More than Writers

On Sunday, 22 August, Emily Owen posted on how she felt on receiving reviews of her books (‘ How I Made It Through ’).  These last few months, I find myself on the other end of the reviewing spectrum, the writing-reviews end. I decided to resurrect my book-reviewing blog Dear Reader which had been languishing for some time and I attempt to review what I read for pleasure and for my church bookclub (not always the same thing!)  I am also a member of the ‘Dream Team’ which reviews new publications for Bridge House Fiction and Chapeltown Books and just recently I have become involved in reviewing for Dollycas’s cosy crime Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours .  I spend a lot of time reading, to put it mildly. There are numerous articles on the internet and elsewhere about how to review a book, but this is what I do.  Bear it in mind that all that is required for my sort of reviews is about 300-400 words. I begin with a short summary of the setting and the first part of the plot.  I

  Writing has been an interesting ride. I started with a fictional blog, and found some kind people who lapped up the blog, interacting and adding to the stories. That led to writing a novel, which brought me to ACW. I felt so welcomed and accepted, even though I had no idea what I was doing, apart from having a wonderful time dreaming up stories. My nervousness about walking into ACW meetings only lasted a few minutes. Standing up and reading something out was scary, but again, the feelings lasted just a few minutes. Being accepted and encouraged even when people correct your writing is what I enjoyed so much. It is great to have that feeling of belonging. When the first Lockdown started, I enjoyed the weekly Wordy Chats. Talking to others, getting to know each other as well as sharing wild ideas was just what I needed. I love writing in my quiet evenings, by myself in my little dream world. Writing with others is different, so when Wendy invited me to be part of her new book, I s

Image Credits:- Pictures from the Swanwick Writers' Summer School were taken by me, Allison Symes.   I also took the screenshot for the ACW Flash Fiction group.   One image created in Book Brush using Pixabay photo. I returned from the Swanwick Writers’ Summer School earlier this month and it was a joy to be back there again. It was cancelled last year for the first time in its seventy year plus history due to You Know What. It was so good to be back at The Hayes, Derbyshire for Swanwick 2021 One of my favourite spots at The Hayes. I’ve made wonderful writing friends at Swanwick and it was great to meet up in person once again after a gap of two years. Some of us kept in contact through Zoom but the buzz you get from being with fellow creatives in person is hard to beat. Swanwick is held at The Hayes in Derbyshire where I know some of you go to the CRT events. The place itself is lovely. See photos for proof! So what has all that got to do with ACW then (other than my taking the c

 My film critic friend calls Facebook 'the water cooler for the self-employed'. I know what he means: social media are where we gather in our coffee and lunch breaks, chew the fat with colleagues (or the nearest that writers get to colleagues) and recover from the intense process of writing, which as I mentioned in my last post can be as taxing on the body as on the mind. But is social media (or should that be 'are social media'?) actually good for us. Water from a water cooler is undoubtedly good for us -- it refreshes without making any demands or subjecting us to any unwelcome news. Chatting with fellow workers is more ambivalent; we may be encouraged, or we may hear unwanted gossip or a worrying rumour. Social media, unless we use it (them?) very carefully, is even more unpredictable. We might be cheered by some rare good news, or we may be plunged into depression or envy by seeing evidence of other people's apparently perfect lives, their high-achieving childre

Sometimes I feel quite stumped to know how to write or what to write about.  Ideas seem far away and life seems full of busyness and challenge enough without having to conjure up something new to put down on paper. But am I trying a bit too hard? What if an idea were a dog?  A dog that's come to live with you?  A dog that's intent on making itself at home in your life?  That you need to look after in order to see it develop and grow?  That is wanting to be enjoyed, explored and loved? Can we imagine cherishing our ideas in such a way?  My friend Marilyn and I have just welcomed a new dog into our home, or more specifically, a new Guide dog for Marilyn is blind and she's been waiting two and a half years for a new dog after her previous one retired. Throughout those two years we've been bandying the thoughts around of what it will be like to have another dog in the home again, for Marilyn to be able to go out and about without having to rely on people being free to help

