If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad...

"If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad"  Jane Austen.

 

With this thought in mind and with almost as many items of luggage as depicted in my Jane Austen mindfulness colouring in page, we set off to Coney Island for our annual writing retreat.

 

Stunning sea views, good food, good company and good weather provided the backdrop for a few days away from everything and space to write. Every year it seems to get even better. During the day it was invigorating to take a walk on the beach and enjoy the beauty on the doorstep.

I had the fortune this year to stay in the perfect writer's spot

There's always something new to discover at Coney - whether it be a shell on the beach, seasnail patterns in the sand or stalking giants...

 

There's always something new to learn on our writing journeys. We had the pleasure of welcoming local award winning crime writer, Anthony J Quinn https://www.anthonyjquinnwriter.com/

 to share some of his writing tips with us.

Not surprisingly Anthony was enthralled by the landscape and seascape Coney offers, ever changing but ever constant.

 

We were left in no doubt that writing is not an easy journey and tough decisions have to be made. If it's not tough and we're not frustrated with our writing there's something not right.

 

 

So, to ease the difficult journey ahead, cake was needed - and Fionnuala's carrot cake did not disappoint - it was delicious.

 

One of the tough decisions to be made is about making time to write when we have busy schedules. It's easy to come up with excuses as to why we can't find time. Anthony suggested getting up a bit earlier each day and writing before we do anything else. On the final day at Coney I woke, naturally, around 6am. The thought of getting up and starting writing came into my head, but instead I turned over and fell asleep. I woke up again 45 minutes later. And I knew I couldn't fight it this time. I tried to come up with excuses not to get up and write - I'd left my notebook in the writing room (locked away) the previous night and I wouldn't be able to get it until later. But I carry a large handbag around, which usually will have at least one piece of paper and a pen in it. The early morning sun was streaming in below the curtains, urging me to get up. There was no excuse, a second time. Writing was calling and I couldn't ignore it. So I got up and dressed, rummaged in my bag and found paper and a pen, went outside and began to write....

 

catching up over coffee

I have to admit I am a coffee addict. It's an addiction that runs in our family.

I can't function without starting the day with a coffee and I need a few more cups during the day, every day. If I don't have coffee I develop headaches. And during this hot spell of weather we've been having I've still needed the coffee. Thank goodness for iced coffee - I've enjoyed several this week.

 

All of these coffees are good on their own, but when accompanied by something sweet the experience is enriched - be that cake, a banana, chocolate, a biscuit... This morning at the Belfast SCBWI meet up a piece of fruity tea brack was the sweet accompaniment.

 

 

But the best accompaniment to a good coffee is good company. And in our group we look forward to meeting up with each other, catching up on our writing and other news, sharing our writing plans, successes, hurdles and the writing journeys we're each travelling. Writing can be an isolating pastime, when a cup of coffee is an encouragement and comfort, stimulant and nourishment. That's why it's so important to spend time with other writers. It was lovely to see everyone this morning and to meet new people. Here's to our next catch up over coffee. Now, I'm off to have a coffee in the garden.

 

 

Return to Cranford

I first read Cranford many years ago as an undergrad arts student. It was the first of Elizabeth Gaskell's novels I'd read and immediately I was hooked by her writing - her characterisation, the gritty north of England and her witty humour.

I soon read some of her other work - Mary Barton, Wives and Daughters, North and South, enjoying each one more and realising how underrated she is compared to the Brontes and Dickens.  When I completed my undergrad studies I vowed to re-read all the classic novels I'd had to study, but somehow I never got round to it.  Roll forward a few years and Cranford was dramatised on our TV screens featuring Dame Judi et al and I enjoyed it once again.

And last night I returned to Cranford for a third time. This time it was another dramatisation, when Chapterhouse Theatre Company performed Cranford at the Theatre at the Mill.

It was time for our annual open air theatre outing. Grey skies and heavy rain showers all day must have impacted on the size of the audience. And while it was a smaller audience than usual, the theatre company received a very warm reception

Along with Gaskell's sparkling wit, they thrilled us with the humour of Betty Barker's cow falling down the well, Mrs Jamison's dog, Carlo's disappearance in Signor Brunoni's conjuring trick and Mrs Forrester's cat eating Mrs Jamison's lace collar and the subsequent retrieval of the lace.

