Ducie’s Diary: April 2021
As predicted in last month’s diary, the Easter weekend saw us taking tea (and other beverages) with lots of friends in the garden. Our brand-new gazebo wasn’t needed, as the…
Ducie’s Diary: February 2021
As I sit writing this, I can see out of the corner of my eye custard coloured daffodils, tiny narcissi with trumpets of orange, pale yellow and purple crocuses and…
Ducie’s Diary: January 2021
We may be almost at the end of January, but hopefully it’s not too late to wish you all a very Happy New Year. It’s been while since I’ve written…
Ducie’s Diary: June 2020
Just over two months ago, I had everything mapped out for spring and early summer. I was due to have knee surgery on 26th March, so my physical movement was…
Ducie’s Diary: February
I know February is the shortest month, but it’s only by a day or two, especially this year, so why does it only seem about two weeks since I was…
Writerly Round-Up: August 2019
As we reach the final day of the hottest August Bank Holiday since records began (at least here in UK), I’m writing this while waiting for the sun to break…
Glass Half Full?
For the past couple of years, my first post in January has been a review of the previous year’s objectives: what I’ve managed to achieve; and where I’ve been less…
November’s Pot Luck Club
Welcome to November’s Pot Luck Club, a round-up of writerly bits and pieces. November has been a busy month for me, with three major events taking place in the first…
September’s Pot Luck Club
Welcome to this month’s Pot Luck Club, a round-up of writerly bits and pieces. It’s a wet and windy time here in Devon at the moment, as it is in…
August’s Pot Luck Club
Welcome to this month’s Pot Luck Club, a round-up of writerly bits and pieces. It’s Bank Holiday Monday here in the UK; which means, of course, that the sun has…
#Swanwick70: Who’s In The Book Room?
For the next week, this blog is moving to Derbyshire, to the little town of Swanwick, for the annual Writers’ Summer School. And this year, it’s a biggie: our seventieth…
July’s Pot Luck Club
Welcome to this month’s Pot Luck Club, a round-up of writerly bits and pieces. And what a beautiful month it’s been, here in the UK. We’re still basking in warm…
June’s Pot Luck Club
Welcome to this month’s Pot Luck Club, a round-up of writerly bits and pieces. I’ve had the benefit of a wonderful break in Greece this month, which has really recharged…
May’s Pot Luck Club
Welcome to this month’s Pot Luck Club, a round-up of writerly bits and pieces. For the second time this month, we have a Bank Holiday here in the UK. And…
April’s Pot Luck Club
Welcome to this month’s Pot Luck Club, a round-up of writerly bits and pieces. Another month gone already! And this morning, I had my first swim of the year in…
March’s Pot Luck Club
Welcome to this month’s Pot Luck Club, a round-up of writerly bits and pieces. It only seems like a couple of days since I wrote last month’s copy. But if,…
SMART Self-Assessment
This time last year, I posted an article about SMART objectives, and listed those I was planning to achieve in the coming year. Getting ready to do a repeat…
A Novel Is Announced
Anyone who has read part 3 of my Business of Writing series, Improving Effectiveness, or indeed read Terry Tyler’s Z Files last week where I exposed my inner Virgo, knows…
Read, Reflect, Review…
You know how sometimes a topic seems to crop up in lots of different places at the same time? Well for the past few days, everywhere I turn, I…
No Place For Bystanders
Anyone who’s read any of my books on business skills for writers, or sat in one of my workshops at Swanwick, knows I am a strong devotee of the…
2015 SMART Objectives
At the December meeting of Chudleigh Writers’ Circle, our guest speaker, Katherine Bolton, challenged us to buy an extra diary and keep it just for our writing deadlines and goals….
Looking Back Thankfully
It’s hard to believe, but there are only two Mondays left to this year. Next week, I’m going to be looking forward to 2015 and making some New Year’s…
Publishing Lessons Part 2
Back in October, I wrote about the first part of the publishing project for Gorgito’s Ice Rink. At that point, I’d only brought out the ebook. Now, two months on,…
A Writerly Round-Up: Blowing My Own Trumpet and Planning the Future
It’s been a busy few months. I spent much of May and June working on the publicity and logistics for our town’s annual summer festival, which took place earlier this…
The Business of Writing is No Joke
I’ve been running my own small business, together with my husband, for twenty-two years and it’s been a complete joy (well most of the time anyway). To start with, there…