One of the joys of writing for Chandler’s Ford Today is discovering projects I would not have otherwise come across. One of these was the Road to Agincourt Project which appealed to my love of all things historical.
Another was when I interviewed Kate Day of Chocolate Muffin Publishing and looked at their work with children and dementia patients (amongst others) to encourage creative writing.
[Read more…] about The Story Shuffle Project
I regularly attend the Winchester Writers’ Festival, which was originally the Winchester Writing Conference started by Barbara Large, MBE.
I am glad to say I will be interviewing Barbara soon. Her help and encouragement to so many writers over the years, including me, has been phenomenal and much appreciated. [Read more…] about What Makes a Good Writing Conference?
One place that is always a joy to visit is beautiful Bath, which is an UNESCO Heritage site.
The trip from our station gets you to Romsey in just over 5 minutes and from there the Romsey to Bath journey takes about an hour and twenty minutes. [Read more…] about Away Days: Bath by Allison Symes
If it was possible to interview anyone in history, who would you choose and why? I thought it might be fun to sometimes write posts on who I would choose, what I would ask and what the replies might be! For this post I’ve chosen Richard III.
You can’t be impartial on Richard III. You agree with Shakespeare’s portrayal or you don’t. You are a red rose supporter or a white rose fan. Does it matter now? If a king can continue to be maligned, any of us can be. Reputation matters. [Read more…] about Impossible Interviews: Richard III
In the week when the centenary of that marvellous writer, Roald Dahl, is celebrated, I thought about whether the tools a writer uses matter.
Dahl (and the brilliant Wodehouse) had their faithful typewriters, Shakespeare swore by his current quill (and probably at it when the nib broke, how many did he get through?!) and of course story telling originates from the oral tradition. [Read more…] about Writing Tools: Why I use Scrivener Writing Software
Have you tried writing Flash Fiction?
Yesterday I wrote a brief introduction to Flash Fiction and shared one of my flash stories as an example. Do you have a favourite Flash Fiction story to share with us? [Read more…] about A Peek into My Writing World – Tools and Inspirations
Have you heard of Flash Fiction?
Flash fiction is any story that has a maximum of 1,000 words. It is also known as micro fiction, postcard fiction, short short story (though that is a mouthful!) and sudden fiction. [Read more…] about Flash Fiction – What is it?
Just a quick reminder that Barbara Large’s new creative writing workshops start later this month at The Dovetail Centre.
Further details below. [Read more…] about Reminder: Creative Writing Classes at The Dovetail Centre
The free Medieval Weekend, organised by the Road to Agincourt project, was recently held at Manor Farm and Country Park, Bursledon.
This post continues with a look at the lives of typical villagers re-enacted over the weekend. And I discover what a fletcher was… [Read more…] about Road to Agincourt: When Medieval Life Comes Alive Like Magic
The free Medieval Weekend, organised by the Road to Agincourt project, was recently held at Manor Farm and Country Park, Bursledon.
The weekend was being launched to open a new walk, enabling people to walk down to the River Hamble where they could see the wreck of The Grace Dieu, one of Henry V’s ships. The interactive map I have written about in my previous Chandler’s Ford Today posts was in evidence too.
[Read more…] about Would You Live a Medieval Life?
My next couple of articles will be about the recent Medieval Weekend, organised by the Road to Agincourt project and backed, amongst others, by Hampshire and Eastleigh Councils.
But this post is a first for me. It’s the first time I’ve reviewed a walk, or perhaps I should say “road tested” it! (Even when I reviewed a walk in Salisbury, it was more of a review of the book it appeared in, Station Walks, given I wanted to see just how accurate and helpful the directions and description of things to spot on the walk were!). [Read more…] about Following the King: on the Great Ships Trail
I went to see Romeo and Juliet at Thornden Hall on Thursday, 7th July. This production was by the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company and was streamed thanks to National Theatre Live.
It was a wonderful production. [Read more…] about Timeless Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, Thornden Hall
Last week’s interview into the poetic life with successful local poet, Sandra Gordon, showed her sharing her thoughts about poetry and naming some of her favourite modern and classic poets.
I loved discovering the Poetry Foundation website as I researched some of those Sandra named. I hope to make great use of this given the site gives biographies of poets and shares samples of their works. It could be a great place to go to if you wanted to read more of a poet’s work but weren’t sure where to begin. The Poetry Society website is also full of useful information. [Read more…] about The Poetic Life: Sharing the Muse – Sandra Gordon
Sandra Gordon, near neighbour and local poet, has recently performed some of her poetry at the New Forest Folk Festival as part of the Lines and Squares Poets.
She has also received the exciting news her work will be published in The North magazine in July. [Read more…] about The Poetic Life: Interview with Sandra Gordon, Part 1
For lovers of history, who like getting out and about, there is the opportunity to learn how to be a heritage guide for free, with all expenses paid.
The opportunity offers exclusive behind the scenes trips to heritage sites.
You would also get to go to lectures from top historians and academics. [Read more…] about Want to Become a Heritage Guide?
The shuttle service from Chandler’s Ford Railway Station is great for commuting into Eastleigh and Southampton but is also a wonderful way of visiting Salisbury. The total journey time is just over an hour and there are some fantastic views of the country en route, particularly after Romsey. Most images for this post were taken by me.
Further to my interview with Jacci Gooding last week which focused on her adventures in self publishing, this post now looks at Jacci’s writing life.
She also reveals what she looks for in a good story as she prepares to launch her own short story collection, A Collection of Unsettling Short Stories. The anthology will be available as an ebook, as a paperback and in audio formats. [Read more…] about Interview: Jacci Gooding – The Writing Life
One of the things I love about writing for Chandler’s Ford Today has been the chance to interview fellow authors, to share news from the publishing world and so on.
Today I talk to Jacci Gooding, who I met at the Winchester Writers’ Festival. As well as learning a great deal from talks at conferences like this one, the other big joy has been making friends with other writers and knowing you are not alone out there. Mike Sedgwick touched on this theme recently with his post about the Secret Lives of Chandler’s Ford anthology. [Read more…] about Interview: Jacci Gooding – Adventures in Self Publishing
One great thing about living in Chandler’s Ford is the transport available given we are near the motorway network (without living on top of it). Then we have the railway station, a bus service and we are not far from the ferries.
I often use these links. For example I went a couple of years ago to the National Railway Museum in York, which has recently been in the news because of its restoration of The Flying Scotsman. [Read more…] about Away Days from Chandler’s Ford Station: York
One of the strange but nice things about dementia is the way arts can help retain memories. Singing, for example, seems to affect the brain in a way that can put patients on a level playing field with those without that awful disease.
Why? Because singing helps retain memories for all who take part, singing makes all feel good and can be a social event for all. [Read more…] about Interview Kate Day: Chocolate Muffin Publishing
