Freda Lightfoot's Blog, page 12

Writers' Holiday

Susan Alison, Penny Grubb, April Taylor, Sylvia Broady



Enjoyed a fabulous week at Writers' Holiday in Caerleon. It is always good to meet up with old friends who are as passionate about writing as you.

There are lots of courses to choose from, including painting, talks and evening speakers. We enjoy wonderful meals, and have lots of time to relax and chat about our favourite topic: Writing

Little Moreton Hall

Little Moreton Hall in Cheshire is a perfect example of a timber-framed black and white building. Fairly bare inside, save for a couple of splendid tables, but so very atmospheric. The main building work took place between 1504- 1610, after which the Moretons were obliged to let it out as the Civil War had pretty near bankrupted them.




Note the beautiful stained glass bearing the Heraldic

The Fleet

The Fleet at Marshalsea, named after the malodorous river that ran beside it, housed as many as three hundred prisoners, many accompanied by their families. Those who were unable to pay would beg for aid through a grille installed in the prison wall on Farringdon Street specifically for that purpose.

It was to this prison that Thomas Robinson was conducted, having failed to settle his debts. As

Guest post from Mary Wood, self published author.

Hello, Everyone,
My name is Mary Wood and I am delighted and honoured to be asked by Freda to guest post on her page and it is lovely to meet you all.
As an author of Historical Sagas, it is always nice to engage with readers who enjoy the genre and also to meet other authors writing in that field.
For those who are wondering who I am, I am a go-it-alone author of four best-selling kindle novels

Mary Robinson - Lady of Passion

Mary Robinson by Hoppner


I became fascinated by Mary Robinson, or ‘Perdita’, as she’s more commonly known. She was a complex character with flaws of vanity and pride, a predilection for spending but hugely ambitious, and a woman of great courage. Despite these weaknesses I couldn’t help but admire her.

She was married at just fourteen to Thomas Robinson, under family pressure as was often

Ten Ways to Stimulate your imagination or Solve Writers' Block

1. Cut the stress and stop worrying. You can either solve your problems or block them out. Writing is a sure cure for depression, pain etc. It is a wonderful therapy.

2. Take a break without thinking. Play music, relax, take a bath, lie in the dark or gaze up into a cloudless sky, go for a walk. Relax and do something completely different for a while.

3. Stimulate your creativity by making use

A Baltic cruise on the Queen Victoria

We’ve recently returned from a wonderful Baltic cruise on the Queen Victoria, and what a marvellous trip it was. Dancing into the wee small hours with the sun still shining and sunset blending into dawn is a sight never to be forgotten. Beautiful! Her décor is appropriately Victorian, and the service second to none. Excellent entertainment every evening and plenty of delicious food. The diet

Edit and Polish

Clichés - Banish them completely. Always search your mind for a more effective and unusual way of expressing your meaning.

Pomposity - Never try to be over-clever with language. Never talk down to the reader. Use your thesaurus by all means but not to show off with long words.

Dialogue - Sift out any words or phrases that don’t suit the character who is speaking.

Journalese - Beware of

‘Perdita’ - Fashion icon

Mary Robinson would never have been seen out looking anything but at her most elegant, although her style, at least in her early years, was less flamboyant than most. On her first visit to Ranelagh she wore a simple Quaker gown which ensured that she stood out. It was of light brown lustring with close round cuffs. She left her auburn curls unpowdered, upon which she pinned a plain round cap and

Revision

Questions to ask yourself as you revise - not in any particular order.
1. The beginning: Will it hook the reader? The novel needs to start where the problem makes itself most apparent so that a decision will need to be made, preferably coupled with some action. Do not swamp the reader with too much back story in the early pages, or too many minor characters. This will only confuse and slow down