Camping at the Flash Fiction Festival in Bristol. I thought my camping days were over, but no! Lovely to see so many fellow writers and attend some great workshops. I even sang karaoke!
In writing: As, sadly, Louise Walters, who published by novella In the Sweep of the Bay, decided to stop publishing, I started working on a project to develop the book into a full-length novel, a saga going back to the 1930s and continuing until the present day.
August
In the footsteps of my ancestors
Great trip to Scotland, visiting old friends and also the place in Eskdalemuir where my paternal great grandparents are buried. I found that very emotional.
In writing: On my return I wrote a little piece for Paragraph Planet (which was published later in the month)
In his footsteps. He was a shepherd, but now there are no sheep. The hills are half-covered in plantations of firs- sitka spruce, he would never have heard of it. But he would have heard what I hear now – the meadow pipits, willow warblers, swallows. All of them, and the sound of the river, the White Esk, ever-flowing, dancing and burbling down the valley. My great-grandfather and me, walking the same land, then, now.
September
Rainbow over Newport Bay, North Pembrokeshire
I took on a challenge which was initially to walk 30 miles in the month in aid of Dementia UK. I decided to aim for 100 and in the end walked 134.5 miles – including some brilliant walks in West Wales – and, thanks to many people’s generosity, raised £1,255 for the charity. So pleased and proud and it’s inspired me to aim for a new walking challenge in 2024 – more of that in the New Year!
No writing really – walking was the most important thing for me in September.
The final part of my 2023 Snapshots series follows on 31 December.
I was delighted to be invited to put forward a photo prompt for the Retreat West Micro Fiction competition in April, and even more delighted that it inspired 139 people to enter, the largest number since the monthly competition has been running!
It was fascinating to read the shortlisted entries, and I loved both the winning entries, which you can read here.
I thought people might be interested to know where I took the photograph. It is at Borobudur in Central Java, Indonesia.
This famous Buddhist site is often referred to as a temple, but it’s actually a place for walking meditation on the stone friezes, which are on seven levels.
When I visited, back in 2013, we got there very early in the morning because by soon after 9am it is too hot to be up there. We were not alone – there were, as you can see in the photograph above, masses of school children too! Here’s what I wrote in my travel journal at the time:
Children kept asking if they could take my photograph and I kept saying ‘no thank you’. My friend said – ‘You should photograph the monument, this is your heritage, we are just human beings’. They didn’t get it, of course, how would they? To them, West is best. Wrongly of course.
The photograph I offered as the story prompt was taken with my back to the monument, looking out towards Mount Merapi. It looks peaceful in this scene, but is Indonesia’s most active volcano!
Mount Merapi, from Borobudur, Central Java, Indonesia
I’m not keen on counting, but it’s good to review the year and consider some very lovely times.
Month by month, here are my writing highlights and a celebratory photo for each.
January
Delighted to have a rare poem published in Visual Verse
Saw Emma Rice’s company in the brilliant ‘Wise Children’ here
February
Had three flashes published this month. Particularly proud of The Man I Am Not Marrying, published in Spelk
Miri, one of the cats at Ty Mawr convent where I went on retreat
March
After a nail-biting time, signed a book deal with Louise Walters Books for my second novella, In the Sweep of the Bay, due to be published on 17th September 2020.
Walking in our lovely hills on the first day of Spring
April
Took part in both the Abergavenny Writing Festival and the Llandeilo Litfest.
Abergavenny welcomed friends from our twin town in France, Beaupréau, for an Easter weekend of sunshine and music
May
A wonderful week at Palazzo Forani in the village of Casperia in the Sabine Hills, north of Rome, led by ace flash fiction writers Kathy Fish and Nancy Stohlman. New writing, new friends, new food!
Learning to make pasta, Italian-style, with Gianna and Carla
June
Spent a day at the Flash Fiction Festival in Bristol. More great writing experiences – and lovely to meet so many writers I knew from internet connections.
Dear Feely, enjoying a lazy June day
July
Spoke at another LitFest, this time in Caerleon.
Visited a lovely garden on my birthday
August
Structural and line edits of In the Sweep of the Bay completed.
In training for September’s big walk!
September
Copy editing time for the novella. Challenged myself to write a (long) short story of which of which I was given paragraphs 1 and 20. Could be the bones of a new novella…
Trekking on Hadrian’s Wall with Elizabeth, Eileen and Jane to raise money for the charity PSPA
October
Busy weekend at the beginning of the month: up to Leicester for the launch of this anthology one day and at the Crickhowell LitFest talking about novellas the next.
Wonderful kippers for breakfast on a little trip to Whitby
November
Finally started writing the story of my Auntie Phyllis, internationally famous circus artiste!
Having a drink at our local vineyard with OB and the Three Amigos, visiting us on their world tour
December
Five flashes published this month, after a lean time.
Origami Christmas star – and a lucky stone with a hole!
May was mainly about Italy and flash fiction, retreating in the idyllic (but rather cold and wet!) setting of Casperia in the Sabine Hills north of Rome, in the company of ace tutors Kathy Fish and Nancy Stohlman and an inspiring group of fellow writers. Lots started there that will surely bear fruit in the future. And at the end of the week we got to read our work in a bookshop in Rome!Reading in the Otherwise Bookshop, photo courtesy of Jayne Martin
June went by in a flurry of visits to Hay to hear writers many and various speaking, London – where I met up with my publisher number 2 Louise Walters and her team at a book launch for Laura’s Laakso‘s Fallible Justice, and Bristol for more flash fiction and meet-ups with writing friends at the 2019 Flash Fiction Festival.
July has been about edits for novella number 2 and reading, lots of reading. As one of the team of judges for the Not the Booker prize last year, I get to help select one of the shortlist for this year’s prize. Our choice will be revealed very soon!
Reading in the Otherwise Bookshop, photo courtesy of Jayne Martin
Cath Barton 