My thoughts about books, writing, life and so many other things….Judy Leigh/ Elena Collins.
I was seventeen, and a woman in our little Oxfordshire village, Sue Monks, (*) asked me to babysit her two children one Saturday night while she and her husband went out. She promised me a few pounds for it. So naturally I said yes. Her two brown haired kids were called Lucy and Sarah. They …
Continue reading A True Story. Not for those who have bad dreams…
Now Valentine's Day has gone for another year, here's a short story I wrote in a few minutes for our local writing' group a week ago. The story's not really going anywhere yet. It's just a bit of fun. The Valentine Card February the fourteenth was just another day. David did what he always did …
I’ve never told anyone this story. It’s not the most pleasant or impressive story in which I feature, and I’m not proud of myself. I was young – that’s my only excuse. It begins with my dad in his arm chair shouting: ‘There’s a bloke at the front door for you. He looks like a …
I belong to a wonderful writing group, in which writers' work of all genres is celebrated each month. The standard of writing is astonishingly high and I always come away feeling supported by others and in awe of their work. This is something I wrote for our last meeting. I don't have much time as …
Here's a story I wrote for Solitary Writers, the group I belong to. It might form the basis for somethng else one day. I hope you enjoy it. A Railway Station... A railway station late at night is a desolate place. This one’s no different, with its high metal structure arcing above, solitary pigeons rising …
This story is one that is still told in the West Country, while families and friends sit around log fires, staring into the flames. It is a tale of the old ways and the old folk that were our ancestors, many years ago. It began with a hunter, a young man, tall and broad, with …
Here's a short story I wrote. It's a sad one...
I enjoy writing for specific events or audiences, as there is a kind of precision and framework to be considered. It's quite an interesting mental exercise when you have a word limit, or when you have to create something for a specific genre. I like writing newspaper or magazine articles, poems, speeches, plays, all of …
Continue reading The excitement of writing for a competition…
It's rare that I write about myself. In my novels, characters and situations are imaginary. I rarely bring myself into what I write, although I include what I know and if I don't, my ideas will be inspired by other people or based on research. Many of my older characters have something of the inspirational …
Here's a short story I wrote recenty about lockdown. I know a lot of people are by themselves, in flats where they have no access to outdoor spaces. Thinking of what it must be like to be in that situation, I wrote a few lines. The First Floor Flat Outside is bleak. Inside is quiet, …
That quintessence of dust 