I’ve always seen it as a good time to re-assess my life, set new goals and
dream new dreams.

One of the writers who has inspired me on my creative journey is
Julia Cameron. In her book ‘The Artist’s Way’ she talks about creating a
monthly wish list – and gradually moving towards the place you would like to be.

The items you put on your list don’t need to be life-changing, but if you do this
exercise regularly, you will notice a subtle shift in your life.

Keep the lists. Look back on them in a year’s time. You will be amazed at how much
has changed in your life.

This began life as a competition entry for Prediction magazine!

More news soon.

Friday 11th – Sunday 13th May – Novel Outline In A Weekend
This course will take place at Farncombe Estate. EARLY BOOKING IS
ADVISED! For further information and to book a place, contact
www.FarncombeEstate.co.uk or 01386 854100.

Friday 15th – Sunday 24th June – Worcester Literary Festival
I will be involved in the following events:

Saturday 16th June – 9.30 – 12.00
at Worcester Sixth Form College
I am joining forces with Mills & Boon Historical writer Elizabeth Beacon
and we will be offering a free workshop for writers of all levels of ability.
For further details and to book a place, please contact me on
01386 556177

Wednesday 20th June – 2.30 – 4.00
at Worcester Sixth Form College
Elizabeth Beacon and I will be working with the students to give
information on what makes a good story, what editors are looking
for and how they can plan their careers as writers!

Saturday 23rd June – 2.00 – 3.30
Venue to be confirmed!
I am doing a talk on ‘A Novel’s Journey’ – the story of
‘Fable’s Fortune’, ‘The Yellow Silk Dress’ and other stories…

More news on this soon! Watch this space. 

In the meantime, I’m back to revising two more novels – and wondering why
inspiration always strikes at three o’clock in the morning.

I am the smell of patchouli incense
and the sound of silence
that leads to the space inside my head where stories live
I travel there easily although
I cannot read a map.

I am the sparkle of indigo and gold behind my closed eyelids
illuminating the thread of my breath
connecting me to the web of creation.
I am not afraid of dying because there is no death
only life transformed.

I am the strawberry taste of my secret mantra.
I am not able to fly
but my body hovers
in the warm spice-scented space
somewhere between the worlds.

indigo sea

walk the woodland path
starred with celandines and wood anemones
the still air punctuated by gunshots
from an unseen firing range

arrive at a place
where trees float on an indigo sea
the colour of the third eye chakra
giving a feeling of peace

I am surrounded by the scent of bluebells
with undertones of wild garlic and pine
birdsong drifts on the tide
as the guns are silenced

night of stars

the winged lions gathered above St Mark’s
tell me I’ll fly to the stars

I lie on the soft cushions of a gondola
rocked in its cradle under an indigo sky

I taste the colours of the buildings
raspberry chocolate vanilla pistachio
as a mermaid nurses her shining tail
and tells me of secret caves
deep in the lagoon

she plunges into green velvet water
and urges me to follow

fear of drowning stops me diving in
but I know this feeling will not last

the lions are circling above me
and I feel the sprouting of new wings

Closing date: 31st May 2012
Theme: SHOES
Judge: Sue Johnson
Prizes: £50, £25, £15
Entry fee: £3.00 or 2 for £5.00
Word limit: 150 words not including title
Cheques payable to S. Johnson
Please send to: 10 Woodward Close, Pershore, Worcs WR10 1LP

I’ll certainly be repeating this in a few month’s time as I’d forgotten
how much I enjoyed this sort of challenge – and I’ve created some
new work that will be useful for my next collection.

Experiment with the following idea:

Begin on a Monday morning and write the first line of a poem on a
piece of paper. Fold it over – a bit like the game of Consequences.

Repeat this every day until Saturday.

On Sunday, add two new lines.

Unfold it and have fun with what you have created!

Find five photographs of people. (Old magazines are good for this).

Write a short biography for each character (approx. 100 words).

What secret does each one have?

Think of a character who could link the five people – e.g. a cleaning lady,
vicar, taxi driver. Write a short piece about him/her.

Begin with the link character and character number one. What is the
incident that starts the story? For example, the cleaning lady could be
given something by character number one that she doesn’t want.

What happens next? Join the next person into the story. What if the
cleaning lady gives the item to character number two?

Carry on in this way, joining the characters together until you come back
to the start.