A Critiquing Day

On Monday the Parisot Writing Group met for a day of critiquing.  I submitted a short story based on the novel I'm writing, but written from the point of view of one of my other characters, which was an interesting exercise to do.  As usual the session was lively and I found the feedback helpful. It is our last meeting for a while as I’m heading off to commence an MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa.  I will miss everyone.

Flash Fiction

I am delighted that one of my flash fiction stories has been shortlisted in this quarter's Flash 500 competition. I should know within a couple of weeks if it's good enough to make the top three. Good luck to everyone on the shortlist!

The First Parisot Writing Group Outing

On Thursday the Parisot Writing Group went on its first outing.  The destination was Chateau de Cénevières in The Lot.  The Chateau and the Lot River are the inspiration behind the story one of our members is writing and it was illuminating to see the actual setting for her story and to envisage her characters there.  The owner’s son, Patrick de BRAQUILANGES gave us the tour and it was interesting to get the perspective from someone who had grown up in the chateau.  He showed us a cot that all the Braquilanges babies had slept in.  He offered us a glass of wine at the end, which went down very well!   Afterwards we had a picnic at Calvignac and wandered around the contemporary art structures installed there as part of the Exoplanete Lot exhibition.  We agreed that a summer outing should be a regular feature on the writing group agenda!    

The Writing Scene in France

In the August edition of Living France there is an informative article by Vanessa Couchman about the thriving expat writing scene in France.  The piece features the Parisot Writing Group with photos! 

Gascony Writers Anthology 2016

My copy of the Gascony Writers Anthology has arrived, showcasing fifteen short stories covering diverse subjects and writing styles.  I'm so pleased to see my flash fiction story, Pilgrimage in print. To order your copy (6 Euros plus postage) please contact:  gasconywriters@gmail.com

'The Cow' acrylic on canvas by Ginster Plantagenet

Finding The Time to Write

My writing plans have gone awry of late, so it was good to finally get down to doing some writing last week.  I managed to write two new short stories (2,000 words each) and sent them off to two competitions (The Quercy Local Short Story Competition and Mslexia Short Story Competition).  It was liberating to be writing some new material.  I now need to get back to writing novel number two so no more procrastinating!

The Best. Winners and Runners Up from the International Club of Bordeaux's 1st Annual Short Story Competition (English Edition)

This anthology by the International Club of Bordeaux contains stories by some members of the Parisot Writing Group.   The ebook is available from Amazon and is free of charge until Wednesday. Just click on anthology or ebook and it will take you to the relevant Amazon page.