Spring ought to be sprung

When I was growing up in the countryside I used to spend a lot of time with my dog, walking around the lanes and fields. I knew what month it was by looking at the flowers in bloom.

I'd wait for the bluebells to appear in the secret wood, watch for the peppery heavy flush of cow parsley to froth up in the hedgerows, the fine May months when the grass had the unfurled, first-born green shine to it.

Summer was overblown, when the heat and dust of harvest had played out the colours of the grass, leaching away its strength.

It worries me deeply that the seasons have become so unreliable, so unpredictable. This long dull winter refusing to shift feels so wrong, and damp climbs the walls of the house. So, in memory of heat, warmth and light some pictures:

Launch day of the 30 Day challenge

On the 1st March I joined the Screw Work Let's Play programme. Over 30 days I challenged myself to write about creativity, my process as a writer, to create new stories or poems, and, most importantly, to share my writing and launch it into the world.

 DAY 30: This blog is the result.

I've been writing a novel The Wish Bone for three years and have a lot of work hidden in files as they're 'not good enough' - the files in the pictures show work which has been written and abandoned from the last 30 years. Now I'm broadcasting my work via this blog.  My secret weapon has been 20 minute writing practice in my journal 'playbook'.

I'm not a great completer finisher usually having a great idea then moving on the next big thing but one of the most helpful things from the programme is the lesson that sending stuff out into the world will bring results, and that doing what you love is its own reward.

Playbook 

Over 30 days I've  created loads of new content - short stories and poetry for this blog and have found a new technique for editing my book. I've learned that I love making videos, and reading in public. I'm enjoying blogging and I'm thrilled to have a poem accepted for publication on an arts trail in Bristol - it may even be turned into a postcard. 

I'm buzzing with ideas, pretty exhausted, but for once I've achieved something to be really proud of, and, I've put a smile on some of my writer friends' faces by posting their work here too. It's not all about me - but about the work of being a writer and feeding that creative need inside ourselves. 

I've climbed the path 

Next steps: Coming soon - my first writing website - www.wordpoppy.com and I intend to build something great on there soon. Thanks for being my audience - but don't go away - there's more to come. 

If you like what you see let me know either in the comments box or in the survey below. 

Happy writing, Grace 

VIdeo: Chapter 1 of my novel, The Wish Bone

And here it is - on lauch day of my blog a video of me reading the first chapter of my novel, The Wish Bone.