My dear friend Sara has just started a new blog, and it's going to be fantastic. She and her dear friend, Joanna (whom I like very much but don't know very well), interview each other about books they've been reading, then transcribe the interviews. What a fabulous idea! And why didn't I think of it?…
Why good grammar matters
“Sticklers Unite!” is the rallying cry from Lynne Truss in her #1 New York Times bestseller for grammar nerds, Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. I’m a stickler and proud of it. And not a closeted one, either. My profession—proofreader, editor and writer—is just a tiny giveaway, for a start. Then…
What Makes a Good Proofreader?
I wrote this article for New Zealand Author, the official publication of the New Zealand Society of Authors. It was published last week. You have drafted and redrafted. You may have had some or all of your manuscript assessed. Finally, with relief and incredulity, you have typed The End and poured yourself a glass of…
Love After Love
This poem has always meant a great deal to me. Everyone will have their own interpretation, but for me it speaks of false self and real self; relinquishing the former and finally, joyfully, discovering the latter. Its author, Derek Walcott, was born in Saint Lucia in the West Indies in 1930. He won the Nobel Prize in…
The Milford Chronicles: Chapter Four
This is the last instalment in my account of walking the Milford Track last month. If you've just joined me, you may want to read Chapters One - Three before this one. Chapter Four: Day 4: Dumpling Hut to Sandfly Point Breakfast was followed by goodbyes. We were all departing at different times for Sandfly…
The Milford Chronicles: Chapter Three
Chapter Three: Day 3: Mintaro Hut to Dumpling Hut A cheeky committee of keas woke us early on Day Three. They perched on the outdoor tables, eying us as we emerged to go to the toilet. We had been warned to hang up our boots and take all our belongings inside or these mischievous birds could…
The Milford Chronicles: Chapter Two
Chapter Two: Day 2: Clinton Hut to Mintaro Hut If there’s one thing worse than a snorer, it’s a snorer on the Milford Track. It was the subdued talk of the hut on the morning of Day Two. Some were convinced it was the Israeli. Others swore it was the father and son from Boston.…
The Milford Chronicles: Chapter One
I walked the world-famous Milford Track last week. It was one of the best adventures I have ever had. Maybe it was because the last year has been one of tremendous personal upheaval, and this trip felt like a significant "marker" on a difficult emotional journey. You'll be pleased (I hope) to know that every…
The Invitation
I want to share a poem with you this morning. It's not one of my own (but boy, do I wish I had as cool a name as the author). I was introduced to it just two days ago by a special friend. In a world of smartphone addiction and getting ahead and Rushing Woman Syndrome…
Leunig the Living Treasure
If there was one Australian author I would recommend that you read before you die, it would be Michael Leunig. He is described by Wikipedia as a cartoonist, poet, and social commentator, and was declared an Australian Living Treasure by the National Trust of Australia in 1999. What on earth do you have to do…
Patricia Bell, Author 