More than Writers

 Ghost writer: 'Someone who writes a book or article, etc. for another person to publish under his or her own name.' (Cambridge Dictionary) “Thanks. Just put the key back through the letterbox when you leave.” My friend was leaving the house after me, and had said she’d lock up. When I returned home a couple of hours later, the key was on the mat. The house was empty. But something had changed. In my study, I saw this: ALT: a doll sitting in front of a computer keyboard Sarah (yes, of course my doll has a name) does not usually sit at my desk, yet there she was!  It made me smile. I messaged my friend, asking if she was subtly suggesting I need a ghost writer?! Before I’d left the house earlier, I’d given her a pre-release copy of my  new book . Bit late for a ghost writer now….   When I moved Sarah from the chair, and replaced her with myself, I was still chuckling. Later, I thought about it some more.  I think I do have a ghost writer. ...

  Unusually, I have left my home city this week to travel to Bristol. As I get older, I find adventure, however low-level, less appealing, so it takes something that I really want to do to make me move. Our son lives in Bristol, and it was lovely to see him, obviously, but we also wanted to see Fran Lebowitz, who was appearing in the city. For those not in the know, Lebowitz is a New Yorker and a writer who has famously been what she calls book-blocked for decades. Her last book was a children's book called "Mr Chas and Lisa Sue Meet the Pandas," which was published in 1994.   Before these, she had written two books, which gained her literary fame and established her as an author. He has not written a book since.  Famously non-technical, she is not online and does not possess a mobile phone. She says that she writes with a Bic pen and that this makes her slow - too slow to produce another book, certainly for now. She is now in her mid-seventies, and despite having a ...

Photo by  Shelby Murphy Figueroa  on  Unsplash This week, I’ve started a new role, volunteering in the library at my daughters’ primary school. I’ll admit, I’ve always dreamt of being a librarian. That, or working in a bookshop. The ordered shelves; the studious silence; the smell of new paperbacks. The reality, of course, is very different, when a class of 8-year-olds comes piling through the door and heated debate ensues about whose turn it is to get which book from the most popular series.  For many years, I worked as a doctor, specialising in public health medicine. In the UK, rather than treating individual patients, public health doctors seek to protect and improve the health of communities. They look at the bigger picture, trying to prevent disease before it happens. This includes things like vaccination, promoting healthy lifestyles, and responding to outbreaks of infection. At different points, I worked with local councils, the NHS, and government on a range...

       I often wonder how to move forward with my writing, should I work on a book of devotionals, try an audio format or perhaps another avenue altogether? There are many opportunities, but it sometimes seems that they require far more than a gift of writing. The whole area of self-promotion and marketing I find very uncomfortable, leaving me feeling at a disadvantage.      Recently, I discovered a work of fiction, inspired by fact, that made me see things from another perspective. Jodi Picoult who is known for tackling difficult subjects, has written a number of historical novels as well as those set around more modern dilemmas.   I love reading fiction which opens my eyes to a historical era and teaches me. Picoult’s book ‘ By Any Other Name ’ did just that. The story is told through the eyes of two women. One a New York playwright named Melina who is struggling for recognition in a male dominated industry.      The second wo...

This month, Marion shares some thoughts on the ever-inspiring Jane Austen. The BBC’s decision to celebrate Jane Austen’s ‘250th  birthday’ has been wonderful. Programmes have revealed the background to her writing and they've serialised several of their archived films, including Sense and Sensibility, Pride and prejudice and Emma. It sounded good to me. Especially the thought of Colin Firth’s Mr Darcey… Life was very different when Jane was alive (December 1775 – July 1817). She was the seventh of eight children, having an older sister Cassandra and six brothers (James, George Charles, Francis, Henry and Edward). Her father, George, was an Anglican vicar and with her mother Cassandra they were a loyal, loving family who were part of the ‘landed gentry’.  Having six brothers, Jane would have known all about inheritance laws. Her novels reflect the utter unfairness of the male-line system which dictated that when a father of daughters died, if his daughters were not married to...

