I was reading an online post by a writer who believed she was suffering from writer's block. It was not that she was stuck in the middle of a novel (a common issue) more that she had no inspiration, or inclination to write, and she was feeling quite desperate.

If this happens to a writer my advice is to reframe it as lying fallow. Fallow periods allow the land to rest and replenish. Perhaps this writer's creative soul needs to do likewise. The issue here is not ‘writer’s block’ it is that panic has engulfed her and she is frozen, petrified that she will never again resume writing.

To return to the land analogy, left alone the soil rests during this placid period, nourished by dung, rain, and sunshine it prepares itself for fertility and seeding. Later with sunshine shoots will peak above the soil. 

Looked, at this way, it is not a block, rather it is a creative respite. In my experience, our creative field doesn’t become completely barren, even on wastelands windblown seeds flourish. So, permit your creative self a fallow period, relax, and wait for spring.

iddiWhen you look up the synonyms for resilience, you get these, in this order.

Strength
Resistance
Flexibility
Pliability
Hardiness

Instantly the one that I identified with was hardiness.

My hardiness took time to develop, it did so through failure, and I am thankful for it. I improved my craft; by reading well-reviewed short story collections. A number are published by independent publishers, and if you're writing contemporary fiction you must read contemporary fiction. The publisher SALT introduces wonderful authors, they also print the Best British Short Stories (Series Editor Nicholas Royle) each year, which has around twenty stories of superb quality and variety.

I have been keeping a spreadsheet of my short story entries since 2015 when I entered 13 short story competitions and 2 short stories were selected for publication. In 2023 I entered the biggest number 27 and I had success in 4 competitions. Rejection used to hurt, but it doesn’t anymore, I simply revise the story and send it out on its way again, because a different judge may love it.

In 2024 the judge Sarah Hall longlisted a story of mine in the Fish Prize, I was delighted with that as I know her work and have heard her read at The Book Hive, a wonderful independent book shop in Norwich (do visit). Also in 2024, the same story was longlisted in another competition. So, it will have another outing this year. If you have been long or shortlisted see if you can improve the story, I revise virtually all my stories, there are many drafts.

Listed here are a few collections I have enjoyed and learned from.

Fen by Daisy Johnson
Some Days Are Better Than Ours by Barbara Byar
The Maples Stories by John Updike
Broken Things by Padrika Tarrant
Salt Slow by Julia Armfield
The Pier Falls by Mark Haddon
Seven Tales of Sex and Death by Patrica Duncker
Some New Ambush by Carys Davies
The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
 
I leave you with a comment made to me by Patricia Duncker.
 ‘Take more risks with your writing.’  

I will be running another short story one-day workshop shortly, do email me with expressions of interest as they fill up quickly. [email protected]
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Occasionally writers or friends offer suggestions about writing competitions I might like to enter. These are welcome and kindly meant, but sometimes they surprise me because they have incorrectly assumed my writing genre, which can be amusing.
Genre for authors is a tricky subject; because your agent (if you have one) will want a bestseller and a bestseller is usually the genre at the top of the Sunday Times list. Today (Sunday 11th Nov 24)  it is Lee and Andrew Child ‘In Too Deep’ which has just toppled Richard Osman’s ‘We Solve Murders.’ Of the 10 hardback books listed, 8 are crime/thrillers/who done it? The paperback chart has a little more variety; but is skewed by novels with Christmas or Pumpkin in the title (tis the season etc.)

It's easier to state what you won’t find in my work.
No Cowboys.
No Horror.
No terror.
No fluffy Romance.
No one in a corset.
No battle scenes.
No grim countless slayings of young women.
No recovering alcoholic crime detectives with a murky past. (Although sometimes I’m tempted.)
No women in negligees (unless it’s the nineteen fifties.)

So, what do I write?  I write drama.