  Photo by Stephen Leonardi on Unsplash This will be my last MTW blog post, I’m sad to say. I’m stepping down as I’m about to add to the balls I’m juggling by starting an MA module, and I’m mindful that I don’t want to overstretch myself. Photo by Yi Liu on Unsplash So as it’s my last post, I just wanted to reflect on the ACW and all the encouragement I’ve received – and continue to receive – from so many people in so many different areas. As a writer, it’s wonderful to be a part of a community that ‘gets it’. From the dry times when the words just won’t come, to the times when they won’t stop and you find yourself burning the midnight oil. It’s great to be among people who, like me, consider themselves (or are considered by others) to be word nerds – and are justifiably proud of the fact! I’ve encouraged many writers to investigate and join ACW, as it’s a place where writers of all styles, genres and stages can find advice, support and encouragement. I love how we celebrate one

  I have just had cataract surgery to my right eye (other to follow soon) and it's lit up another aspect of new normal. Dialling back, I was amazed to get the hospital appointment through less than a week after referral, with surgery a couple of months later. Good to know parts of the NHS are functioning efficiently post-Covid. Now I have one sided new normal vision and understand why there were so many 'domestics' about colour! The 'new' eye is seeing light and shade with long forgotten vibrancy – as if a dingy filter had been removed. I even made the mistake of putting drops in the untreated eye because that felt like the poorly one! Dialling back further to memories as a student nurse in the sixties, the post-op regime for cataract surgery under general anaesthesia was flat on your back for ten days with bedpans and bandaged eyes. No wonder folks waited til eyes were really bad! Even ten to fifteen years ago, when I supported the trip four times for elderly paren

  In my last blog I celebrated a ‘Christian’ writer whose activities are recorded in Scripture, Baruch the scribe. He wrote down the prophecies of Jeremiah, directed against the wicked ruling class of Judah, and on one occasion was deputed to read them out publicly in the temple. In response to my blog, somebody suggested that things are different now that Christ has come into the world. That really made me think, and though I completely see the point, I’m still not sure exactly what difference it makes to the writer’s role in society. The obvious difference is that in ancient Israel and Judah, ‘church’ and state were not separate. The country was supposed to be governed by the rules laid down in the Torah. It was the duty of a true prophet of God to expose and denounce any practices and policies of those in power which went against God’s Law. So a literate person might well be called upon to write documents opposing such sins of the State as lying, breaking promises, denying justice t

  The Writing Process: Pushing Through by Rebecca Seaton Waltham Abbey: A great place for inspiration In earlier blogs about the writing process, I’ve written about the joys and challenges of getting started and sharing work. But what happens when we’ve started a project but get stuck? There are different reasons we get stuck – we can find ourselves stuck on plot or change our mind on an aspect of the story, like how we see a character or how we want the story to end, or sometimes it’s a matter of other concerns and issues in life encroaching on our writing time and focus. So what are the solutions? Time out can be important. This can be from writing entirely – maybe dealing with those work/family/health concerns needs to be done first in order to be able to properly give things the focus they deserve. We are ‘more than writers’, after all. Time out from the writing that is the sticking point can also be beneficial. When I get stuck on a story, working on a separate writing exerc

  Image Credit:  https://unsplash.com/@yomex4life You may be wondering, from the title of this blog, what I am about to announce.  What great feat have I accomplished?  Did you blink and miss me winning gold at the Olympics? Actually, the title comes from a review of one of my books, that I recently spotted on Goodreads. Someone took the time to review: I think that's incredible. To me, reviews are presents that come beautifully gift-wrapped.  Thank you so much to all who review.  I welcome ‘a weak three stars’ reviews, as well as five-star reviews, whether or not I agree with them (incidentally, I do agree with some of this one, and can see why all the points were made: you can read it  here ). The weak-three-stars review finishes: ‘But I made it through and didn’t really think of quitting.’ Perhaps it is the reviewer, not I, who deserves Olympic gold. Reviews can be like buses, none for a while, and then two at once. So it was that, during my Goodreads excursion, I

“If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there you hand will guide me.”                              Psalm 139:9-10 Today. we will hopefully board P & O’s beautiful new ship ‘Iona’ where on a ‘Seascape’ we can relax and enjoy all the good things of life no matter what the weather.   However, we have experienced Caribbean weather in the North Sea and beyond, can I ask for that again?    A big thank you to those who write comments under my monthly blogs.   I always mean to do the same for you, but hope my asking the Lord to bless you, as you do me, has brought you other wonderful encouragements for all you do for Him.   I’m still dabbling with my first chapters, changing them in trying to authentic my story.   I seem to take hours writing and getting nowhere fast.  Rather like this blog I wrote it, then completely changed the content as the Lord reminded me about His encouraging signs, hints, tip