I’m always unsettled by a new year. It’s something to do with the overt marking of time passing, a reminder that life isn’t infinite. In several fundamental ways, 2017 has been a challenge, but then again, dig deep and there’s always so much good in the minutiae. What better way forward than to reflect on that and use it as a springboard to 2018?

Much of my writing life isn’t actually writing, and sometimes it’s not all editing or teaching either. November has been one such month, when moving between WriteRight and Lothian Life has allowed for some slightly more out of the ordinary projects.

There are very few things that would get me talking about Christmas in October, but Wendy Clarke’s new book of short stories is one of them. Silent Night, (published on 10^th October) is her third collection, and it’s a full-on festive feast.

I’ve been doing a bit of dabbling recently, in my modern version of the seven (or is it nine?) circles of hell - you know: technology, market research, promotion… Well, what didn’t kill me probably has made me stronger and I’ve emerged not only unscathed but with improved pitches, social media, website (and even a bit more confidence in it all) – and a bundle of new services under the WriteRight umbrella. I’ve already written about my take on Writing Courses, and as many people know, I’ve spent the last seven or eight years tutoring creative writing online and face to face - and being a student in others. So with the lovely and very supportive Marianne Wheelaghan taking a break from providing the Edinburgh Online School, I’ve developed my own little cluster of writing programmes. These aren’t group classes – I’m not sure my tech skills will run (yet) to...

Whilst this blog has been concentrating on the writing world,  my heart is never far from Bangladesh, and especially, from Bhola's Children. It's eighteen months now since I was there, but another of our Trustees, Freda Graf, has just returned. I thought I'd share her thoughts here...