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Enigmatic and socially aware psychological mysteries. I often begin with an image such as a family portrait, a rare stamp, or obsessions (heavy hemp rope, hair, or menacing origami ditto menacing dress alterations).  All these have featured in my prize-winning and published fiction. I write about the past as it informs the present, often a dark past incident and occasionally, a dystopic future.

I employ the following:-

Atmosphere, surroundings, deceit, outright lies, the misremembered, the misheard, the unwittingly disclosed, along with humour, psychological angst, love, care, and disdain.

And my elevator pitch...?

That is and will remain a well-kept secret.

I was trying to recall the first biography that I read and what came to mind was Jeanette Winterson’s ‘Oranges are Not the Only Fruit (1985)  although it was billed as a novel it was immediately evident that it was a highly autobiographical novel, and it was controversial. Later I read ‘Bad Blood’ by Lorna Sage, described as ‘ A small masterpiece’ by Blake Morrison, and ‘…encapsulates the experience of a generation.’ By Kathryn Huges. And in 2002 ‘Slipstream - A Memoir’ by Elizabeth Jane Howard, by this time an author of numerous novels including the ‘Cazalet Chronicles’, also stepmother to Martin Amis, who credited her as ‘ …a profound influence.’  What I noticed was that aspects of my own childhood and adult life were sometimes mirrored in the incidents described. I ignored the Christmas fodder of mainly ghost written ‘celebrity’ tomes and those that began with ‘I was born in …’

It is interesting to consider why one would write something revealing and perhaps painful. In the preface to ‘Slipstream’ Howard states; ‘I write to find things out, as much as, and sometimes more than, to tell them to other people. In a way, an autobiography seems to me like a household book of accounts – what has been acquired, to what purpose has it been put, was too much paid for it and did it teach you anything?...'

I think another strong motivation for chronicling the past is that one has lived through ‘interesting’ times. This certainly applies to my life which differed markedly from my mother’s and my many aunts and older cousins. The other prompt is that I have always written journals written from leaving home at sixteen – a sudden switch from Covent School to Art School. In what was a markedly fluid era, I mixed with a smorgasbord of people. Previously one was expected to mix and marry one’s own ‘sort’ for which read class and race. There was a freedom new to young people, in clothes, culture, food and sex - everything had altered.

Biography/memoir has recently transformed. Slim volumes of life changing incidents that do not run on chronologically from birth and contain incidents that shock, frighten, sadden and elate. These are not misery memoirs; they are an exploration of a life by pointing a camera lens and inviting the reader to look closely and see patterns that have built this person, through these key incidents.
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If you are interested in my 21st October 2024  Memoir workshop please find the details on booking on the Home page of this website.

​There have been a number of times in my creative life when synchronicity has been magically evident. Recently I watched the artist Margo (www.margoinmargate.com and www.helmgallery.com sorry wouldn't link) interviewed on television, she was having her first one-woman show, and she walked into the gallery and declared ‘Oh my goodness…it’s so colourful!’ Like me, she had never before seen all her artwork in one place. Her experience up until then was, a piece or two hung in a joint show. I never had a studio large enough to have paintings lined up around the wall, I inhabited small spaces and work was either sold, hidden in my plan chest or stacked behind furniture. That is until I decided to photograph them to make an art Instagram account @patriciamullinartist1560  When I saw my work there, I too was taken aback – I really had no idea that my body of work was so bright, bold, and impactful.

I worked as a textile designer, and when you spend every day working on exquisite, colourful, patterned florals you demand a visual break. I think if anyone were to describe my décor and style of dress they might say, restful or subdued – I don’t stand out in a crowd. Pale neutrals and deep blue are favourites for clothes, and in my current cottage F&B White Tie, with only one room, my study, in colour and that is my own mixed-up version of a soft ochre, yellow. and white. So, when I saw my paintings on Instagram I was stunned, I had no idea they were so colourful.

