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jane hayward

writer of memoir, long and short fiction

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Category: Writers & Books

BOOKS I MUST HAVE ON MY SHELF

May 22, 2021May 22, 20212 Comments

I'm going to cheat this week as I must polish two submissions for the Bridport Prize: one for the short story prize and the second for the novel. I've been searching for inspiration for my arresting first line for the novel. I remembered that Ian McEwen's On Chesil Beach started with three aspects of the … Continue reading BOOKS I MUST HAVE ON MY SHELF

A New Beginning

January 1, 2021January 1, 20211 Comment

If I say I’ve been reading all my life, you’ll know I’m exaggerating. If I say, I’ve been reading as far back as I can remember, I’d be closer to the truth. Let’s start with my tenth Christmas morning. I recall the dim light from the hall allowing me to make out the pillowcase, bulging … Continue reading A New Beginning

The Upside of an Extended Lockdown

July 13, 2020July 13, 2020Leave a comment

It’s a Sunday in a different form of lockdown – more of an ‘I could go home, but why should I?’ lockdown. We’re staying in a house surrounded by farmland, with narrow, unmade-up tracks leading to the few dwellings in ‘our’ part of Tuscany. We’re between two villages, small towns really as each village is … Continue reading The Upside of an Extended Lockdown

This Petty Pace

May 11, 2020May 11, 2020Leave a comment

For most of us the thing which keeps us going at whatever we do is the day-to-day stimulation of real life. Not a fake imitation of living, as this lock-down is. I understand that some kind of regulation which hopes to limit the damage and the death is essential.  However, we must not forget that … Continue reading This Petty Pace

Writer’s Block in Lock-down

March 28, 20207 Comments

You’d think that this lock-down would be the writer’s best friend. Hours and empty hours of time to think, perchance to dream and then to write. This isn’t happening in my life and I get the feeling that it’s not happening in other’s writing life either. When I’m not cooking with whatever we have, ie … Continue reading Writer’s Block in Lock-down

The Writer’s Life

November 16, 2019November 18, 20193 Comments

To begin on a positive note – cos I’m working towards writing about the dreaded synopsis – earlier this month I had a story in a short list of 6 writers in a competition run by Henshaw Press. That heart-stopping moment when you see your name on the screen is one every writer deserves to … Continue reading The Writer’s Life

Chiswick Book Festival 2019 : The Full Pitch

September 13, 2019September 13, 2019Leave a comment

Hello and Good Evening. Most of you here lived through the 1960s and some of you didn’t.    So here’s the story. The 1960s was perceived as the swinging 60s and the permissive society, with the Beatles singing Love, Love Me Do.  And we did. We loved each other. But behind the pop songs and the … Continue reading Chiswick Book Festival 2019 : The Full Pitch

Moths in the Milk and Porcini on the Plate

September 8, 2019September 9, 20192 Comments

The sights, smells and memories of the past weeks must be put away. No more moths drowning in the milk or dozing on a lampshade. The porcini mushrooms found in the garden have been eaten and we are still alive. The sun cream lotion is stored away, the beds are stripped and a large pile … Continue reading Moths in the Milk and Porcini on the Plate

Whose Memory?

July 28, 2019July 28, 20193 Comments

Anyone out there who has read my memoir, The Baby Box, could be forgiven for assuming that I am an only child. One friend certainly did and said that being an only child explained why my mother was so harsh with me. No, my mother was harsh because I upset the middle-class, domestic apple-cart big … Continue reading Whose Memory?

Book Group Discussions

July 7, 2019July 9, 2019Leave a comment

As all writers and readers know, the idea of book groups appealed widely and now there are countless numbers of groups across the country as well as, no doubt, other countries. Years ago, I was a member of an online book group. It was run the same as other groups: one member suggested a book, … Continue reading Book Group Discussions

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