My thoughts about books, writing, life and so many other things….Judy Leigh/ Elena Collins.
Based on my radio interview on CakEhole last week with the wonderful Julie Mullen, I decided to write a blog post about editing. We discussed it on her show, as so often writers think it must be an awful process. The belief is: you've written it, so it must hurt to change it, right? Not …
Continue reading On Writing: What the editing process is like for a writer?
Once a week, on a Wednesday, I appear on a community radio show, 'CakEhole with Julie Mullen,' and we talk about all things to do with novels and writing for fifteen minutes. It is one of the highlights of my week as Julie is so much fun to chat with. Based on our conversations, I …
As the worst of lockdown is over, despite wide predictions of another possible ‘wave’, we are all looking forward to the summer and the chance to travel again, whether it is to the nearest beach, or to see much-missed friends, or to somewhere distant but safe. It will be lovely to spend time in the …
Originally given the working title The Hokey Cokey Woman, I set out to write a story about Molly, a seventy-year-old widow who leaps into situations with complete abandon, later realising that what she’s chosen isn’t for her and she should have considered all options and thought more wisely. But part of Molly’s charm is that …
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…
I'm always busy with novels, writing them or editing them or thinking of new ideas. But writing can be a fairly isolated profession, so I'm always glad of an opportunity to collaborate with others. The Boldwood writing community is very special; there's a supportive group of women and men who seem always to be there …
Continue reading I had so much fun with this writing exercise…
This week I finished writing a novel, some 97, 000 words that I'm quite pleased with. It's a story of a woman and her neighbour on a quest to discover something new after a life-changing event, and it contains a secondary character I love to bits, an impressive lady who speaks her mind and is …
As a writer, I’m blessed with being able to work from home and I’m so lucky to have a job I enjoy, that I return to each day with energy and enthusiasm. Lockdown is a difficult time for everyone in their own way, but some people have real problems in managing to get by in …
Continue reading Lockdown, languages and me. (Warning: much failure, a little success…)
I love the way films and live theatre give us as an audience the opportunity to immerse ourselves in a story through the eyes of the characters we meet. It's fascinating how a few lines on a page, a book or a script, can be turned into something visual and vibrant in front of our …
Continue reading Imagine Five French Hens as a Hollywood film with this huge cast…!!
I’m really lucky to have several local walks I go on which, whatever season, are beautiful. My favourite walk is up on the top of the beacon, which means an uphill path through farmland, a stroll through the woods, a hike across flat grass with a panoramic view of the whole county and finally a …
Continue reading The true story of the inspirational canal couple.
That quintessence of dust 