More than Writers

  Wednesday evening, I finished my first historical novel. It’s not very long, more a novella, and it’s actually far from finished, and as I sat back on the sofa celebrating with Goldie (as I’m in our caravan in Somerset by myself for a few days,) I thought about what was so different this time. I realised the most important difference is that this is the first ever book I planned ahead. I knew what would happen, and yes, there were the odd characters suddenly popping up out of the woodworks, but no major plot twists and surprises for me. As it’s a historical novel, I was drowning in research, and didn’t want to get halfway through the story, realising that I had no idea what the scene should look like. I was planning to start this novel whilst on the writing retreat in Scotland, so I wanted to get as much research done beforehand as I could, as I find research so intriguing that five hours pass without me even blinking. So the storyline was set, there were scenes I had imagine...

Image Credits:  Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images. AI images avoided. Do you control your characters or can they, at least sometimes, control you? I like to know my characters’ main traits before I write their stories because that gives me ideas as to what they are capable of and what would drive them to the actions which will be in the story. Motivation matters. But can characters surprise you and develop their own life? Oh yes. When this happens to me, I step back and look at why this happened. I then often spot something in their main trait which would cause the surprise. I shouldn’t have been surprised. The capacity for the character to act in this way was there. I hadn’t fleshed them out well enough here. This is useful. It acts as a wake up call to ensure I do know my characters well enough going forward. When a character comes out with something you couldn’t have foreseen, look at why. Is there back story here which will influence the outcome? If your previou...

                                                                                                                              Photo by   Elisa Ventur   on   Unsplash How do you handle overwhelm? I’m not convinced that I do a particularly good job. My default mode is to ignore the important to make way for the urgent. I will often prioritise domestic tasks over my writing, or respond to other people's requests for help. If I’m not careful, a whole week can go by, and I’ll be frustrated at my lack of progress. Jesus was a man with a clear sense of purpose. He knew instinctively when to withd...

We are asked to step out and walk in faith. We don’t necessarily know the destination, yet we still must act in faith. So, as you have stepped out to write in faith, where has the journey brought you? Maybe you have published several novels - a series? Perhaps you are still researching and considering the concept of your first book? Whatever stage you are at, as Christian writers, we are not alone. We have the Holy Spirit, God within us, the power to create and succeed. We also have each other – our fellow Christian writers. This is a winning combination, so long as we keep an open (to anything) mind. My journey has brought me right back to where I started (more or less). In 1986, I met Jesus, and He started to pour rhyming words into my head. What an incredible experience that was. I used the rhyming skill as a Christian Rap Artist and recorded two albums. After 25 years and spreading the Gospel message to thousands of young people, I considered myself too old for running around...

 Names matter. Getting the right name for your character makes a huge difference to how you feel about them, how you write about them, and how your readers respond. There are a number of ways to find good names for fictional characters. For my historical novels, based in my home county of Caithness, I trawled through the 1911 census for people who would be the right age, in the right occupation, or have the same status as my character. Then I counted the number of entries for each name so I could see whether it was a common name or a strange, unfamiliar one. I wanted 'normal' names for my characters and once I had a small number for each, I was able to choose the one that 'felt' right. You'll guess correctly that I enjoy research and nailing down facts! Another way to find excellent and appropriate names for characters is a wander through a local graveyard reading the gravestones. You'll soon find plenty names to choose from. Names in the UK carry more than simp...

  How are you with deadlines? 👉Are they a necessary evil, something that you’d rather live without, but accept are part of a writing life? 👉Are they the only thing that drives you to complete a piece of work? Or even start it! 👉Or do they fill you with anxiety and dread, to the extent that you can’t actually produce anything at all? I’m the last one, without a doubt. My second year exams at university didn’t go as well as hoped because I was ready too soon. I didn’t know how long it would take me to learn two years worth of history notes and I dreaded running out of time, having to try and cram information into my brain in the last few hours before an exam; ‘doing an all-nighter’, which a lot of my friends swore by. Even the idea of it still makes me hyperventilate.      To avoid this nightmare I started revising early, too early. By the time the exams came round I was bored of the Roman emperors, I’d overthought the causes of the Chinese Opium wa...

  What the Eye Doesn’t See by Sheelagh Aston   It does not look like much. A simple wooden cross hung on the wall. Two planks of wood fixed together. No inscription or fancy carving. Plain and simple. On closer inspection, you may notice that the wood is worn in places and has hair-line cracks. Despite the new coat of varnish, the grain is deep and varied. This is old wood that has aged over time thanks to weathering, oxidation and moisture. Yet it is only now that people can see these two pieces of wood despite the fact that they have been in the same building as the wall they hang on for nearly 100 years. Only now are they visible for everyone to see. The cross was made from two floorboards removed from a local church where I live. The church has stood on the corner of the main street since 1832. It was closed in September 2024 until it was bought by a Christian Fellowship and reopened earlier this month. A local carpenter made the cross. When someone reads our wri...

