My thoughts about books, writing, life and so many other things….Judy Leigh/ Elena Collins.
A young man I know in his thirties was talking to me recently about the huge responsibility of having children. He believed that in these times of political upheaval and change, it was unwise to bring another being into the world. He certainly couldn’t justify doing it. I had a great deal of sympathy and …
Continue reading Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em. And We Wouldn’t Change A Thing…
This third part of my ‘Getting Published’ guide is all about finding, working with and being grateful for editors. Here’s a true story for you. I go to a great writers’ group each month, and I recall a few years ago at a meeting this wonderful man became really passionate when I was talking about …
http://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DRXeLdGFU/ If you can access the clip, please have a look at the film for my new book Golden Girls on the Run. It was made on location, and in the Haynes Motor Museum, and edited by the fabulously talented Ivor Abiks at Deep Studios. Huge thanks to Ive, Jane and Big G for starring …
When we were kids, we’d have a very clear idea of what we wanted for Christmas. In some way or other, it was based on something we thought would make our young lives better: a toy, a book. Something we could own, keep, enjoy. My mother told me she’d always get an orange or an …
I was inspired by a photo a friend sent to me of a Ferrari, in all its glorious red sporty shininess, parked outside a shop somewhere in Surrey. It struck me as a sleek bit of unnecessary luxury, and it was open-topped and unoccupied. I’m no thief, but anyone could have jumped in it and …
It’s November now and hopefully everyone’s starting to settle into the cold months and feel the benefits of the nicer things that come with it; baked potatoes and hot drinks and fireside evenings. Am I the only person who’s had a tough October? I don’t think so. Lots of people find the decrease in sunlight …
A few weeks ago I blogged the first part of ‘How To Get Published’ and the response was overwhelmingly nice, so here’s part two. Of course, this is a guide. There are no guarantees. I know lots of people –six I could name without pause – who are brilliantly gifted writers and why they aren’t …
Here are two poems I wrote for the writers' group. I promised I'd put them on my blog, so here they are. Thie first one is in response to some discussion we had at a recent meeting about people using curses, so it's about a curse. I heard one once. That was enough. The second …
I love Greek theatre. And it really helps me when I'm writing novels. It helps me create character, action, contrast, tension. It’s a really big deal for me in all my books, whatever the genre. So here we go for some cool elements of Greek Theatre for you to incorporate into your next novel. Or …
I’ve just finished two edits and a novel recently. Book number thirty, maybe - I'm not good at counting them. But this means it’s time to do a few things I’ve missed out on recently. Think. Read. Chat. Blog. Hang out. I haven’t been away in ages, and it would be lovely to do a …
That quintessence of dust 