Steeped in Summer Stories - Winchester Writers' Festival and Oxford summer schools

This is one of those catch-up posts as it dawns on me how long it is since I last blogged! And why is that, you ask? The spring and summer were intense phases of teaching, along with my core editorial work. I realised yesterday that we are on the cusp of autumn and couldn't quite believe it. This post, then, is a photographic diary of my summer and of the amazing people I've met.

I taught a part-time course on getting started in writing from April onwards as part of the University of Oxford's Department of Continuing Education work.

At Winchester with my friend, writer Lisa Greaves

In June I ran three workshops at Cornerstone Arts

With the Festival's original founder,
the wonderful Barbara Large

in Didcot, then paid my annual visit to teach at the Winchester Writers' Festival.

Conference Director Judith Heneghan

Speaker Helen Dennis

The Stripe Theatre by night

Teaching on the OUSSA programme

With my OUSSA students

In July and August, I taught on Oxford University's Summer School for Adults (OUSSA) at Rewley House, followed by the university's International Creative Writing Summer School for three weeks at Exeter College.

OUSSA students

Along the way, I met, as I always do, writers who were starting out or more advanced, writers brimful of enthusiasm, motivation, curiosity and the desire to improve their craft. I read and gave feedback on writing that was poignant, dramatic, thoughtful, beautiful, gripping.

Getting ready to teach at Exeter College
with fellow tutors Julie Hearn, Frank Egerton and Matthew Barton

 

Exeter College, its lawns drier than we've ever seen!

Tutors Susannah Rickards and Rachel Bentham

Turl Street Oxford

Exeter College Chapel

Exeter College Chapel

Exeter College Dining Hall

Exeter College Chapel

Want to know more or stay connected? Subscribe to my newsletter for news of Fictionfire's activities, articles on writing, competition links and much more. You can subscribe via my website.

I'll be back in the autumn with more musings about the world of books, an IGISIRI catch-up,  and more interviews and guest-posts too. Till then, enjoy the rest of your summer!

Where have I been?

Getting ready to start teaching
 at Oxford University
Summer School for Adults

It’s a while since I last blogged so this is a round-up of what was going on and advance notification of what is coming up!

Summers equate with creative writing teaching: no sooner had I finished running a part time course for Oxford University during the spring, but I taught at Winchester Writers’ Festival where my subject was the power of point of view, then two summer schools on two different programmes for Oxford University. This was my fifteenth  year at OUSSA and my fourth at the OUDCE Creative Writing summer school at Exeter College.

As ever, I was blown away by the quality of work I was assessing and hearing. I loved meeting my students and hearing their stories. Summer schools bring together the most extraordinary mix of nationalities, backgrounds, life experiences and writing dreams.

With lovely tutor and writer
Judy Waite, at Winchester Writers' Festival

By mid-August I was just desperate for a holiday, though! I hadn’t had a break since our holiday in Cornwall in early spring. But before I could relish any down-time, I had to face tasks I had been putting off for months – nay, years! I moved my website host, I created an opt-in PDF, I learned how to use Convertkit and moved my mailing lists to it, I got all the elements talking to one another!

Before we left for our holiday in France in September, I set up my new website landing page. I felt tired but pretty damned chuffed. What would be a walk in the park to some people was like climbing Everest to me, but I had done it – I had got that far.

Roussillon, Provence

We went back to Provence, which we had visited last year. And oh, it was still gorgeous. For two weeks I genuinely unwound and it did me a power of good. I even wrote something!

Back home, I soon got all wound up again. Life has been full on since then. I have been editing, mainly, for long-term clients. I’ve also been the co-ordinating judge of the short story competition Writers in Oxford has been running for young Oxfordshire writers. Now, our choices have been made and sent to Philip Pullman, our head judge. The prizes will be announced next week at the Writers in Oxford 25^th Anniversary party, held in conjunction with the Society of Authors.

Being interviewed at Radio Oxford
to publicise Writers in Oxford's
Young Oxfordshire Writer competition

 And what about the website, you may ask?

Ah. Ahem … a work in progress still, but progress is being made!

Well, do go and visit: you can download my free PDF on leading a productive writing life!

In other news, I got published!

