My Writing Process – Milli Hill

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What you have written, past and present.

I have written two books, both about childbirth. The first, a ‘how to’ manual called The Positive Birth Book, is a guide for pregnant women on how to approach birth differently, reframe it as a positive experience, and have a positive birth in any circumstance. The most recent, Give Birth Like a Feminist, is a call to arms, exposing the misogyny and power imbalance at play in the modern birth room, and giving women information about their choices and rights so that they can take a more active role in their birth. I also write opinion articles and features for the Telegraph, Guardian, ipaper, Independent, Mother&Baby and more! I started out as a blogger when I was taking a break from my work as a therapist due to having two young children. My blog became really successful and through that I got work as a journalist, and now an author.

What you are promoting now. 

Give Birth Like a Feminist, which came out on August 22nd.

A bit about your process of writing. 

I do a lot of thinking before I start. Maybe over days, or months, or during a dog walk, or in the shower! Then I usually make a spider diagram with the key point at the centre and all the other points coming off it. This sounds terribly organised but it’s normally done on the back of an envelope with a child hanging off my leg with the key aim of preserving the thoughts before they are lost! Then when I get the time to write, the ideas are all there, laid out for me. Getting to my desk is hard with a large family, and I also struggle with my inner critic / imposter syndrome etc, so the whole things becomes like a sort of inner dialogue between the part of me that believes in myself and my ideas and the part of me that says I’ve got nothing of interest to say. Those two parts of me argue for quite a while and then the confident part sort of grabs the reluctant part by the scruff of the metaphorical neck and frogmarches her to the desk. At which point I usually get on with it. I take a long time over what I have to say and am a perfectionist. Someone once described my writing as sounding ‘effortless’ which I took as a great compliment but it really could not be further from the truth!
Do you plan or just write?

I do both. I usually plan the skeleton but then putting on the flesh is the ‘just writing’ part.

What about word count?

I’m used to writing articles with a word count of around 800 to 1000 words and I think that’s a really nice bite size amount to get something across in. Even in a 10000 word book, breaking it down in your mind into chunks of 1000 words is a great way to keep it manageable both for you as a writer, and for your reader. I’m very conscious of how busy the world is now and how you need to get your ideas across quickly and in a way that feels accessible. And if you can just write 100 really great, thousand word pieces, then, bingo, you have a book. Effortless!

How do you do your structure?

I’m a big fan of circular structures by which I mean making a point / telling a story, or a joke etc in paragraph 1 of an article, then taking the reader on a journey through the next 8 paragraphs, and then coming back to the reference you made in paragraph one but somehow showing a development, growth, transformation has been make during the piece. On a larger scale you can do this in a book chapter, and then make an even bigger loop around the book itself. So you can have some nice loops within loops.

What do you find hard about writing?

I find it hard full stop, but also strangely compulsive! It’s like any creative process really, there is always that ‘void’ where it feels impossible, I totally hate that feeling of the blank page, the flashing cursor of doom etc! And as I’ve said, the mental battle of finding my voice is also deeply irritating! I also really miss the time when I was first writing my blog and could be more creative. Now I often feel I’m writing to order with article commissions etc and that kind of sucks the life out of it a bit. One day I really want to write fiction and I’m really looking forward to that!

What do you love about writing? 

I love the moment where creativity springs into life and the ideas start to flow and you know your fingers are knocking out killer sentences! I love reading something back and being surprised that I wrote it – this often happens to me! I think, oh, that’s actually really quite good! Did I write that?! That’s a really nice feeling. And I also like reaching other people through writing. Having my latest book published recently has been really fun in terms of being able to have conversations with people about what I’ve written and hear their feedback. The actual process of writing is quite isolating which I quite enjoy but then it’s nice to come and dance in the sunshine a bit afterwards!

Advice for other writers. 

If you are starting out a blog can be great – I was disciplined with mine and made myself do one post a week for quite a long time. I got better by doing that and I also learned a bit about what people enjoyed and wanted to read because of the instant feedback you get on a blog. Reading other writers you admire can be very inspiring too. But wherever you are up to as a writer, the main thing (and every writer knows this but it’s easier said than done!) is just write. Frogmarch yourself to the desk and just flipping well get on with it!

 

Give Birth Like a Feminist is available now.

Check out the The Positive Birth Movement.

HEARTY FOOD AND HOMELY VIBES: THE MANOR ARMS

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Situated on the streets of Streatham, we popped along to the Manor Arms to trial its upgraded space, upgraded food and, most importantly, upgraded drinks list!

