Rob Goss's Blog

In Japan’s 72 traditional micro seasons, winter gradually hints at giving way to spring with rain moistening the soil, mists that linger, and the surfacing of hibernating insects. In Tokyo, some of the old signs of transition still appear, but I tend to notice spring’s arrival elsewhere.

As I check the weather each morning, I now see forecasts reminding me that a pernicious cloud of pollen will soon be descending upon the city. This week, it’s light blue icons telling us there’s a little cedar i...

It’s that time of year when thoughts turn to the past and future, and for me three words come to mind: gnawing, frustration, and creativity.

Let me get the good out of the way first. About 18 months ago, I started my first book with Lonely Planet. I’m now working on my fifth—my 40th book project if you add up the ones I’ve authored, co-authored or updated. 2024 also brought a good number of stories and branded content work from long-term clients such as Nat Geo, as well as a few new clients that...

I’ve never been good at promoting myself on social media. I don’t have a strong urge to spam feeds with links to every story I write or share updates about being on assignment for whoever is currently paying me. I’m (happily) an introvert. I also grew up in a culture where it wasn’t normal to talk yourself up; in fact, it was more likely to be frowned upon. Perhaps that’s why I sometimes feel (possibly unfairly) that writers who make the most self-promoting noise on social media are either compe...

I don’t know what to say about this month without swearing. Megaquake alert, multiple typhoons, a rice shortage, ridiculous heat and humidity…all we need now is Godzilla to awaken in Tokyo Bay. Add to that a lot of deadlines and a dodgy elbow, and there was plenty to write haiku about. Here are a few:

deadline day

an overwhelming desire

to rearrange my desk

playground screams

ants clamber

on sundried worm

doctor’s visit

learning Japanese

I’d rather not know

Sometimes I like to set myself the challenge of writing about a specific theme with a fixed word count. Just as an exercise in writing, because no matter how silly something is, it still needs tempo and careful word selection.

Later in this post, you’ll see an attempt from several years ago to write a 100-word piece of micro fiction related to Thomas the Tank Engine, with as many classic Thomas and Friends phrases slipped in as possible. Call it fan fiction…kind of.

When my son was little, we w...

I was at a local clinic today for some elbow rehab. It’s a fascinating place, mostly frequented by elderly who pop in for treatment for the aches and pains of aging, in a communal treatment room full of benches and machines that are showing their own signs of age.

Other than a few kids with limps and bruises, many (of the older) patients seem to be regulars, which gives the place the feel of a community centre. There are lots of little chats going on in the waiting room and treatment area. “How’...

Rainy season has officially ended in Tokyo. While summer can be grim here, rainy season for me is even grimmer. It’s peak migraine season
for starters. I swear I have a seasonal cognitive slump every rainy season.

That’s reflected in the quality and focus of the haiku drafts on my phone. I’ve done nothing but make haiku about puddles and storms…

fresh puddles

the squeak

of froggy boots

clearing skies

the dog

finds every puddle

June storm

the air pressure and my mood

both plummet

A SUMMER THING

the darkness sweats
cicada calls
our sweet nothings

darkness rising…
thinking
her words

cicada fall silent

INSOMNIA

1am
the caffeine-nap
bites back

2am
the dog chases pigeons
in a squeaky dream

3am
my bladder
awakens

This post is going to start by stating the obvious: word choice is important for all writing. But it could be argued that the shorter the piece, the more precise language needs to be. Or, at least, poor word choices are more exposed when there are fewer words around them.

One of the reasons I first got into writing micro fiction—in particular 50- and 100-word pieces—was that it functions as an exercise in precise word selection and brevity. I find it similar with haiku, where there’s both pleas...

In 2022, I ran a bunch of online travel writing mentoring sessions, primarily to raise a little money for humanitarian efforts in the Ukraine but also to support writers at the start of their careers. It was also something to make me feel more positive and a way to do some form of community service. The uptake was much greater than expected. More than 20 people got in touch and I ended up doing 15 one-to-one Zoom sessions. I found them incredibly satisfying.

So, I decided to start running these ...