Gwyneth Box

Square photo. Close up of a cat's face, taken with the camera below and in front of the cat. The cat is looking straight at the camera, so the head is tilted slightly, with the right side of the head lower than the left. The photo looks as if it was taken in semi-darkness, but the face is well illuminated. The cat is a fairly delicate brownish tabby with a white muzzle. Its eyes are pale green, with the pupils semi-dilated. The ears are fully alert, the white whiskers are brightly lit. The cat's facial expression is intense, but it is not clear if it is curious, accusatory, defensive or afraid.

Skinner isn't making her message clear today:

Is she *disappointed* I'm not working?
*Scared* of the camera?
*Resentful* that I'm sitting in her seat on the sofa?

Or just *curious* about why I'm sitting on the sofa taking pictures instead of working?

#writingcommunity #caturday #writerscats

Actually Watson, as in behaviourism, so more likely a pile of heavy duty psychological treatises - I’m not surprised he’s asleep :-)

Square photo of white cat sleeping on the top shof of a bookcase. He is asleep on a pile of oversized books and there are a dozen or so paperbacks alongside him. All the books are turned away from the photographer, so no titles are visible.

Watson isn't sharing the titles of his bedtime reading choices.
Do you have a stack of books on your bedside table? What are they?

#writingcommunity #caturday #writerscats #reading #books

Square photo. Various daffodil plants (yellow flowers with orange trumpets) standing in a puddle in waterlogged ground. It is still raining, as the water shows signs of drops falling.

Square photo pf a field of yellow daffodils. In the foreground, is a close up of a flower facing to the left and with a deep orange trumpet.

Square photo. Close up of a field of white daffodils. The photo was taken at the level of the flowers. The bloom in the foreground is more stylised and with narrower petals than are usual for a daffodil bloom. The sky in background is blue.

Square photo. Close up of a bunch of daffodils. Just a burst of yellow petals and trumpets.

It's St David's Day. In the UK, I'd no doubt have a bunch of daffs on my desk. Here in Spain, I'm having to settle for a bunch of daffodil photos. (Using the term "daffodil" in its broadest sense.)

Any guesses which two of the pix were taken in Spain?

#stdavidsday #daffodils #hiraeth

At the moment it's mostly admin and trying to coax some of the completed pieces (essays & poems) into a semblance of order so I can move on to other projects - little actual new writing, but lots to do :-)

Square photo. Ginger feral cat sitting on an old wooden beam in front of a bare brick wall. There are a couple of cables or pipes to be seen suggesting it's either a building site or, more likely, a ruined building. The cat is staring at the camera with a very negative expression. Maybe bored. Maybe annoyed at being disturbed. Maybe semi-aggressive.

Skinner & Watson have the day off from #Caturday duties today. Instead here's a neighbour.

I don't know him well, but his expression reminds me of how I feel when I've sneaked off to a quiet corner to write only to have someone come and interrupt me:-)

Happy writing!

#writingcommunity #amwriting

Making summer plans?

In August I'll be at Swanwick Writers' Summer School, where I'm leading a course on "Co-authoring & collaborative writing", as well as offering one-to-one sessions on poetry, indie publishing & non-fiction.

Full details: www.swanwickwritersschool.org.uk

#writingcommunity

Do you always do your writing on your computer or your phone?

The big problem with this is that – however bad the actual writing is – it looks polished!

Going back to messier, handwritten first drafts can be a game-changer for creativity.

#Writingcommunity #writingprocess

Square photo. In the background is a screen with a photo of two cats - one tabby and one white. The photo on the screen is in colour, but the colour is slightly distorted by it being photographed. It's not possible to tell whether it is a TV or a computer screen as the edges are not visible. Beneath the screen photo, a red heart symbol is visible to the left and a bookmark symbol to the right, suggesting that this is a social media feed. The screen photo is partially obscured by the silhouette of another cat who is sitting in front of the screen. All that is visible of this cat is the shape of its black silhouette. The cats in the photo on the screen and the actual live cat are about the same size.

Skinner has been reviewing some of her favourite screen appearances from my #Caturday social feeds.

Do you re-read your old posts, or just press send and it's gone forever? Have you ever thought about how much good writing material is lost in the ether? Could you re-purpose it?

#writingcommunity

Square photo. The image shows eight palm trees of various heights growing in a green space. Beyond the green is a dark band of ground that might be sand as there is then blue water and then, far off in the distance, some more land . On the left of the image there is a white barrier that makes it impossible to tell if one of the pieces of land is an island or if they are part of the same coastline and form a bay or inlet. Three quarters of the height of the photo is sky - blue but with lots of cloud.