A lot of my Norfolk friends don’t know that in London, and quite by accident, I became an illustrator. I had an agent and I would receive a brief  from the magazine or newspaper, work was sent by motorbike courier and off it went. In 1990 I moved to Norwich and with that move I thoughtlessly ended my illustration career. Hard to believe but we barely had email let alone images online or sent down the line. In Norwich, I did the first ever ‘open studio’ with my artist friend and neighbour Judith Vondrak, who lived at the opposite end of the terrace, later as ‘Opposite Ends and Friends’  we included artist friends and my cousin the late Antony Pearce FRSA, an accomplished and well-known watercolour artist. In 1995 I had begun writing and that took over.
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Quite suddenly I got the urge to paint once more and I am loving the process - handling the art implements, drawing and mixing paint, also being able to listen to music and podcasts while I work. I am grateful to have found, my skills with paint, though rusty, remain. And what a relief to untether from a computer screen.  A colourful still life was recently selected for the Sir John Hurt Prize and exhibited at the Holt exhibition, and now I have gallery interest. Most of all, I love the fact that I have surprised myself. 

Dear friends, writers and students,

Friday the 5th is turned into a good news day for me and many others, and I am able to add to this by highlighting events at the Holt Festival, Norfolk, where I am delighted have a painting accepted for the Sir John Hurt Prize exhibition.

As part of the Holt Festival, I have been invited to run a creative writing workshop on Wednesday the 24th July 10am – 4pm cost £65  linked to the exhibition German Expressionists & the Third Reich.

The workshop begins with a guided talk by James Glennie curator, and includes paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures, by artists declared ‘degenerate’ by Hitler. There will be some extraordinary images and dramatic stories to inspire your short fiction or poetry.  It is suitable for beginners and more experienced writers and poets. There is also an Expressionist exhibition on at the Tate well worth seeing,  you can get closer to the exhibits and insights into their lives at this workshop. My workshops are small, firm friendships are formed, and we will cover aspects of writing, openings, structure, plot, and routes to publication.
Workshop places are limited to 10 participants and spaces go quickly, so please book by going to:

www.holtfestival.org      Box Office Enquiries: [email protected]
The box office is open Monday to Saturday 11am-2pm
Please feel free to pass on this email to interested friends and groups.

For more information on go to www.patriciamullin.com or email [email protected]
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The link below gives more information of the Expressionist movement and details of a lecture by Amanda Geitner.  Hitler’s Purge, Fleeing Artists and Something of their Legacy.  £15. 19th July 3pm St Andrews Church Meeting room and Gardens.
https://www.eastangliaartfund.org.uk/events/german-expressionists-hitlers-purge-fleeing-artists-something-of-their-legacy
 
In other news:
The Artist’s Studio is available for holiday bookings through Norfolk Coastal Retreats and currently there is a tempting discount.
                                                                                          www.norfolkcoastalretreats.co.uk         
                                                                                          Email:[email protected]       
                                                                                          @norfolk_coastal_retreats   
See The Artist’s Studio:                                                 @theartistsstudio
See art images:                                                               @patriciamullinartist1560
Writing/workshops/mentoring                                       www.patriciamullin.com
Email:                                                                               [email protected]

Dear friends, writers, and students,
 
Welcome to Spring! Yes, I know it hardly feels like it, yesterday we had hail!  That said, the garden is waking up and birds also. I have lots to share this month, so dive in.
 
I am also delighted to share my recent competition/publishing successes. I have now been published in seven extant books, and a number of writing ezines and periodicals.  I began writing short stories in between and during novels, sometimes as a distraction from the long haul of a novel. They are as addictive to write as they are to read. This form of writing was in the doldrums in this country for a long, but in recent years it has undergone and revival, now it is the much-loved and highly respected form. Flash/micro fiction being a remarkable way of storytelling in with a restrictive word count, often as little as 100 or 300 words.
 
