Nanomo

Writers will not be puzzled at the title of this post. Masochist scribblers subject themselves to a competition to write a novel in a month. See this official website if you are tempted. It takes me two years to write a novel – much of that time is spent on research then after the writing, the hard work of editing begins, followed by persuading wise publishers to adopt my work. Spending more than two hours at a stretch on nothing but writing would send me beserk – I have to do something physical such as riding my bike or tramping up a hill. All this in addition to house and garden work, looking after baby grandson a day a week and other duties. If you are interested in Nanomo then read a helpful article by my friend Dave Haslett at Ideas4writers. Just click on the links page on my website and see the top of the page here.

David Gardiner, the Irish writer of reknown – his Rainbow Man short stories are legendary (here is his Amazon author’s page) – took some photographs of me with my bike at the UK Authors Away week last month and here they are.

You can see I still need to lose a stone or so. The background is the Pen-y-Banc farmhouse B&B near Llanysul – marvelous eco-friendly place. My bike is a Dawes Super Galaxy, a favourite for long-distance tours.

Check out my writing buddy’s new website – http://www.beczugor.com/ she is an outstanding rising writing star.

Cycling to UKAway

The last week or so has been a time of brain-stretching writers’ workshops, entertaining conversation and rotating legs. I’d cycled the 150 miles via drovers’ roads and minor roads from Chester to Carmarthenshire to attend the UKAuthors Away week at PenyBanc Farm, Ceridwen Centre near Llandysul. Now in my 60s I take my time with the cycling and stayed at Crewgreen near Oswestry and the next night at Lloyd’s Hotel in Llanidloes. I would have stayed at youth hostels but there are none on my route. That route included almost all of the National Cycle Network 81 and 82 from Shrewsbury to Fishguard. A feel for some of the marvellous scenery en route is presented in the two photographs. The first is from the Welsh Marches Heldre Hill (364m above sea level) looking south. The second is from the highest point of the route 81 (530m) looking west towards Devil’s Bridge over the horizon. As you can see from the skies, the weather on the way down was showery. On the way back – same route in reverse – the weather was diabolical. I now know how it is to cycle in a waterfall for 7 hours. (I am the world’s slowest cyclist).

PenyBanc Farm is part of the Ceridwen Centre  but our writing group was too small to justify the larger building. So we stayed at the Farmhouse. Wonderful ecological-friendly environment where Roger and Simone did a splendid job looking after my vegan diet and more than satisfied the non-veggies too. I was obliged to learn some forms of poetry and here is a sample of a Cinquain from non-poet me:

A Cinquain Sinking Feeling

Comfort

Zone is within

These words as long as I

Try not to outwit myself or

Others

There will be a chapbook produced of our combined efforts of short stories, poems and photographs. I went for lots of short walks, which were as healthy as longer walks in other parts of the country because of the steep gradients everywhere. David Gardiner of the marvellous Rainbow Man hiked with me along the River Teifi for inspiration and to admire the scenery. When the chapbook is published I’ll put the link here.

A highlight of the week was an open mike session in a Carmarthen pub organised by Scribes R Us. I didn’t sell many of my own books to the writers I met during the week. In fact I bought from them just one book short of the books I sold. Hey ho. Few writers make a living from our craft but we glow from the creativity.

Here’s David Gardiner being inspired by the River Teifi: