Category Archives: Writing

JANE CABLE ON THE BENEFITS OF A WRITING ESCAPE TO THE SUN

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I have just returned from a third fabulous week of writing led by one of my favourite authors, Rosanna Ley, in one of my favourite places, Finca el Cerrillo in the mountains north of Malaga. My first was in February 2020 then, courtesy of Covid there was a gap before I returned in March 2022 and again this year.

So why do I keep going back? And if you are looking for a writing retreat, or writing holiday, as Rosanna calls them, what might help you to decide which one to choose?

The first year I went my objectives were quite broad; I had a contract with a small publisher but was desperate to break into the mainstream, so I wanted to hone my skills, find inspiration for ‘the book with the hook’, and pick Rosanna’s brains about where my writing career might take me.

On every level, the retreat worked for me. Every morning, after a hearty breakfast and an optional walk through the finca’s olive grove, we met in the light and airy classroom for a themed session aimed to both inspire us and improve our skills. There were people at every stage of their career and Rosanna managed the sessions cleverly so we all got something out of it. Topics ranged from beginnings and endings, to writing dialogue, and short stories so there is plenty to get your teeth into, whether you are writing a novel or not.

After that, the day is your own to write, relax, or chat to other participants. One-to-one sessions with Rosanna are offered, including feedback on your writing, which is always detailed and incredibly valuable. Everyone meets in the dining room or on the terrace for lunch, and part of the whole joy of the week is making connections with other writers. In fact, simply having time to be a writer, with no distractions, was a revelation in itself.

Towards the end of the afternoon is a feedback session where we could read a piece of our work for comment by the group. I had never done this before but soon lost my fear as the other participants were so constructive and helpful.

A couple of evenings we had dinner at a local village, but otherwise ate at the finca, where the food is excellent. There is always some sort of entertainment; a quiz night, group singing, dancing, party games… and on the last night the finca tradition of desert island discs, where we have to guess who from the group chose a particular song.

All of this goes to form strong bonds, and after my first retreat, when we were plunged into lockdown so soon afterwards, we kept in touch via Zoom. This year we have a WhatsApp group instead. Time marches on.

Rosanna is very flexible in her approach, and this year arranged things so that those of us who wanted to focus on a particular project could leave the morning sessions early, and as a result my wordcount went through the roof. I was bashing out the first draft of my summer 2024 Eva Glyn novel and when I wasn’t at my laptop took invigorating and mentally stimulating walks around the olive grove between scenes, or when I needed to unknot a thorny problem.

Because of the way the week is structured it is quite genuinely suitable for everyone from absolute novice writers to published authors. And Finca el Cerrillo is a little piece of heaven on earth. At the time of writing Rosanna has a place or two left on this June’s retreat, and is taking expressions of interest for next year. I hope to see you there!

For more information, visit Rosanna’s website: https://rosannaley.com/writing-retreats-events

Spotlight | Author and Podcaster Georgina Scull

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I’m very excited to introduce a new series to Frost. Spotlight does just that, it finds people, or things, that deserve to have a light on them. Launching this is Georgina Scull who I’m a huge fan of. Her book, Regret’s of the Dying, is a wonderful, life-affirming book. Georgina is such a talented person, and also a thoroughly decent human being. Grab a copy of her book now. You won’t be disappointed.

Georgina Scull

Tell us a bit about you.

I’m originally from Central London, but live in Cambridge now. My family is small; English on my mum’s side and Romani Gypsy and Norwegian on my dad’s. I have one daughter and I’m happily separated.

You work in different mediums. Which one is your favourite?

That’s like asking someone who their favourite child is! Honestly, they’re all great. I work in podcasts, radio, and books, and am forging into film. Really the story dictates where it should be told. Sometimes you get an idea that you can hear and is more dialogue-based, so it’s natural home might be audio. It’s just different ways of storytelling and they’re all brilliant.

Have you always wanted to tell stories?

No. I’ve always loved stories, and always loved English at school, but to be honest it never occurred to me that someone might get paid to write, or that it might actually be a job you could choose, but I knew I wanted to do something creative. I started when I was 19 – and had no idea it would take me this long!

How do you come up with ideas?

I think I’m pretty lucky, because I always have more ideas than I can work on. Where do they come from? Just living, and listening to people, and connecting the dots. Lots of the time it might come from one central question you want to answer – with Regrets it was ‘if you only had one year to live, what would you do with it?’. Sometimes it’s an image you imagine or something you see in real life. And then it becomes – what if that couple who look like they’re in an embrace are actually arguing, and vice versa. I think it’s about finding a question or moment you want to explore; and I’d say that’s true of both fiction and non-fiction.

