Brian "Watch our Brian," our ma shouted from the kitchen, elbow deep in peelings. "No bother" I called, plumping down my bag and coat. But when I made a mug of tea, he'd slipped away for a wee dander on the street. I let him have his play, Not wanting to bother our ma. "Your… Continue reading NaPoWriMo Day 3 -Brian
Tag: Northern Ireland
NaPoWriMo Day 2 -Rosemary
Rosemary It's the thirteenth today; touch wood. So long I've waited, and it has to be this day? Still, I'm doing what I longed for this last three years. But here's me, crouched in a toilet, fiddling with wires, and I'm to be a teacher! But the cause is right, and casualties regrettable. Touch wood.… Continue reading NaPoWriMo Day 2 -Rosemary
NaPoWriMo Day 1 – Linda
Linda Her da would sing to her; two years gone now, but loyalty, that widow maker, lingers. His name, etched in stone and statistics troubles her. So she gives it a shot, puts on the serge green, walks the beat; patrols her home town, still a teen. Green, she sticks her neck out, and the song… Continue reading NaPoWriMo Day 1 – Linda
NaPoWriMo 2019 – 30 Poems in 30 Days
I've previously written about my failed experiment with NaNoWriMo and why writing a 50,000 word novel to order in 30 days wasn't for me. And yet, in a moment of madness and inspiration (I've just discovered Northern Irish poet John Hewitt), I've made a commitment to write a poem a day for the 30 days of April… Continue reading NaPoWriMo 2019 – 30 Poems in 30 Days
Poem of the Month -Neither an Elegy Nor a Manifesto, by John Hewitt
I've just discovered the poetry of Belfast-born writer John Hewitt, which is a shocking oversight for someone writing a novel based in Belfast during the Troubles. But then his name is somewhat overshadowed by those other dazzling Northern Irish luminaries: Seamus Heaney, Louis MacNeice, CS Lewis and Frank Ormsby. I read the poem below and… Continue reading Poem of the Month -Neither an Elegy Nor a Manifesto, by John Hewitt
Begin at The Beginning -Does My Novel Need a Prologue?
I've been thinking about beginnings a lot, since, well, the beginning of this new year. I'm currently reviewing my manuscript for And The Buntings Flew, having put it away for a few months; that distance allowed me to clean up what I've written to date, and forge on with the story. I've now got 35,000… Continue reading Begin at The Beginning -Does My Novel Need a Prologue?
Happy Nollaig na mBan, 12th Night, Epiphany 2019!
We took down the last of our Christmas decorations today, as we always do on the 6th January, or the Epiphany; it's a tradition carried on from my own mother, who insisted almost fearfully that every last scrap of tinsel and turkey must begone by this date, or a calamitous year of bad luck would lie… Continue reading Happy Nollaig na mBan, 12th Night, Epiphany 2019!
For Cod, and Ulster – Northern Ireland’s Enduring Love of Chip Shops
This is a post I wrote on my family history blog in July that I meant to crosspost sooner; it's a short musing on food and language in Northern Ireland, both important themes in much of my writing! via For Cod, and Ulster - Northern Ireland's Enduring Love of Chip Shops
June ’18 Update – More Flash Fiction, and Seeking Inspiration for My Writing
Make voyages. Attempt them. There's nothing else. - Tennessee Williams Sometimes, rather than peace coming to me "dropping slow", it's inspiration. The inspiration to realise my writing dreams waxes and wanes, given the daily grind of job, commute, and paying the bills. Waiting for inspiration doesn't get things done, and it can be interminably slow… Continue reading June ’18 Update – More Flash Fiction, and Seeking Inspiration for My Writing
The Hand of Kane (revisited)
I re-read my 2017 posts last night and really enjoyed this short mystery story that I wrote for Goodread's #MysteryWeek in May; the idea is to write a short mystery story in no more than five sentences. Okay, so I pushed the five-sentence rule to the absolute limits of credulity-twelve hundred words! - so I've edited… Continue reading The Hand of Kane (revisited)