More of that in my next post too …

Download your free guide to launching a productive writing life by visiting the website here

Why write YA? Author Julie Hearn explains why writing for young adults matters to her

Some years ago, I came across an amazing book. It was written for a younger readership but like many books in that genre it pulled no punches when dealing with challenging, even poignant issues. At the same time it was packed with wit, energy and a kind of magical sprightliness I found immensely appealing. The book was Follow Me Down and its author was Julie Hearn.

I met Julie herself years later: we were both teaching on Oxford University's International Creative Writing Summer School. It was a joy to make friends with a writer who was as much fun and as charged with imaginative energy as the book she'd written. I'm delighted that Julie will be teaching a day course on writing teen fiction as part of my autumn programme of Fictionfire events: she's a truly inspiring teacher with so much knowledge of the craft and the industry to impart. I've asked her over to Literascribe to describe how she came to write in the YA genre and why it matters to her. Over to Julie -

“Why did you start writing Young Adult fiction?”

I get asked this a lot.

Firstly, I was tired of writing for adults. Aged thirty, I was a journalist, writing a mother and baby column for The Daily Star. Aged forty I was at Oxford University, writing about maternal power and witch-hunts in Early Modern England, for a MSt in Women’s Studies. I  felt – and still feel – a wicked sense of satisfaction over that shift but, aged forty-one, the thought of writing more stuff requiring footnotes appealed about as much as the thought of writing more dross for the tabloids.

I needed another shift.

Secondly, the story idea that hooked me so completely that it got into my dreams seemed tailor-made for  the Young Adult market (for readers aged eleven to seventeen, or thereabouts) I had found it in the Bodleian Library’s collection of  printed ephemera: an eighteenth century handbill, about a young girl being shown as a “monster” at Bartholomew Fair.

The Changeling Child

To be seen next door to the Black Raven in West Smithfield, during the time of Bartholomew Fair, a living skeleton taken from a Turkish Vessel. This is a Fairy Child supposed to be born of Hungarian parents but changed in the nursing. Aged nine years or more, not exceeding a foot and a half high, the legs, thighs and arms so very small that they scarce exceed the bigness of a man's thumb and the face no bigger than the palm of one's hand and seems so grave and solid as if it were threescore years old. You may see the whole anatomy of its body by setting it against the sun. It never speaks. It has no teeth but is the most hungry creature in the world, eating more victuals than the stoutest man in England. Gives great satisfaction to all that ever did, or shall, behold it.

I wanted to give this Changeling Child the happy ending she surely did not have in real life. I wanted to address issues of abuse, and difference, and love and loyalty without cynicism or the rueful wisdom of an adult author addressing adult readers.

I camped out in the Bodleian, researching Bartholomew Fair and eighteenth- century London. I read about the surgeons at  St Bartholomew’s  Hospital who dissected corpses as often, and as cheerfully, as they might have cut up a chop for supper. I read about the grave robbers who supplied those corpses, charging extra for anything “unusual”. My young protagonist, I decided, was going to be a time traveller who would meet the Changeling Child and uncover a plot that could see her dead before her time, and under the knife of my hard-hearted dissectionist, Dr Flint.

Writing Follow Me Down was like sliding down a rainbow – a giddy, exhilarating swoop towards – what? I didn’t know. I didn’t wonder, much, about the publication process. It was enough, back then, to be making things up, with no worries about libel actions or plagiarism!

Follow Me Down went to auction. It was translated into French, Italian, German, Spanish and Japanese. It was shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award and nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal. It paid for my kitchen extension and a holiday in Antigua.

Julie Hearn

Best of all it sent me on a writing journey that has been challenging, rewarding and never, ever dull. I care about this kind of  writing. I care about my readers and, while mindful of what author Madeleine L’Engle said - “…the best children’s books ask questions, and make the reader ask questions. And every new question is going to disturb someone’s universe.” – I am careful about the way I frame a question for impressionable young minds.

I care about my characters.

“How old is the protagonist in Follow Me Down?” I was asked, a while ago, during a radio interview.

“Tom’s fifteen,” I replied. And then I realised: “No … sorry… he’s twelve. In the book, I mean. He’s fifteen  now.”

The interviewer gave me a look that said “Are you mad?”

When I tell that story to other YA writers they smile, and nod. They absolutely get it. They, too, have worked so hard to create characters “real” teenagers will recognise, and bond with, that should those characters knock at the door one day they would not turn a hair.

They, too have slid down a few rainbows in their time.

It is great, great fun.  

The Next Big Thing in Teen Fiction - Could You Be the One to Write It? 

