Happy and productive New Year à tout le monde!
And–as they say here in France–surtout Bonne Santé—above all, good health!
There was a piece in The Guardian yesterday puffing a new book of hints on writing by well-known authors.
It caught my eye, because I’ve been feeling the need of bit of a push to get started again.
Four days into 2018 seems as good a time as any to re-launch with this my 700th post—spurred on by advice from Muriel Spark:
GET A CAT
If you want to concentrate deeply on some problem, and especially on some piece of writing or paper-work, you should acquire a cat.
Alone with the cat in the room where you work….The cat will invariably get up on your desk and settle under the desk lamp.
The light from a lamp…gives the cat great satisfaction. The cat will settle down and be serene, with a serenity that passes all understanding.
And the tranquillity of the cat will gradually come to affect you, sitting there at your desk, so that all the excitable qualities that impeded your concentration compose themselves and give your mind back the self-command it has lost.
You need not watch the cat all the time. Its presence alone is enough. The effect of a cat on your concentration is remarkable, and very mysterious.
Ben, our mercurial black-as-black-can-be cat, has taken to snoozing on some papers to my left on the desk.
Nothing much disturbs him, as Ms Spark observes, and he is a reassuring, friendly presence.
So I realise I’m ahead of the game. I already have a cat and replacements if–heaven forbid–I should need them.
No excuse then.
To paraphrase John Cleese’s less-than-polite encouragement to the diners at Fawlty Towers Hotel: Get on with your writing!
Just checking!
Wish me luck!
Robin Ellis 
Sorry. I respectfully disagree. xo
Robin,
All the best to you and to Meredith in the New Year. I hope that the holidays were happy ones for both of you.
Please come back again to the Chicago area again soon. I could not see you in Evanston due to a scheduling conflict, but I still have your books to enjoy.
MARLA
Thanks, Marla.
holy moly. That advice does not work here. My cat sits right in my workspace, on my keyboard and mouse, inhibiting me from doing anything that doesn’t involve noticing him, playing with him, petting him, acknowledging he is the whole world and all exists to serve him. One day, after he persisted in stepping all over the keyboard, causing me to tremble that all my work would be lost, I shouted at him: “Snow Monkey, get out of here!” Unbeknownst to me, his prancing on the keys had activated Siri, who forthwith responded to my outburst: “Please go away would be more polite.” This brought a whole new perspective to sharing my workday with my cat.
I grant it’s a risk–that masterpiece wiped at the stamp of a paw!
The problem is my cats have a habit of standing between me and the computer. They also nestle on my printed papers. They walk about my lap, and lick and nudge me. I grant this doesn’t go on for too long and then they settle in on my lap or a near nearby cat-bed. They are very cheering and perhaps that’s how they help. In Bachelard’s book on the poetics of reveries, he says artists (even those writing tragedy) must start in a tranquil contemplative state.
Cheering is the word–the little wonders.
Beautiful cat. I love my baby girl Callie. She is the boss of my place. Thank you for sharing your cat Robin
Happy New Year to you, Meredith, and your feline family. Looking forward to your new musings on life, food, art, cats, and whatever else strikes your fancy!
Awww, sage advice… and such a great picture of Ben! Gene recalls the days when Sassy spent much time on his desk when he was doing historical research while on sabbatical. Alas, she can’t jump up there anymore, but she still comes downstairs often to be sure we are keeping things in order. 🙂
So–are we waiting for another cookbook of delicious recipes? Or some prose on life in France? Or “The Adventures of Ben,” perhaps?? 😉
We’ll see–no pressure!
So that is your secret writing ingredient. The serenity of your cats!
Bonne année et bonne santé to you and Meredith. May 2018 be a great year for you both.
Same to you, Tina.
Such good advice! I have a cat and my 2018 goal is to write every day for 365 days. So far, I have written each day so yay! Good luck to you with your writing!!!
Well done et bonne continuation!
Good luck for a happy healthy and creative New Year Robin. What is your latest project?
The Church!
Bonne chance, Robin!
Once upon a time hoboes would chalk a drawing of a cat’s head and face outside a home as a sign to their brethern that a kind lady lived there, a home where a wayfarer could get a meal. Cats and kindness go hand – in – hand. 🐱
(Paw – in – hand?)
merci.
All the best wishes to you and Meredith for the new year! (Ben is beautiful!)
My cats think that the keyboard is some type of headrest. Right now I have two right in front of the monitor looking at what I am doing!
Say hello from Ben!
Very best wishes to you and Meredith for a happy and healthy New Year.
I’m sure that our cat Poppy has an inbuilt radar to detect when I’m reading a newspaper and she invariably sits exactly upon the article I want to read. She particularly enjoys it when I spread out my university notes and books on the floor and I won’t even mention her state of bliss when it comes to Christmas wrapping paper!