You started Regrets of the Dying as a podcast. How difficult was it turning the idea into a book?

It wasn’t hard, because most of the people that feature in the book weren’t on the podcast so it felt very new. The most difficult thing was finding people who wanted to talk, and being worried about upsetting them when we did sit down together. That, obviously, would never be my aim. Luckily, from what the interviewees told me afterwards, the experience seemed to be a cathartic one.

What’s your favourite thing about becoming a published author?

Probably receiving messages from readers, telling me that my book helped them. That, to me, is really amazing. I’m not sure if this’ll make any sense, but when the hardback came out last year I was 48. I’d been plugging away for so many years, mainly writing fiction, but really didn’t have much to show for it. I’d made a podcast series, and created a radio play which was well received, but really hadn’t achieved much for the amount of years I’d been working. I felt completely invisible. So to write a book that may have helped others was a very special thing, and something I am really proud of.

Tell us about your creative process.

When I start a new project I always buy a new pad, always A4 and always lined. I usually come up with the title very quickly and then do a bit of a one-two sentence blurb just to keep me focused on the main story and my reason for wanting to tell it. If I can’t come up with that blurb quickly, chances are the idea isn’t ready yet. Then, if it’s a podcast or a book, I’ll sketch out the cover art. This is purely for me: it helps to see it as a finished thing. Then I brainstorm the characters, the basic beats of the story and then make a schedule to write it. I then try and write most days but don’t really do set hours. It always takes me longer than I hope. Always. But if I try to do too much each day I end up doing nothing. I have a small office, but I tend to write in bed, or in cafes. And if I get stuck I go walking. It’s strange how a plot point or problem can seem impossible, then you go walking, listen to a podcast about a completely different subject, and by the time you sit down for a cup of tea that impossible thing seems weirdly obvious.

What is the highlight of your career so far?

Probably going on Woman’s Hour, mainly because I remember my mum listening to it on the radio when I was growing up.

What advice do you have for people who want to have a career like yours?

It’s important to be practical: to have another stream of income because making a liveable income from writing is incredibly hard; to not wait for some magic moment to write, and to crack on in the little pockets of time you do have; to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve; and to send your work out – if you’ve written something it serves no purpose sitting in a bottom drawer. You have to remember, like finding love, it’s a bit of a numbers game: not everyone will like/love your stuff, but you don’t need everyone to love it. You just need one or two people on your side that will open the gates wide enough for you to sneak in.

But I think probably the biggest thing I wish I’d learnt a lot sooner is to have a few people around you who believe in you. People who can cheerlead and help you keep the faith when you’re consumed with doubt and drowning in rejection (because it can feel like that sometimes, unfortunately). For years I was in a relationship with someone who wouldn’t read my work, wouldn’t listen to my podcasts, and really didn’t want me to talk about it at all. And in those moments of doubt, when I needed reassurance, all I had was myself. I now have that mutual support from my new partner and a small group of lovely friends and writers. I just wish I’d realised my need for it sooner because we all need support. Even those of us who are used to being the ‘strong one’.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on my next book, and have a couple of audio projects that are in the pipeline; one factual and one fiction. I’m a bit superstitious so I won’t say any more than that!

The paperback of Regret’s of the Dying is available on March 30th. Other formats are out now.

WRITERS ON THE ROAD: LIZZIE LAMB

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People often talk about Castles in Spain however the inspiration behind my novels comes from an entirely different source – castles in Scotland. We visit Scotland every year with our caravan and I spend part of the day writing on my MacBook and the rest researching/exploring castles, researching ideas for my next novel. My favourite castle is Castle Stalker on Loch Linnhe, the castle featured in Girl in the Castle, although I’ve renamed it Tearmannaire, meaning guardian or defender in Gaelic. We stumbled upon it almost by chance as we were driving from Oban to Ft William and it loomed at us out of the Scotch mist. It was like something out of a film set – grey, imposing and sitting squarely in the middle of the loch.

Catching a sign advertising a café, Castle Stalker View, we pulled in for a better look. There we discovered that the owner gives guided tours of the castle. Even better, he collects potential visitors from the shore and ferries them across to his home in his launch. That later used that in a scene from in Girl in the Castle where the heroine arrives on the shore,  shrouded in an autumn mist, and rings a bell for the ferryman to take her over to the castle.