Day course in Oxford, 19th November 2016

Are you keen to write or develop your fiction for teens or young adults? Julie Hearn, who has published seven acclaimed novels including Follow Me Down, The Merrybegot and Rowan the Strange, will help you develop your storytelling techniques, including crucial aspects such as openings, character and voice, plot and pace. You'll learn about the young adult genre and what's hot in the current market, maximising your chances of success with your submission. With discussion and writing exercises during the course, you'll leave with increased confidence, enhanced skills and the courage to make your pitch.

.

The course runs from 9.45-5.00 and includes all refreshments and a delicious lunch.

For full details and how to book, visit www.fictionfire.co.uk/course-dates-&-details 

Other Fictionfire workshops are listed here and the next Simply Write Retreat is here.

Contact info@fictionfire.co.uk if you have any questions.

Winchester Writers' Festival 2016: Meg Rosoff and Magical Fierceness

Meg Rosoff giving the Keynote Speech
at Winchester Writers' Festival 2016

Rather unbelievably, it’s time for my annual follow-up post on the Winchester Writers’ Festival, where I gave a lecture on self-editing and a day course on building character. There was the usual buzz of creativity and connection as writers milled around, attending readings, talks, courses and one-to-ones with agents, editors and writers like myself.

What do writers talk about at events like this? Well, their writing, of course, their hopes and their struggles, their frustrations and their triumphs. All of this against the backdrop of the annual review of the State of Publishing. We listen to those in the know, those in the trade – but also those in the independent sphere. Both schools of publishing practice have learned to co-exist fairly amicably, really. Perfection doesn’t exist on either side: indie authors sometimes haven’t taken on board the need for professionalism in presentation and content. Trad publishers are often way behind the times in their view of the indie world. But, catching up has been done, on both sides.

Every year the Festival officially opens on Saturday with the Keynote Speech. This year featured Meg Rosoff, with a quirky Powerpoint sequence behind her, discussing the nature of ‘voice’. This it turns out, is your ‘DNA’ as a writer. It’s your individual personality in words. It takes some finding and developing. When found, it creates that state we all seek and sometimes achieve:  the zone, ‘writers’ magic’, the state where you tap into your true self and meaning, where inspiration and expression fuse.

The Stripe Auditorium

In case this all sounds a bit airy-fairy, let me assure you that Meg was sharp as a tack, cynical, acerbic and total fun. She introduced us to the wonderful German word Durchlässigkeit, which means ‘throughness’, for that sense of a perfect flow of energy between conscious and unconscious mind. The term comes from dressage, referring to the harmonius co-operation of rider and horse. She said that a wall exists between the conscious and the unconscious and it’s up to us to establish and encourage connections: ‘If there’s a wall, you won’t get resonance.’

Meg went on to stress that we need to access the ‘dreamy state’ by such practices as morning writing, when ‘the brain hasn’t closed the bridge’. She herself waits for her books to come to her and tell her what their meanings are, what their resonance is. This is a process you can encourage but not force: ‘Sometimes you need to wait for the brain to be ready.’ If you want to home in on what is important to you, storywise, she recommends you to consider the turning points of your life and what they meant to you.

Throughout her speech the audience responded with laughter and murmurs of agreement: she really spoke to us, part-reassuringly, part bracingly. It was clear that writing – which she came to at the age of 46 after a rocky career in advertising – was as frustrating and rewarding to her as it is to the rest of us. She described the months when the book won’t come, the glorious breakthroughs of meaning, the buzz of inspired productivity. She spoke to an audience resonating to her message.

I came away struck in particular by one thing she’d mentioned: early in her career she’d written a pony book, which was no good, she claimed, but which got her an agent. Her agent said, ‘There are no rules. Write as fiercely as you can and I’ll find someone who will read it.’ I loved the idea of fierce writing – and the idea of a champion who would fight for that writing to be read.

During my one-to-one appointments

A couple of hours later I was meeting writers for one-to-ones in a room full of agents and editors, all listening to pitches, all responding to dreams and aspirations in a world that is commercially hard-headed and has always had to be. Yet I know that in that room, a writer or two will have fired up an agent or an editor with enthusiasm and months down the line we’ll hear of the book deal and the dream fulfilled.

Keep crossing that bridge into your inner life and self. Keep writing fiercely. Keep trusting that out there is the agent or editor or reader who will look at your work and ‘get’ it and champion it.

