Writing Challenge Day 18: Characters' pet peeves

Alison, peeved

Ha! We all have pet peeves and I’m pretty sure we pass these on in our writing however carefully we try to view the world from each individual character’s point of view. Our own values, thoughts and emotional responses will seep through, so I must admit that mine probably do, although […]

Writing challenge Day 15: The many-hatted writer

Today’s challenge is : ‘We all wear many hats. what are some of yours?’

I’ve worn many hats in my life: daughter, wife, mother; student, civil servant, soldier, translator, company owner, local councillor, editor; friend, colleague, trainer, mentor, traveller, walker, non-resident, explorer; photographer, embroiderer, gardener. Currently I write, give workshops, write a column and speak […]

Writing Challenge Day 14: Show your workplace

I hope you didn’t expect a tidy and sleek office?

My office is a place full of paper, books, notes, pens, files, cup of coffee, lights, noticeboard, etc. Our super-tough birchwood work stations came over to France with us ten years ago, plus the IKEA office cupboards which […]

Writing Challenge Day 13: A funny family story. Or not.

Fellow scribe Anna Belfrage and I outside the Nobel Prize Institute waiting to be called in to collect our joint literature prize. Such is my sense of humour.

Todays challenge is called ‘Tell us a funny family story’.

Hm… My whole life has been both strange and ordinary as were those of my […]

Writing Challenge Day 12: Early bird or night owl?

Photo: George A Shealy Jr

This is a weird question, not just for implications for me as a writer, but because I’ve sometimes been both. I decided to investigate further.

A night owl is a person who tends to stay up until late at night, or into the early hours of the morning, […]