I consider myself incredibly lucky to be on the doorstep of a place where exists some of the most awe-inspiring people in the world…Irish Writers. We are known throughout, as a nation that can spin a yarn, a tale that will draw laughter and tears from many.
When I saw an opportunity for me to express my gratitude to all these amazing people I jumped at the chance and started my weekly feature #IrishWritersWed
As I mentioned last week in Part 1 of this end-of-year roundup (Read HERE), the reaction was very moving and the resulting content was a liquorice-allsorts mix of fabulousness!!!
Today I bring you the second part of this feature. This is the final #IrishWritersWed post until mid-January, when I return with Susan Ryan, the author of The King of Lavender Square, a book I highly recommend!!
In the meantime, throw on the kettle and put the feet up for a look back at the last few months of #IrishWritersWed…
Laura Elliot ~ A Scattering of Fairy Dust Helps
“Sitting in a quiet room with just my imagination for company is far removed from wands, wings and ancient spells. Yet I often feel there’s magic in the air as soon as I write the opening sentences.” (Continue reading HERE)
Susan Lanigan ~ Characters Who Won’t Let Go
“Dialogue is as crucial as action and description. I now know the calibre of a writer by how comfortable they are with dialogue. How willing they are to allow the characters to actually talk and stop the writing getting in the way.” (Continue reading HERE)
Olive Collins ~ Jamaica and The Irish Connection
“The extent of Irish emigration to the Caribbean and Jamaican is so prolific that a staggering 25% of Jamaican citizens claim Irish ancestry, the second-largest reported ethnic group in Jamaica after African ancestry.” (Continue reading HERE)
Rose Servitova ~ Wanted – Multi-Milllionaires for New ‘Support a Writer Scheme
“State support (or lack thereof) deserves a thesis of its own. To receive funding is like finding a Wonka golden ticket and while the amounts given are better than a kick up the coccyx, they are often once-off and minute.” (Continue reading HERE)
Andrea Mara ~ How to become a published author in just 43 years & 24 simple steps
“Do absolutely nothing for the first thirty-odd years. This may sound like you’re simply avoiding being an author, or that it hasn’t dawned on you at all.But that’s not the case.You are in fact living life, something that is essential to later becoming an author.” (Continue reading HERE)
Fionnuala Kearney ~ A Sense of Place and all the ‘Feels’
“I think it’s important to allow the reader’s imagination to be part of their experience and to do what we can, en-route, to poke and prod that imagination – to make the reader feel.” (Continue reading HERE)
Cáit O’ Sullivan ~ Stress!
“Stress sneaks insidiously in, taking root, in the stomach (in my case) or your head—a parasite you don’t quite notice at first because heck, a lot happens in your stomach/head, right. I call it a parasite because you feed it with worry.” (Continue reading HERE)
Margaret Scott ~ On Coming Back….
“My brain, free of trying to fix something for the first time in a year, wanted to just think for itself again. Everything was about catching up; improving.” (Continue reading HERE)
Cat Hogan ~ Stand and Deliver- Learning how to dance in new shoes
“My initial furore with the publishing industry felt like a cross between the first day in an enormous office and the first round of a fencing match.” (Continue reading HERE)
Maria Hoey ~ Me and William Shakespeare
“I survived the Enid Blyton years and, despite my father’s fears, suffered no lasting damage that I know of. Sadly for him, I moved on not to Shakespeare but to Agatha Christie” (Continue reading HERE)
Caroline Farrell ~ Moonstruck in make-believe, and carrying on regardless…
“In the literary community, judgement and critique go hand in hand with putting work out there. It can be so difficult for us writers to learn to cope with the accompanying self-doubt” (Continue Reading HERE)
Adrian White ~ So, Your Book Didn’t Sell? Get Over It!
“Most writers can only dream of one day having their work published. Commercial success is a secondary wish, an unattainable fantasy beyond an already impossible dream.” (Continue reading HERE)
Caroline Busher ~ A Gothic Tale To Rattle The Bones
“It was October, only days before Halloween, the evenings were dark and cold, leaves crunched beneath my feet and a cruel wind blew from the north” (Continue reading HERE)
Colleen Coleman ~ Nurturing A Growth Mindset
“Vision, desire, risk, skill and hard graft, that’s all it takes,. Add persistent rejections and revisions and reviews, and what do you get? Personal and professional success.2 (Continue reading HERE)
Adele O’ Neill ~ 5 Things Every Debut Author Should Know!
“You need to stop attributing your success to luck. Surround yourself with like-minded people who will remind you about your achievements and prevent you from discounting your work.” (Continue reading HERE)
Claire Allan ~ Changing lanes – with a little help from my Friends
“On my 40th birthday. I woke up jobless and contract-less and a wave of panic washed over me.” (Continue reading HERE)
It has been an absolute pleasure bringing all these wonderful writers together over the last year. I truly hope you enjoyed reading the variety of the posts.
Hope to see you all back here next January for more #IrishWritersWed.
Go Raibh Míle Maith Agaibh Go Léir!!
Wow – what a year!
I was very lucky Joanne! Hope I can continue it next year. X