You’ll find this dog friendly, country-style pub a stones throw from the High Street and its undoubtedly set to be a local  favourite. Here’s what we thought

THE FOOD

An absolute beige beauty. Too many people shun the thought of beige food but quite frankly, when done right, we love it. The Manor Arms partners proper comfort food with sophisticated flavours and its variations of crispy, deep fried coatings (from batter to breadcrumbs and everything in between), are cases of pure joy. Fillings don’t disappoint either, flakey white cod sits in a golden batter and is served with an extremely generous portion of chips and both duck croquettes, halloumi fries are packed with flavour and fried, breaded meats.  Prices for food are really reasonable at just £5 a portion for sides and up to £18 for a main including lamb shank shepherd’s pie.

THE DRINK

The Manor Arms seems proud of its drinks offerings and whether it’s local, national or international, the passion is there! Their wine list boasts beautiful variations from Chile as well as sparkling offerings from South Africa and the beers hero local London creations including the Camden Beer Co. Find yourself more set on a spirit? Don’t worry, the gin list and spirit spritz’ are second to none.

THE ATMOSPHERE

No matter what time of year you pop on down to the Manor Arms, we think you’ll be pleased. It’s revamped outdoor space is decorated with lights and there are hideaways strewn with blankets and log fires that you can hire for groups or a cosy eve for two. Inside, the space resembles those not-so-hidden gems you stumble across on a weekend of exploring outside of the city. Soft lighting and soft colours make for a relaxing trip. There’s also The Kite Room which often acts as a bar area overspill but also can be hired for larger groups. Still want more? They’ll throw on some truly exceptional live music. What’s more to love?

 

To learn more or book a table, visit https://www.themanorarms.com/

 

Living with Alzheimers – A Carer’s Story by Chris Suich

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In 2012 my husband, Bob, was diagnosed with Amnesia and we were told it could become Dementia. Three years later he was diagnosed as having vascular dementia. However, after two weeks in hospital in 2018 with severe anxiety linked to the condition, we finally saw a dementia specialist who diagnosed Alzheimers. Nothing could prepare us as a family for the devastating news – and that there was no cure. To see this dynamic and clever man become so dependent and scared of day to day things was devastating. My life now revolves around caring for the man I have been with for over 40 years.

I met Bob whilst having a gap year working on Cleethorpes Pier before starting a degree at Hull University. I was only 17, but we got on so well and shared so many interests that we became inseparable. We married a year later. Bob was theatre manager on the pier and went on to pursue a career in tourism and leisure, and I put my degree on hold to support him in his anti-social hours and bringing up our two boys, Joseph and Edward.

Whilst they were babies I enrolled in the Open University and after six years managed to gain a BA in English, History and Cultural Studies. After a year I started teaching full time at a local primary school. Bob’s career grew and soon he was in charge of tourism and leisure for East Lindsey District Council in Lincolnshire. We met many stars of show business such as Norman Wisdom, Ken Dodd, Joe Pasquale, Lulu, and Barbara Windsor, who sadly also suffers from Alzheimers.

Bob worked hard and had a knack for securing TV appearances. He would follow up every bit of publicity he could, including swimming in the sea in January to prove how clean the water was after gaining a Blue Badge award.

He was managing a huge budget, a very successful manager and well-liked by his many staff. We had a great life. but so much has changed since his diagnosis.

Life isn’t easy but we do manage to share lots of fun and laughter. In sharing our story, I hope to cast a little awareness of what it’s like to be a carer for someone living with dementia.

A typical Sunday in our house.

Bob has taken to waking up very early. Today it was 4.00 am.

‘Hello ‘ he says. ‘ Are we getting up yet?’

‘It’s early, go back to sleep,’ I say. ‘I’m not at school today.’

Then the restlessness starts. We manage a few more hours then I give in, get him up, bathed, hair washed all clean set of clothes, wet shaved, pills, hair combed and all the other small things it takes to get him ready for the day. It’s exhausting and the day’s barely begun. He looks smart and well though, so it’s worth it.

We listen to the news whilst we share our morning coffee, having a discussion of the likelihood of which Tory will become the next prime minister. Bob has me howling as he has a complaint about them all.

Then it’s out for Sunday lunch at a friend’s house. Bob eats a small plateful, but I have to chop it up and feed him as he never manages more than a few spoonfuls himself. He’ll say he’s finished but I can usually get more down him as he forgets what he’s said.

When we get home another friend calls in for a glass of wine. He sits with Bob and they enjoy a beer for an hour. Bob ‘loves him’ because he knows him and feels safe. This gives me a break as I have real problems keeping Bob occupied. He wants to do something all the time, but his concentration is nil and so I’m not able to get on with as much as I’d like.

