Christine Poole

Scientist. Writer. Facilitator. Artist. Curious about what helps us grow.

writing life

  • Taking the Next Step

    I was wondering why this third blog series felt a little directionless. The first two had projects at their centre: my poetry and my research paper. There was something tangible to work towards, something to document as it unfolded. Then I realised this one has a project too. It’s the workshop. The idea of running… Read more

  • 💡What I Learned by Becoming the Reader

    On 23 August, I wrote a blog called The Practice of Stepping Away. I had finished the first draft of my research paper. It was 38 pages long and, in my words at the time, a warm, stinky turd. 💩🤣 I knew I needed to step away from it. What I didn’t realise was how… Read more

  • 👯Showing Up for Myself: The Power of Body Doubling in Creative Work

    On 22 June, a friend and I started body doubling. The idea was simple. We would work alongside each other. No complicated system. No checking up on each other. No reporting back. Just two people quietly getting on with their own work. At first, I thought the benefit would be obvious. I would get more… Read more

  • 🧹 The Art of Admin

    I started meeting my writing buddy weekly on Monday 22nd June and made a commitment to myself to do something uncomfortable: write and release a post every week. Well, I did it! Seven weeks later, 16 posts. I’ve even impressed myself. 😜 But next week (and maybe the following), I’m not posting! I’ve been watching… Read more

  • 📚🐾The First Draft Beast

    I was chatting to my writing friend Anne about first drafts. We both agreed: they are hard. Not just a bit tiring hard. They are a beast of a thing. It feels a little like giving birth to some strange creature that you don’t entirely recognise. You have spent all this time creating it, feeding… Read more