Reimagining

On a beautiful sunny day, it was hard to imagine what eight women in 1711 had to endure in Carrickfergus court. Not far from the current town hall the drama took place.

Yesterday, along with two writing pals, I attended a writing workshop as part of a fantastic new exhibition in Carrickfergus museum -  'Reimagining the Islandmagee Witches'.

Along with artefacts from the era are a virtual reality experience,  animation, graphic novel and video game.

It was good to reconnect with some writers and researchers I'd met before at previous creative writing workshops I'd attended in the museum and also to meet new writers and those who have researched and curated the exhibition.

Led by playwright Georgia Rhoades we spent most of the day focusing on our own stories and thinking  'what might have been....'  In advance of the workshop we had been asked to think about who we would write about. I had decedided to revisit a story I started to work on a few years ago based on one of my ancestors. Georgia introduced us to some tips and techniques to help us in the process. We had time to explore our characters, their stories and their problems and to write.

 I left Carrickfergus after a very enjoyable day, inspired to go back to my story again.

New school term

The start of September and the beginning of a new school year has been accompanied,  not for the first time, by the return of glorious sunshine.  We were back at Coney yesterday to start a new term of writing. After our summer retreat last month, we came back energised and enthused. While we may not have acquired new jotters and pens for the start of the new term, that didn't stop us.

I know I've got back to writing since the retreat and now we're into a new school term I'm excited about some writing projects I'll be working on over this term.

Over coffee, accompanied by delicious home made chocolate brownies and shortbread we caught up on news since our writing retreat and then did a couple of writing exercises to stretch those creative muscles. It would have been a perfect morning for yoga on the beach, but we chose to flex our creative muscles instead.

Fuelled by autumnal blackberry and ginger muffins we worked hard. I'm not sure if it was the ginger in the muffins, the warm September sunshine or the energy that is created when we gather, but I came away from Coney excited to be back writing.

A Dublin day

I managed to squeeze in a visit to the Museum of Literature Ireland while down in Dublin for the day. Sandwiched between some retail therapy, it was an oasis of calm away from a busy Grafton Street thronging with tourists. 

The displays have been so cleverly curated that I came away inspired and encouraged.

Seeing James Joyce's drafts with countless lines scored out reminded me of the need to keep editing and made me thankful that modern technology can make this a bit less labour intensive.

The inspiring quotes peppered throughout gave me encouragement and food for thought

And, like many before me, I was inspired to add a few lines to the writing wall.

While it was inspiring to look at the displays featuring the great and the good I'd studied at school and university like Shaw and Yeats,

For me what was more inspiring was to see my contemporaries featured in displays - including my writing pal from old, Wendy Erskine and Peadar O Guilin who I met last week at the YA Showcase event in Carrickfergus.

If ever there was a time to be inspired to write, it is now.

Of course there was the obligatory stop at the Museum cafe and shop for a delicious lunch (writers need writing fuel!), and a purchase was made featuring one of my favourite Irish writers.

Around twenty years ago I had the pleasure of hearing Maeve speak in Belfast and meeting her at an event related to her book 'Aches and Pains'. She was as mesmerising a speaker as she was a writer, so it seemed fitting that the souvenir postcard purchase was of her. And I know the pen will be used in future writing projects.

I'd travelled to Dublin armed with a notebook and pen, so on the way home on the train I noted down some memorable moments from the day. Travelling always provides great insights - the conversations, characters, places, situations and humour, and there were plenty of all of these that day.

Quite a week

It's been an exciting and busy week. Despite being double-booked last weekend and unable to attend the Ulster Scots poetry event in Belfast, I still got a mention in the write up in the Ballymoney Chronicle  - thanks to Alan Millar.

Plans for future events are unfolding and I'm looking forward to being involved in them.

During the week I attended Shirley McMillan's book launch at No Alibis in Belfast. Afterwards it was lovely to chat with the ladies from Little Island publishers and catch up with writing pals over dinner.

Yesterday was a fantastic day at The Secret Bookshelf in Carrickfergus. I'm delighted that through SCBWI Ireland we were able to support a Young Adult writer showcase event.

Local YA writers Sue Divin, Shirley McMillan and Jenny Ireland took part in an inspiring panel discussion. It was great to see so many readers, writers and libraraians in the audience. 

I spoke about how belonging to a writing group can benefit your writing career and shared information about how SCBWI helps develop supportive writing communities. This was very much in evidence yesterday with so much interest and support at the event. It was lovely to make connections with so many people - several of whom had made very long journeys to be there.

Afterwards a conversation with Jo Zebedee, author and co-owner of The Secret Bookshelf, and YA writer Peadar Ó Guilín exploring darker themes concluded the day.

