And the Rain it Raineth Every Day

My Writing Life

Well it does round here, and that means that I am trapped indoors day after day, and I just have to write. Every time I look out of the rain drenched window, I try to think, ‘this is good, more writing time,’ but the garden calls… Let’s hope that by the time I am back from my forthcoming holiday, the weather will actually have dried up a bit.

Anyway, this week I managed to finish the second draft of the first two chapters of my children’s sci-fi book, and two members of my wonderful writing group have agreed to read them through. I look forward to two different perspectives, to help the process along; one from someone who has heard some of the first draft and the other from a member who is absolutely new to the work.

On the poetry front I am managing a poem a week, on various themes, helped along by reading poetry and books about writing. I have a number of different themes on the go at present, looking back at my life as a teacher and also trying to respond to routine activities of every day. I seem to be writing these alternately at the moment, I am not sure why, but it works.

I’m also preparing some poems for magazine submission, which means spending time editing old work, sometimes surprisingly rewarding.

 Reading Week

Still reading Vikram Seth, well it’s a very long, but fascinating, book. The reading group I belong to met last week, here at my house, to discuss Ann Enright’s The Green Road. We all loved it, and those who had read it twice loved it even more. It is so beautifully written and a real page turner.

Hare in the Headlights

Two events coming up:

I have been invited by the post graduate Creative Writing students at Lancaster University to give a half hour interview for their radio programme, The Writing Life. I am recording the interview at the end of this month, so watch this space where I will post a link so that you can listen to the interview once it is done.

I have also been invited to read some poetry at a slightly late celebration of International Women’s Day on the 19th March, at the Gregson Community Centre here in Lancaster at 8 o’clock. I understand I am to be early on in the programme so if you want to hear the poems get there in time!

That’s it for now.

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