A hearty congratulations on your 700th post Robin, what an amazing achievement especially considering that they are all so very well written. They are totally engaging, entertaining and always extremely interesting – thank you. Here’s to the next 700!
Thanks Lana–down under in NZ.
Your kittie look like our Sadie, who we adopted about 4 months ago. She’s over ten years of age and a real little Queen!! The first night we had her she got into our kitchen ceiling and knocked down for of the tiles!! But, we love her anyway!! Oh, and, Happy New Year!!!
Brilliant advice! And a lovely piece. We have missed you!
Snap!
I could not be long without a cat.Whether they are an aide de plume I am not sure, but they belong here.
Bonne Année Robin. Nos meilleur voeux pour 2018 a tous les deux.
Zev et Yves
Merci et–
Pareillement a vous deux, Yves et Zev!
Oh cats.. I have a big writing deadline and no cat. But I think I might only need to think about the serene cat (I can choose one of my beautiful lost moggies from my youth – we never had fewer than six at a time! – a spirit cat) to benefit from the influence 😉 In Australia we are wary of owning cats, due to their tendency to eat endangered species, sadly. But I do miss them. I stroke several during my walks, and immediately feel the tension depart. Good luck – do please keep on sharing your writing with us all. Helen x
Thanks Helen from all that way down there!
Happy New Year to you and Meredith,not forgetting the cats.looking forward to seeing your next project.I always enjoy your posts,and also try my best to cook healthy meals from your books.Bonne Annee from Haute Vienne.
Thank you Eileen–pareillement to you and yours!
Hi Robin,
You are such a prolific writer and a very accomplished one as well. I always enjoy your posts. And an early Happy Birthday 🎂🎉.
Sandy Smith Buchanan
Thanks, Sandy–too kind!
This works with dogs as well. Mine sit at my feet while I work. They, too, are comforting when my brain shuts down and my butt won’t stay in my chair. Break a leg with your writing. And, by the way, Ben is gorgeous.
I think he knows it!
Golly, I was ahead of the game all the time and never knew it! Ms. Lizzie Cosette does precisely that and it’s a wonderful feeling! Enjoy your sweet one — a muse, perhaps? Or just amusing?
Cats can be so helpful!!!
Murphie our elderly cat is always involved in present wrapping. Christmas card writing or envelope address writing. A major paperwork sort is always assisted by or hampered by her presence!!
Happy and healthy New Year, Robin and Meredith G and Wx
Very same to you, Grahame and Wendy with our thanks.
Hi Robin! Here we are, Rosaria and Giuseppe from Italy!! How could we forget you??? Impossible! On this day we want to give you the best wishes for a happy birthday and many happy returns!!! And, above all, have a good health together with your Meredith! Greetings to your black cat, too!!!!! Bye!!!!
Lovely message–thank you both.
Meredith and i wish you too, Rosaria and Giuseppe, above all, good health!
Ted my black cat loves to sit on the keyboard which allows me to experiment with features on my computer that I never knew I had! I started 3 books last year. A 17thC Cookery Book, A book on a woman’s life in The English Civil War, and a “moneyspinner” a murder mystery. Upshot was that stress caused a mini stroke, so was unable to work from July until November!
Don’t stress, and Have a Happy and Healthy New Year and DO get a cat Ted’s snoring is really comforting as writing is a lonely job and its lovely to have him close by.
I trust you are fully recovered and attempting one book at a time!
Dear Robin,
Love this “sweet” story. You may recall that my son, Jack, is a type one diabetic with four years under his belt. Food, nutrition, coping, lifestyle and travel are all topics near and dear to me as I carve out my relatively new role as parent to a Person with Diabetes (PWD.)
Aside from my advocacy work for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) I now write for Diabetes Daily which has 10 million readers a year. I am working on a piece about the benefits of a lower carb diet and you immediately came to mind. I would love to showcase how you are handling your T2D while crafting and eating delicious and nutritious meals. Your cookbooks would figure prominently in the piece. I really would love to take the approach of moving toward a “differently” abundant lifestyle. Our American concept of abundance in all things food related is quickly turning millions into pre-diabetics and those who don’t heed this warning surely transition into T2D, sadly.
Along with your lovely wife, Meredith, you seem to be living a life in balance with a deep appreciation for quality food that enriches health. The world, especially the U.S.A., needs more of these stories to turn our ship around.
If you are interested in being showcased in this piece please let me know.
My email is: tarabryantgray@gmail.com and my mobile is: 973-600-7448.
The interview could be done via any form you choose: telephone, me emailing you, or Skype.
Warmest regards,
Tara Bryant-Gray
Happy new year Mr, Ellis and Mrs Ellis from Japan.
And we wish you the same and above all–good health
Robin, I have just left a (very late!) comment on your 30th of June tribute to Winston and Mrs Graham that you may find interesting.