DYCP Check In

It’s been a while since I posted a blog (plenty of book reviews though, do check those out!), mostly because I’ve been so busy getting on with my DYCP projects. If you missed my post back in September, I was explaining all about the ‘developing your creative practice’ grant that I received from the Arts Council England, and how excited I was to get started. So I thought I would do a little check in to let you know how it’s all going!

I can’t believe we’re at the end of May already, and the end of my grant year will be with me before I know it, so I’m trying to squeeze every last drop of opportunity out of this time. My focus has been on flash fiction: getting mentoring (from the talented writer Laura Besley), attending workshops, taking part in courses and devouring as much flash fiction as I can. I’ve taken part in some fantastic things, two highlights in particular were Matt Kendrick‘s ‘Glorious Words’ course and Stephanie Cartie’s ‘Psychology for Writers’ course. I can really see a ‘before and after’ in my writing — the quality of my prose being noticeably higher after each of these courses.

I’ve had two projects that I’ve been working on personally: a novella in flash and a flash collection. Both of these are at final draft stages now, and I’m so excited to get down to the nitty gritty of line edits on these, where I can (hopefully!) really make the writing shine. So, watch this space — I hope there will be news to share on both of these in due course!

Words From a Glass Bubble by Vanessa Gebbie

My rating: 5/5

A short story collection that will break you apart and reassemble you very slightly differently. That sounds so arty-farty, but that is genuinely how lots of these stories made me feel. Each is an uncomfortable read, as Gebbie brings us close to grief, trauma, addiction and other human plights. She brings us close enough that we want to cover our faces and say ‘no closer!’ but then she stops. Gebbie’s craft is so controlled, her language so precise, and her images so vivid that I know I’ll carry some of these stories with me for years.

Elements of Style by William Strunk

My rating: 4/5

This tiny book is a gemstone of grammar. It’s how to write, in a technical sense: how to use the tools of grammar correctly. From when to use a semicolon to sentence structure, split infinitives to commonly misued words, this book contains all the rules my generation should have been taught at school but wasn’t. So much of my writing I compose intuitively; reading this has given me the confidence to know why some sentences are better than others. Outdated in places, and a very dry read, but definitely valuable!