Writing Round Up

During the week I managed to get along to a writing workshop in Antrim library led by local crime writer James Murphy. It was good to hear him talk about his writing journey and to pick up some helpful tips.

Later in the week I hosted our SCBWI Ireland meeting when children's writers and artists from across Ireland got together for some creative time and space. We all took some time to either work on something we'd already started or to create something new from prompts. It was good to catch up on news and then see what had been created during our time together. 

Yesterday I managed to get down to the Secret Bookshelf for a browse and of course didn't come away empty handed! Last weekend at their Book Festival, a few titles were tempting me from the bookshelves so I went back to rescue them. This afternoon I've been enjoying the good weather catching up on some reading in the garden.

As we approach the mid year point I've been reviewing my trusty submissions spreadsheet. I'm stuck in the query trenches with a MG novel, and some days it doesn't feel like I'm making any progress. But aside from that piece of work, I've had nine poetry acceptances so far this year, with poems due to be published in a number of anthologies soon. Some of these poems for children have been published online in The Dirigible Balloon https://dirigibleballoon.org/writer/mornasullivan

It's a wonderful poetry resource for children and it's great to see some poems by my writing pal, Fionnuala now published here too. This encouragement is what keeps me going while I'm stuck in the query trenches. I suspect I may be there a while.....

Midsummer Mingling

It's not just the iced lattes I've been consuming in the recent hot weather that has me buzzing.

It's been a very warm midsummer weekend, filled with exciting meet ups with writers, book festival activities and reading.

Yesterday at our SCBWI meet-up in Belfast we welcomed some new faces round the table. We celebrated with Carnegie shortlisted writer Kelly McCaughrain and welcomed NY Times best selling children's writer Ann Paul who joined us during her vacation.

Being with and talking to other writers always re-energises me to keep persevering with projects. It was good to hear what others are working on, chat together and make supportive connections.

Later I caught up on some reading in the garden including making plans for using this year's bumper blackcurrant crop.

This afternoon I was down at my favourite bookshop, The Secret Bookshelf's, 'Not So Secret Book Festival'. 

The Courtyard had been decorated by yarn bombers! As well as going to a panel discussion with David Hume, Katherine Mezzacappa and Malachi O'Doherty on researching and writing history, I went along to hear an old pal talking about her new book.

It was great to hear Wendy talking about her debut novel and listen to her reading excerpts from it. I'll not say how long ago it was I first heard Wendy reading one of her stories, but I know she's always been a gifted writer and entertaining storyteller.

And it was great to mingle with other writers  - including writing pal Jenny Ireland who took this pic. Well done to Jo and Chris for running this book festival. I'm sorry I couldn't get to more of the events, but already I'm looking forward to the next one.

Books and Nooks

I'm just back from a lovely few days away in Scotland. New favourite coffee haunts were discovered, while catching up with family and friends. I was quite taken with 'The Nook' in Abernethy along with the village's 'Book Nook' further down the street.

In nearby Perth I visited the museum's Macbeth exhibition. On until the end of August, the well-curated exhibits, including costumes from film productions, brought back memories of studying the Scottish play at school.

A day trip to Edinburgh included visits to the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery (both with excellent cafés and gift shops). It was good to see so many Scottish writers - past and present -  honoured in exhibits at both venues.

And I even managed to fit in some time to write when I was away. My garden at home isn't big enough to accommodate a writing shed, so I made good use of the summer house in the orchard of the house where my mother was born.

I couldn't imagine a more perfect hideaway for catching up on reading and writing.

Buzzing about Books

It's been great to get to some events at the Belfast Book Festival this year. Aside from attending workshops or hearing authors talk about their work, it's been lovely to sit in the cafe at The Crescent Arts Centre sipping coffee and mingling with other writers at various stages of their careers  - some recognisable and revered, others just starting their creative journey. 

The events have been a welcome break from wading through the query trenches with agents and publishers. 

Today's event was an inspiring short story revision and editing workshop with Thomas Morris. It's given me food for thought for some of my stories.

