Pages from my Notebook Photo by Jan Kahánek They say you should face your fears. One of my biggest fears is that…

What are you willing to give up, or let go of, to achieve your dreams? Hi! Welcome to Chapter 23.…

I’m @jamesgarside_ on Twitter if you want to say hi I’ve had this review to write for about a year.…

Loneliness and social isolation are silent killers, according to the statistics. Why don’t we just talk about loneliness? [Big Issue North]…

Customs: Do you have anything to declare? Writer: I’ve the internet browser history of a fiction writer. *gets wrestled to…

Get taught how to write by William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg! “First Thought, Best Thought.” — Allen Ginsberg “You are a genius all…

“That which doesn’t kill you makes you a funny motherfucker, most of the time.” “That which doesn’t kill you makes…

Sick of tea? That’s like being sick of breathing! Hi! Welcome to Chapter 23. Become evil. Rule the world. Maybe…

You write a good novel by writing a good novel Photo by Jan Kahánek Writers are great lovers. They fall in…

Notes from the archives of my notebooks Photo by Eric Ward I’m still so exhausted that it staggers me, and all…

I am Not a Wolf by Dan Sheehan I Am Not A Wolf – Image courtesy of Sick Of Wolves I…

From the Archives: originally published in 2021 DMX will be Remembered DMX, Mika-photography / Wikimedia Commons A memorial for the…

Azarath… Metrion… ZINTHOS! Hi! Welcome to Chapter 23. Become evil. Rule the world. Maybe drink tea first and sit down…

On the typewriter, you tell the truth On the typewriter, you tell the truth. Read Tobias Wolff’s Old School, finally, after…

You’re right, right? [This is a personal diary extract written when #RIPRichardDawkins started trending on Twitter. THAT’S ALL. If you’ve…

Well, I thought it was funny Photo by Kristina Flour on Unsplash Yes, the emperor is naked. No, he doesn’t want…

A private space for us to converse and connect Today I’m announcing a brand new addition to my Substack publication:…

Have you ever noticed how the ‘moral majority’ isn’t moral and there’s more of us than them? Photo ‘Right to…

Imposter syndrome used to be a friend of mine Photo by Jan Kahánek I worry that I might be schizophrenic. I…

Outlaw Country! Hi! Welcome to Chapter 23. Become evil. Rule the world. Maybe drink tea first and sit down for…

Endless sleep and still no rest Photo by Jan Kahánek Since from the point of death you are no longer away…

“Come at me, bro!” ― Noam Chomsky “Come at me, bro!” ― Noam Chomsky Someone left this falsely attributed quote on…

Fuck everything else Photo by Jan Kahánek “Though death is howling at our backs and life is roaring at our faces,…

A sensible and efficient way to approach writing and editing Photo by Jan Kahánek I stumbled across a brilliant section in…

I feel like my life is just a series of unrelated wacky adventures. Hi! Welcome to Chapter 23. Become evil.…

Words make me happy. Numbers make me sad. Photo by Aidan Bartos Take care of your own room; change your own…

Music is life Photo by Jan Kahánek Broken moments, another evening close to the end. Close the sleep and bored but…

I just took anti-anxiety meds. Photo by Jan Kahánek So, fuck it. I just took anti-anxiety meds. I know I just…

A love letter to music from a misanthrope Photo by Seth Doyle on Unsplash Where is this relationship going? Every love…

The man loved his footnotes. Consider the Lobster and Other Essays by David Foster Wallace The man loved his footnotes.…

Inquiring minds wanna know Photo by Amee Fairbank-Brown on Unsplash Digital Postcards from the Edge “I’ve got material planned, I…

Adventure Time, c’mon grab your friends. Hi! Welcome to Chapter 23. Become evil. Rule the world. Maybe drink tea first…

All the world’s a stage. Photo by Jan Kahánek “All the world’s a stage” — William Shakespeare All the world’s a stage. All…

Imagination is more important than knowledge. Photo by Jan Kahánek “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited whereas…

I hate Harry Potter but love JK Rowling — this is why When I taught Creative Writing to young people on the gifted…

1. Don’t be a dick Don’t be a dick (Try to play nice with the other children) Be yourself (I’m…

If you’re not intrinsically motivated, in your writing, then you have to stop and ask yourself why. Photo by Jan Kahánek…

Humans are so… interesting. Hi! Welcome to Chapter 23. Become evil. Rule the world. Maybe drink tea first and sit…

A drunk writer gave me some writing advice after breaking into his own car and talking about John Fante. Photo…

According to Quantum Mechanics writing is a re-enactment, on a linguistic level, of the energy that makes up the world.…

What’s the message of encouragement you most wish to hear? Photo by Jan Kahánek What’s the message of encouragement you most…

The Magic of Israel Regardie by Christopher S. Hyatt The Magic of Israel Regardie by Christopher S. Hyatt This isn’t…

Let’s go. In and out. 20 minutes adventure. Hi! Welcome to Chapter 23. Become evil. Rule the world. Maybe drink…

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers…

The legendary Dave McKean in interview on his creative process. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia The legendary Dave McKean in interview…

