A Writing Weekend in Cirencester

Well, truth be told, not much actual writing was done, as last weekend was another of Malaga workshops fabulous courses. This time it was at the Royal Agricultural University  at Cirencester,  an idyllic setting in the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside. The college itself dates back to 1845 and is the oldest agricultural college in the English speaking world.   Its long history was evident in the mellow stone buildings and old oak beams, and everywhere had an austerely welcoming feel to it. The rooms were rather lovely and the Tithe barn bar quite stunning and we had it all to ourselves on the Friday night, when much wine and good conversation was enjoyed.

The course tutor was Kate Walker  and, as always, she had a wealth of  knowledge and experience to impart. We were working on beginnings, middles and ends, which was great for me, as I usually hit a sticking point somewhere around the middle of my books. So a lot of attention was given to plotting and pace and Kate handed out some useful worksheets to keep on us track during the whole process of writing a romance novel, or any novel come to that.

 

I also managed to get some final editing done on my current WIP  while there, ready to submit the full ms to Harlequin Mills and Boon the following Monday.  Getting up at six am, making a coffee and settling down for a couple of hours of editing in my spacious and comfortable room was a pleasantly productive way to start the day.   Back home, I intended to have a couple of weeks off writing before starting something new, but the best laid plans . . .  Inevitably, I came away from Cirencester full of energy and enthusiasm and so I've given in and have begun making some notes for my next book - with a sexy Italian hero this time ;)