As an instinctive night owl and habitual evening quaffer who requires a full eight hours of sleep, yet who strangely loves getting up early, most of my mornings are a struggle. As a planning addict (almost never follow through but get off on the thrill of planning) my struggles are further compounded with a bunch of self-imposed, idealistic and totally unnecessary rules such as my recent 8-9-10 rule.  It goes like this: I have to be washed, dressed and ready to start working or leave the house by 8am.   An alarm on my phone goes off at 9pm to alert me that I … Continue reading Creative Writing Week Two: Life Writing and Practice – Class Exercise: A Life in a Day

This site was hacked last week but is now restored as is the link. Continue reading Babs Horton Renewed

Ack!!  I long to be independently wealthy so I don’t have to interrupt doing what I want to do with something I have to do in order to pay bills! I am so in love with the drabble concept and here is my first attempt: Journeyman of the Gods He shook his head, his beard clinging to the crags of his face. “It wasn’t a fleece, but it was at the end of the world.  Don’t believe them when they tell you it’s round.  If you are not careful you can fall right off.” I poured Jason another drink and … Continue reading First Drabble

As if he did not have enough to do, we have Stuart Kelly of ‘The Browser’ fame as our reader in residence. Stuart Kelly Reader-in-Residence We believe good readers make good writers – and to demonstrate this, we’ve invented the position of Reader-in-Residence for the Edinburgh Napier MA in Creative Writing.  We’re delighted to welcome Scotland’s leading bibliophile, Stuart Kelly, who has agreed to give up valuable browsing time to pilot the Reader-in-Residence scheme for our first year. Stuart will take up residence in the Writers’ Room one afternoon a week, and will be available to chat about what you’re … Continue reading Reader-in-Residence

After two weeks I am just as certain that this course is right for me as I was before it started, and it’s because of the little things like – the different and very non-horrific approach to ice-breaking; the fact that David Bishop works to a list and ticks each action after completion; the fact that Sam Kelly smiles even when she is talking; that there is such a mix of people on the course; that we have our very own library, writer’s room and reader-in-residence; that I have already been challenged and introduced to something new; that we have … Continue reading It’s the little things that count