Monday Coffee

Thanks for joining me at the virtual coffee house! It’s great to see you after such a long time. Grab your coffee and let’s get settled on the big yellow sofa in the corner near the fire. It’s chilly again tonight and the threat of rain is imminent, as always.

Over our relentless winter and very short spring, my  work, studies and family have taken priority and shoved writing to the background. At last, I am slowly easing back into it in preparation for the final summer push when I’m going to knuckle down and complete the two books that have been taunting me for more than a year. I know – I’ve said this before and The Pink Mask is still waiting to reveal itself! Well, if I set the deadline, hopefully some of you will hold me accountable and harass me enough to get it done. After all, you’re my greatest support when it comes to writing.

Did you follow the Blogger’s Bash in May? I was hoping to share my experience of it with you. Unfortunately, I had to sacrifice the day for my final exam assignment which was due the week after. Though I missed out on the day, I got to read some of my favourite bloggers’ write ups about it and what I missed. The main feature of a Blogger’s Bash is to meet individuals from the blogging community in person and chat about writing, art, culture – anything covered in a blog. Some take it seriously by getting business tips and exchanging information on skills, whereas others use the time to find out more about their favourite bloggers and what makes them tick. There is no way you could spend the day alone as everyone is so very friendly and  accommodating, it makes you want to meet up again, but sooner! I’m awaiting confirmation of the next Bash and I’m hoping nothing will stand in my way of attending the event of the year. You should come along too and share your skills or views with like-minded people.

Apart from missing the Blogger’s Bash and finishing the first year of my studies, I have been working hard to motivate the children at school with their writing.  My lovely students have been entering various writing competitions and setting up exciting new ways to entice other students to enjoy our Book Club and the school library.  It’s hard to describe the feeling you get when a student who has no interest in reading suddenly joins the group and adds new dimensions to conversations about characters and plot lines. With summer swiftly approaching, there is not much time left to prep my writers for the NaNoWriMo challenge in which they participate every year. And that reminds me:  I still have to edit and publish their stories from last year for their third anthology! How amazing is that? Have you tried participating in the National Novel Writing Month? It’s a great way to train yourself to write every day and you get to choose your word limit. Let me know if you feel the urge to join in this year and I’ll be happy to support you too.

It has been a busy six months but there is still more to come before we count this year as over. Do you have any plans for the summer? What do you hope to achieve before the year ends? I hope to inspire more people to write and feel the success of sharing their dreams/life stories with others.  It’s great to write yourself but incredibly fulfilling to get someone who doesn’t believe in their own writing abilities to achieve a short story or manuscript ready to go to a publisher.  Who knows – I might one day inspire the next J.K. Rowling!

Well, it’s always great to catch up and I do hope to hear from you with your news and catch-up stories. Remember, I haven’t stopped reading your blogs or enjoying the comments you leave on my blog, which I truly appreciate.  If you need help or inspiration, send me a message and I’ll reply as soon as I can.  In the meantime, enjoy your coffee and let’s meet up again soon.

Have a great week.