Tag: prose

What Does Progress Look Like?

.Reading time 3 minutes.

Everyone loves to feel like they’re progressing. The problem is, for some things, outcomes are not quite as tangible as we’d like. If I were an aspiring baker, I’d continue to work on my crumb texture, or perfect the proving of my bread (I only know these words because of Bake Off). As a runner, […]

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All Change (Shift Your Focus to Re-Energise Writing)

.Reading time 5 minutes.

The leaves on the tree outside my window are dying. But they are so beautiful in their death. Near the top, they still have green hearts, tinged with an acid-bright red. Towards the bottom, they’ve faded to yellow, as if dipped in custard. Every year this tree stands for months with naked branches. Not until […]

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The Dangers of Over-Plotting

.Reading time 5 minutes.

The results are in. After months of worrying over the impact the new English GCSE would have on our students, we’ve found that, thankfully, they’ve done about as well as we expected. Look a little closer, and you could see the particular issues this new system has thrown up. Unsurprisingly, in English Language, the question […]

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Fragment #6 Displaced

.Reading time 1 minute.

A slump of a man is in the waiting area. Hunched over the chrome and black chair, his scuffed trainers rest on the marble. Baggy denim hangs from his knees, eyes darting through the shaggy fall of hair. Jacob stands separate, watching his brother’s discomfort. Sealed in a suit, the polish of his shoes matching […]

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Fragment #4 Exploration

.Reading time 1 minute.

Thick green canopy that stretches away, an endless carpet folded over the slump and rise of mountains. Underneath, we trudge through sinewy grasses. They slap and swoosh, fondling our legs and leaving seeds as mementos. Down now, the air earthy, ground beneath sinking under the pressure of our feet. Fingers of sunlight tease their way […]

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Fragment #3 Close Proximity

.Reading time 2 minutes.

The train arrives at that stop. The one where you used to live. With him. Evenings spent spreadeagled underneath him on the blue sofa, the rumble of the Underground passing below. Something felt rather than heard – a vibration in your skin. Social media clicks find him at stations, in fields, eating and drinking things, […]

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