Friday 12 September 2008

312 days to go: Lady In red



Arrived at the Writers In Prison Network annual conference.
It was lovely to see some familiar faces and share our news.
There are only 100 of us in the world doing this job so there are few opportunities to talk "shop" and share experiences.
The conference takes place in Welshpool when the Network takes over a lovely development of cottageswhich date back to 1676.
The cottages are surrounded by rolling countryside and there are two llamas and a goat in the garden.
I am sharing a room with Jane Bidder who is better known as the novelist Sophie King.
Jane and I met last year and hit it off immediately. Jane, like me, began her career as a journalist before writing novels.
I hope to follow in her footsteps!
I had been reading Jane's latest novel, The Supper Club, on the train and I loved it.
After unpacking Jane, Mandy (another writer) and I jumped into the hot tub to enjoy a glass of wine before a communal supper.
The following day (Thursday) was the conference when even more people arrived and we shared our progress.
The evening is taken up with "The Writer's Present" where are we all perform our work. I read out my recent article in The Guardian, Jane read out the first page of her book while some acted out plays they had written, the performance poets do their stuff and we hear short stories, snatches of screenplays and watch a short film.
By midnight the performance is over and we gathered in the large kitchen chattering away and sharing anecdotes until the early hours.
I wore
Red Dress: Joe Brown
Jeans: Gap
Belt: Asos
Cowboy Boots: Dorothy Perkins

1 comment:

Darla said...

You know I'm always delighted to find a new writer. BTW, I just started Mosse's Labyrinth.

Darla