There were book signings and author readings as well as goodie bags.  So of course this week I've added to my TBR pile ( it is impossible to leave a bookshop empty handed!). I finished reading Jenny's fantastic book 'The First Move' a few weeks ago. I've just started Shirley's new book 'Grapefruit Moon' and next on the reading list will be Sue's most recent book, 'Truth be Told'. The local writing scene is buzzing and it's an exciting and inspiring time for writers to be part of this vibrant community.

Writing re-TREAT

I'm just back from our writing group's annual writing retreat. A high point of the summer, we look forward to it for months and it always seems to go in a flash. The weather had been looking ominous and while some areas experienced torrential showers and flooding, we managed to get outside for walks each day to re-energise in between our writing.

Inspired by beautiful surroundings, the best of company and great food, I made good progress against my plan for the weekend on a couple of writing projects. 

But a writing retreat and a writing group is so much more than writing. I believe our group is very special. We're still going strong after many years, ably led by Maddie. As well as writing our individual pieces, we help and support each other, we laugh together, we share experiences and learn so much from each other. 

With these views as a backdrop and a supportive group it is a real treat to be together for a few days. There's always something new to experience at Coney, whether that's identifying fresh footprints on the sea-washed shore or sampling a new recipe. 

It's all an idyllic treat. And it's always a treat to re-visit some of the recipes that now have become regular features at our writing retreat and workshops. Tasty starters, main courses and desserts as well as sweet treats are all part of the experience.

Over the weekend I missed a couple of other writing events which clashed with our retreat. One was the SCBWI virtual summer conference  - luckily I'll be able to watch the recordings of most sessions soon. The other event was a get-together in Belfast of Ulster Scots writers - hopefully the next time I'll be able to be there. But I wouldn't have missed our retreat for anything.

Hey ho, the wind and the rain

It's been a while since I've seen one of Shakespeare's plays on stage and last night was the first time I'd seen a Shakespeare play performed outdoors. But it wasn't for want of trying. Several years ago we booked to see 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' at midsummer which should have been idyllic, but torrential rain and floods forced us to have our picnic in the kitchen and abandon going to the play.

So for the last few days we'd been watching the skies hoping that it would stay dry for Illyria's production of 'Twelfth Night' at Carrickfergus. We went prepared for all weather, with winter coats and gloves! It was still July though at times it felt distinctly autumnal.

As Orsino uttered the opening lines there was a glimpse of blue sky peeping between the clouds and it looked like we might be spared showers.

With only five actors in the troupe, each played several characters.

For me one of the highpoints had to be Malvolio appearing in his yellow stockings, brightening up what was becoming a darker evening as grey clouds gathered overhead.

Inevitably the rain arrived. We huddled down in our coats determined not to miss the fun, despite becoming a bit soggy. 

And if we were a bit soggy, the actors must have been too. They were all amazing, continuing to deliver their lines impeccably, despite a storm beginning to brew with leaves blowing off the trees and the rain becoming heavier.

I've seen several Illyria productions over the years and they never disappoint. Despite the weather, this had to be one of their best performances. It felt a perfect night, right from the beginning. Maybe it was because the play takes place in Illyria, or maybe because I'd finally got to see Shakespeare performed outdoors. And the words of Feste's final song could not have been more appropriate last night - it certainly felt it had raineth every day this July and it brought a smile to everyone's faces.

Writing Round Up

It's been a busy month with several enjoyable writing related meet-ups over the last few weekends. They started off with our SCBWI Ireland zoom session when we had the pleasure of welcoming Ashwin Chacko as our guest. He was an inspiring speaker and it was good to reconnect with SCBWI members across Ireland again. That weekend also involved catching up with some writing friends for afternoon tea. It was lovely to spend time together again sharing our news.

Last weekend I met up with local children's writers and Illustrators at our Belfast SCBWI social. It was good to meet some new faces and to welcome some more familiar faces as we spent the morning in Waterstone's cafe sharing news, experiences, ideas and tips. It's great being part of this supportive group and lovely to be back meeting in person.

Later that day I caught up with Jo and Chris in The Secret Bookshelf. Although they'd been rushed off their feet all day (it was the first day of Independent Bookshop Week) we had a good chat, including discussing some exciting plans (more news about those in due course) and I left with a bag full of books including a goody bag.

Yesterday I was back with my writing pals in Coney. Over summer berry muffins and coffee we shared our news, made plans and worked hard under Maddie's guidance.

The writing exercises were difficult because they really made us think about how we tend to describe objects and how we can improve our writing craft in this area.

And the added bonus of beautiful sunshine made this a perfect way to spend a morning. For a bit of fun, I totalled up the number of people in the writing community I've connected with directly so far this month. I was surprised that the total was as high as 77. I feel very fortunate to know 77 other writers, illustrators and creatives and privileged that I am part of a number of groups which are nurturing and supportive.