‘Pale Angel’  FATE the award winning international short stories published by Hammond House. www.hammondhouse.org.uk
‘Mire’ selected for the London Independent Story Prize 5th Anniversary anthology. www.londonindependentstoryprize.co.uk
Longlisted in the Fish Prize, Judge Sarah Hall. This short story is now entered elsewhere and must remain anonymous. https://www.fishpublishing.com/

Please go to the BOOK and LISP interview page of this website for images of my books and my interview with LISP and details of prizes and awards.
 
Writing workshops

Firstly, my workshop at The Holt Festival this year is on Wednesday 24th July 10-4pm. The German Expressionism exhibition will be the inspiration for our writing workshop,  there are extraordinary stories embedded in this period and its art. The workshop begins with a tour and talk on the exhibition by its Curator, James Glennie. With its boldly colourful yet inward looking approach, the art and artist offer rich seams to explore through creative short fiction. In this workshop we will also discuss your writing ambitions and the opportunities short stories offer the writer.

Short fiction — Including structure and form, dialogue and voice and using visual and text prompts this workshop will playfully help writers to craft stories of varying lengths. We will also examine how to build a portfolio of work and discuss short stories as a route to publication, with recommend competitions for you to enter. 
10-4pm Cost £60.00
To held in Wells Library 

Memoir ­— Examining the differences between memoir, biography and autobiography, and using example texts from contemporary memoirs, you will learn how distinctive, dramatic, tender and moving memoir can be. Using a three–act structure you can produce a unique journey of your life experience from your own area of expertise…yourself. 
10-4pm Cost £60.00
To be held in Wells Library
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Please email me your expressions of interest or queries and I will inform you when I have solid dates.
 
Email: [email protected]
https://www.instagram.com/patriciamullin.com
https://www.instagram.com/patriciamullinartist1560.com
https://www.instagram.com/theartistsstudio/  (For bookings and writing/art retreat weekends please email me.)
Website: www.patriciamullin.com
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Obviously the story itself has to catch the eye first of the readers who filter the submissions and then the competition judge. That said, it also takes determination, skill and above all reading a great many contemporary short story collections to understand the craft, the skill and then master brevity. Fewer words don't make writing any easier, rather the reverse. There is nowhere to hide, very little description, every word has to count and the title is often employed to do some heavy lifting.
The more short stories you write the better your writing will become and the more entries you send the more the odds improve; it is a numbers game. I keep a spreadsheet going back almost a decade of every entry I make, it contains: the title, the  competition, the judge, the word count, the final entry date, the shortlisting and judgement dates and, importantly, the cost. The years in which I enter the most competitions have been the years in which I have been shortlisted or placed most often. In 2023 I entered 26 writing competitions and I have had successes. One bursary, one finalist, two shortlists, one published interview (and the inclusion of my stories in two anthologies.)  As competitions become more expensive so it becomes costly, but it is an important way to get your voice out there, to get your name known and importantly to increase your confidence and self-belief, writing short and flash fiction is also good for your professional development, ditto writing courses and workshops . Writing in particular, requires resilience, you have to be tough to keep going and you have to learn to accept rejection as part of the process of recognition; if you have professional writing ambitions you will be rejected more often than accepted, so you will need to develop a skin thick enough to match that of a rhino. 

Art

In other news I am returning to my artistic endeavours. In London in the 1980's I became an accidental illustrator working for a number of national publications and well known companies. I have decided to return to art part-time. Take a look at my back catalogue on instagram @patriciamullinartist1560

If you would like to book a visit to The Artist's Studio (or discuss a tailored writing retreat) do contact me on [email protected]
instagram:      @theartistsstudio


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Another delightful surprise my short story 'Pale Angel' set in post war Italy has been shortlisted in the Hammond House short story competition and will be included in the forthcoming anthology. 

I am delighted that my short story 'Hush' has been longlisted for the Save As Writers short story competition. Interestingly I recently reviewed this short story adding further paragraph explaining more about my characters dilemma. 

News Flash.
 