At the weekend, it was great to hear local children's writer and illustrator Oliver Jeffers talk about his books, his inspiration and draw along with the audience. He kept everyone entertained from the youngest to the oldest with his humour.

It's been good to learn, to be entertained and to celebrate the writing community. I've met new people in the writing community, connected in person with writers I've become acacquainted with at online events and reconnected with writers I haven't seen for a while. As always, I've left these events inspired and buzzing about books.

Write by the Sea

How lucky was I to get away for a couple of days this week to write! And the sun shone too! 

Better even still, I managed to make good progress on a writing project during the week when I was away. Walks on the beach helped blow away cobwebs and gave me thinking time to mull over some plot lines and characters.

It's good taking time out to get headspace. While there's still much work to do on the project, I managed to make substantial progress.

I've no doubt my surroundings helped. It was a lovely, relaxing and productive few days. 

Now to keep the momentum going....

Recipe for a perfect Saturday

Recipe for a perfect Saturday:

1. Start the day with some home baking. Add in meeting up with friends who'll appreciate them - ✔ 

Chocanana muffins baked and enjoyed with friends over coffee & creative chat.

2. Make the most of seaside sunshine - ✔ 

Coney was at it's best, beach activity taking place under brilliant blue skies while we did some writing exercises. 

3. Take time to relax outdoors -  ✔ 

Time spent in the garden catching up on reading while enjoying the sights, scents and sounds of spring.

4. Repeat as soon as possible!

I'll be in the garden...

I've learned I seem to be a seasonal writer, with more productive outputs over the longer, darker winter months. Once the sun begins to shine, I'm distracted by the garden. Over the long weekend the weather has been glorious and I've been tempted outside quite a lot. There has been some work done in the garden - by work, I mean gardening  - strimming, weeding, mowing, planning and planting.

But I've also had the luxury of some time to rest and enjoy catching up on reading in the garden accompanied by bees buzzing and boastful birdsong.

Despite receiving a few rejections in recent weeks and some writing related plans not going quite as planned, I've been working on some new projects. Most of them will need strimming, weeding, mowing, planning and planting.

And inspired by gardeners with 'Writing Gardens' (especially Monty Don), I’ve recently introduced some writing inspiration to my garden. While you could fit my garden into Longmeadow several times over, I'm hoping that under the bard's watchful eye writer's block will become a thing of the past and that I'll be inspired to write outdoors more over the summer months.

I don't do football....

Football is not my thing, never has been and never will be, but that didn't stop me enjoying a football themed book launch last night. Along with some writing friends we gathered at the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast to help Jenny Ireland launch her third YA novel 'Matched Up' out into the world. 

With some of the audience sporting football shirts, football partyware, delicious sweet treats and goodie bags we were spoiled!

It was a lovely relaxed event with the coolest of music and included Jenny reading from her new novel. I was delighted to get my copy of the book signed and touched to see our gang of writing pals included in the acknowledgements. 

Writing can be a slow and solitary process so it's great to build connections and support networks to keep encouraging and motivating each other when things don't go to plan. And it's such a joy to be able to celebrate our writing pals' successes at events like this. 

It was a lovely end to a good writing day, which had started out with squeezing in some time to write out in the garden in the morning.

The beach is calling

It felt like a summer's day down at Coney yesterday, with the sun shining, brilliant blue skies and litter pickers tidying the beach. 

And it reminded me of many happy summer days we've had there. It’s been a while since we've all been together, with a lot happening so we had much to catch up on and talk about. 

With the sun warming our backs we spent a lovely morning talking over coffee and chocolate and banana muffins, shared some of our work and some of our plans, (some of which are very exciting!) and we also did a writing exercise. 

And inspired by the morning, the theme continued in the afternoon back home in the garden when I caught up on some reading.

Plans coming to life

In the last couple of weeks, a couple of projects that have been in the planning phase for a while finally came to life.

Last year I was invited to take part in a project with Mid and East Antrim Council during Democracy Week where local schools vote for 'Top Children's Author'. Democracy week took place a couple of weeks ago, coinciding with World Book Day.

