Just this week a writing group in a town just a short drive from me, started. Being so rural, any social group can be a lifeline from feeling buried, but with all my building work going on right now, sometimes I have to miss quite a few..but I still keep up on social media and participate as best I can….enthusiasm I don’t lack.

So having missed the first session, I still wanted to complete the introduction and copied it here as it sort of sums up where I am right now with writing.

▹What kinds of writing do you do on a regular basis?

I write my blog http://www.judicastille.com. I started back in 2013 about our journey to France and it developed into posts about renovation, my pouktry passion, my art and photography and future projects. My following is still under 1000 but I have got to 54 on favorite French blogs, so it’s getting there.

I am continuing to add more notes to my increasing messy filing system for my book writing…. children’s books but more in the vein of traditional…wind in the willows, Charlotte’s Web. I will be illustrating them too.

They are mostly drafted but need tightening up and developing their plots more. The characters I am very happy with…they are real to me and need a voice. Its humour, adventure and alot of animated competition between characters.

▹What is your favourite kind of writing? Why?

It was literature..French, Russian but now I read biographies, autobiographies, books on history, design and fashion and musicians. I love why people do what they do or how they extricate themselves from difficult situations. History I have always loved…it helps you understand why you shouldn’t repeat things.

And of course children’s books. I read many. I am sad that many start well but end a little like a damp squib, a little disappointing.
I read primarily to ensure my own books are still original as they can be, ie no one else has yet done that story and because I just love the quickness, fun and to the point narratives.

▹Describe yourself as a writer using five adjectives.

Whimsical, storyteller, compassionate, empathetic, sentimental.

▹What is your biggest challenge as a writer?

Plots. And funnily English grammar…I am very rusty and really need to regroup on this subject and this will enable better structure. I do not wish to loose the spontaneity however and simplicity of language.

What kinds of critiques have you received from teachers, colleagues, friends, and other readers?

Husband very critical to the point of being a tad too direct sometimes..but that’s good. I had a friend who was good at language and critique and again she was very focused and blunt about the pace, humour etc. But I am very wary of critique as many books that have become popular, well read are not necessarily well written and many publishing houses have turned down great books. More so now as creativity via social media is providing a forum for some sort of critique.

▹What is your greatest strength as a writer?

Finishing, character development. Online followers re my blog often mention they feel and see the character and empathise.

What do other people normally praise about your writing style?

The whimsical element.

▹If you could change one thing about your writing or writing process, what would it be?

At the moment I am tied up with illustration, so it’s to do more writing and honestly I have only just got draught ideas in place. I wish I had studied writing…its on my project list. However just this month I managed 40 pages of draft writing for my pirate adventure book, so really chuffed with myself!

▹Have you changed as a writer in the last five years? If so, how? Why?

Definitely. Living in the country and actually having the characters with me, ducks, guineas etc, meant my writing was more accurate and focused better on each of their qualities, than what I imagined them to be. I have diversified my subject range and also learned to be less stressed about progress.

▹Describe yourself sitting down to write an important piece of writing. Where are you? What are you writing with? (A computer? Pen and paper?) Is there music or other distractions in the background? How do you feel? (Anxious? Excited? Relaxed? Nauseated?) What are you thinking about? (Your audience, your ideas? Your grade?)

I work best late into the evening, even to 3am. I sit at my desk in my studio or in my lounge at my art table. I use pen and paper but then commit to computer. I have music on, very varied. I am usually very relaxed as I tend to work regular sessions. .habit from being a tax accountant, working on my own to deadlines. I treat writing and illustration as a semi job, it needs to progress and have an end. I feel my characters are real. I don’t really worry about audience. The books are firstly for me and I need to release them from inside. I then think if others might care for them. I really hope to write books that are seen as very sentimental and traditional, sort of heartwarming, companions, stories to encourage fun, imagination, joy. By illustrating too, I would like to control how my characters look. The art is an important as the writing.