The following year we discovered Bioran Dubh Caravan Site overlooking the castle and have stayed there in subsequent years. The thrill of seeing the castle every morning when we open the blinds never palls. We’re booked ourselves in there this summer on our way south after touring the highlands. A word of warning, there is no toilet block at the site, only water and electricity so your caravan needs to be pretty much self-contained if you fancy staying there.

Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself. . .

The tour of the castle revealed details which I subsequently used in Girl in the Castle. How the RAF practices low level flying along the loch using the castle as a marker and dip their wings as they fly past. How Castle Stalker became Castle Argg in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, including the scene where John Cleese hurls abuse at King Arthur from the ramparts. I learned how canny landowners were reluctant to dine at the castle in the past because there was a good chance it would be their last meal; all very Game of Thrones. (I later used that detail in Dark Highland Skies my current novel).  I also learned about heiresses being dragged to the altar to secure their dowries, the groom who was murdered by a rival before the ceremony was over and the Jacobite gold allegedly hidden there after the 1715 uprising.

They’re still looking for that!

As a nice touch, I was able to give the owner current a signed copy of Girl in the Castle as my thanks for him sharing his iconic home with us. And, as an extra, you can dine on the pub on the shore which was a notorious haunt of Jacobites back in the day.

We’re really looking forward to our tour of Scotland this summer, who knows what gems we’ll uncover and how that will influence what I write next?

https://viewAuthor.at/LizzieLamb

 

EMMA BENNET ON RUNNING A SUCCESSFUL AUTHORTUBE CHANNEL

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For anyone not familiar with it, Authortube is the little corner of YouTube with writers producing videos. Not only is Authortube full of writing advice, but there are author life vlogs and lots of opportunities to take part in live writing sprints, which definitely make the writing process less isolating.

I loved watching Authortube videos and felt I could add something to the community. I wanted to offer support to writers as well as tips and tricks which could help them in their writing careers. I also figured I would learn an awful lot myself while researching for my videos. Becoming a proper part of the Authortube community also really appealed, they all seemed very supportive of one another, sharing one another’s videos, co-hosting live streams, and shouting out about each other’s books. I discovered this to be true very early on, and it’s made such a difference to my writing to have this wonderful group of cheerleaders.

I mulled over starting my own channel for more than a year before I finally took the plunge in March 2022. The time commitment to running a channel being a major hurdle as well as my complete lack of equipment. I didn’t even have a lovely, quiet place to film: I share a house with five boys and two large dogs!

I began filming on an iPhone 5s one afternoon when all my family were out. I had to prop the phone up on a stack of books because I didn’t have a tripod. The lighting was dreadful, and the video quality wasn’t great. Oh, and I’d made the mistake of filming in portrait instead of landscape. I also didn’t make a thumbnail for it. But, I had officially had a video available. This is definitely how I would advise anyone interested in starting any sort of YouTube channel to start (although maybe get the camera the right way round!): use what you’ve got and try it out to see if it’s for you before committing to buying a load of equipment.

The first few months were a very steep learning curve! I’ve never been very interested in technology and suddenly I found myself on a crash course in filming and editing as well as graphic design for thumbnails. I watched numerous YouTube videos to teach me what to do and cannot recommend Canva enough for thumbnails and putting your videos together!

Almost a year on, I’m on track to be monetised this year, which would be amazing. I upload two videos and at least one short (a video less than a minute long, like a TikTok) a week, as well as hosting at least two live writing sessions a week. I’ve also been able to collaborate on videos and live streams with other authors, and will be taking part in the Authortube Writing Conference later this year.

Running a YouTube channel is definitely hard work and isn’t for the faint hearted, but I absolutely love it. I’ve learned so many new skills, not least becoming confident speaking to a camera, and I’ve made lots of new friends who all share my passion for writing and sharing our skills with others.

The resources available for writers on YouTube now, and all completely for free, are just astounding, and I would advise anyone who hasn’t yet to check it out, whether you’re very new to writing or a seasoned veteran.

 

Find Emma on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKJKt8kmDXrWQAGkTV1VHMQ

The author of seven romances, Emma’s YouTube channel is full of tips and tricks for writers, book recommendations, author life vlogs, and live writing sprints.

Luan Goldie My Writing Process

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Luan Goldie

•             What have you written, past and present?

I’m an author and short story writer. My debut novel Nightingale Point follows a group of characters living in an east London tower block on the day of a plane crash. My second novel Homecoming is a love story about university friends and is partly set in Kenya. My novels have been longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize.