This project was a fun way to teach young people about elections with the children reading our manifesto, voting and then taking part in the counting.

Thanks to everyone who voted for me, on this my first foray into elections and congratulations to the winner, Paddy Donnelly.  I'm pleased to say I didn't lose any deposit in this election.

Yesterday I had a busy day in Belfast in the company of children's illustrators and writers. On the way into town on the train I managed to get a bit of writing done.

In the morning we had a good turn out at our local SCBWI Ireland meet up over coffee. It was good to catch up with other creatives and hear how their projects are progressing. It's always inspiring being in the company of other writers and illustrators.

In the afternoon we held a SCBWI Ireland in-person writing workshop at the Seamus Heaney centre at Queen's University. 

I'd been working with Shirley McMillan, current NI Children's Writing Fellow over recent weeks planning this so I was very excited to see these plans come to fruition.

We had a great afternoon sharing and learning new tips and there was also time for a practical exercise writing a synopsis for a MG or YA novel. It was great fun, productive and a very enjoyable way to spend the afternoon.

I'm still buzzing from the creative sparks ignited at both events yesterday. And it's always a bonus to pick up a free book.

Now to get on with a new project  - yesterday's acquisition may just come in very handy.....

 

Writing Round Up

It's been a busy few days with lots of exciting writing activities taking place. Over the weekend I went along to a couple of events in the Look North festival. The first one was a children's writing workshop with Shirley McMillan. It was good to meet other writers there and during writing exercises develop a nugget that could be revisited.

While I missed the main launch of the Translink and Ulster University's 'Poetry in Motion' anthology a couple of weeks ago, I managed to pick up my copy last week and enjoyed dipping into it on the journey home.

Over the weekend I managed to get along to a poetry reading in York Street station where some of the organisers shared contributors' work. It was a lovely event - drinking coffee while being read poetry.

Last night we held another SCBWI Ireland 'Picture This, Write Now' session. It's good to make some time to write and doing this and chatting with other writers across Ireland provides each other with encouragement.

Over the last few days, between rejections I've also received news of an exciting new project I'm going to be involved in - more about that in due course. 

In the meantime I've been doing some spring cleaning and tidying in preparation for World Book Day later this week.

Have a good one when it arrives! 

Ups and Downs

The last couple of weeks have been strange with a real mix of emotions being experienced at various points - highs and lows.

Nearly a fortnight ago we heard very sad news that one of our very dear friends in our writing group, had passed away suddenly. We're all still reeling from this news. During the last week we gathered at one of his happy places to remember him.

We went along to the Black Box where he had regularly been a Tenx9 contributor and remembered him and also supported one of our group in her first Tenx9 story. A very special night.

I've just returned from a blissful few days at The River Mill writing retreat where I've enjoyed good company, the best of food and had time to write.

https://www.the-river-mill.co.uk/rooms-prices

It has been a sensory indulgence, spoiled by gorgeous food, February sunshine warming the garden between the storms. DJ the cat is the perfect host.

I took advantage of time to read and write and made progress on a new project. While I was there I received good news about a couple of very exciting writing projects, sprinkled with a couple of rejections. 

More news about one of them soon I hope. 😀 While I was here I made new connections and  memories. One of the abiding memories will be sitting at my desk watching for the first time a video made of my poem 'The Journey Home's Soundtrack'. I'd written this as part of Translink and Ulster University's 'Poetry in Motion' campaign. I'd heard earlier in the week that a video had been made with an actor reading my poem and was delighted at how it brought my poem to life. It's perfect. Here's The link to the video 

https://x.com/Translink_NI/status/1892880850791899402?t=aY2knBIyZUyTsBcukeFmqg&s=19

Dragging myself away from the River Mill's delicious food back home was a challenge  - but made all the sweeter when I returned to find my contributer copies of Yarns 4 had arrived. I'm delighted that two of my poems made it into this Ulster Scots anthology along with so much good work.