I've seen Chapterhouse productions at this venue many times over the last few years and this has to be one of their best productions.  While the threatening rain meant we didn't indulge in our usual pre-theatre picnic, it was still one of the most enjoyable outdoor theatre events I've been to. And maybe that had something to do with winning tickets to one of next year's open-air garden productions anywhere in the UK in the raffle. Roll on next summer....

Writing by the Sea

What writer doesn't want to live in a house by the sea? It's the perfect place to dream and write, the perfect place for a writing retreat. Have you ever seen an old house and wondered who lived in it years ago? What was their story and how it fell into disrepair? Sixteen summers ago I sat in the sunshine and gazed at a dilapidated house with trees growing out of its roof on the outskirts of Sorrento and imagined who might have lived there. Sixteen years ago we didn't have smartphones and tablets to instantly research the history so it remained a mystery. But I always wondered what the history was. Friends I met on holiday that year gave me a photograph of the mystery house. It is framed and hangs in the hall in my house and I've often thought about the house and imagined the summer parties that took place on the terrace, as the sun set over Vesuvius. This summer when I returned to Sorrento I was in for a surprise.

En route from Naples airport we were advised by the holiday company there was a problem with the hotel booking but that alternative accommodation had been found. They were also going to throw in dinner and wine. Then they dropped the bombshell - the alternative accommodation was to be in a convent. But this was no ordinary convent. It was Villa Crawford, the former home of the American writer, Francis Marion Crawford https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Marion_Crawford Can you imagine my excitement? We were going to stay in the former home of a famous writer!

On his death, the home passed down through his family to the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco. In recent years there has been a major renovation and refurbishment programme and while still a functioning convent, Villa Crawford is now also a guest house with spectacular sea views.

 The sunsets over the bay of Naples were breath-taking

Vesuvius

 I didn't expect sea views quite like these! Just perfect.

Villa Crawford houses many of the original features, with old winding stone stairs at the back for servants and bright marble staircases at the front for guests. It also features a fabulous restaurant and beautiful gardens and stunning sea views.

It was a house built at the time of the European grand tour, a house from a former time, when writers were wealthy people who could afford to build and live in houses by the sea. It's a house to dream about, which is what I had done sixteen years ago. It was the perfect place to start a fantastic holiday....and in case you haven't guessed, it's also the mystery house in my picture, taken sixteen summers ago.

ginger cake reflections

Over the weekend I met up with SCBWI pals for coffee, cake and chat in Belfast, sharing our writing (and other) struggles and successes. It was lovely to see everyone an hear their news. And I always come away from these meet-ups having learnt something new. Apart from learning the ginger cake in Waterstones café is delicious, I picked up a few tips for writing a good synopsis. Now I need to apply the learning....

This gorgeous anthology arrived in the post the other day. It includes one of my stories 'A breath of fresh air' - which was runner up in the Lagan Navigation Trust's Storymaking 2018 festival.

 

 

I've taken a welcome break from editing my current project to dip into it and read the beautiful range of poems and stories submitted as part of the Lagan Waterways Storymaking festival. You can get copies from the Lagan Navigation Trust (priced £5) 

Now where was that ginger cake...

 

Return to Coney

Yesterday morning I returned to Coney Island, to writing, sunshine, muffins and friends - in no particular order! The chocanana muffins basked in the morning sunshine as they cooled from the oven. Warm spring rays lit up the room, awakened our winter slumbers and sparked us to write.

 

At times our heads almost hurt as we recapped on punctuation rules (always a useful recap). Just proving the need for writing fuel...

Snippets

Delighted to see one of my stories included in the Café Lit page. You can read 'An Emerald Excursion' here https://cafelitcreativecafe.blogspot.com/2019/04/an-emerald-excursion.html#comment-form

And while the Waterways Storymaking Festival may have finished its tour today, earlier I caught a glimpse of the cover of the anthology which will include my story 'A Breath of Fresh Air'. Looking forward to reading this soon