Author Archives: Joanna Nadin
Undertow
Undertow began on a blistering August day on the cliffs above Loe Bar in Cornwall, notorious for its riptides and dangerous currents. But as summer turned to bleak midwinter, and I watched a friend dragged down by the weight of … Continue reading
Eden
Mostly I write funny. It comes easy to me – making people laugh has always seemed to make up for any lack of appropriate clothing, political knowledge, or ability on the hockey field. But I don’t always read funny or … Continue reading
And Then I Kissed Him…
As I try to blaze a trail but, more often, wander slightly baffled and damp-squib-like through life, I leave behind me an oddly-shaped wake of skills tried but not mastered: the guitar aged 11 (I wanted to be Joni Mitchell), … Continue reading
Boys. And books. And boys in books.
Like my alter ego Rachel in My (not so) Simple Life, as a teenager I fell in love frequently, swiftly and with absolute conviction. Unlike Rachel, I never had to swear off boys and their complications and contradictions, or … Continue reading
The ten signs of ageing
Originally posted on Joanna Nadin:
Am in state of mild shock. Apparently there are now ten signs of ageing. TEN! I was just about coping when Oil of Ulay (along with a Neanderthal hairline and a tendency to gingerness, I…
Trapped wind (or is it a novel?)
I hate it. I can see it in their cheap-Chardonnay-dilated eyes when I’m introduced at parties or pubs or political drinks things. “A writer, really? I’ve always thought I had a novel in me.” “Gosh I say, smiling. Well you … Continue reading
Writer’s block (or not)
Amongst the questions I am most often asked by journalists and small children (along with “Do you like Eastenders, miss?” and “Can I be in a book, miss?” and once “Was you in Les Miserables, miss?”) is the million-dollar “What … Continue reading
Dedication’s what you need… (and a clicker, apparently)
So, got up, ate porridge, corralled angry small menace into school uniform (disappointment at having to go to school dressed as schoolgirl, not Katherine Parr, due to Ofsted swooping in and causing cancellation of World Book Day), set new world … Continue reading
The Life of Riley
I never wanted to be a writer when I grew up. That is to say, it didn’t occur to me that writing was a “real” job, much less one that I would be capable of, or derive enjoyment from, my … Continue reading