Gillian Shirreffs

Gillian smiles at the camera while writing on her laptop. A pile of books about writing are beside her.

Gillian is a creative writing student at Glasgow University. She’s in the second year of a PhD.

Her doctoral project explores the relationship between object and illness, with specific reference to multiple sclerosis, through the novel, Brodie, and a collection of essays and images that examine three medical objects: a hypodermic needle, an MRI scanner and a hospital plinth.

Find Gillian on twitter @SunshineScot

Blogs by Gillian

Read more blogs from our MS community

Gillian smiling.

What I’ve learnt from MS about surviving a lockdown

A friend sent me a message recently asking if I could offer any tips on ‘the craft of keeping to a routine and filling your days, while maintaining good wellbeing in all its forms’.

Read Gillian's 8 tips
Gillian smiles at the camera while writing on her laptop. A pile of books about writing are beside her.

How writing helps me manage my MS pain

It’s often suggested that writing is a form of therapy. Usually, what people mean by this is that writing can help to process the experience of illness.

Read more