Finally - shout outs to my lovely friends at Winchester: Judith Heneghan, Sara Gangai, Barbara Large, Adrienne Dines, David Simpkin, Judy Waite, Nik Charrett, David Evans - and also to Imogen Cooper, Beverley Birch, Jenny Savill, Eden Sharp and Andrew Weale for fascinating conversations.

After the Festival Dinner

Conference Director Judith Heneghan at the Festival Dinner

With Adrienne Dines

Reaping a creative harvest: interview with new author Paul Cranwell

This week I'm delighted to interview Paul Cranwell, author of A Material Harvest. I've known Paul for a number of years and he and his wife have attended quite a few of my Fictionfire workshops, so it's a particular pleasure to see him finish his novel and bring it out into the world. In this interview, Paul discusses what he's learned from creative writing courses, what inspired him to write the novel and the publishing choices he made.

Welcome to Literascribe, Paul!

Hi, Lorna. Thank you very much for inviting me to your blog interview.

We first met at the Winchester Writers’ Festival – can you tell us about what made you want to get your writing career off the ground and what part courses, workshops and conferences such as Winchester and Swanwick have played in helping you on the way?

Although I enjoyed writing in my youth, my wife, Mary, has always been a keen writer. Eight years ago she saw an advert for a writing weekend at Farncombe, sadly now closed as an adult learning centre. The course was run by Crysse Morrison, the first of several inspiring creative writing tutors that we have been fortunate to meet. Not having written creatively during my professional career, the weekend was a revelation. For the next four years we were avid consumers of writing courses. Those courses taught me the basics of creative writing and encouraged me to lean the craft of writing. I supplemented the courses by reading the required reading lists for the masters’ degree in Creative Writing that several universities publish on the internet. Amongst the various courses and conferences, we attended a number of workshops. The opportunity to practice writing and learn from others is important. Fictionfire is a good case in point. The chance to consider a particular facet of writing and to put it into practice is invaluable. We are also members of an excellent writing group, Stratford Scribes, facilitated by Cathy Whittaker. Fictionfire provided the inspiration for a number of fictional pieces that formed part of my masters’ degree. Without these courses I would never have written anything.  

You have been involved in the organisation of the Swanwick Summer School – what advice can you offer to writers thinking of attending such events to make the best of their experience there?

Swanwick is the longest running independent writers’ conference. For a week every summer the school runs a packed programme of writing courses and entertainment. The timetable runs every day from 8.00 a.m. to midnight and can be exhausting. So, the best advice is to select the courses you want to attend and not feel that you have to go to everything. The school attracts writers with every level of experience from complete novices to those authors with over a hundred published titles to their name. The quiet surroundings and friendly environment give you the opportunity to mix with fellow writers and to learn from them. In terms of conferences generally, one piece of advice that may help is to read the tutor biographies. Some of the best courses I have been to have not been in genres I would normally relate to, but have been taken by inspirational tutors.

You’ve also completed a creative writing degree at Brookes University, Oxford – can you say in what ways this complemented or added to what you’d learned about writing elsewhere?

I wanted to take a professional approach to learning the skill of creative writing. In my view Stephen King was absolutely right when he said that, “with practice and hard work, it is possible for a competent writer to become a good writer.” Studying for a masters’ degree in creative writing was a logical next step in that process. The course at Oxford Brookes is a practical one, based on assessing published authors’ work and learning from them. It has made me read with a more critical eye to identify which techniques work and which don’t and, more importantly, why. I should also say that the chance to immerse myself completely in writing for a year was wonderful – a real privilege.  

How important is it for a writer to network with other writers?

Networking is such an important way of learning about new trends and developments in writing. The world of publishing, in particular, is changing fast and readers are becoming more demanding in the way that fiction is delivered to them. For instance, writing for audio books was once an arcane activity with limited application, but with the advent of downloads for mobile phones, people listen to stories as they exercise or travel to work. That in turn shapes the length and type of fiction they want. Without networking it is impossible to keep up with these developments. It is also important to realise that you are not alone. I’m very fortunate that my wife is also a writer. Without her my writing life could easily become a lonely one.

Your partner, Mary, is also a writer – how important has it been for you to have one another to provide mutual support or a sounding board/giver of feedback? Are you writing very different types of work? Are you different or similar in your writing practices?

