All Blogposts

  • NaPoWriMo Week 2

    NaPoWriMo Week 2

    Originally posted on The Bell Jar: Halfway through NaPoWriMo Ahoy folks. There has, inevitably, been a huge falling off in the number of people writing a poem a day for National Poetry Writing Month – but my cockles are warmed tremendously by the poems that are still rolling in, in response to my daily prompts… Read more

  • Don’t mention the T word – NaPoWriMo Week 2

    Don’t mention the T word – NaPoWriMo Week 2

    I’d be lying if I said that NaPoWriMo Week 2 has run smoothly.  Margaret Thatcher died on Monday and my timelines have been ablaze with articles, opinions, debates, anecdotes and rants.  It’s been a distracting week. Personally, I wasn’t a fan of Thatcher or Thatcherism and the news of her death and the ensuing  brouhaha… Read more

  • NaPoWriMo Week One (Never mind about dinner, is the poem written?)

    NaPoWriMo Week One (Never mind about dinner, is the poem written?)

    Here is the first of my weekly NaPoWriMo updates.  I won’t be posting all 30 poems (30?! *gasp*) on this blog – maybe one or two – as I’d like to keep them available to send to magazines and competitions. I’m very grateful to Carrie Etter for suggesting I take part in this month-long poetry… Read more

  • Holiday Blog – very happy to be left behind

    Holiday Blog – very happy to be left behind

    Just back from four days in Devon. Here are some snaps of my energetic family (one husband, two children aged 13 and 12) walking and cycling ahead of me. If I’d taken a waterproof camera I could also have shown you photos of them swimming, far, far ahead of me. No swimming in the sea… Read more

  • Off to Devon and off-line

    Off to Devon and off-line

    I’m off to North Devon (in the South West of England) with limited internet access so I won’t be posting for a while. As I’ve mentioned before I’ve signed up for NaPoWriMo (as suggested by Carrie Etter) as have many others, including publisher and writer Colin Will and writer and poetry activitist Flo Reynolds, whose… Read more

  • NaPoWriMo – I’m in!

    NaPoWriMo – I’m in!

    “Who’s up for NaPoWriMo?” asked Carrie Etter and I thought, “Why not?” For those who don’t know National Poetry Writing Month is a promise, a pledge, a dare, a boast to write a poem a day throughout April – 30 poems in 30 days.  Carrie has attempted to do this every April since 2008.  She’s… Read more