The first challenge from the spring platform-building campaign has arrived!
Campaigners have been asked to write a short story of 200 words, beginning with “Shadows crept across the wall” and ending with “everything faded”. We should also include the word “orange”.
Here’s my entry.
As part of getting to know my fellow Platform-Building campaigners, I have been tagged in two separate games of eleven questions. I have to answer the questions posed by my taggers and then set eleven questions of my own for another eleven bloggers. I’ll start with my twenty two answers.
Attention writers and bloggers! The lovely Rachael Harrie is running another of her splendid ‘platform building’ campaigns between now and 17 March.
The campaign is a great way to discover new blogs, network with fellow writers and stretch your creative muscles, so if you fancy joining in then pop by her blog now!
So a month of paying attention has come to an end and, once again, the river of stones has brought many good things to my life, courtesy of Fiona and Kaspa.
Of course there were days when writing my small stone was just anther thing on the ‘to do’ list, another task or obligation to be fulfilled. Nobody has a month that is entirely spiritual after all.
But looking back I can see that my little stream has helped me to capture the tone of this wintry month. It has helped me to remember some beautiful days and some poignant ones. It has helped me to mark the passing of time and to look for the moments that stand-out, even on days when hurrying was the name of the game.
And now my stream will merge with the river. My experiences will join with those of several hundred others and we will all take the time to be thankful, at the end of thirty one days, for the gift that was January.
Not many of the items on that ‘to do’ list have a result as positive as that!
To read all of my stones, click here.
The weather may not be encouraging us to get out and about just now but there’s still plenty to notice!
I’ve carried on with the January small stones project, organised by Fiona and Kaspa, and you can see the results of the past week’s writing on my river page.
This really is something everyone should try, even if it’s just for a few days. Taking time out to really look at the world will help you to slow down and appreciate every single day – even the freezing cold ones!
In January it is all too easy to get caught up in the bustle of packing away the old year, going back to work, setting goals and making resolutions. Instead I have been taking part in the River of Stones project – setting aside a little time each day to really notice something in the world that surrounds me, and then choosing just the right words to describe what I see.
There have already been one or two days on which this exercise has been something of a sanity-saver. On those days I’ve caught myself, mid-afternoon, running around breathlessly ‘doing’ things but not necessarily achieving anything of note. So I’ve stopped, I’ve looked out of the window, gone for a walk or just gazed at the room I am sitting in. I’ve taken the time to notice something I find beautiful and I’ve reminded myself to be grateful for it.
To see the results, visit my 2012 river page. It’s not too late for you to join in too!
From the piles of wood that warmed Viking longhouses to modern plasma ‘fireplaces’, the hearth has always been at the centre of our homes.
Whether cooking on it, huddling beside it or just watching it flicker, there is something inherently soothing about gathering beside the fire, especially on darker days.
I hope that you all have a warm place at the heart of your home and that you will have some free time to sit beside it over the next few days. May 2012 bring you peace, health, happiness, laughter and love.
See you in the New Year, and thank you for reading.
Claire.
Today I am delighted to be offering a comfy seat and a refreshing cuppa to the wonderful Nicola Morgan, who is whizzing around the interweb discussing her latest ebook, Mondays are Red. As those of you who know her can testify, I will also need to dust off a footstool for her customary, and impressive, red boots…
Although she now has around 90 books to her name, Nicola vividly remembers how she felt when she first achieved the status of debut author, and she has agreed to describe the experience for us today – over to you Nicola!
‘Tis the season for charity anthologies and this is the second post in a row that highlights an anthology, featuring a piece of my work, that is raising money for a fantastic cause. And this time I am one of the publishers!
Gloriously Us aims to bring the dementia community together through poetry, allowing people to express their feelings and explore cherished memories.
The project is being run by volunteers who hold poetry workshops for people living with dementia and their carers. This first volume contains more than 40 poems and, excitingly, has an introduction from award-winning writer, Joanne Harris.
The book is available in both hard copy and electronic formats and all profits will go to Alzheimer’s Society. To buy a copy, please visit the Gloriously Us website.
I am delighted to have two pieces of my work feature in a new anthology raising money for cancer charities, in memory of the remarkable Harry Moseley.
Harry died in October of this year, aged just 11. Before he died he managed to raise a staggering £85,000 for brain cancer research and all profits from the anthology will go towards increasing that amazing total still further.
The eBook brings together 176 pieces of flash fiction or poetry from 81 writers who met as a result of Rachael Harrie’s ‘Platform-Building Campaign’. It has been edited by Rachael and by Katharina Gerlach and is on sale for a very reasonable $2.99 (or 1.7 cents per story, bargain).
If you followed Harry on Twitter, are a lover of flash fiction or just want to support a great cause then please consider buying a copy. It is available to download from Amazon or Smashwords and you’ll find the links below.
Thank you 
Buy a copy from Amazon or from Smashwords
