Are you sitting comfortably? The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge does it for me every time. I only have to feel winter coming on, or think I might be coming down with something, and I want to curl up under my duvet with some of my favorite children’s books.

There will always be something magical about the stories we read as children. OK, it’s nice to pick up the latest dinner party read, but the minute I turn to one of my old favorites, it’s like having a loving hand pressed against my forehead. For the time I’m reading the book, all will be well.

It’s not just that I don’t have to work so hard to find out what’s happening because every time I’ve re-read one of my favorites, I see something different. I notice things about the characters, about the humor, and also about the plot. It’s a way of slowing down time too, and that always helps in times of stress.

Apart from The Little White Horse, here are a few of my favorites…

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I’m the only person I’ve met who used to want to be Amy, much to my embarrassment now!

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery. The bit when Anne dyes her hair green by mistake still makes me laugh.

Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White.

Absolutely anything by Enid Blyton.

The Moomintroll books by Tove Jansson. I still can’t think of a more glamorous fictional character than the Snork maiden!

What about you? What books from your childhood do you return to again and again?

Photo by: MShades

Of all the questions I’ve asked myself over the last couple of years, it’s been this one that’s continually proved the most helpful.

It has led me to write dialogues, like play scripts, between my older self and my current self. In them, I have given myself a good telling off when needed but also encouraged new ways of thinking and gained a good dose of courage. I showed a friend one of these scribbles once, and she commented on how funny and feisty my older-self is in these dialogues. That’s something I like too – it reminds me that there is lots to look forward to!

Imagining Your Older Self Provides Perspective

Writing these dialogues certainly helps me to put things into perspective. I don’t think about it too much, but there’s no doubt that my feisty older self has turned into a character. She doesn’t always say what I want either. Once on a safari holiday of a lifetime, I retreated to my tent intending to write a dialogue complaining about the heat and the other guests. “Get back out there,” I found my older-self writing back at me. “I want to be able to remember exactly what an elephant looks like, and I’m not going to have another chance.”

Of course I did. I suddenly realized that decades from now, my annoying holiday companions wouldn’t matter at all, but the memory of the sight of an African elephant walking into the water with the sun setting behind will always make me smile. I shudder now to think how much I might have missed.

So here’s one of my early New Year Resolutions, along with eating chocolate and laughing more – I’m going to write more love letters to my partner.

The thing is that he was asked what it was like to be married to a writer the other day. “She’s very good at shopping lists,” he said. It made us laugh, but I got to thinking when was the last time I wrote something just for him. Although, hmmm, we’re both English, and everybody knows we don’t “do” emotion terribly well. This could all get a bit embarrassing. Better not to commit anything to paper, just in case.

If you’re hesitant to put your feelings to your partner down on paper, just watch this video of Lakshmi Pratury talking about how valuable her legacy of hand-written letters from her father is to her. Nothing means more than something written just for you. Remember how in the Sex And The City film, it wasn’t other people’s love letters Carrie wanted to read, it was the words Big managed to say, finally, from the heart.

Once you have your list of ideas (see Part One in this series if you’re new to this), what do you do now?

Start Writing Your Article

It sounds obvious but read lots of magazines and make a list of the different types of articles they contain. Include everything – from letters to the editor, to household tips, to real life experiences. Then go through and pinpoint the areas you think you can contribute to. Do any of the subjects on your list fit these, or can they be adapted? Make a note of possibilities next to each subject. Not only will this focus your planning, but it’s always helpful to show that you’ve read the magazine and know where your article might slot in when you write your pitch letter. Make a note too if you see any articles that are similar to the ones you had in mind.

Is Anyone Really Interested?

Now look further at your list of ideas. Try it view it as an outsider. Why would anyone else be interested? How could your article help them? What other information, other people to speak to, would you need? One of the best ways I know for getting this right is to imagine telling the story to my best friend. This helps me get straight into what makes the story worth telling, rather than spend too long setting the scene!

Can’t sing? Or do card tricks? Then how about learning a poem as your party trick instead? Not only will it impress your family (I promise you!), it may just do you some good too, especially at reducing stress.

I’ve loved having poems on the tip of my tongue ever since the time my school started offering elocution lessons. We didn’t know what they were, but my parents – always keen to try new things –signed me up. Other children complained about it, but I never did. The hour I spent in a dusty room with the teacher we called the “speech lady” was something special because this was someone who loved poetry for its own sake, rather than as a punishment.

She would wave her head around so excitedly as I recited poems she’d make me learn by heart that her hair used to fall down from its bun. But instead of being embarrassed for her, as I was for most adults at that time, it felt like we were sharing a secret. Hey, poetry is fun! She’d normally start by mouthing along with me, gently correcting my pronunciation, but sometimes she’d forget and join in. There was one she could never resist, and I can still recite the first few verses of that poem now. It started with the lines:

The old brown horse looked over the fence
In a weary sort of way
It seemed to be saying to all who passed,
“look folks, I’ve had my day.”

I’ve just had to look up the ending, and as well as finding out it was by W.F. Holmes, I was surprised how sad the last verse is:

So if you pass by the field one day,
Just stop for a word or two
With the old brown horse who was once as young
And as full of life as you.
He’ll love the touch of your soft young hand,
And I know he’ll seem to say-
“Oh, thank you, friend, for the kindly thought
For a horse who has had his day.”

At the time I just thought it was about horses, a passion of mine, so I still poured every inch of meaning I could into it, but now I see it quite differently. This is one of the joys of poetry for me. Each poem can keep changing its meaning and how they sound when I speak them out loud still makes me feel different inside.