Books are a way to travel without leaving your own home.
They can be a means of escape from the daily routine or during times of stress.
They can be comfort food for the mind.

Which is your go-to book when things aren't going your way?

#writingcommunity #reading #books

Your writing community can be an echo chamber!

It can be comfortable to build a relationship with other writers and to find a community who will help you. But if you always turn to the same people for help with your writing, you may not be getting the best feedback.

#writingcommunity

Square photo. Photo taken looking down focused on the head of a white cat. The cat is asleep - or at least relaxed with his eyes closed - lying on his back with his head resting on the left arm of the photgrapher. The background shows s few bits of a cluttered work desk - the corner of a keyboard, a small spiral-bound notebook, paper, etc-

Square photo. The main focus of the photo is the head and face of a white cat who is looking directly at the camera with his eyes half closed. His two front paws are visible and he is cuddled into the crook of the left arm of a person who is wearing a long-sleeved dark top and a silver chain necklace. The person is probably femal as she has long blonde-white hair. On the wall behind them is part of a picture of a tiger in a black frame with a wide dark blue-grey passepartout.

It's been difficult to find the space (mental, emotional, and cat-free) in which to write this week.

Watson has been a constant companion and I am sure he believes he's been helping.
I probably won't tell him. but the honest truth is that he hasn't :-)

#writerscats #writingcommunity #caturday

Square photo. The photo is a close up of a sitting cat, showing head and shoulders. The cat is looking down, so the top of its head is clearly visible. The cat is mostly white, with grey on its head and ears. In the background is a white painted wall. The edges of two small black and white photos in plain white frames are visible on the right of the picture.

Watson reminds me of Kipling’s Elephant’s Child, “who was full of 'satiable curtiosity”.

True, Watson doesn’t ask "ever so many questions", but he does poke his nose into spaces where it doesn't belong.

Which is why he is no longer the white cat he was "once upon a time".

#writerscats #caturday

However many books you own and read, however many courses you attend, however much other stuff you do *around* the writing, it’s only by actually doing the writing that you get to be a writer.

But if you still want to procrastinate, check out my website for more resources :-)

#writingcommunity

#WritingCommunity #Imbolc #Candelmas #Spring

Square photo. The photo shows two snowdrop blossoms. They are clearly growing in a larger clump of the snowdrops, but the focus is on two individual flowers.

Candelmas isn't quite over yet, so here are snowdrops and a prayer for Imbolc:

--

Welcome

Welcome to the child

She walks through fields of silver.
Winter cracks under her feet
and the earth breathes
gossamer. In her wake,
the path is damp
and green.

Welcome to the child

--

#poetry #prayer

Square photo. Close up of the backs of two people boarding a bus. Pretty much all that can be seen of the bus is a green vertical bar.The people boarding the bus are totally unidentifiable. The one nearer the camera is waring a purple hoodie with a corduroy effect. The person farthest from the camera is wearing a dark mulberrry coloured macintosh.

Jenny Joseph's "Warning" came to mind as I queued for a bus in the rain.

I heard Joseph speak in 2012 and got the clear impression that she felt the poem was over-rated and had eclipsed everything else she'd written.

How can we balance audience appeal with writing quality ?

#writingcommunity

Circular badge like image in shades of green, orange, yellow and red. Around the edge of the circle are the words Tadpole Press 100-word writing contest. In the centre there is a small banner saying Shortlist Winner November 2025.

Delighted that one of my poems has been shortlisted in the Tadpole Press 100-word competition and very much looking forward to the "Celebration of Words" on Thursday, when the winners will be announced.

#writingcommunity #poetry #writingcompetition

I do love some proper punctuation!

This is the cover of the dictionary I was brought up with: the one we were allowed to interrupt a meal to consult :-)

Which reference books shaped your childhood or laid a foundation for your interest in writing?

#writingcommunity #writing #poetry #apostrophe

Square photo. Image is taken looking up at small tabby cat who is sitting with her head through the white painted iron banister of a white stone staircase. Her eyes are wide open and she is looking down and to her right and her ears are fully pricked as if she can see something interesting or potentially dangerous.

Before she tangles herself up in the banister or takes a daring leap from a great height, Skinner just wanted to remind us all that curiosity isn't just for cats – it's key to being a writer.

What other personality traits make you a good writer?

