Melissa Lawrence

I hope you've all been thinking about how you're going to celebrate National Flash Fiction Day as June 22nd is nearly here! OK, so maybe you've not felt like putting up the literary bunting yet but like all these "days" (I'm still waiting for National Cheese and Peanut Butter Sandwich Day) it helps focus the mind on something we may not have thought about for a while. Actually, I'm thinking about Flash Fiction quite a bit at the moment. Despite my good intentions to stick to only working on my various book projects, the lure of the flash fiction competition and the urgent need for something other than plastic with which to pay the milkman, has proved too strong. I'm currently working on several pieces for the Earlyworks Press Flash Fiction Competition which has a first prize of £100 (not bad for 100 words or less) and closes 31st July 2013. Details can be found at  http://www.earlyworkspress.co.uk/Competition_flash_details.ht...

" Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Sprout?" is the working title for my second collection of poems for younger children, the sequel to my first collection " There's A Gorilla In My Pyjamas ". I reached a milestone with it this week as I finally finished the second draft. It's only taken me three and a half years! OK, so I have been writing a lot of other things in between and I also had quite a long break from working on it when I decided it wasn't worth spending time on a second collection when I hadn't had the first one published. Oh and I also took a year's sabbatical from writing during that time to concentrate on my crafting. Even so, I was a bit shocked to realise how long it had taken to get to this stage. Add that to the two and a half years it took me to write the first draft and I've already spent six years on one project that is not even ready to send out or self-publish yet. I know I am a slow writer. Not a slow "writer...

Hi everyone. This post is a quick quiz, not to be taken too seriously. Your answers might help you decide what sort of writer you are. On the other hand, they might not! What do you think about most when you are doing the washing-up? 1. Plots and characters. 2. The next book/article/poem you are planning to write. 3. How you are going to pay the gas bill. 4. What you are having for tea tonight. 5. How you can get more friends on Facebook. 6. What your next tweet is going to be. 7. The washing-up. 8. Other. (Please specify.) 9. All of the above. 10. None of the above. I have a dishwasher. I look forward to reading your comments/answers!