Postcard from the park

Apologies for the break in service.  Several things have been going on, including completing the first draft of Park Life.  Edits are in progress and more postcards will follow.

This photo was taken during a reading, writing and painting workshop based in Cannon Hill Park during July.  The inspiration came from Thomas Hardy's The Woodlanders, as well as the park's own trees.  Some tree related imagery has worked its way into Park Life.  The setting remains in Birmingham rather than Wessex though, and the characters are somewhat less romantic than Hardy's.  As for my paintings, well those are probably best turned into mulch with the now falling leaves.

Postcard from a writer's room

I’ve been hiding out for five days at a wonderful writer’s retreat in Devon. My second novel (working title ‘Park Life’) grew faster than I'd hoped it could, while my every need was looked after by Deborah and her family. They made Sue (the other writer staying for the week) and I so welcome and comfortable we couldn’t fail to be inspired to get on with our writing.

The house is wonderful - each writer has a comfortable room equipped with desk and kettle (what more does a writer need?) and in the evenings a log fire tempted me to scribble in the sitting room in front of the flames. Meals are delicious, there are riverside walks on hand for vital ’fresh air’ breaks, and the family are great company when sitting at the PC screen feels a bit too isolated.

Deborah’s a professional writer who was happy to help me with writing queries and I hope Sue got as much out of our chats about writing as I did. It was great to immerse myself in the book for an extended period and to discuss characters, plots and techniques with people who were interested.

Definitely recommended to any writers who want to invest some time in their writing and Deborah can offer writing exercises and feedback for anyone who doesn’t just want to get their head down and crank it out as I did! Check it out at: http://www.deborahdooleyjournalist.co.uk/retreat.html

As well as writing a lot more of Park Life, I've noted some revisions I want to make to Map Reading and written two thirds of a short story - it was an intense few days!

If any authonomy members see this and want to know more - message me online, I'm KR.