You feel called to write that book, screenplay, Substack, etc. but somehow. . . It doesn’t have to be that way! Is this you? (For decades, it was me . . .) Write in 2025 is a year-long program to guide and support you as fulfill your mission as a writer. You will: Personalised 1-1 […]
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AAG(ggghhhhh)!
Why Writers Need Audaciously Attainable Goals Writers dream big but how often do we set clear goals and plan for them? In early January, I put this question to participants gathered for my webinar on “Planning Your Writing Year.” Most replied that they operated on intuition, rather than a ten-point plan. Or any plan. There […]
Envisioning a Writing Life: Notes from a Writers’ Workshop
When early stage writers join me for a workshop, I want them to leave with the renewed clarity and self belief they need to Keep. On. Writing. Especially when the writers are mums who performed heroic feats of scheduling Tetris and resolved multiple early morning domestic emergencies, ninja style, just to show up . . […]
Why Sign Up for a Writing Workshop . . . Especially if You’re Not a Writer?!
On September 18, I will offer a workshop on Can I Be a Writer Mother at the idyllic Starcroft Farm Cabin in Battle, East Sussex. No experience necessary — this one is for any mum, at any age and stage, who is ready to bring writing into her life this fall. Why sign up for […]
Ollie Alpaca Goes to School: An Animal Story Workshop
“Hmmm,” sang the students in unison, as Nicki reached the final page of her debut picure book, “Take a Look in the Nook.” The alpacas in her story were humming the farm to sleep but the students were wide awake. Nicki Fisher and I were leading a workshop with Year 1s and 2s at Vinehall […]
Words at Play: Writing Poems for My Family
Poetry is contagious. I caught the bug from my children. When they were little, they inhabited a technicolour sonic-world of rhythm and rhyme. Verse was their native tongue. “Yummy, Scrummy, in my tummy!” my son exclaimed one day, before tucking into a plate of beans. The words buzzed around inside me, and a few hours […]
Milestones & Magic: A Workshop
Can writing about your children strengthen your bond – even (especially?) when they aren’t there — and long after they are no longer children? Theresa Puckett, founder of Relational Parents, invited me to explore this question in a virtual workshop on Milestones and Magic Moments, delivered by Zoom, on Tuesday, September 21, 2021. From the […]
Three Pounds Fifty in Change: A Storytelling Workshop about Empathy
In my children’s story, Three Pounds Fifty in Change, Julian, an artist down on his luck, sketches a five pound note on a napkin — the note he wishes he owned. Nancy, the cafe owner, generously decides to accept his drawing as the genuine article, in payment for his cup of coffee. The magic happens […]
It Takes a Village to Make a Story . . . And Vice Versa
Writing is a solitary activity, and like most writers, I have a strong reclusive instinct. But I also thrill at the unexpected directions a project can take when others contribute their ideas, talent and life experience. So when a local junior school teacher invited me to deliver a workshop on fractured fairy tales, I asked […]
Two Scoops of Ice Cream and a Side Order of Empathy
How I Celebrated Empathy Day Can an outrageous act of everyday kindness change someone’s life? I put this question to the Year 2 class at Vinehall School, Robertsbridge, E. Sussex, to kick off our Empathy Day workshop. Empathy Day is a bold experiment spearheaded by Empathy Lab, a grassroots UK educational organisation dedicated to using literature to foster […]