Vanessa Rigg

Bit late to this but yes, I’ve done (am doing!) a version of this. It works best when I’m trying to finish something. I’ve got a chart with a chain of squares and the idea is to make the chain as long as possible without breaking it. There’s no daily word count to reach. As long as I write a sentence, I can colour in a square. It’s worked…[Read more]

Lovely to meet you, Anna. I hope you had a great festival! 😊😊
Thank you, Kaz!

😊😊😊

Thanks for posting this, Skylark. I, too, was very sorry to miss your speech, but glad to hear about it and glad it all went well. You continue to be an inspiration to others of us who are taking a LONG time!

One I picked up from Brian Keaney at York for intense, magical or transformational scenes (to be used sparingly). Write it as prose, rewrite it as poetry (however crappy) then rewrite it again as prose. The idea is to knock away your own familiar turns of phrase and find a different language. I’ve already tried it in the last couple of days, and…[Read more]

I can see replies here @KazG but can’t see where they are in the thread or how to continue the conversation. Pfft. I’m currently trying to get to grips with the new platform for the course before it starts tomorrow so I’m probably being dense. Just want to say I’m eagerly awaiting a link to say you have a deal (!!!) so I can add you to our Hall of Fame.

Thank you, lovely people! Are you all trying to make me cry?!
@athelstone wish you’d been there too but we’ll certainly catch up another time and you’re not half bad at the encouragement yourself
@janette I laughed about the train once I was safely home! And thank you for not setting me off from the front row!
@johnt3 same fears as me but it was…[Read more]

I’ve been to every FoW and there have been many golden moments but none compare to sitting on That Stage with That Author. Glad we didn’t need tissues after all. You were perfect.

A great York festival (when I feared it might not be with all the changes at Jericho Towers) finished off with the best possible treat of seeing you assume your rightful place as keynote speaker, Mandy. The nerves didn’t show (much) xxx

Great blog, Skylark. Indeed, it was a great York too, and I’m glad I fought my reluctance to book because it was such a memorable weekend. You came across clearly, confident and inspirational despite any nerves, which didn’t come across nearly as much as you imagined. It warmed my heart to see you realise your dream and I’m so glad you didn’t howl…[Read more]