On the value of multiple touch points
I'm noticing more and more that devotees of AI, or AI apologists, as I prefer to think of them, are much more focused on product than process.
On having a King Canute moment
Writing has been how I rediscovered and retained my dignity during this weird, liberating, insecure, rewarding, exposing time in my life.
On marshmallows, binge-watching and delayed……………………………………………..gratification
My educational attainment is pretty good. My BMI, less so. I doubt my parents would describe me as "competent" at anything.
On the utter waffling bollocks either side of ad breaks on Sky Arts’ Portrait Artist of the Year
I honestly think the note of letting self-doubt fuel you is entirely unplayable, entirely unusable, in any creative context.
On big issues and small details
If you let them come for your milk and say nothing, next they will come for your apples, and before you know it, they come for your freedom, your life, and no amount of bleating will stop them.
On (un)healthy relationships with the metal pet
"And then I realised, geez, how dependent I have been on my cellphone. But I should confess, you know, after the first day, I felt liberated."
On how short a short story can possibly get
“I saw! I know!” "He knows! Don't go home!"
On my tsundoku pile for this year
Whatever you’re reading at the start of 2026, I wish you joy in discovering some new friends and in reconnecting with some old ones.
On waving goodbye to 2025 and saying hello to 2026
Here's to a 2026 filled with daily bread — the kind we bake for ourselves, with craft and sweat and discipline and love.
On the present and the future
Ballard's trick, or technique, or whatever you want to call it, is deceptively simple — observation, which gives the impression (especially with hindsight) of being extrapolation.
