I wrote this story back in 2019. I’d just read To Be a Machine by Mark O’Connell, a book exploring how, for some people, death is a problem to be solved by technology.
Kate van der Borgh
The History Lesson
This story is about how a moment in time can’t tell the story of a life. It was published by the Fiction Desk in the anthology Separations.
FOUR
This isn’t a classic short story – it’s more like a pitch for a film or TV series, in fact – but it was fun to write.
The Curfew
This poem is inspired by a tweet that asked women what they’d do if men had a curfew. Many responded that they’d go for a walk. [5 minute read]
For those who love
In this short story from 2016, I wanted to explore how we define ‘ghosts’. [10 minute read]
Toxic
This story is about how so much of what we mean – perhaps especially in our online culture – lives in the gaps between words. [25 minute read]
One and one
This story was written as part of the 26 project 26 Miles, in which different writers wrote a story about each mile of the London marathon. [15 minute read]
Why tone of voice is not your problem
Loads of brands are convinced they’ve got a problem with their tone of voice. They think they need some tone of voice guidelines – ideally featuring some nice adjectives like ‘straightforward’ and ‘friendly’ – to share throughout their organisation.
Why asking for ‘a rewrite’ is A Bad Thing
Think your brochure, your report, your website needs a quick rewrite, just to get the right tone of voice? Think again…
Why ditching that last draft is a false economy
It’s been almost two years since I handed in my key fob, tore up my travel card and became a freelance writer. That’s right – time doesn’t so much fly as screech hysterically through the sound barrier.