I put ‘Babe’ on the TV for Bob while I mow the grass. He enjoys children’s films as the story is not difficult to follow. I try to dodge the showers and just manage it before the heavens open. When it stops our friend helps me dig some plants in and put the heavy green bin out for dustbin men.

Our friend leaves and we settle down on the sofa, side by side, to watch footie for a bit. If it goes to penalties I might just be able to escape to do the pack ups and the organisation for work tomorrow.

Then out comes the doodle book with his nice new pencil crayons. He lasts fifteen minutes but I am cajoling him the whole time.

Getting Bob to bed is a huge undertaking as by 9.00 pm he is tired and irritable. I start by getting him in his pjs. He complains about getting changed as he wants to go to bed in his clothes. I have to manoeuvre his arms and legs as he can’t do it himself and his arms are stiff as he no longer knows what to do to get undressed.

Then the teeth.

‘Oh, not that!’ he says.

He hates the sound of the motor on the electric toothbrush and I have to brush his teeth as he would never do them.

Then the pills.

‘Not them’ he says.

Bob is on a cocktail of tablets: one for his memory, one for anxiety and several others. Then we go downstairs for a glass of ‘something lovely’ – part of the deal for co-operating in the getting ready for bed routine. Bed by 10.00 -10.30pm and Bob goes out like a light.

Whereas I am laid awake thinking; thinking about how my life has changed, how Bob must feel so bewildered, and how I’m going to have the strength to start it all again tomorrow.

 

 

SISTER SCRIBES: JANE CABLE ON CONTRADICTIONS AND RABBIT HOLES

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For the first time in my writing life I am going back a couple of centuries. Not just with a glance over my shoulder, but really, properly back. With a good half of the novel taking place in 1815. It’s frightening – and exciting – and it’s requiring a great deal of research.

My research is centred on one family, their homes and their business interests. From that point of view, it should have been easy. Their country estate is in the hands of the National Trust, their town house still exists (albeit as offices) and their mine was one of the richest in Cornwall. What could possibly go wrong?

I knew before I started that nothing existed on the ground to show where the mine buildings once stood. I’ve walked past the field in roughly the right place numerous times, and apart from a few lumps and bumps, which may or may not be indicators, there is nothing there. What I didn’t expect was that the mine itself has almost completely disappeared from the records.

There is a portrait of the owner though, and a copy of it is in St Agnes Museum. It’s labelled as showing Ralph and his mine captain, with the mine in the background. Perfect. Except the original of the same painting in the Royal Cornwall Museum says it’s Ralph’s father, and that the mine is unknown. When I eventually found some corroborating evidence, and given when the artist died, the RCM version is almost certainly right.

This sort of thing has dogged my research. Sources you believe would be credible contradict each other. The National Trust had little to offer, telling me there was some confusion in the records as to which works on the house were completed by Ralph, and which by his son. Other sources claim more precision, but are they right?

My husband thinks this is a good thing, his theory being that if nobody really knows what happened, then no-one will know if I get it wrong. But as far as possible, I want to get it right. And thanks to the wonderful Courtney Collection at the RCM I am making progress. Not only are there some records of the mine (very little of it contemporary, however), but also an article from the 1960s about Truro’s Georgian townhouses. I popped in for an hour or two and stayed all day.

Herein lies the rub. The biggest danger of research isn’t necessarily the inaccuracies, it’s the rabbit holes. Does my story require me to know there were eleven shafts in the mine and their precise locations? I found myself becoming a total bore, pointing out to longsuffering walking friends exactly where they all were and the order they were dug. And how much a share in the mine was worth and how that was calculated. And the ages of the pumping engines. No, no, no. Completely irrelevant.

But all the same, it helped me to paint a picture, and some very useful facts did emerge. Like the mine was closed in 1814. It reopened later, but my novel deals in a very thin slice of time. And actually, the fact it was temporarily abandoned suits my story very well. Now I need to sift and sort through the rest of the information covering many pages in my notebooks, to work out what might be right – and what I actually need.

Oh, and I need to avoid any more rabbit holes and actually get writing.

My Writing Process – Ada Bright

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First, thank you very much to Frost Magazine for inviting me to be here, specifically during this week which is quite a big deal for me!