My new novel These Streets is a family drama set against the UK’s housing crisis. I wanted to write something which shows how easily a normal family could end up homeless. While it deals with the huge issues of homelessness and gentrification, it’s really about aspirations and who gets to have them.

•             Tell us a bit about your writing process

I like silence, tea and a good internet blocker. I love to get lost in my writing and allow the characters to take over. I’m not easily distracted (especially when the writing is going well) but force myself off the laptop to do other things, like go to a dance class or watch some K-Pop on YouTube.

•             How do you structure a book?

I don’t. I just have my characters and a very, very rough idea of what might happen. Then I go for it.

•             What do you find hard about writing?

Structuring!

•             What do you love about writing?

Getting completely lost in it. It’s an awesome hobby (turned career) and I’m very lucky to do it.

These Streets by Luan Goldie is available now in paperback from HQ, £8.99.

WRITERS ON THE ROAD: GILL THOMPSON

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Back in spring 2018, I visited Prague to research my second novel, The Child on Platform One. Known as ‘The City of a Hundred Spires,’ the capital of the Czech Republic is characterised by gothic splendour and quaint medieval charm. It’s dynamic and vibrant, a brilliant collision of past and present.

But I wasn’t just there to admire the scenery, stunning though it was. If my story was to come to life, I wanted to see for myself the locations I’d placed my characters in. First the conservatoire, a large sand-coloured building situated close to the river between two of its central bridges. My novel starts with a young girl and piano-playing prodigy, Eva, having a music lesson at this famous musical venue. But she is late – we don’t initially know why – so has to hurry home to her parents who will be anxiously awaiting her. For this reason, she takes a short cut through the old Jewish cemetery, a decision with fateful consequences. I was shown round the cemetery by a wonderful Czech guide, herself called Eva, who stood amused whilst I checked my Eva’s route through the graveyard. She agreed with me that Eva would have been able to enter and exit at different points, essential to my plan.

My next destination was even more sobering: Terezin, the old eighteenth century fortress 60 km northwest of the capital which was converted to a Jewish ghetto for the duration of the war. When I first read about this ‘holding camp,’ the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Although they were prisoners, fed a meagre diet, and worked until they dropped, the Jewish inmates were allowed to paint, sing, dance and act in their ‘free time,’ most notably performing Verdi’s Requiem to an audience of Germans, who were unaware that the choir were singing of God’s judgement on their captors. As I was shown round the camp with its poignant gallery of portraits, reconstructions of dormitories and the terrifying crematorium, I was moved, appalled and inspired in equal measure. What came across to me most strongly was people’s capacity to use their creative talents to make meaning in the darkest of times. I hope I have brought this quality to life in my novel. It was certainly a tour I will never forget.

My final destination was the Wilson station. It was here, on platform one, that I discovered the statue of Sir Nicholas Winton, the British man who rescued 669 children from Nazi-occupied Prague before the start of World War Two. Later in my novel Eva, terrified for the safety of her child, sees her daughter Miriam safely onto one of Winton’s trains before Eva herself is sent to Terezin. It was this episode that finally provided the title for my novel: The Child on Platform One.

The novel has been published now, and I am delighted that it was also translated into Czech and sold in bookshops throughout the republic. Eva’s story will finally be shared with the people who inspired it.

The beautiful city of Prague won my heart. This is an amazing place to visit but its history is sometimes dark and terrible. I hope I have done these events justice in my novel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WRITERS ON THE ROAD: PATSY COLLINS

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Hi! I’m Patsy Collins aka The Travelling Writer. Ten years ago I was a tour guide. That job kept me in one place but ever since being made redundant and becoming a full time writer I’ve spent a lot of time travelling – mostly in a campervan shared with my husband. We’re on the road for three months a year, so naturally I write in the van. So much so that I often refer to R’ten as the mobile writing retreat. She’s absolutely perfect for that. She’s also a pretty good photography base for Gary.

There are things about a campervan which may initially seem like disadvantages, such as limited internet access and restricted space, but are really the opposite. When we can go online it’s all too easy to ‘just quickly look that up’ and get distracted by emails, funny memes, brilliant opportunities to submit our work if we ever get it finished… If we have to go into another room to make a cup of tea, we don’t always return to the keyboard the moment the kettle has boiled. Even the limited power supply can be a plus, because it encourages me to get the words down straight away, rather than wasting battery power faffing about.

Sometimes the places we visit for Gary’s work inspire my stories. Sometimes we spend time in an area so I can write my novels and short stories ‘on location’. It’s really useful to be able to literally walk in my characters’ footsteps along the beach, up a mountain or through town. I enjoy seeing what they see, eating what they do, even sharing a few of their mishaps – my research has occasionally been more thorough than intended!

