With the changing of the clocks and November all-but upon us, it's often a time when writers make a 'new season' resolution to draw the curtains, light a candle and huddle over the laptop; get writing in a way that wasn't so welcoming during the long and warm summer evenings.
If that sounds like you, then here are a few more incentives, success stories from various people and groups with which I'm involved:
Writer, Jazz Shaban, is publishing her dual biography Road to Damascus, in November. It tells the parallel stories of the lives of sisters Jigi and Suzan, raised separately, one in the UK and the other in Syria, and how they eventually get back together again. The story is often challenging but Jazz's insights and humour bring the book alive and it reads like a gripping novel. All the more poignant because the Syria that Suzan still lives in is changed beyond all recognition.
Another author, Marie Campbell, has just found a very enthusiastic agent for her first novel, currently titled, Missing. James Essinger of the Canterbury Literary Agency, is the one who has recognised what a clever and entertaining thriller this is... Father-to-be, Michael, goes missing and Jill, his partner, is the only one convinced it's far more than a case of cold feet. Michael certainly has a past, but where does the shadowy Anna fit into it? Also told from dual points of view, this will keep you guessing to the suitably chilling end. No doubt a publisher is just round the corner.
Kendra Olson and Stuart White have embarked on the academic route. Both with novels under their belts, they were both accepted on to the very competitive MLitt in Creative writing at Glasgow University. Much luck to the them!
Over to Edinburgh-based writing groups: I've already written about the successful collaborative play that Ox-pen, based at Pentland Community Centre, wrote, entitled Spooks, Secrets and Suspects. Well, if you are local and you missed the reading, the film version is being shown in Oxgangs Library on Thursday 20th November at 2pm - all are invited. At the other end of town, Gilmerton Writers' are currently preparing their first anthology of work... more on that in later posts.
If you're still not quite ready to hunker down and write, consider hopping out to the Lyceum's current production, Bondagers. Great play by Sue Glover that has come home to Edinburgh and is quite compelling... Click on www.lothian-life.co.uk for a truly wonderful (you'll see why) review!!
Finally, a totally unconnected, very important, plug for Christmas cards in aid of Bhola's Children. Currently available via www.bholaschildren.org they are also available without a greeting so you can use them any time of year! I'll paste a full link here as soon as PayPal etc is set up for purchase.
Anne x
If that sounds like you, then here are a few more incentives, success stories from various people and groups with which I'm involved:
Writer, Jazz Shaban, is publishing her dual biography Road to Damascus, in November. It tells the parallel stories of the lives of sisters Jigi and Suzan, raised separately, one in the UK and the other in Syria, and how they eventually get back together again. The story is often challenging but Jazz's insights and humour bring the book alive and it reads like a gripping novel. All the more poignant because the Syria that Suzan still lives in is changed beyond all recognition.
Another author, Marie Campbell, has just found a very enthusiastic agent for her first novel, currently titled, Missing. James Essinger of the Canterbury Literary Agency, is the one who has recognised what a clever and entertaining thriller this is... Father-to-be, Michael, goes missing and Jill, his partner, is the only one convinced it's far more than a case of cold feet. Michael certainly has a past, but where does the shadowy Anna fit into it? Also told from dual points of view, this will keep you guessing to the suitably chilling end. No doubt a publisher is just round the corner.
Kendra Olson and Stuart White have embarked on the academic route. Both with novels under their belts, they were both accepted on to the very competitive MLitt in Creative writing at Glasgow University. Much luck to the them!
Over to Edinburgh-based writing groups: I've already written about the successful collaborative play that Ox-pen, based at Pentland Community Centre, wrote, entitled Spooks, Secrets and Suspects. Well, if you are local and you missed the reading, the film version is being shown in Oxgangs Library on Thursday 20th November at 2pm - all are invited. At the other end of town, Gilmerton Writers' are currently preparing their first anthology of work... more on that in later posts.
If you're still not quite ready to hunker down and write, consider hopping out to the Lyceum's current production, Bondagers. Great play by Sue Glover that has come home to Edinburgh and is quite compelling... Click on www.lothian-life.co.uk for a truly wonderful (you'll see why) review!!
Finally, a totally unconnected, very important, plug for Christmas cards in aid of Bhola's Children. Currently available via www.bholaschildren.org they are also available without a greeting so you can use them any time of year! I'll paste a full link here as soon as PayPal etc is set up for purchase.
Anne x
