be something like this:

“From the day my…

“In times like these, it can feel wrong to feel happy. There is so much suffering in the world that appreciating the goodness that still exists can seem unempathic, if not altogether futile.” — Harvard

But even in a pandemic, we are still looking for moments of joy. Even though the days of sourdough bread baking may have waned significantly since last March, we are desperate to find something that makes us feel even slightly effervescent.

Joie de vivre — “can be a joy of conversation, joy of eating, joy of anything one might do… And joie de vivre may…

If there’s one thing that bugs me more than anything else in life, it’s being ghosted.

Ghosting in a professional context is, well, unprofessional. It tells you that you’re not worth the truth, and leaves you questioning : ‘is it me, or is it them?’

You don’t quite know whether they are dealing with some personal issue, are stressed and busy, or just don’t have the bravery to tell you that they’d rather sever the ties for whatever reason.

Maybe it’s a combination of all of these. But I’d much rather be faced with a painful truth than be ghosted.

…

Feel like your life is an endless loop of Zoom calls, cups of coffee, walks in the park and Netflix?

You’re far from alone. Many people are finding working from home during the pandemic somewhat stressful. Although recent research by Microsoft suggests we are largely happier from home (that’s a huge 87% of us), many employees feel stretched in what they need to deliver.

More than 69% of us report feeling burnt out or exhausted from managing our workload at home during the pandemic.

Studies also show that if you’re a parent, it can be even more challenging.

An ITV…

Dear Sugar,

You’re sweet. (So, so sweet). And I love being around you — a bit too much, actually.

In fact, I love being around you so much that I never stopped to think whether you were actually good for me. I might have even been a bit addicted to your presence in my life.

But it’s time to be honest. I don’t think you’re doing me any favours when it comes to my health.

And, as much as I love you, I am going to have to put strict boundaries in place when it comes to you and I.

…

When the world feels like it’s fallen over, and you’re confined to the same four walls 24/7, finding the energy to do anything can feel incredibly difficult at the moment (if you’re living in the UK in the midst of winter).

Maybe you’ve only got enough energy to binge eat Kettle chips and lay on the sofa watching Netflix — and that’s okay.

After working remotely for almost six years now, some of which when I was pretty unwell, I had to find tiny ways to feel more energised when everything felt bleak. I was isolated, and without social contact…

This is going to be a different kind of post. One where I don’t think or plan too much, and just let the words flow.

Last week, I joined the fabulous Writer’s Hour every morning at 8am-9am. I decided that instead of writing an article or attempting a novel, I was going to try morning pages. Something I had heard about before, but not really engaged in.

If you’ve never heard of it, morning pages is essentially journaling, first thing in the morning.

It is allowing the words to flow out of you and onto the page, it doesn’t have…