#writingcommunity #caturday

Square screenshot photo. Most of the image is taken up by a photo of a simply-furnished hotel room with white walls and a large window through which the tops of trees can be seen.The pale grey curtains are wide open. The room has a double bed, with grey headboard and divan base. It has white sheets and pillows and a teal blue cover over the end of the bed. The bedside units are built into the wall. There is a teal blue chair with wooden legs on the left of the picture and simple wooden table top.. The carpet is a slightly greyer shade of teal blue. The chair legs, table top and bedside units are all pine-coloured. The room looks clean and bright. Across the top of the image is a text saying: "1 Double Standard" with icons indicating that it is intended for 2 people. It also shows 114 sq mt, which is almost certainly a misprint for 114 sq ft.

Booking a hotel room recently, I found this. Nowhere did the website say what unfairly applied rule made the term "double standard" necessary.

Nor did it say how big the hotel is to be able to offer 114 square metre rooms, but that's another issue.

#writingcommunity #proofreading #languagematters

Square photo. Autumnal oak leaves against the sky. The photo is roughly divided into four parts. Tope left, a spray of bright russet leaves. Bottom left a distant tree top, green turning to yellow. Bottom right, a bright white cumulus cloud. Top right, clear blue sky.

An unseasonally autumnal photo to say that my poem "Enter a Messenger" was chosen runner up in the Autumn Voices competition :-)

There's a video of me reading the poem and videos of the winner & all the commended poems on the autumnvoices.co.uk website

#writingcommunity

Square photo. Close up of a dark purple buddleja bloom. The tiny flowers nearest the camera are clearly visible, with dark yellow-orange centres.

Looking for inspiration? How about a summer writing retreat as full of bright ideas & activities as a buddleia bloom is full of tiny flowers?

That's what Swanwick Writers' Summer School offers. Bookings are now open.

I'll be there, with a course on Collaborative Writing!

#writingcommunity

Square photo. Close up photo of the head and front paws of a white cat. The cat is sitting asleep on a pale wooden surface and the photo is taken looking up at him. He has his eyes closed and is looking completely relaxed.

Watson is asleep on top of the kitchen cupboard knowing that he did all he was expected to do this week: he ate & slept & chased his sister; he knocked things over & left white hair everywhere…

Have you managed to cross things off your to-do list this week?

#writingcommunity #caturday #writerscats

This weekend, I'll be getting on a plane. And the lyric, "I'm leaving on a jet plane" will be running round my mind as it always does at the airport.

Do habits in your life have their own soundtrack?
What about the story you're writing? Does it have its own album or play list?

#writingcommunity

Square photo. Shallow stone steps leading up a narrow uphill path. Oo the left is a natural rocky wall. On the right a grey stone wall with an old metal handrail in the form of a thick twisted rope. The path leads slight round to the right and there is nothing to be seen at the top except a high wall in old brickwork.

I seem to have said "life's feels a bit uphill" rather often recently.
Repetition is an important tool for writers, but I suppose there must come a point where it becomes boring.
How do we know where to draw the line and keep our readers engaged?

#writingcommunity

A wonderful early sky from a few days ago.

I keep forgetting "red sky in the morning" is a warning. And then I'm surprised by how awful the day turns out.

I should probably pay more attention to what the experts have to say :-)
What good writing advice do you keep ignoring?!

#writingcommunity

Square photo. Image shows two cats asleep. One is a white cat, the other a slightly smaller grey tabby. They are curled up together, with the white cat's head on the tabbie's back and his front left paw on her neck. There isn't much background visible, but they are on a dark brown surface, probably an upholstered chair, with a beige cushion behind them.

It's been a long week and all that Skinner and Watson want to do is sleep.
I, however, haven't got through my list of chores and nor have I done much writing recently, so I'll be staying busy although it's the weekend.

Are you writing, working or relaxing this weekend?

#writingcommunity #caturday

Square photo. Photo is a detail of a greengrocer fruit display, with two crates of apples and two of orange citrus fruits. The latter have leaves scattered over the fruit. The top crate of citrus fruits is labelled "Mandarinas 1'60€". the top crate of apples is labelled "Ambrosia 1'75€/kg". The bottom crate of apples is labelled "Fully 1'75 e/k"

Spanish is a phonetic language so, as long as you know the letter sounds, you can pronounce any written text.

These apples are not *fully* anything. They are *Fuji* apples.

There's probably a lesson here about knowing your reader, but you can work that out for yourselves.

#writingcommunity

Square photo. Close up of a dry stone wall. Maybe a dozen layers of flat grey stones.

Don't you love how all the small stones in a dry stone wall create a single coherent structure without mortar or other bonding?

Of course we could see this as a metaphor for good writing: every element needs to work together – remove any of them and it will weaken the structure.

#writingcommunity