I am lucky to be married to Mary. She is a talented writer and editor. Whilst completing my novel, to have someone of her skill to help me with both the structural edit and the copy edit was invaluable. Having a shared pursuit gives us both an understanding of the demands that writing imposes. We have very different writing interests and different strengths. Mary has a Carveresque style: a penetrating understanding of character and dialogue that I can only aspire to. She also loves memoir. For my part my novel is a thriller, but I also enjoy writing humour and poetry. We are also different in how we structure our writing day. Mary can write all day for a few weeks, but I find I am better at writing in shorter bursts over a longer period.

Tell me about your newly-published book, A Material Harvest. What is it about? What led you to write it?

A Material Harvest is about Michael Turner, a senior banker with Scottish Imperial Bank. He is at the pinnacle of his personal and professional career. Michael disappears after his mother’s funeral. At Scottish Imperial Bank, files for one of his most important clients are also missing. His colleague and friend, Alex Shepherd, takes charge of the Bank's investigation. He follows a dangerous and complex trail to find Michael and uncover the truth.

My professional career was in finance and corporate banking and I wanted to explore that world in my writing. Having an understanding of the financial world made it easier for me to write it than might otherwise have been the case. I wanted in particular to look at the reasons why there are so many examples of fraud and misconduct in banking. I started the novel as the major project on my masters’ degree and was fortunate to have feedback from Oxford Brookes along the way.

Luck plays a part in these things. The story deals in part with non-disclosed companies and offshore funds. The recent events in Panama with Mossack Fonseca, have led me to believe that there is scope for a sequel.

 

You chose to write under the pseudonym of Paul Cranwell. What was the logic for doing so?

I write in a wide range of poetry and prose forms and in a number of different genres. From a presentational point of view, it makes sense to identify one genre with one brand. In this case Paul Cranwell is the name I will use for thrillers. If I publish my humorous stories or poetry, I shall do so under a different name. More prosaically I like the name Cranwell

How long did the novel take to write? Were any aspects of its composition particularly easy or tricky?

The idea was conceived during Christmas 2013 and the book was first published in March this year. As a project it took just over two years. However, I took a break between writing the first draft and undertaking the edit. It took about eight months to write the first draft and then six months to edit. The easiest parts to write were those scenes that I could readily identify with. The hardest, conversely, were those that required an understanding of character that only came as I completed the book. As a result, there were parts of the book that were rewritten during the edit, including the ending.

Tell me about the route you took to publication – what governed your choices and what advice do you have for other writers on this?

I listened to all the advice about publishing on the various courses I’ve been on. I very early realised that, for me at least, there were two possible options. If I wanted to attract a mainstream publisher, and possibly to make some money, then I would need to write a commercially oriented book. That wasn’t my objective. I simply wanted to write the best book I was capable of writing; to enjoy the process; and learn as much about writing and publishing as possible along the way. The only way to do that was to set up my own publishing company and have full editorial control over the book.

The novel has a beautiful and striking cover – would you like to tell us what choices were made and why? Did you employ a cover designer?

My sister-in-law runs a website design business and has been involved in graphic design as well as publishing. She was the first person to read my completed novel and I asked her if she would design the cover. She selected a range of images that represented the story. The moment I saw the image that we ended up using, I knew it was right for A Material Harvest. The coastal location picks up some of the key moments in the novel and the unsettled sky reflects the tone of the book. Brenda also did the typesetting for me, something I would have struggled to do for myself.

  

Are you working on a new project now?

I have three projects that I’m working on. I have a collection of connected humorous stories that I would like to expand; my aunt’s memoirs – she was one of the last missionaries in China and India; and a sequel to A Material Harvest.

What three writing/publishing/marketing tips can you offer would-be writers?

• Write because you enjoy it.
• Only aim for a mainstream publisher if you want to target the mass market, otherwise self-publish.
• Make sure you have comprehensive distribution agreements through the printing option you choose. 

Thanks very much, Paul! I wish you every success with A Material Harvest and your future projects. 

A Material Harvest is published by Speart House Publishing, ISBN 97819113230200099.

Buying links: 

Amazon

Kobo

Barnes & Noble 

Indiebound

Booksamillion

Politics-prose

I'll finish with a quick reminder that Fictionfireby the Spires: Get into Character weekend workshop/retreat takes place May 21-22 2016. You can come for the full weekend or on a single day basis. Four workshops will help you create and develop believable and engaging characters, there's delicious food throughout and you'll have time for your own writing too. Find out more at http://www.fictionfire.co.uk/fictionfire-by-the-spires - places are very limited.

