Category Archives: Personal

“My charity depends on feats of pointless running”

Posted on May 2, 2012 by joelyblack

I did a crazy thing this week. Two crazy things, in fact. I spent all weekend saying that I wouldn’t really want to run a marathon because, well, 26.2 miles? Running? I used to run a lot but I’ve been … Continue reading →

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Time to Change: We won’t talk about “why”

Posted on April 19, 2012 by joelyblack

I’m taking a day off. I’ve been working on Empire of Dirt solidly since last Friday. It’s ironic, isn’t it. I cheerfully say in a post that I struggle to work on weekdays because symptoms are worse, then go on … Continue reading →

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Empire of Dirt: Epic “Can I see your first chapter?” nerves (or not)

Posted on April 16, 2012 by joelyblack

Well, it’s happened. I knew it would, intellectually, but I put it to the back of my mind and focused on getting through the days, writing when I could and pretending it wasn’t real. Then came the moment. My mentor … Continue reading →

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Empire of Dirt: Finally a response from the mentor

Posted on April 5, 2012 by joelyblack

Finally! I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for a response from the mentor about the synopsis for Empire of Dirt. Damn you, internet, damn you. After going to see him in London, back in March, the next step was … Continue reading →

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Diary of an Insomniac

Posted on April 5, 2012 by joelyblack

11pm: Go to bed. 12.30am: Fall asleep. 1am: Wake up. Feel too warm. Open window. 1.30am: Feel too cold. Close window. 2am: Feel too warm. Open window. 2.10am: Hear a strange, persistent whining noise from somewhere in the building and … Continue reading →

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What happens when you actually talk about something hard

Posted on April 2, 2012 by joelyblack

For the last few weeks I’ve been thinking about posting more personal things, and writing about what I’ve been learning to live with for the last three years. So far, I’ve managed two posts about it, and I’m thinking of … Continue reading →

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Time to Change (again): It’s still quite difficult to talk about…

Posted on April 1, 2012 by joelyblack

Back on Friday, I wrote a whole post about Time to Change and how difficult it is when somebody starts talking about their mental health thing, or even doesn’t but you know they have it, and you don’t know what … Continue reading →

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Empire of Dirt: Meeting the mentor

Posted on April 1, 2012 by joelyblack

How do I start this? I’ve been trying to write this blog post for a week. Having promised to write about being mentored to write a book, the moment I had something really important to say, I found myself unable … Continue reading →

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Time to Change: No, I don’t know what to say either

Posted on March 30, 2012 by joelyblack

I thought I’d change tack this evening and write about something other than writing itself. Something a little more personal. Time to Change is a campaign in the UK run by Mind and ReThink Mental Health, which are – as … Continue reading →

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Amnar: A chapter-by-chapter plot for The Impostor/Shibboleth

Posted on March 24, 2012 by joelyblack

That’s it. It took two and a half hours to finish it last night, but it’s done. I have a chapter by chapter plot for The Impostor/Shibboleth, the sequel to The Inheritor. I’ve never actually done this before. I’ve been … Continue reading →

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