[Extract]


Perhaps there was an element of envy in what I hoped was mostly a protective instinct towards my students. I was drawn to write about the circumstances of my own life but had always felt it wouldn't be possible to do that without betraying or upsetting my family. I feared the instincts of a writer might overpower the instincts of a daughter, a sister. The idea that we can write about the events that shape us and not hurt other people in the process was appealing - I couldn't see a way to do it, though


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'Both extremely funny and deeply sad, The Writing School examines how and why we tell our own stories. It's beautifully written and fabulously readable' Lissa Evans