I've been contemplating suffering. I've been suffering pain in my body chronically for decades...my autoimmune system (has two diseases!) on high-alert for as long as I can remember...and more recently, a lower-back issue that's been on-and-off since 2022. The term 'comparative suffering' has been bopping around between my parts for years now too. I don't… Continue reading On Mandatory Suffering
Author: Vanessa Shields
Writer. Mother. Lover.
Year of Reading Books – A Dream
"I read slowly, savoring each book one by one. I had all the time in the world then. And there was no danger I'd run out of books, no matter how much I read..." from Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa, translated by Eric Ozawa This morning I was reading. I was reading… Continue reading Year of Reading Books – A Dream
What If Agents Queried Writers?
In my cheekiest moments whilst thinking about the traditional publishing world, I often think about what things would be like for writers if certain parts of the process got flipped. For example, what if agents queried writers? What if we had a gargantuan place where we could put information about our writing lives, share our… Continue reading What If Agents Queried Writers?
VANESSA SHIELDS 