Author Archives: sunshinescot

Birds of a Feather

On March 24th, a friend and I got together over Zoom. We’d both initiated lockdown the previous week, as we both have multiple sclerosis, and thought we might like to use the time to collaborate on some sort of creative enterprise as a way to pass long lockdown days. We’re also both writers. Georgi aContinue reading “Birds of a Feather”

When Pain Doesn’t Define Your Story

I’m thrilled to be leading an online fiction writing workshop with Glasgow Women’s Library on June 25th. The one-hour workshop is designed for women who experience chronic pain and offers an opportunity for participants to try out fiction writing as a means of distraction to help manage it. I discovered the power fiction writing hasContinue reading “When Pain Doesn’t Define Your Story”

Stories from Home

I’m thrilled to have work in the anthology, Stories from Home. All the proceeds from its sale are being donated to The Ambulance Staff Charity. TASC offer emotional, financial and community support to paramedics, ambulance crew and their families across the UK. They say of their work, ‘We’re passionate about caring for the mental, physicalContinue reading “Stories from Home”

Illness: A Narrative in Four Parts, Parts Three and Four

I’m very grateful to The Polyphony for serialising my essay on being diagnosed and living with multiple sclerosis. I much prefer writing fiction, but over the last three years I’ve had to push the boundaries of my comfort zone and write four non-fiction essays as part of my doctoral project on the relationship between objectContinue reading “Illness: A Narrative in Four Parts, Parts Three and Four”

Illness: A Narrative in Four Parts, Part Two

My four-part hybrid essay is a piece of memoir that explores my experience of being diagnosed with, and living with, multiple sclerosis. In part two: I’m moved from the emergency receiving unit to the skin ward (because there’s a bed in the skin ward); I have to break bad news to loved ones; I spendContinue reading “Illness: A Narrative in Four Parts, Part Two”

Illness: A Narrative in Four Parts

I’m a fiction writer. It’s what makes me happy. But sometimes I write fact. A case in point is an essay I’ve written for my doctoral project entitled Illness: A Narrative in Four Parts. My essay is being serialised this week in the brilliant medical humanities journal, The Polyphony. If you’re interested in following along,Continue reading “Illness: A Narrative in Four Parts”

Filling the Days

A friend sent me a message yesterday to ask if I could offer any tips on “the craft of keeping to a routine and filling your days whilst maintaining good well-being in all its forms” during this difficult time. I presume her reason for asking me is that in March 2007 I found myself inContinue reading “Filling the Days”

National Poetry Day

When I was first diagnosed, I found that writing poetry (in the loosest sense of the word) was a useful way to process some of the strange stuff that happens when you have a disease munching on your brain and spine. After a couple of years I stopped as the stories I wanted to tell beganContinue reading “National Poetry Day”