Welcome to my writers blog.

Writing to entertain and encourage other writers. To keep you informed of events, workshops, retreats and conferences available for writers.

The Love of Dance

Friday 29 June 2012

Topic Task - Week Thirty-Five

After a lot of hassle and more issues than I should have had to deal with I have my car back. She was smashed and bashed and now she is fresh and sparkly. It is good to have her back. I did like the courtesy car, but my old girl fits me perfectly. Driving her is like being cradled by love. Daft it maybe, but she is special to me.
The rest of the week has been interesting. Not good, not bad, just ordinary. Not black and white, but a shade of grey.
I've been very lax in my writing this week, so need to kick my own backside and get working. I've so much to do and where to start is always the hardest part. Once I'm off and running there is very little that can stop me, but the starting is tricky.

So what have I got in mind for you this week. What would be a suitable task to stimulate the brain and get your creative juices flowing.

This week you are taking a journey. You can go anywhere you want, however, you have to describe the weather and how it is effecting your characters. Does it help or hinder? Will it make the journey better or horrendous. Remember rain isn't always bad. Sun can be a killer. What you need to do is decide whether your characters are on a journey of:
1. Discovery.
2. Work based.
3. Enjoyment.
4. Destruction.
Make it light hearted, dark and menacing, romantic or depressing. Whatever you choose to do, make the reader believe your characters are living through this experience and show us how this effects their relationship. Does it bring them closer?  Will it rip them apart? Does only one come back? Are they lost forever?
All you need to do is create the characters,or  use one's you've worked with before, pop them into your idea and see where they take you. It might surprise you what happens.
So go on, get writing.

Saturday 23 June 2012

Topic Task - Week Thirty-Four

Sorry for the delay. I've been picking my son up from Portsmouth. He is now home for the summer. It is great to have him home, however the house seems to have shrunk!

I've been asked to do a few book reviews and will be posting my thoughts here and also on If Shakespeare. The first will be posted by the beginning of July followed by another a month later. I'm hoping book reviews will become a permanent feature of my blog.

This weeks topic task deals with disappointment. I want you to imagine a situation where your character is expectant of something wonderful happening and it doesn't. How do they deal with the disappointment? Can they turn the disappointment around, or will they wallow in despair?
You need to show what effect this has on the characters. Remember to use their actions, dialogue and inner thoughts to show the reader what your characters are going through.
Try doing this within 1000 words. Make it as difficult as you like, but above all, make it believable.

So go on, get writing.

Friday 15 June 2012

Topic Task - Week Thirty-Three

It has been an interesting week and for the most part it has been fun. I've written up extra parts of a plot and emailed a brief synopsis off and await comment.
Unfortunately I won't be able to attend the Winchester Writers Conference this year. This will be the first time in about eleven years. I will miss you all and my June injection of inspiration which always get my writing buzzing. On the up side I am able to get to the York Festival of Writing which is in September. Once again I will be running the One-to-Ones and making sure everyone adheres to the schedule. So if you are going, I'll see you there.

This weeks topic task is linked to the forth coming 'Race for Life' that is taking place over the country. There will be one near you. I'm taking part this coming Sunday and despite the forecast for rain, I'm really looking forward to dressing up, red tinsel wig and all and power walking around the park. Soggy wet or hot and steamy, it will be fun.

I want you to write a piece of creative work that shows the excitement, exhaustion and euphoria for completing a race, walk or jog for charity. Don't for get that some will be sweet and stunning at the begining and at the end. Others will turn to sweaty, steaming heaps. However your charity supporters end up let us feel what they feel, see what they see, understand the pain, joy or annoyance they experience. Create some quirky, posh, common as muck and remember these events draws fundraiser's from all walks of life, show this in your writing.

So what are you waiting for? Get writing.

And if you fancy sponsoring me to do the walk click on this link http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/susankfranklin

Thank you.

Friday 8 June 2012

Topic Task - Week Thirty-Two

How can a three day week make you so tired? I guess it was because of all the extra things we all squeezed into the long weekend. I'm now in training for 'The Race for Life' and I'm really looking forward to all that walking in the rain! If we are lucky we might just get to see a tiny glimpse of an unusual, almost magical orange globe in the sky. Apparently, it does sometimes appear, however I'm not sure that isn't just one of those old wives tales.

I attended the launch of 'Death Bed' by Leigh Russell yesterday. Many people attended and Leigh read a section to get our taste buds tingling. I opened the pages last night and I'm already gripped. If you've yet to read any of her work, I strongly suggest you take a moment to buy a book and settle down for a good read. Her books: Road Closed, Cut Short, Dead End and the new Death Bed. These are available in the wonderful tactile books with real pages and also as E-books.

This week we are going back to my topic tin to find three prompts.

1. Waking up in the wrong place beside the wrong person.
2. Hop-scotch seemed such an innocent game until you showed me a new way of playing.
3. The alley was dark causing the mass on the ground to almost vanish into the shadows.

Choose one or all of these prompts to inspire your writing this week. You decide what format your writing will take, but most of all remember to use all the senses.

Have a great week. Go on, get writing.


Friday 1 June 2012

Topic Task - Week Thirty One


It was yet another busy week at work. The writing was slow, but it was a great thinking week. I'm really please with my plotting and hope to get some good writing done over the extended weekend. However my attempt at a competition entry ended in failure. I’ve yet to give up on this story as I believe the idea is sound, it just needs a delicate touch, which I hope to find soon.  
There will be partying, socialising and the odd bevy this weekend. We are all hoping for sun, but as we all know the rain is never far away. I'm sure all of you, like me, will be spending most of the Jubilee weekend celebrating and having fun with family and friends. However, if you find some time during the festivities to write, write about what you've experienced during this special time of celebration.
Write it as a story if you like or just as an exercise in bringing all the senses together to create an atmospheric piece of work. Whatever you choose to do, let your enjoyment, disappointment or frustrations of the days come through. 
So have a wonderful time and write as much or as little as you like, but immerse yourself in it and have fun.