Gill Kirk, writer

6 December already? How did that happen? Terrifying. So I’ll ignore it and pretend I will easily make the year-end deadlines I’ve given myself…

Let’s deal with the Now instead.  Am back a day or so from the excellent High Tide winter retreat in Halesworth, Suffolk.  Sixteen brave scribes [wrighters, rather than writers, we hope] gathered to review, discuss, write, debate and challenge. Different backgrounds, different styles and aims, I think I can safely say we were all very relieved to find we gelled pretty well as a group. No inky blood was left on the walls.

“Yes, yes, process, process – but what about outcome?”, I hear some old mentor bicker from the back of memory.

I know at least three of us woke on Monday morning with Halesworth-related dreams.

I also know I’ve been given a new rigour to use when reviewing my work, as a matter of course – and as that is one of my biggest challenges, I’m pretty pleased at just that. But I got a sparkly eye on old/new work (a new rewrite on an older piece) and am confident that I can apply this weekend’s work to it to make it better. And found a horrid-lovely character or two who I’m going to take playing in the next month or so… Watch this space!