I realise there are tragedies big and small every day which touch individuals and peoples profoundly, and I would like to acknowledge each one of them. Inevitably, there are some which have a greater effect on me than others, and the bombings in Lahore and in Brussels have bewildered and grieved me in equal measure.

I write and read a lot of crime, yet the inhumanity of one person (or one group) against another still takes my breath away. I do believe it has always been thus, we are no more, nor less, cruel than we have ever been. It is just that we have created machines and substances which can cause greater carnage and we are now much more aware of what is going on. It would be great to think we could learn from history, but it seems all we learn is the force and pervasiveness of ignorance, fear, violence and delusion.

I know the tenets of Spring – new life, new beginnings, hope – are in short supply for many of my fellow citizens of the world. If I focus on my small corner, though, there are the colourful shoots of the daffodils and crocus and the chirruping of robins and cole-tits in the budding trees. And I have completed another re-write of my novel, The Art of Breathing, the third in my #ScarboroughMysteries series which already includes The Art of the Imperfect and The Art of Survival.

I am pleased with what I have achieved so far. Of course, there is still re-reading, re-writing, copyediting, proof-reading to be done, but I am taking this moment to be pleased and satisfied. I have begun to really notice how creating these fictionalised stories is aiding with my understanding of my own story and with my own healing. It is something I may explore more through going back to research and non-fiction articles.

This week I also wrote and added in a chapter where a character receives the comfort they need. Of course, I know it echoes my own desire for comfort on a personal level, but maybe it was inspired in part by the injured and the traumatised I have seen on the news lately.

Is your writing healing for you in any way?