I am delighted to find that my Flash Fiction ‘Mire’ has been selected for the London Independent Short Story prize winning anthology of 2023
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In 2021 my Flash Fiction ‘Fact Sheet 5’ was selected as a finalist, so I am honoured to be included in this, the inaugural anthology from the LISP competition.
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​Turning the Page
 
Since Covid times I have come across many people who in that peaceful pause when planes grounded and we could hear birdsong, began to re-evaluate their life and wondered could I live and work differently? For a time, it looked as if our cities would empty and the countryside would fill up with fleeing urbanites crafting their way to a better integrated, gentler, fulfilling life.
Then I began to meet people who having  had their light-bulb moment couldn’t quite launch themselves into a different tomorrow, either because they didn’t know how to make this new way of living work or lacked self-belief. Some graduated from creative courses without the tools to convert their talent into a meaningful career and not knowing who to turn to. Others in caring and medical professions wondered if they could work independently and develop their own practice.
Turning the Page is for anyone who finds themselves stalled at a crossroad and needing the support that enables them to move forward with confidence.
Patricia Mullin
 
Turning the Page is a one-day workshop that aims to alter your perception through discussion, reflective activities and small group work

• Looking at your current life condition by areas
• Evaluating where you are now and what you want to achieve
• Advice on research
• Assessing your abilities, prior knowledge and expertise
• Exploring the gaps and issues that limit progress
• Looking for sources of financial, business and professional support
• Formulating a flexible step-by-step time-based plan to work on
• Opportunities for further mentoring

 
Course leader:
 
Patricia Mullin
 

 
Author, designer and creative writing tutor, Patricia’s specialises in Fiction writing and creative enterprise.  A designer and graduate of Central/St Martins, Patricia graduated from the MA Writing the Visual at NUA - exploring the relationship between creative and critical writing and visual culture.  Patricia is a qualified, experienced teacher and mentor, who leads site-specific writing courses/workshops linked to iconic buildings, exhibitions and remarkable collections. A published novelist, Patricia’s short stories are included in a number of anthologies.
 
Guest facilitators
 
Marion Catlin
Principal consultant Marion Catlin started The Shift Norwich to provide cultural development, design and digital services for the arts, heritage and cultural sectors.
The idea is simple - to bring together the skills, talents and experience of the very many creative people that live in and around Norwich and promote them to the rest of the world, acting as a hub for creative and cultural activity and information for the public and audiences. As a designer, she is also a creative problem-solver, brokering and matching people and ideas to resources and projects. Marion has become a master of networks and connecting and she herself has readjusted from full-time employment to a diverse freelance career over the last 12 years, with many insights to pass on. 
 
Sally Storr
Sally is a qualified psychologist and coach who has combined experience in business and the Public Sector. As a Human Resources Officer at The World Health Organisation living in Switzerland for over 20 years her knowledge of multi-cultural communities informs her world view.  Sally enjoys the challenge of change but equally understands its potential stress. More recently working as a counsellor in private practice, and as a tutor and a coach at the Open University Sally uses a combination of coaching and teaching skills and she aims to support others in living the life they really want.

Dear friends, writers and students,
Firstly… The Artist’s Studio is booking through Norfolk Cottages and Airbnb. Just pop in The Artist’s Studio. Norfolk Cottages property reference is 2273. Or follow this link https://www.norfolkcottages.co.uk/search?areaid=88&locationid=1459&nights=7&plusminus=1&attribute428=false&orderBy=sleeps_asc:priority_asc
 
If you are in the mood for something new? To kick start your creativity or take action towards your dreams, then I have several tantalising events in the offing.
 
Anyone that knows me, will appreciate my fascination with ‘stuff’. Be it tangible chattels, rubbish, sentimental objects of inheritance, or memorabilia, to be working with The Art of Waste the Groundwork Gallery is a real treat for me.
 
