Counselling and Creativity

Podcast: Rapunzel's Room

2008-01-15T11:18:00.000Z

A free audio podcast of my short story, Rapunzel's Room is online now at Pseudopod. And my latest podcast review is now on The Fix.

Bone Machines - out now

2007-11-29T12:56:00.000Z

My novel, Bone Machines, is out now. Available from Bright Spark Publishing.

Bone Machines book jacket

2007-11-14T13:19:00.000Z

The cover for BONE MACHINES is finalised. I'll announce publication details later, but for now the launch takes place at the Christmas Book Fair on 1 December at The New Elgin Hall, Elgin, from 9am to 3pm.

Special thanks to the phenomenally talented David Gentry for the great jacket image.

My first novel

2007-10-24T14:24:00.000Z

I'm delighted to announce that my first novel, BONE MACHINES, is being published by Bright Spark near Christmas 2007. I'll report more on this once it's out there. And my short story, RAPUNZEL'S ROOM will be broadcast soon on the horror podcast Pseudopod.

Story, not plot

2006-11-19T22:25:00.000Z

Story, not plot. If you follow the line of inquiry in Robert McKee's brilliant book about the art of screenwriting, Story, then the reason to promote story in the arts is self evident. Hollywood is obsessed with money, celebrity and special effects. If we're very lucky, the youth audience at which most of the industry aims its weapons, will grow jaded with form over content and we can get back to great stories. Stories nurture our spirit and help us to understand ourselves, and the world, perhaps just a little better.

Great stories are still to be found in the cinema, if you know where to look. Great stories still exist in novels and short stories, in the theatre, even in music and dance. Great stories exist in comic books, in popular TV, and increasingly on the web.

As a writer I strive to create good stories. Stories are what we are, in some ways. As a counsellor, usually the first thing a client tells me is their "story", which is often complex, disconnected, without any clear narrative thread. Part of my task, and the task of the counselling relationship, is somehow to make sense of it all. It may not be the plot line (the facts of the story, if you like), but the emotional journey contained within which is the most important thing. And so, if you can reach the heart of a story, its emotional core), whether as a writer or a counsellor, then that is a road worth travelling.

Creative Holidays

2006-11-16T00:45:00.000Z

My wife and myself are running creativity courses (including fiction writing) in Bulgaria, starting Summer 2007. So if you're looking for something a bit different (and it's really cheap to be in Bulgaria, and our location is stunning). Here's the link to our website.
Creative Holidays in Bulgaria

Larger than life

2006-10-04T11:45:00.000Z

Recently I saw an astonishing exhibition of sculptures by
Ron Mueck. He creates ultra-realistic sculptures of people, and plays with scale in a way which is quite unnerving and rather breathtaking. The gigantic woman in bed made me think this is how a child must feel in relation to its mother. And there is a wonderful piece, a newborn baby, about 12ft long, complete with blood streaks, wet hair and an inquisitive eye taking its first peek at the world. If you get a chance to see this man's work, I strongly recommend you do so. I've never seen anything quite like it.

Suicide Prevention Week

2006-09-04T12:56:00.000Z

International Suicide Prevention Awareness Week – 4-10 September 2006

A work colleague has been handing out info about this worthwhile event, and I’m wearing the rather colourful promotional wristband. I hope you’ll give your support. Just go to www.chooselife.net for more information.

Holiday reading

2006-09-04T12:43:00.001Z

While on holiday in Bulgaria, I took to read:

Fear: A Cultural History by Joanna Bourke

A book which looks at how fears such as phobias, nuclear holocaust, terrorism and war have developed and changed in social consciousness in the last 150 years. I’ve not yet finished it, but it’s well worth a look.

And of course I took some fantasy and science fiction:

The Physiognomy by Jeffrey Ford
A peculiar, extremely well written and gripping weird fantasy about a physiognomist who determines character from taking measurements of their bodies (for example, width between the eyes, nose to top lip) and acts as a sort of government investigator to uncover criminals or potential criminals through his art. I also recommend Mr Ford’s shorter work, in particular, The Empire of Ice Cream, which you can read online. But I also hope you will help him feed his family buy buying his terrific books.

Pandora’s Star and Judas Unchained by Peter F. Hamilton
I love a good space opera. And this two-parter, while hugely long at around 3,000 pages, combine multiple storylines that will appeal to lovers of science fiction, crime, westerns, romance, horror, and outdoor adventure (a la Jack London). Hamilton manages to mash together a host of genres seamlessly. Impressive stuff. Oh, and I loved one of the central conceits. How do you get from one planet to another in across a vast galactic commonwealth? By train, naturally. Only a British writer could come up with that one. You can also listen to a postcast review with Peter atwww.dragonpage.com.

A blog delayed

2006-09-04T12:35:00.000Z

Guilty. I haven’t fed my blog for months. Time to start doing something about it.

I’ve just returned from holiday in Bulgaria, where we have a house. It’s a lovely country and warmer, friendlier people you could hardly imagine. Being in a place where people are quite poor, and only got free of Communism in the last twenty years, gives me a fresh perspective on life. My wife and I have met people very little money and who live simply who insist on giving us meals, gifts and (always) lots of Rakia to drink. Even if I had nothing I feel neighbours would help out, no matter how little they had themselves.

Knowing next to nothing about what the Bulgarians went through under the Communist regime I nevertheless got a strong sense of their ability to survive anything. In our village a young local priest was shot by the Communists, and the beautiful but rundown chapel there serves as a reminder and a monument to that event.