  As the UK slips into autumn and you reach for thicker jumpers, dig out your boots and lay in a supply of mandatory hot chocolate to fortify you thr ough all those writing hours, down here in South Africa, it’s almost spring. I know this because everyone is going on about it after a wet and miserable winter but also, more aesthetically, because I have spied blossom on the trees and signs of life in the vineyards.   Since I’ve recently had a delightful week in Stellenbosch, one of the best wine-making regions of the world (just sayin’), I’ve had the opportunity to see this up close. If you are not a wine-drinker for reasons moral, ethical, religious, or tastebud-related, you may find this post is neither your cup of tea nor glass of vino.   No problem; as you were. Personally, I find the whole process of wine-making fascinating.   White, rosé or red, it intrigues me that the same soil can produce a different flavour of grape each year according to weather and the ti...

                   I am astounded that there seem to be no blogs about this year’s Christian Resources Together Conference (CRT25) on 3rd-4th September -   so here is my very personal feedback. It is difficult for me to get away to anything writerly nowadays because of my husband’s health. So I signed up absolutely at the last minute when my eldest daughter had decided she’d like to spend a day with her Dad. I wanted to go to the retreat because I had always found it boosted my writing to meet booksellers and publishers as well as Christian writers. There is a huge buzz around CRT that is difficult to put into words - a frenzy of friendships, a merging of ideas, a cluster of colleagues, a wide range of new people to meet, all concerned with the writing trade. I’m no stranger to CRT, having first attended at about a week’s notice when I took over as acting Chair of ACW, so with several retreats in between, I knew what I was expec...

  All authors strive to create interesting relatable characters. They spend a lot of time character building. This is the process of creating unique, multi-dimensional characters with defined personalities, backstories, motivations, and goals that make them relatable and believable to readers. The reader rarely sees all the aspects of the character that the author creates because not only do they develop an initial detailed character profile before writing but also during the story the writer must show how that character changes and evolves over the course of it in response to events, known as the character arc. Various details are essential to create a credible fictional character and the author must know the character inside out, however the reader must not be burdened with this but they need enough information to keep them gripped to the tale. The first thing the reader needs is to know the identity of the character. This includes basic traits like name, age, appea...

'Growth' Recently, I’ve been spending time updating my website and email list (with support from the brilliant Lucy Rycroft). It takes me ages - actual eons - to do anything like this, and every time I embark on such projects, there’s this tiny voice deep within, a prodding finger, a tugging at my sleeve from my inner time-manager-cum-critic. ‘Is it worth it?’ Our time is precious. There is such a deep-rooted fear of wasting it in this productivity-mad world. Our brains are wired by society to think this way, like we’re constantly totting up numbers on some kind of metaphorical balance sheet. What will the growth be? Where's the return on our investment of time and love and heartache? After the long slow work of writing, rewriting, editing, the overcoming of fear of tech and sharing, will that tiny seed we’ve planted bear fruit? How long will it take? Will it ever come? Will it be paid back with the ‘income’ of likes, sales and accolades? Our creative creator God ...

photo courtesy of Dave Hobbs - Zimbabwe “ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good  works  and glorify your Father in heaven ”  (Mt 5:16).  A s writers  we may  stretch our reading of this verse to include good words along with good works Goo d w ords can be beams of light enabling reflection, challenging error and modelling character ,  especially  when the writer  draws on  a Holy Spirit-inspired heart.  The  illumination brough t by the writer’s good words  can  lead to  new perspectives for the reader  and a new appreciation of their  father in heaven.  Our world exudes a jumble of words forming narratives, not always coherent and only partially true.  This  causes  confusion,  frustration  and confl i ct ,  obstruct ing   the ability  to move forward.  The Christian writer’s job is to bring cla rity and illumination, supportin...