In the foreword to his short story collection, Yann Martel writes (emphasis mine):

“I got my inspiration anywhere and everywhere. Books. The newspaper. Movies. Music. Daily life. People I met. Memories and experience. And also from that mysterious creative ether whence ideas just popped into my head, unheralded. I put myself in a space of receptivity to stories. My eyes and ears sought them. I looked out, not in; in bored me. I did research with pleasure. Research was my way of learning, my own private university. Nothing delighted me more than to investigate the world for a sake of a story.”

Writing’s greatest gift to me is this same receptivity. When you know you must write, you begin to observe more carefully – to notice sounds easily missed, to seek magic in the mundane. My favourite posts aren’t those with philosophical musings or personal opinions, but those born from chance encounters: a striking moment on the street, or unearthing a piece of history. They are, after all, far more interesting.

And if you are curious, here are some favourites from over the years:

• On Small Kindnesses
• Our Lives and Stories
• Fallen Bikes and Salvation
• Conversations, Empty and Full
• Seat 40J