My name is Ada Bright and I am a writer born, raised, and still living in Southern California.  I make a point of it because I’ve learned that alot about me can be traced to this little factoid. I am laid back about life and stressed about that three pounds I gained in 2017, I don’t own a coat that can withstand temperatures below 68 degrees Fahrenheit, foodie menus float my boat, and I am very leary of how you store your dishes considering the fact that I’m ready for the earth to roll and shake beneath my feet at any moment. Also, I’m married to a very cute, blue-eyed guy who gave me no blue-eyed children (0/3), I have a photography following, and my mother lives with me and still does my laundry (but none of this stuff can be blamed on California living).

Today, September 12, Canelo Digital Publishing is releasing a book I wrote with British-born-and-raised Cass Grafton called The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen. It is the first book we’ve written together, but it’s sequel will follow shortly behind – being released in November of this year. The tagline for our first book is “a comedic tale of time-travel and friendship” and honestly, that about sums it up. Cass and I have been friends for nearly two decades and the many varied and often hilarious differences we’ve discovered in how our two cultures have shaped us is as much at the heart of this book as our love for Jane Austen’s novels.

Even as we work on the marketing for these novels (and start outlining a third in the series), I am also working on a romantic mystery set right in the US. This is quite a shift to try to work alone. I realize that what Cass does effortlessly (keep in mind the structure and order of the story throughout) I struggle with. My natural rhythm of writing is to compose a scene in my mind almost entirely, then write it all on the page in one quick lump of words (after that initial rush, I’ll slowly revise everytime I read through it). Therefore, I jump around from scene to scene as the inspiration strikes. Since I don’t have Cass to give me order, I’ve been meticulously writing scenes on sticky notes and moving them around on the floor to figure out the order they need to go in. It’s been fun and overwhelming and a bit of a housekeeping mess, but I think, in my own meandering way, I’ve found a way to thread it all together. 

Writing is like that for me. I write because the words give structure to my mind. I wrote as a child to understand my feelings and my choices. I wrote as a teenager to entertain my peers with “friend fiction” (Yes, that boy at the mall who took your lunch order did fall in love with you immediately! Or, even if he didn’t, I’ll write a story that will make you feel like he did). I write today because I hope that what makes me feel excitement, joy, and love will entertain others as well. 

Thank you again for having me, Frost Magazine! 

 

The Big Five-0 By Jane Wenham-Jones | Book Review

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I was very excited to receive this book. It has a great cover and looks like fun. The fact it is about women turning fifty also made me happy. Older women are underrepresented in books in my opinion.

The book itself is fantastic. Every character is well-written and interesting. The story keeps you entertained and guessing. This is an enjoyable read that totally engrosses you into the story. Jane Wenham-Jones is clearly a master of her craft. This book is just perfect. I hope it gets made into a film. 

Four friends are planning a joint 50th party the seaside town of Broadstairs will never forget, but these 49 year olds have far more on their minds than canapés and balloons for their half-century.

Empty-nester Charlotte wants to know what her husband’s up to.

Single mother Roz fears her teenage daughter will discover how she pays the bills.

Tough businesswoman Fay crows about her no-strings toy boy but hides the real story behind her divorce.

Singleton Sherie’s cat is the only male in her life who ever stays around. Or is he?

They’re all keeping secrets but as the big birthday looms, the beans are about to spill. As the shocks come out, one of them is going to need her friends more than ever.

Is fifty the new thirty? Today’s fifty-somethings lead very different lives from fifty-something women even one generation ago. Jane Wenham-Jones writes with insight and humour about the challenges today’s mid-lifers are grappling with – relationship wobbles or break ups, making ends meet, juggling the demands of offspring and elderly parents, health scares and the minefield of finding love.

All of Jane’s books feature issues she has faced – and life has a way of reflecting fiction, too. Several times she has found herself dealing with serious issues soon after she’s started writing about them.

Jane’s characters meet their own problems head-on in this very funny and relatable book.

The Big Five-0 by Jane Wenham-Jones, published 19 September 2019 by HarperImpulse, paperback, £8.99.

Jane Wenham-Jones is a well-known author and journalist who regularly appears on radio and TV. She has written for a wide variety of magazines and newspapers, is a regular columnist for Woman’s Weekly and the agony aunt for Writing Magazine.

She has published six novels: Raising The Roof, Perfect Alibis, One Glass Is Never Enough, Prime Time, Mum in the Middle and The Big Five-0, as well as three non-fiction books – Wannabe a Writer? and Wannabe a Writer We’ve Heard Of? plus a humorous diet book, 100 Ways to Fight the Flab and Still Have Wine and Chocolate.