Before then, two Saturday afternoon workshops in May:

How to Write Short Stories: May 7^th

How to Edit your Submission: May 14^th – details of these are at http://www.fictionfire.co.uk/focus-workshops 

Fictionfire - new directions for spring

What have you been up to lately? I ask because I haven't spoken to you for a while on this blog!

The truth is - and I think you'll recognise this - it's so easy to be pulled in multiple directions. It's also easy to see the days flitting past (and they flit faster, I swear, with every passing year.)

I hope 2016 is panning out well for you. Personally, I feel a blink of the eye has happened since I was drawing up my plans back in December.

I aimed to run more Fictionfire Focus Workshops and Retreats and I've done precisely that. The Simply Write Day Retreat and workshops on writing covering letters and synopses, plus how to improve your descriptive powers, all took place in February and March.

I've also been editing and mentoring - and am delighted to have been named by writing guru K.M. Weiland one of the top recommended fiction editors around: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/good-book-editor/  

But early in the year, I made the decision that this was the year to take my business to a new level, in a new direction. If you're regular readers, then you'll know that I started Fictionfire Literary Consultancy back in 2009 as a sideline to my main work as an English Literature teacher. I gave up conventional teaching in 2012 in order to concentrate on Fictionfire, apart from teaching gigs on behalf of Oxford University and the University of Winchester.

So, I lead a multi-stranded life (and one, thin, often-overlooked strand is my own writing ...)

You wouldn't think I'd want to take on more, would you?

Wrong.

I've been working hard over the past months on a whole new strand to weave into the Fictionfire tapestry. I'm not saying more about it right now, except to tell you that if you're interested in finding out about it before anybody else, I recommend you subscribe to my mailing list on the welcome page of my website here, because I'll be telling subscribers first and offering them ...

Ssh...

All good things come to those who wait.

In the meantime you can join me in Oxford for the final Focus Workshops of the season: How to Write Short Stories on May 7th and How to Edit your Sample Submission on May 14th. Find out more on the Focus Workshops page of the website.

Or if you'd value some peaceful time to write, some great food, friendly support and inspiration, plus four invaluable workshops on creating and adding depth to your characters, then come along to the second Fictionfire by the Spires retreat weekend. The dates are 21st-22nd May 2016. You can opt to come for the full weekend or on a single day basis. Find out all about the workshop contents and the schedule for the weekend by visiting the Fictionfire by the Spires page on my website.

Remember, sign up for my newsletter at www.fictionfire.co.uk for news, articles, inspiration, exercises and competition news. Oh, and advance notice of that new thing I was talking about ...

Yes or No to NaNo? How to get back into your writing

Image courtesy of
National Novel Writing Month

Hard to believe, but it’s that time again! November is looming up fast and November for many writers means National Novel WritingMonth. Thirty days of frenzy and exhaustion as they try to rack up 50,000 words by 23.59 on the 30th.

NaNoWriMo is in many ways a Very Very Good Thing. So much of the writing life is about procrastination, waiting for conditions to be better, writing in fits and starts – a month in which you dedicate yourself to major production levels is a month where you can discover what you’re capable of. Many writers are amazed, once they get into it, to find just how much they can achieve. They start December with a pile of messy pages, but pages which can lead to other pages, pages which can be edited into shape.

So, yay for NaNo.

But I’m not doing it this year.

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, or you’ve read my last blogpost, you’ll know that this year has been all about distraction. Service providers have let me down and my days, weeks and months have been filled with lists, correspondence, shouty scenes and anxiety. Even now, I’m barely coming out of it.

If I sign up for NaNo this time round, the dark side of it may be revealed – it’s another form of pressure and I really don’t need any extra pressure right now. The voice, that voice any writer is so familiar with, the shrill nagging ‘Why can’t you just get on with it!’ voice, will raise its decibel-level even more.

I have projects. I have ideas. I also have clients whose work needs editing, workshops to run … so my own work will have to wait a little while longer. I’m fairly OK about that. I believe in the work. It can keep, just a little while longer.

Are you contemplating doing NaNo? I genuinely think it’s worth considering. I’ve done it before, and always on my own terms – I've written posts about previous years’ NaNoWriMos, including the technique that I’ve found served me best when aiming for ultimate productivity. You can find my posts here and here, and earlier ones here and here.

