Write Your Own Myths

 I'm absolutely thrilled with this beautiful cover by Anette Pirso, who has also illustrated WRITE YOUR OWN MYTHS throughout, making the book a rich and beautiful experience. It's a non-fiction title for 12+ - a guide to creating your own myths with creative writing prompts.

Things to Do on Holiday: Creative Workshops for Children in Cranleigh, Surrey 3rd & 4th April

I will be running some creative workshops for children at Manns of Cranleigh, Surrey, on the 3rd and 4th April, with children's author Zanna Davidson.

Book your places here: there are two groups, for 5-7s and 7-11s.

Hatred: a poem

I led a First Story creative writing workshop today, and we did the Poetry Machine, which generated some great first lines.

Here’s mine, based on “Hate shields you from the rain.”

Hate shields you from the rain,
When you open it.
Usually, it squats in the hall,
Furled like a bat at roost.
When the darkening skies
Split open, I have to run for the
Bus. There’s a spoke missing.
My hatred flaps.
It makes a space, for sure:
Small, private, empty.
But what it doesn’t do
Is keep the wind out.
You’ll still get battered.

Hunger: A poem

 I was running a creative writing workshop yesterday. I usually take part in the exercises, for kicks. Here's a poem that came out of it:

HUNGER
There he is again.
So tiny, to start with.
Flipping a coin, he smirks in the sun.

Under the cracks he creeps,
Tipping his hat, so ruefully,
Brushing the dust off his sleeve.
He squats in the fridge,
Nibbling the potatoes,
Sticking his thumb in the cream.

I let him dance on my table,
Too lazy to banish him.
He uses my fork as a cane.

He’s bigger now: as tall as a
Candle. He yammers, and
Blows out his cheeks.

I put on some toast.
He flickers his tongue.
To end him, you’d have to be dead.