So today is about something completely different that keeps me feeling in the pink of life. Crime!
Yes, dear readers, I like crime.
Well reading it. And trying to write it!
Last Saturday I attended the Killer Women Crime Writing Festival. Love the name of the event, conjures up all sorts of nasty images…
It was presented at the stunning Shoreditch Town Hall, which coincidentally had played host to the inquiry into the murder of Jack the Ripper’s last known victim – so very apt for this event!
The place was brimming with talented crime writery types like Val McDermid, Martina Cole, SJ Watson, Rachel Abbot, Ann Cleeves…The list of writers appearing on the day was phenomenal. There were workshops ranging from ‘how to pitch a novel’ to ‘building suspense’, alongside events featuring debut crime writers like Paul Burston, Agnes Ravatn, Michelle Davies and Chris Whitaker. I’m currrently reading Michelle Davies’s’ novel ‘Gone Astray’ – full of suspense, twists and turns, an excellent page-turner, loving it…Looking forward to reading the other authors books too.
There was something for everyone at the Festival, writers and readers alike. I highly recommend it.
Go next year!
So why did I attend?
Well currently, for starters, I am writing non-fiction – ‘Pilates for Runners’ published by Bloomsbury in April 2017 and another one hopefully nearly in production as most of you know… and some (fiction) short stories and articles. But of course, a novel, the novel, my novel, is calling my name…I’ve started it. It’s crime. Hah! But I look at what other writers produce and immediately feel totally inadequate – there is so much talent out there. Though by attending courses and festivals the confidence slowly grows and I begin to feel inspired, because I hear how other authors managed to become published and how hard it is. But that it is absolutely possible to do. I pick up snippets of writery guidance and tips and hope that I can stop procrastinating long enough to get down and write it!
So a big thank you to the organisers of the 2016 Killer Women Crime Writing Festival – see you next year!
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