Hello and welcome to Moor Life Writing
I’m Harriet and I’m writing this in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, a place I’ve called home since September 2017, but have been visiting for much, much longer.
Moor Life Writing is where I write about learning to live life more gently by breathing into the words and exploring universal experiences like grief, loss, cancer, family, home and belonging.
I hope you’ll join me in a mug of Yorkshire Tea and use these words as a nudge to hit pause while we muse this complicated life and try to make sense of it together.
On the back of a throwaway comment a friend made back in 2016 after my parents died, I started writing. And it’s brought me here via a stack of notebooks filled with handwritten thoughts and notes where I share some of that writing. Broadly speaking, it falls into three strands and a Substack newsletter called Gently Does It that lands in subscriber inboxes a couple of times a month.
Creating the writing habit
It’s only in the past few years that I’ve started calling myself a writer, even though I’ve spent years writing for other people and helping them to find their words. Writing out my own thoughts and words has been a steep learning curve, and I’m still learning and practicing.
I have though, through a lot of trial and error, created a pretty robust writing life and built up a pretty strong writing muscle. I’ve written about the rhythm and routine of this writing life and the camaraderie involved in getting the words onto the page. Creating this writing habit has given me the space and know-how to start…
writing creatively about life
As in writing memories, scenes, pictures and conversations. I write from my own personal experiences. Some might call it memoir, others creative non-fiction. It’s just writing to me. In writing these stories I’ve learned that there’s power in sharing our stories, the ‘what’, if you like because doing that has allowed me to…
write reflectively
To peel away the layers and explore the ‘so what’. To dig deeper, to explore and shine a light in order to learn and understand.
I’m also an avid reader and post the odd book review too. So, make yourself comfortable, put the kettle on and dive in. You never know, some of my ramblings might resonate, drop me a note and let me know.
Harriet
‘To greet sorrow today does not mean that sorrow will be there tomorrow. Happiness comes too, and grief, and tiredness, disappointment, surprise and energy. Chaos and fulfilment will be named as well as delight and despair. This is the truth of being here, wherever here is today. It may not be permanent, but it is here. I will probably leave here, and I will probably return. To deny here is to harrow the heart. Hello to here.
Pádraig Ó Tuama, In the Shelter: Finding a Home in the World