LIFE, DEBRIS AND OTHER STORIES – a one day workshop Tuesday June 6th 10-4pm
Inspired by The Art of Waste at the Groundwork Gallery, after an introduction, participants will gather together words, phrases and themes for writing. Later, investigating the contradictions surrounding our relationships with ‘stuff’, through short writing exercises we will explore our past, present and future relationship with objects. Beginning with the playthings of early development  – sticks, mud, stones, paper, food – to the relentless over-acquisition and waste that home, work and family inevitably generate. Later exploring the creative possibilities for positive environmental change, through small steps, for a longer work of fiction. 
Groundwork Gallery, Kings Lynn PE
Follow the link below for further information & the booking link.
https://www.groundworkgallery.com/events/life-debris-and-other-stories/
 
The Holt Festival A creative writing workshop linked to the exhibition featuring German Expressionism. On Wednesday 26th July. https://lovenorfolk.co.uk/events/holt-arts-festival/Booking and further information to follow.
 
Turning the Page – a Saturday workshop in Norwich designed to galvanise you into action. (Date and venue to be confirmed).
Since the Covid years I have noticed the urge for life-shifts, yet creative enthusiasm or taking a leap of faith are sometimes halted by paralysis and over-analysis. What seemed like a brilliant creative idea, career change, or business opportunity, gets bogged down by fear, indecision, lack of detail, funding, or a realistic timed plan of action. This one-day workshop featuring guest speakers will help you dig deep to transfer your specialism or talent, push through the blocks and forge a constructive plan, with clear bench-marks and timed actions to get you started. Turning the Page is for anyone seeking new possibilities, be they creative, career altering, starting a business, learning a new skill, or planning a new life elsewhere.
Expressions of Interest: please email Patricia with your name, contact details, your current role and the change you are seeking at [email protected]
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Firstly, The Artist's Studio, my gorgeous Scandi inspired retreat, situated in the grounds of Meadow Cottage, is now available to book through Norfolk Cottages. Designed with tranquillity and simplicity in mind, it is the perfect spot to unwind, write, read and become inspired by the Norfolk countryside and coast.

https://www.norfolkcottages.co.uk/searchareaid=88&locationid=1459&nights=7&plusminus=1&attribute428=false&orderBy=sleeps_asc:priority_asc

Property reference 2273

Courses and workshops in 2023.

Workshop: Turning the Page - new for 2023, this one day workshop will be held in Norwich. It aims to attract writers and creatives also those in other professions (such as health and care services) who having weathered the arduous Covid years, wish to explore other possibilities, adapting skills, retraining or perhaps starting their own business, but need guidance to begin.

In these two workshops you will have the opportunity to examine where you are, where you want to be and how to get there. It is a space to explore other possibilities, share ideas and devise a specific targeted plan for implementing life altering and life enhancing opportunities.

I keep a spreadsheet of all my short story entries. I have noticed in the years where I have entered more competitions I have won or been placed in more and successfully made it into the all-important anthologies. Upwards of 20 entries seems to be what you need for success. 

​Despite being autumn, a time when one tends to hibernate, it is a time when I return to my writing and course planning with renewed enthusiasm. The pleasant distractions of summer disappear, the garden is put to bed for winter and a quieter period ensues, one where I can think without interruption and plan. I've been checking my competition spreadsheet and deciding what to enter and where. I research the judge, usually a well-known author, I also read any of the previous winners’ stories that are sometimes posted online. If the competition has an anthology I will get hold of a back copy and read the winners stories, also I may put in two or three quite different stories because, I conclude, the judge or judges will want variety in the anthology. If it is for a literary magazine I get hold of a copy. Cost is an issue, competitions fees have increased in recent years and so I am more selective and, like everyone I know, I have cut back in the light of current fiscal conditions. The great thing about entering competitions is that it is a focus, something to aim for, in terms of length, content, style and deadlines. Stories that don't make it one year, are re-edited, re-written or left to lie fallow for a period while I consider a new approach, and most important of all your writing will be read.