Category: News

In my workshops I urge students to try different types of writing. It always amazes me how straight jacketed individuals are sooooo resistant to even trying different styles from their norm – they’re only words after all. Poets can write prose, prose writers can write poetry. It may not be the best vehicle for their written voice, but it can be done satisfactorily and it’s good to be stretched out of a comfort zone. Adult writers can write children’s stories, children’s writers can write adult. It might be harder, but not impossible, and there’s often lots to be learnt on the way.

So in practicing what I preach when a friend asked if I’d write a story for her class of school children and to read it to them, – I swallowed hard and said yes.

Watch this space – I’ll tell you how it goes.

Four months in and I’m a kindle convert. It’s the ease of use that’s sold it to me. I’ll never lose the joy of a new book, the untouched pages and perfect spine, but for me it’s the words in a book that matter – and my kindle (Bedakins) can carry a lot of words. Although I’d be terrified to live in a world without books, I think I could live with less on my bookshelf and more on my kindle – sad but true; even though it feels like cruelly dumping a long lasting lover for a dapper younger one.

Spring seems to have a crop of competition closing dates – so I’ve been mega busy. “If you’re not in, you can’t win” is my new motto. Sharpening up pieces for a competition entry makes me edit in a way I wouldn’t otherwise do – ie properly! Even if they don’t win, they’ll be better than before.