http://www.janebissellwriting.com/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.janebissellwriting.com en-us Fri, 17 Jul 2026 21:20:13 +1200 Rocketspark http://www.janebissellwriting.com/blog/post/167098/simple-joys/ I've heard it said that life itself becomes simpler as we age.I'm not so sure about that one, at least not yet, but I do know that it's often the simplest things I enjoy most: the view of the sea, hot coffee in my dinosaur mug, soft pillows and warm blankets, and the restful company of Miss Poppy the Neighbour Cat. There are some benefits to being semi-retired, and sleeping in is one of them. It's been very chilly the past few mornings, hard to rouse oneself from the warm comfort of th... Fri, 03 Jul 2026 08:31:59 +1200 http://www.janebissellwriting.com/blog/#post167098 http://www.janebissellwriting.com/blog/post/166916/the-hand-of-a-child/ As I get older, I find it harder to downsize when it comes to sorting out a lifetime collection of 'things'.I am a typical Cancerian. Home is my shell of shelter, my place of being, my comfort and foundation, and surrounding myself with items that reflect those aspects of my life has been a habit I inherited from Mom, who shared the same horoscope. Our family homes - and there were a fair few - were always host to Mom's collection of 'treasures'. There was nothing cluttered about these places th... Wed, 01 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.janebissellwriting.com/blog/#post166916 http://www.janebissellwriting.com/blog/post/166932/today-its-a-sore-knee/ One of the most challenging aspects of 'getting older' can be pain in parts of the body: continual,  coming and going, random, without explanation, and not happening all at once, thankfully.  For example, this morning I woke up with a sore knee and thought, 'What the ...?' because the brain seeks a reason. Could it be because I did too much gardening yesterday, or maybe I overdid it on the kick pedal of the bass drum on Saturday and I'm having a delayed reaction today, or maybe it's ju... Mon, 29 Jun 2026 08:15:08 +1200 http://www.janebissellwriting.com/blog/#post166932 http://www.janebissellwriting.com/blog/post/166761/old-age-aint-for-sissies/ It was my mom who first said those words to me, 'old age ain't for sissies', and she attributed them to one of her favourite movie stars, Bette Davis. I've looked up the quote since and it does vary: sometimes it's as I've written here, other times it is  'old age ain't no place for sissies'. However you wish to interpret it, the message is pretty clear, I reckon.I took this picture of myself this morning and it's not very flattering I have to say, however it is me in all my aging glory, an... Fri, 26 Jun 2026 08:46:16 +1200 http://www.janebissellwriting.com/blog/#post166761 http://www.janebissellwriting.com/blog/post/165576/standing-up-for-the-arts/ Photo credit: Radio NZI just watched a short video of Lynda Topp speaking at the Aotearoa Music Awards earlier this week.The whole country is mourning the loss  of her twin sister Jools,  so many memories and tributes  shared, but never is the grief more profoundly seen and heard than in the voice and on the face of Lynda as she stood on the stage to address the crowd, flanked and supported, as she was, by fellow performers.She found her way through the acknowledgement of her deep... Fri, 29 May 2026 10:07:14 +1200 http://www.janebissellwriting.com/blog/#post165576 http://www.janebissellwriting.com/blog/post/164365/the-value-of-the-writing-prompt/ Ah yes, the blank page, how it taunts us with its empty whiteness and smartly ruled lines, smug and judgemental, intimidating and unforgiving, saying to us, 'Call yourself a writer? You can't even make a start!'Don't listen to it.Look up my page of prompts and start scribbling all over that paper. I also post them daily on my Facebook page.A writing prompt can be as simple as 'I remember ...' , as way-out as 'Tell me everything you know about sausage casings ...'  or as evocative as 'The sm... Fri, 08 May 2026 10:10:29 +1200 http://www.janebissellwriting.com/blog/#post164365 http://www.janebissellwriting.com/blog/post/163795/what-stops-you-from-writing-your-story/ 'Just sit down and write' is a phrase we may hear as writers, like,  we can sit down, turn on the creative tap, and words pour forth. I'll admit that sometimes happens, words tumble out in such a rush to be seen, acknowledged, there's no time to waste. However, the usual scenario is somewhat different. It's not easy, this writing gig, and 'making a start' is one of the main reasons we stop, right there, go no further. It's just too hard. It is definitely one of the reasons I hear most ... Tue, 28 Apr 2026 10:49:29 +1200 http://www.janebissellwriting.com/blog/#post163795 http://www.janebissellwriting.com/blog/post/163578/the-old-school-typewriter/ I don't mind you knowing that I'm old enough to remember working on a typewriter. The photo above is of my old Olympia, still looking comfortable in its hard, protective case.  Mom had an Olympia manual typewriter too, one she used for writing letters, typing up recipes, and Dad's specifcations for getting council consents for his various building projects on our houses.When I was about 12 years old, I started writing my 'books', fabulous adventure stories featuring me, of course,... Mon, 20 Apr 2026 08:34:49 +1200 http://www.janebissellwriting.com/blog/#post163578 http://www.janebissellwriting.com/blog/post/163408/going-to-the-donut-shop-in-your-pjs/ Our writing can often be 'triggered' by something. That might be a smell or sound, the sight of something long forgotten that brings back a flash of memory, or words we read in our daily trawling through social media and internet platforms. Such 'triggers' can provide us with good prompts for a bit of five or ten minute writing. We have a neighbourhood chat group that I check now and then, and this morning my eye was caught by someone taking a poll: is it OK to grocery shop in your pyjamas?... Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:03:17 +1200 http://www.janebissellwriting.com/blog/#post163408 http://www.janebissellwriting.com/blog/post/162431/when-you-dont-know-what-to-write-about-write-about-the-weather/ Many are the times I've sat down to write, feeling all geared up and creative, inspiration infusing my nerve endings ... and then ... paralysis. That blank page or screen stares back, waiting, reflecting what I increasingly perceive to be my hopeless inability as a writer to write anything.   The ideas I thought I had dissipate like wisps of cloud, or they crowd together in a huge lump, all pushing to get through a portal the size of a needle's eye, a kind of creative constipation.Some... Tue, 24 Mar 2026 10:27:28 +1300 http://www.janebissellwriting.com/blog/#post162431