In light of what I seek to do as a counsellor, some of the Bulgarians I have met would make good role models. I try to help people I am counselling to recognise their inner strength and to use it to help them overcome even the most difficult issues. Many Bulgarians I know seem to have done just that, not just on a personal level, but on a larger, cultural and political scale. This must be true of other countries and peoples who have had to withstand the onslaught of oppressive leadership, but this is the first time I’ve had first-hand accounts.

Podcasts

2006-05-20T17:16:00.000Z

I got a great I-pod video for my birthday, and I've discovered the pleasures of podcasts. Being a bit of a scifi buff, my chums at the Third Alternative message boards directed me to two excellent sites,
Escape Pod and Dragon Page. Escape Pod offers plenty of free short stories and more, while Dragon Page's presenters, Michael and Evo, run an enormously entertaining magazine show covering stories in the world of science fiction publishing, author interviews, book reviews and the like. Highly recommended.

I am considering creating podcasts myself, perhaps something on counselling, some of my fiction and other stuff. Watch this space.

Recommended novels

2006-03-27T10:33:00.000Z

I can’t claim any of these recommended novels I’ve read in the past few years will change your life (though they might), but they provide plenty of emotional, spiritual, political and philosophical questions to ponder. As well as being great stories with powerful, intense writing.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Course of the Heart M John Harrison
The Years of Rice and Salt Kim Stanley Robinson
Indigo Graham Joyce
The Time Traveler's Wife Audrey Niffenegger
Atonement Ian McEwan
I Know This Much is True Wally Lamb
The Last Voyage of Somebody the Sailor John Barth
Stone Junction Jim Dodge

Recommended counselling books

2006-03-27T10:30:00.000Z

Whether you’re a trainee counsellor, or are interested generally in counselling, I recommend both of these titles.

The Carl Rogers Reader Carl Rogers
A great introduction to the work of the father of person-centred counselling.

Person-Centred Counselling in Action Dave Mearns and Brian Thorne
A concise, easy to understand summary of person-centred counselling.

Computer Games and behaviour

2006-03-20T19:50:00.000Z

In a recent article on BBC Collective, Daniel Etherington questions whether violent computer games can influence behaviour.

I agree with Daniel that the issue lacks proper research. But we also live in a scapegoating culture. Violence is such an irrational act that we seem to need explanations for it - and someone, or something, to blame. Just as comic books were partially blamed for delinquency in 1950s America, the media (TV and the internet) have now been put in the dock for promulgating violence and other crimes against society.

But it does seem clear that games can cause reactions (boosting adrenaline levels, for example). A vivid example was given on a recent TV programme about sleep disorders. One guy who played console games a lot would often wake up in the night and shoot at imaginary enemies through his bedroom window.

As a species, we have a preponderance for violence, but it's clearly too early to say whether computer games and other media and reprogramming susceptible brains to increase that potential.

Free short story - Dr North's Wound

2006-03-19T16:34:00.000Z

My gothic tale, Dr North's Wound was published in the anthology, Breaking Windows: A Fantastic Metropolis Sampler (Prime Books). The story also received an honourable mention in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. Yes, I write crime, horror and science fiction stories - among other things. You may wonder if this is suitable material for a counsellor to be working with. My reply is: why not? I happen to love these genres. And on a subconscious (and sometimes conscious) level, my stories are about people dealing with difficult things in life. How people react and behave when pushed to the edge is something which is fascinating in itself, but I also believe that confronting our fears - whether that's reading Stephen King novels or going to horror movies, or going on the scariest roller coaster you could imaging - is a positive, creative act. And, what the heck, genre fiction is also great fun. It was only my third published story, and I'm still quite proud of it.

Man with a mission

2006-03-19T16:11:00.000Z

As a counsellor, I strongly believe creativity plays an important role in our wellbeing. What do I mean by "creativity?" Well, you may think I mean writing, drawing, painting, playing a musical instrument, singing and dancing. Yes, that's partly what I do mean. But I also mean living creatively.

It's said that everyone has a book in them. Well, I believe we have entire libraries. The act of writing a book takes time, effort, some talent, the application of the craft and a commitment to pursuing your goal of creating something you'd like people to read. The same could be said of the way we live our lives. In the way a book is created partly through the choices an author makes, and partly through where the story and the characters take themselves (believe me, I know, since this is what happened while I was writing my first novel). And making choices about how we live our lives is probably the creates creative act we have within us. And the most powerful

I've counselled people who have been very troubled, and others who just want to sort some things out in their lives. The therapeutic relationship itself is an act of creation. A shared, consensual world built and developed by client and counsellor alike. And, at its best, the creation evolves something new and significant in a person's life. I believe in this potential. that's why I counsel.

And I believe in creativity as a powerful tool in our lives. As well as something we embrace just for fun, and the joy it can give us. That's some of the reasons I write fiction. I was driven to write fiction from an early age, and in recent years achieved my ambitions of being published. More on this later.

I will use this blog to post thoughts, musings and hopefully helpful stuff for people seeking to sort some things out in their lives. I will post the occasionally essay (not necessarily about counselling, though some will be on that subject.) You'll also find review - books, music, film, whatever is taking my fancy at the time.

And if you want to know more about me, or to find out about online counselling, you can visit my website:
www.therapeutictouchclinic.com

I hope you will enjoy reading my blog, and I welcome any comments or feedback.