I went on my first writers' retreat this weekend, courtesy of a friend living in Buckinghamshire. She was kind enough to share her house with three friends. We all settled down with our laptops, buckets of tea and a fearsome timetable. I really enjoyed having someone giving me strict writing slots between breaks and it was a great way of focusing the mind, sharing experiences and being torn away from the Internet. I achieved a lot and, most importantly, felt the support and kindness of others as we all experimented, smoothed, polished, adventured, probed - wrote! I thoroughly recommend a strict schedule and kind friends as a way of writing. Oh, but if you really want a successful writers' retreat you need chocolate. And Haribo.
March 2009 Archives
I was delighted recently to hear that a writer friend, Jonathan Mayhew, has just agreed a three-book deal with Bloomsbury via his agent, Sarah Davies of the Greenhouse Literary Agency. Jonathan's book, Mortlock, is a great gothic adventure that includes jungle mysteries, flesh-eating crows, ancient country houses, a terrifying circus and a rather wonderful Emporium of Archaic Antiquities. What more could a young reader ask for? It's always gratifying to hear that an author's (and an agent's!) hard work has finally paid off with a publishing deal. Jonathan is so brimful of energy that I know he'll make the very most of this exciting new path in life. Go, Mortlock!
Inspiration can come from the most unexpected places. When my friend told me, over a curry, about the conference she had attended - on NHS planning for likely flu epidemics, my imagination sparked. When she also mentioned the media liaison speaker who had handled news management after the 7 July bombings, I could see a story beginning to form. Could I create a media-savvy young adult? What would happen in the case of a flu epidemic when our country can't even cope with 48 hours of snow? And how might a group of teenagers save us all in an age of 24 hour rolling news? It doesn't take much for a story to start. Of course, finishing it is another matter entirely. But I was very glad of that curry and conversation. It just goes to show ...