One of my six novels, Leave Nothing But Footprints, is actually set in a campervan, and that’s where it was written, even if it wasn’t always parked in the same country as Jess and Eliot took their own trip. Although the storyline is nothing like my own life, some of the small details are based on reality. I think they help make the story believable, and using them in a positive way helps me feel better about some of our mini disasters in the early days. Oh, and I might sometimes try convincing Gary to unleash his romantic side for the good of the current WIP!

Another book written entirely in R’ten is From Story Idea to Reader; an easily accessible guide to writing fiction, co written with Rosemary J Kind. We know each other well, but didn’t physically meet during the writing stage as when she was in England we were in Scotland, and when we came home she went to Switzerland. We did park the van on her drive while we worked on the promotion stuff though.

Having the van, and being able to go where we like has enabled me to deliver writing workshops and attend events which wouldn’t be practical if they couldn’t be incorporated into a working trip.

Of course the locations we visit provide distractions. We’ve parked up on beaches, in the depths of forests, at the foot of mountains, alongside rivers, in the grounds of a castle, in view of seals and otters or surrounded by wild deer … But I’ve been a writer for over twenty years now and have learned to accept the ups and downs which that entails.

If you’d like to learn more about me and my writing, then please visit patsycollins.uk where you’ll find links to all my books and lots more photos from my campervan adventures.

SUNDAY SCENE: ALEX STONE ON HER FAVOURITE SCENE FROM THE OTHER GIRLFRIEND

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The Other Girlfriend is my second psychological thriller set in Dorset. After a weekend away at Durdle Door ends in tragedy, Lizzie’s world falls part and she battles with anxiety and agoraphobia.

Agoraphobia is so often misunderstood and assumed to be a fear of open spaces, but, as Lizzie discovers, in reality it is so much more and any situation or place where it difficult to escape from can become a trigger for panic attacks.

 

My heart pounded and my legs felt weak, as though they would give way at any moment. All I had to do was open the front door, step outside and walk down the driveway to the car. It wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t difficult.

Except it was.

‘What are you standing there for?’ Mum asked, giving me a nudge forward. ‘Come on, let’s go.’

I side stepped out of the way, allowing her to pass. She cast a sideways glance at me before reaching for the latch and pulling the door open. I stared out at the world beyond the threshold. Somehow it seemed as though all the oxygen was slipping away through the open door. My breathing became laboured. Quick shallow gasps that didn’t satisfy my lungs.

I heard Mum sigh. The patience she was trying to hold onto was starting to slip. I had to get it together. I couldn’t fall apart in front of her. Not again.

I fought to regain control. But it wasn’t working.

Nothing worked.

The hallway dipped and swayed. Everything started to blur. Tears streamed down my face. I wasn’t even sure why I was crying. It was just a door. Just a driveway. I wanted to run away. To hide. But I couldn’t.

My feet were welded to the spot. I couldn’t move. Dark patches appeared at the edges of my vision. I was going to pass out. I could feel it.

‘Don’t start that nonsense.’ There was an edge of frustration to her tone. ‘We haven’t got time for it.’

I nodded, obediently, as a loud sob escaped. She was right. It was nonsense. I was being stupid. It was just the driveway. The same driveway I had walked down nearly every day for my whole life.

And yet somehow it was no longer the same. I was no longer the same.

Mum couldn’t understand. She’d tried. She was still trying. But the daughter she’d known had simply disappeared. All she was left with was this shell of my former self. Sad. Tearful. Panicked.

She couldn’t understand why. She couldn’t figure out how to fix it. How to fix me.

With every day that passed I became more reclusive and she became more frantic. My failure somehow became her failure. It was a mother’s job to keep her kids safe and well, that’s what she said. But she couldn’t make me well. Plasters and paracetamol wouldn’t work this time. Eighteen years of experience as a mother hadn’t prepared her for this.

Mum thrust smelling salts under my nose. I flinched as my eyes smarted. But I inhaled deeply. I took the little brown glass bottle from her and clung to it, wafting it back and forth below my nose as the darkness gradually faded into grey.

‘Just don’t think about it,’ Mum said as she hooked her arm through mine and pulled me forward, escorting me outside, while my body trembled and each breath rasped in my chest.

It had become her favourite phrase. I wasn’t even sure what it was I wasn’t supposed to think about.

I don’t think she knew either.