I spent the whole of last week on a writing course at Moniack Mhor, near Inverness. It was aimed at science-fiction and fantasy writers, with workshops in the mornings, led by the two tutors, Juliet McKenna and Pippa Goldschmidt, and the afternoons left free for individual writing time. I always find these kind of events […]
Author: Annie
The House
In its heyday, the house stood in substantial grounds, and its nearest neighbour was at least half a mile away. The family that owned the house could trace their history back generations and were extremely proud of their heritage. The house hosted many a lavish party and saw hundreds of guests enter through its magnificent […]
Measuring Success
This blog post marks a major achievement in my writing. At the beginning of the year, I joined the Get Your Words Out online community of writers. In order to sign up, you have to pledge to write a certain number of words over the course of the year. They also have to be certain […]
Distracted by the Shinies
I’m supposed to be finishing a final polish of the novel, ready to send it to Cornerstones for a professional edit report. My deadline for doing that, set by my wonderful husband who is paying for report as my birthday present, was 2 November. But it’s now nearly three weeks later and I’m only halfway […]
Helping the Crew
I was recently introduced to an interesting way of thinking about the conscious and subconscious parts of the mind, which I’ve found very helpful in working on my writing. Think of the mind as a ship, with the captain steering and looking out to the horizon, and the crew working away below decks, out of […]
Safeguarding the Future
My story, Safeguarding the Future, is part of the Oct-Dec 2016 issue of The Lorelei Signal. The wonderful piece of art produced for it is by Marge Simon. You can read it here – and, if you like it, you can show your appreciation by donating to the magazine using the Donate button at the […]
Major Milestone
I am learning the inevitable lesson that life as a writer, and interaction with the publishing industry in particular, is unpredictable and sometimes frustrating. There were a couple of months over the summer where everything suddenly felt as if it was coming together. Four of my short stories were accepted for publication, I was offered […]
The Owl
An eagle eye Surveys my heart Noting the changes since it awoke Whispering wings Convey my love Feather soft and strong as oak
The Waiting Room
The room was bright, perhaps a little too bright. The space was difficult to define, stretching as it did perhaps only a few dozen feet or perhaps to infinity. The undefined whiteness made it impossible to tell. The five of us sat in a group of comfy armchairs, somewhere in amongst the brightness. Clay very […]
Under The Microscope
In this month’s Writing Magazine, author James McCreet analysed the first 300 words of my novel, doing a line-by-line commentary and providing a summary overview of his thoughts, as well as a suggested re-write. When I first heard that this was going to happen (so many months after submitting that I’d forgotten all about it), […]