Writing

Main picture: At an Authors talk in Beverley with one of my favourite authors Clare Mackintosh – the queen of the twist and downright lovely person – She’s been an inspiration for a long time…

My long romance with writing…

For as long as I can remember, I’ve written – from a letter to my mum saying I was leaving home because she wouldn’t allow me sweets before dinner, (oh and by the way I’ve taken said sweets and a bottle of traditional lemonade with me) to teenage angst diaries written ‘in code’, proper feature articles written for my degree and then on to corporate writing within various PR and marketing roles.

Then there’s ‘creative writing’ – short stories (so imaginative/ fanciful / down-right weird, my parents often gave each other side-glances upon reading them), poems, mostly rhyming, made up to entertain myself on long commutes to work on the train and then finally having a stab at the long-held dream of becoming an author of a fiction novel.

And finally there’s the other, very short, snapshots of writing, the odd journal entry, the daily regular Instagram posts, messages to my kids, banter texts to my husband…..

My point is, that I love all forms and styles of writing (unless it’s a formal corporate report, i.e the death of creativity). The physical act of writing with a pen and even typing give me a strange kind of joy I can’t even describe (and I call myself a writer?!) and that’s just the beginning; crafting ideas, imagining characters living and breathing, planning plots, describing a scene so vividly you can see it or discovering a better way of explaining something, is a process I find so satisfying I can get lost in it for hours on end, with no clue as to what is going on around me.

My ambition is to help you discover the thrill of writing too via whatever form is most accessible or enjoyable to you. Stories are a huge part of our lives, from books we cherished as a child to the ones we tell ourselves in our heads every day and even the vivid dreams we may concoct when we are asleep. I hope to give you the confidence to let these sing on a page and give you something to look back on when you’re old and grey or even go that one step further and share them with the world…but baby steps first yes?…

Do you want to experience the power of writing too?

Fancy having a go at writing at my local creative workshop? Or you can also join my regular weekly Writing Club where I deliver inspiring prompts to get your imagination going. Click the links to find out more and read the testimonials.

Examples of my own published Writing

Here are some examples of short stories I’ve done as part of The Yorkshire Writer’s Lunch Blog that I now contribute to along with the other members, this was my first story –   The Dog-Walker Stalker

And now here is the follow up! A Lost Life

A timely piece written for Bonfire Night – Remember Remember

A post I did in the wake of Covid-19 – The Comfort of Home

A poem I did when completing my Chemo treatment that was then selected to go into the Kirklees Archive project about creativity during the pandemic – Today is the Day

A piece I did following the death of George Floyd Hope springs eternal

A heart-warming Christmas story – My Name is Holly and I have a secret

Memories from my birthday – 47 Years Young

A poem on the walks I did in lockdown – Discoveries at dusk

A sinister short story about a broken childhood – The heart of a broken boy

There’s lots of great writing on the Yorkshire Writers Lunch Blog from local writers that may just inspire you, so why not make a brew and catch up?

Update June 2020 – Since completing Chemo, I’ve started writing another type of book – A none-fiction one, all about my journey with creativity and how it’s got me through some tough challenges, especially this last year!….Watch this space for its completion!