If you are doing NaNo, you could do part of it at my next writers’ retreat, Fictionfire by the Spires: Reboot and Troubleshoot, here in Oxford from 7-8 November. The title tells you what I’ll be focussing on. I’ll run four workshops designed to get you back in touch with your writing and help you with issues you’re having with your project. There will be peaceful time for you to just … write. There will be constant tea and coffee. And buffet lunches. And cake – there must always be cake.

It’ll be fun. The group will be small (maximum 8 people), friendly, supportive. You’ll be in Oxford, one of the most gorgeous cities in the world.

To find out more about what’s involved, visit my website.

Here’s what people had to say about my two previous writers’ retreat weekends, in St Ives in Cornwall:

 

‘It took me out of my day-to-day environment with all its everyday complications and gave me a space in which to write.’ C.J.

‘I can’t recommend this event highly enough! If ever you have the opportunity to attend one of Lorna’s workshops, grab it with both hands!’ C.W.

Can’t make this one? Sign up on the website to my mailing list, to be kept informed.

And if you’re doing NaNo, enjoy the ride!

Summer schools, festivals and retreats, Fictionfire by the Spires and new workshops

Fictionfire by the Sea retreat
Saturday dinner at the Porthgwidden Cafe

It's been a while since I posted on Literascribe, mea culpa. So much has happened in the meantime, some of it good, some of it really not! I had joyous times teaching creative writing, first of all at my Fictionfire by the Sea retreat in St Ives in Cornwall, back in April. The best group of writers attended - we shared stories, advice, laughs, gasps at the beauty of the location. I stayed on for a few days after the weekend was over, to get back in touch with my own writing. That was pretty much the last time I felt relaxed! Read on, and you'll find out why.

Giving my talk on self-editing
(thanks to Debbie Young for the photo)

In June I taught for my fifteenth year at the University of Winchester's Writers' Festival - I gave a talk on editing and a day course on character building. It's always lovely to go there and meet again friends and fellow writers again - there's a real reunion feeling about it, but also the chance to make new friends. The plenary speech this year was given by Sebastian Faulkes - a very polished performance.

In the garden of Exeter College -
reception before final dinner

In July and August I taught on two summer school programmes for Oxford University. The first of these is OUSSA, held at Rewley House. I've been teaching on that programme since 2002 and always enjoy it, though it is very intense! Then, over the course of three weeks, I taught advanced fiction writing at the OUDCE creative writing summer school, for the third year. This is held at Exeter College, which is such a beautiful location. I got held up one day because they were filming the new series of Endeavour in the front quad - with the wonderful Roger Allam and Shaun Evans. When I've run Fictionfire day courses at Trinity College, we've coincided with the filming of Lewis - Oxford is always full of film crews!

with fellow tutor Julie Hearn

So, hard work, great company, good fun, fantastic stories being written!

Now for the bad news ...

It was also a summer of delays, distraction, exhaustion and frustration - and I'm still not quite out of the woods yet. I'm not going to go into detail because I can't bear to dwell on it anymore, but since June we've been embroiled in renovation of two rooms in our house after a long-term water leak caused significant damage. The leak had been there for months, perhaps years, so entailed drilling up floors, letting walls and floors dry out, stripping the rooms back, replastering, refitting, decorating etc, etc, etc. Next week, we hope to sign off on the whole process - but believe me my stress levels have been through the roof.

Also raising my blood pressure was my Fictionfire website, which was to be 'migrated' to new software in August. A process which should have taken three weeks took seven and is still ongoing. The site is at least live now and I can take bookings, but for several weeks I could update neither it nor my online shop. I have just discovered I don't have a mailing list sign-up box anymore - argh! So, it's a work in progress ...

Looking ahead, in spite of the website woes, you can now visit the site and book places on the new series of Focus Workshops and Fictionfire by the Spires: Reboot and Troubleshoot, a writers' workshop/retreat weekend here in Oxford from 7-8 November.

The first Focus Workshop will be Breathtaking Thrills on October 24th - if you want to learn how to create tension, excitement and suspense in your fiction, this is the one for you. It's followed by Layers of Meaning on November 21st, Share and Support on November 28th and Does Happiness Write White? on December 5th.

Take a look at the website for full details. There are currently only 5 places left for Fictionfire by the Spires: Reboot and Troubleshoot, so don't wait too long!