  I checked the faces on the screen three times, four times… I could no longer deny it. Emily was in the Zoom call. I’ve not seen her for ages, yet flashbacks made it seem as though I saw her yesterday: - Copious amounts of chocolate (for her, not me). - Bashing away in frustration at the keyboard (that mostly happened during editing). - Desperation/Inspiration walks (again, her not me). Let it be known that I never left my post. I remained saved to her computer countless times. It did occur to me she should have saved herself to it, all those walks. - An email from her publisher asking her to add another section to me. (She ate the chocolate, I put on weight.) Mercifully, the flashbacks were interrupted by my owner, holding me up to her screen.  I reminded myself to relax: even a chocolate-eating, keyboard-stabbing, desperation-walker can not jump through a Zoom screen. I was safe. “On my first day at work, I saw this book. And that’s why I wanted to invite ...

It’s been a great year for daffodils. I love the way they brighten the roadsides, popping up for a few weeks to surprise and delight the motorist. Grand displays herald spring in local parks and small bunches decorate our homes. They lift our spirits and mark a change of season. What is not so great is the few weeks afterwards when the bright display is replaced by dead flowers and drooping leaves which gradually turn yellow. When that happens in my garden I find I want to move on, to get rid of the foliage. I’d really like something else of beauty to take its place. I tell myself not to be in such a rush. This stage is important, the dead flower can be removed but the leaves need to be left to die off naturally, until they are completely dry. If the leaves are removed too soon, the bulb is stopped from taking in important nutrients in preparation for next year’s blooms. If I don’t wait future growth is impacted.  I realise I feel a little like this with my writing. I write alongsi...

While I’ve been navigating my way through being my husband’s carer, time to write has been almost non-existent even though I believe deep down inside me there are things God wants me to record. Each morning I try to spend time with God before the day’s essential routines begin. For some time now the word ‘manna’ has inspired my prayers and my journalling.  The Israelites wandered around in the unknown, much like I feel now, and were provided with what they needed for the day. Manna was apparently nourishing, bread-like food that tasted like ‘wafers made with honey’ (Ex. 16:31). It would rot by the next day if they tried to keep it, but there would always be a fresh supply in the morning. My prayer each day has been, ‘Please give me the manna I need for today.’ By that I mean wisdom, energy and strength to negotiate the ever-changing and increasing demands of coping with dementia and serious ill-health – because what works today may not work tomorrow. I cannot hold rigidly to any ...

  Down here, below the equator, schools are blasting through their summer term which is the beginning of their school year, heading for autumn.   The leaves aren’t turning quite yet, but as I walked through the playing fields of Rondebosch Boys High School, I could see that things have changed. The fields have been marked out for sports and Wednesday afternoons are now a riot of cheering, amid the chaos of multiple games of cricket, tennis and hockey (it doesn’t appear to be seasonally dependent here) while rugby coaching continues and some equivalent of cycling proficiency goes on.   The middle field has been marked out in white as an athletics track and I watched grandparents and grandchildren engage in mock ‘races’ there at the weekend. Most fascinating to me is the space for the shot-put.   I originally thought they must be coaching hammer throwing, but the lack of safety net suggests that’s not the case.   I’m sure the locals are heaving a sigh of relief as...

  It’s nearly time! Time for a few days of being with other writers, swapping news, gaining inspiration and doing writerly things under the guidance of Adrian and Bridget Plass, in the beautiful surroundings of Scargill. The I can hardly wait. The Scargill community is caring and welcoming, the countryside around is breathtaking and the chapel awe-inspiring in its holiness.  This year, my husband, Ken, is coming with me. It marks a departure from ‘getting away from it all’ but to share this special place with him is a privilege. We will have a room for the disabled and he will trundle around with his Zoom wheeled walker and I shall not have to worry about him being home alone. I’m sure he will enjoy the talks and laughter too, so maybe that will stir up his his early leanings towards writing more than the church newsletter. We are so blessed to be able to do this. I would urge any writer to have times devoted to nothing but writing, whether it’s connecting with other scribbler...

 When I worked in the real world, long before I was an author, I met many people from different backgrounds and each had a name. There was the lady who had married twice - her maiden surname was Robertson as was the surname of both her husbands, so she was Mrs Robertson or Robertson or Robertson. There were the people who made up what I called my dark rainbow, Mrs Brown, Miss Gray, Mr Black, Dr Green and Dr Orange and the fun names, Mrs Bird, Miss Snowball and Dr Bean.  Then I set to thinking about the importance of names in fiction.There are many fictional names that have become pivotal, Scrooge has become synonymous with meanness, Fagan is known as a thief and Gandalf acknowledged for his wisdom. When I was choosing a name for my lead detective in my books I chose the name Hunter. I felt this reflected his job seeking out criminals in the pages of my novels. However, that name in itself was chosen by chance. My husband and I were driving through Edinburgh to visit my mother....

  I’m now into the fifth year of running a local creative writing group — a role that is delightful and rewarding in equal measure. As the group has become more established, my challenge has shifted to finding fresh and engaging aspects of writing for us to explore together. I usually introduce a topic for discussion, followed by prompts to trigger some writing, which often produces excellent results both in our sessions and in between meetings. Recently, we explored the sonnet and its structure — quite advanced stuff! — and it prompted some of the group to create their own modern sonnets. That session was sparked by this description from Scottish poet Don Paterson: As poetry moved slowly off the tongue and onto the page, the visual appeal of an approximately square field of black text on a sheet of white paper must have been impossible to resist. Which is what the sonnet is, first and foremost: a small, square poem … a sonnet is a paradox, a little squared circle, a mandala ...