Quick note! If you’re interested in writing, illustrating, translating or publishing books for kids, take note that Bologna’s children’s book fair is going online this month, running from 14th to 17th June. Registration is open. You can already book into virtual events. Enjoy! Divertiti!
Today I invite you to write about mountains. These could be arid mountains, snowy peaks or luscious, tropical mountains – the choice is yours. Perhaps you climb mountains all the time, or maybe you have never seen one in person. Either way, these exercises I devised will get the imagination travelling! We’ll have some fun … More Creative writing exercises – mountains
As we edge into summer, I can’t help but think of a Finnish island I often visit in books. The island was the summer stomping ground of Tove Jansson, the fiercely creative artist and author of the Moomins books that both children and adults still cherish. In her books and letters – see Letters from … More Books – Tove Jansson’s island summers
Nature is a great starting point in creative writing. Below are some easy and useful writing exercises I have put together. Let’s have a go! Firstly, why write about nature? It’s all around us! Even in the thick of a city we can look up at the sky or observe a butterfly or plant pot … More Creative writing exercises – the seasons
When I’m not writing children’s fiction I love reading it. So recently I’ve been looking for new and old children’s books from further afield. I did online research and I asked friends and family from around the world which books delighted them in childhood, or which books line their own children’s bookshelves now. In the … More Children’s books from around the world
So you’ve got a pen or laptop and you’re ready to write. Now all you need is headspace and a writing prompt… So, I often suggest people start by inventing their dream writing space. This is about getting inspired and finding time for you! Are you ready? Let’s get imagining! Design Your Dream Writing PlaceFor … More Creative writing – invent a dream office
These goslings are winning everyone’s hearts at the park! I photographed them last week with a Canon EOS 750D, which I’m learning to use. And I spotted some baby coots, too, trotting about after their parent. The goslings have the sweetest little wings! Adorable. I look forward to taking/posting more photos soon as I get … More Wildlife photography in spring
The sea is a powerful resource in creative writing. It is constant yet ever-changing and a force beyond our control. We associate it with catharsis and travel, relief and danger. In creative writing, the state of the sea could even set the tone for a scene or suggest a character’s emotional state. In the pandemic … More Creative writing exercises – the sea
Here are ideas on how to keep writing. Lockdown is a life experience that can fuel creativity – creativity that in turn can fuel us… … More Ways to keep writing during lockdown
A sketchbook is a visual journal, a means of practice and a way to relax. Keeping a daily sketchbook was one of my New Year’s resolutions. I soon realised that for me this was, like all my resolutions, best seen as an intention rather than a pass/fail stringent duty. Sometimes the impetus to draw isn’t … More The art of keeping a sketchbook
The Goodship Illustration art club is a fun, weekly event run online by three illustrators. … More The cheery, online art club!
Our garden is small but it’s packed with colour this November. I challenged myself yesterday to photograph the different hues and life in it, rather than grumble about the lack of space. I realised, again, that this tiny garden is full of treats I often overlook. Full of creatures I know nothing about, going about … More A tiny garden, teaming with colour!