Jane also works the after-dinner circuit, talks to writers groups and conferences, and has worked as a celebrity speaker for P&O. She has hosted the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Romantic Novel Awards – the annual awards for the best in Romantic Fiction – for the last nine years, and presented hundreds of events at literary and book festivals in the UK and abroad. Jane lives with her family in Broadstairs, Kent, where three of her novels are set.

The Big Five-0 By Jane Wenham-Jones is available here. 

HarperImpulse, 19 September 2019,  paperback, £8.99

The Escape Act – A Holocaust Memoir UK Tour: 23rd September – 29th October 2019

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Image credit: Asaf Sagi

The spectacular true story of how a Jewish acrobat escaped the Nazis by running away to join the circus!
Based on the true story of Irene Danner-Storm, The Escape Act – A Holocaust Memoir tells the riveting and powerful story of a Jewish acrobat who hid in a German circus during WWII to escape the concentration camps. Hard-hitting and inspiring, this historically researched and poignant onewoman theatre and puppetry production embarks on a UK tour this autumn.
The production follows Irene’s journey from Kristallnacht in 1938 to liberation in 1945, and her all too risky escape to the circus. It’s the story of how she fell in love and started her own family, all under the protection of the Althoff Circus. It is about the immense kindness shown towards Irene by the non-Jews who risked their lives to save her and inspects the devastating impact of the Holocaust on individuals and families who were torn apart.
The performance flits from past to present as it simultaneously examines Irene’s life under the Third Reich and the experiences of writer and performer Stav Meishar growing up a grandchild to Holocaust survivors. As Meishar tells Irene’s story it triggers her own memories of family stories, and she is compelled to face the past traumas and struggles of their history.

Image credit: David Konecny

A multi-faceted performance combining theatre, circus and puppetry, the performance is a
culmination of seven years of research into the lives of German-Jewish circus families between 1929- 1945. Using collected testimonies and interviewed witnesses, the production is brought to life by Meishar in an effort to document and commemorate the Jewish legacies.
Creator and Performer Stav Meishar comments, I felt compelled to make this work of historical circus-theatre in light of the current climate. With statistics showing 1 in 20 Britons disbelieving that the Holocaust happened …’

In addition, the tour is accompanied by a public talk about the history of Circus Jews in Europe
Between the World Wars; interactive circus and drama workshops for all ages; audience Q&As; and
more, which are all available to book in advance.

The Escape Act is produced by Dreamcoat Experience and Petite Mort Productions, and supported by
Arts Council England, The European Cultural Association, TelepART and The Puffin Foundation.
Title The Escape Act – A Holocaust Memoir
Running time 75 minutes
Box Office Tickets are available from individual theatre box offices.
Twitter #TheEscapeActShow
Guidance Suitable for ages 10+ (Viewer discretion advised)
Performance Dates
23rd -24th September Jackson’s Lane
269a Archway Road, London, N6 5AA

Home


26th September Circomedia
Portland Square, Bristol BS2 8SJ, UK

Home


26th – 27th October CircusMASH
2 Vicarage Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham, B14 7RA
https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4311021
29th October The Lowry
Pier 8, The Quays, Salford M50 3AZ
https://thelowry.com/

The Day we Meet Again by Miranda Dickinson reviewed by Natalie Jayne Peeke

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Phoebe is getting ready to go on the trip of a lifetime, a year long journey across Europe. She’s having second thoughts…..again , even her friends don’t think she will go . When she arrives at St Pancras station she is met with a delay with no end in sight . This has to be a sign that she’s not meant to go, right ? Then she meets Sam .

Sam is leaving London for a year and is going back to the small island of his childhood to find out what he can about his father who abandoned his family when Sam was young . It’s a trip that Sam knows he has to take , doesn’t he ? Then he meets Phoebe.

I am not a romantic, I do not believe in love at first sight, I do not believe that you can fall in love with someone just hours after meeting them. Call me cynical if you must .

So naturally I tend to stay away from the romance section. However I decided to give ‘The day we meet again’ a go. What attracted me to it was the fact that it was different from other ‘Boy meets girl’ books. Phoebe and Sam meet just as they are about to go on year long trips.

They spend a few hours with each other, talking , laughing and discussing what they have in store for the next twelve months. Their trains are ready to leave so they make a promise to each other that if they both still feel the same they will meet again in exactly one year.

I loved the fact that it’s written from both Sam and Phoebe’s point of view. I felt like I was enjoying coffee and sunshine in paris with Phoebe one moment and the next I was on a windy little island with Sam.

A beautiful story of adventure, taking risks, friendship and of course – love.  

The Day we Meet Again  by Miranda Dickinson  paperback £7.99

Review: Natalie Jayne Peeke www.thebookwormmother.co.uk