Our June Zalon featured the poet and author Meryl Pugh unpacking what it’s like to think like a poet and sharing ways for prose writers to tap into that thinking. Meryl also spoke about her latest book, Feral Borough, “part herbarium, part bestiary and part memoir,” which lead to a fascinating discussion on form and how a book can take shape by, (in the words of anthropologist Tim Ingold,) “thinking through making.” For an inspiring approach to drafting and revising your work watch the talk on demand via Zoom here.

Meryl’s tips for writers embarking or struggling with something that’s “not easily categorisable”:

• Trust the process, whatever your process is, and let it take you where it’s going. Get rid of the shoulds - “This should…”, “I should….”

• Don’t think about the market. Perhaps don’t even think, to start with, about finishing. Instead ask; what have I got in front of me? What does it speak to? What is it igniting in my imagination and heart?

• Avoid thinking about where you’re going to place this thing when it’s finished or where it’s going on a bookshelf - particularly if you're writing a kind of hybrid thing.

• Have confidence in the process - try things out. That’s where things get really exciting. As a writer I’m always excited by what I’m doing and am more excited if it’s something I’m not sure of - although it can be a bit scary!

With thanks to Meryl Pugh for a super discussion.

Summer is in full swing here in the UK and it’s time for a break. Before I sign off, here’s a date for your diary - back by popular demand, The Four Elements of Revising, led by Andrew Wille on 14 October 2023, 1-5pm live and in person at the beautiful Phoenix Garden, nestled in the heart of Central London. Come join us and become your own best editor! Click through here for more information and to book. Words Away will be back in the autumn with more monthly zalons online as well as in-person workshops. Keep an eye on the website for updates or sign up for the monthly newsletter here.

Have a great summer - or winter if you’re south of the equator,

Kellie

References:

Meryl Pugh, Feral Borough, Tim Ingold, Paul Valery - “Poetry is to prose as dancing is to walking.”, Zoe Skoulding, Bhanu Kapil - “The Fragment Is” - Words away Zalon Dec 2020, Andrew Wille, Denise Riley