I’d wanted to write for some years but it was only as the children got older and we moved up to the Midlands in 1999 that I felt I might have the time. A character in my head kept saying ‘Write my story!’ and I’d even begun to draft a novel for her, but I couldn’t get past chapter three. The thought of sharing my writing with a group of strangers, who no doubt had years of experience, was very intimidating so it took a degree of courage to go along to the local Writers’ Circle that I’d seen advertised in a free paper. The group turned out to be quite small, eight that day, with a range of ages and abilities. The speaker was a local historian who gave us a slide presentation about his work and a month later there was a manuscript evening where members read out a passage of work in progress and were given constructive feedback by the members. I didn’t feel up to sharing my story but several months later I took the plunge, and was pleased by the advice and encouragement I received. It gave me the confidence to carry on writing. Read the rest of this entry »