Never gonna stop? Give it up. Photo by Jake Bradley on Unsplash American friends asked me to write a few words…

The daily output of a non-writing writer Photo by Jan Kahánek Do the math. My alphasmart backups for one year came…

Disappointment’s a form of caring. Hi! Welcome to Chapter 23. Become evil. Rule the world. Maybe drink tea first and…

I think I look for meaning in the wrong places sometimes If there’s one thing I hate about blogging then…

Typing up old notebooks is a bit like injecting heroin into your eyeball — addictive, painful, and not very good for your…

“Writing sustains me. But wouldn’t it be more accurate to say that it sustains this kind of life? Which does…

Hi! Welcome to Chapter 23. Become evil. Rule the world. Maybe drink tea first and sit down for a bit.…

When asked what I write, I usually grunt and say, “words”, before making a hasty retreat. When asked why I…

A long time ago I had the opportunity to attend Presentation Skills training with the wonderful Jane Oakshott. This was…

I’m attempting to complete both nanoblopomo (blog every day for a month) and nanowrimo (write a 50,000 word novel in…

A successful published writer, whose work I adore, made an off-handed remark about nanowrimo on a social media site. Out…

Hi! Welcome to Chapter 23. Become evil. Rule the world. Maybe drink tea first and sit down for a bit.…

Last time, I joked that if I wrote what was on my mind I’d probably get sectioned. Today, I’m going…

If I wrote about what’s on my mind today, I’d probably get sectioned. So instead, here’s something fun that I…

Hi Have you ever noticed how social media isn’t very sociable? Let’s do something about that. Here’s your invite to…

Imagine that your head is a room filled with ornate treasure chests, and inside of these chests are all the…

Sleep deprivation is a wonderful thing. As is listening to music, especially messed up old vinyl. Put the two together…

Hi! Welcome to Chapter 23. Become evil. Rule the world. Maybe drink tea first and sit down for a bit.…

I get a lot of people visiting my blog in search of graffiti, but it’s really about writing. Serves me…

You are in a dark room. So dark that at first you can’t see anything. Pitch black. Then slowly, as…

What do your reading habits say about what you should be writing? Just for fun, I decided to use the…

Time passes. It is going to pass no matter what you do. So, you may as well spend it in…

On Sunday night the fascist British National Party (BNP) got in — the next morning I rescued a hedgehog as it cowered…

Hi! Welcome to Chapter 23. Become evil. Rule the world. Maybe drink tea first and sit down for a bit.…

Sometimes I ask questions online, that I already know the answer to, just to glimpse the howling pit of insanity…

This unedited first take is my first attempt at podcasting. I’m trying to decide between me reading stuff or letting…

You have a voice in my work. You can name characters, choose article topics, or opt to be thanked in…

I will follow you back on any social media platform that we’re both on. For me the main ones are Twitter, Twitter,…

I play a writer’s version of Russian roulette where every month I have to write things and send them off…

Hi! Welcome to Chapter 23. Become evil. Rule the world. Maybe drink tea first and sit down for a bit.…

I don’t like being told what to do — but I’m not above taking requests for the new year. Do…

I’m considering recording audio versions of my articles. What would you prefer? A synthetic voice using text to speech. An…

I’ve just finished a three week stint on Summit 21 — a cohort-based writing course. I’m telling you this because…

Hi! Welcome to Chapter 23. Become evil. Rule the world. Maybe drink tea first and sit down for a bit.…

Hi, Here’s a quick update so you know what to expect from me going forward. As you know I write…

If I wrote about what’s on my mind today, I’d probably get sectioned. So instead, here’s something fun that I…

Hi! Welcome to Chapter 23. Become evil. Rule the world. Maybe drink tea first and sit down for a bit.…

What do your reading habits say about what you should be writing? Just for fun, I decided to use the…

I will grant each of you three wishes. You can legit ask me for any three things and I’ll do…

This is a rare sighting of one of my paintings. Tell no-one or I will kick your arse. Unless they…

Hi! Welcome to Chapter 23. Become evil. Rule the world. Maybe drink tea first and sit down for a bit.…

You get a book! You get a book! You get a book! Everybody gets a book! Here is your PDF copy…

Twitter is a trash fire at the moment. I’m done with it except as a place to promote my writing.…

Hi! Welcome to Chapter 23. Become evil. Rule the world. Maybe drink tea first and sit down for a bit.…

I’d write well every day. I’d finish that bloody novel. I’d finish any writing at all. I’d have the courage…

Do you have a book that you want me to review? Be that yours or someone else’s. I’ll review your…

Hi! Welcome to Chapter 23. Become evil. Rule the world. Maybe drink tea first and sit down for a bit.…

I made a slide deck of my Twitter training talk based on the handout and article I published previously. I’ve…

This isn’t a book about a werewolf, in love with a sexy vampire, who rides to wizard school on a…

Hi! Welcome to Chapter 23. Become evil. Rule the world. Maybe drink tea first and sit down for a bit.…

I can teach you everything you need to know about Twitter with a story about three witches. It gives you…