Shutterstock / 13_Phunkod©“The People’s Friend” Writing Hour is held every Tuesday at 11 a.m. on Twitter. It’s a time when we can get together with writers for a chat and it’s always heaps of fun!
Every week we summarise everything that went on right here for those who missed out.
This week we talked about non-fiction, deadlines, and research.
How is everyone? What’s your news from the past seven days? What’s made you smile?
There’s so much to be thankful for. It’s nice to reflect back and think about the things that have made us happy recently – it can be easy to focus on the negative.
This week you’re all smiling for so many reasons – seeing grandchildren, winning raffles, giving handmade gifts, friends visiting, writing lots . . . too many reasons to list here!
What was the last non-fiction book that you read?
Get ready for another fabulous list of recommendations from our writers. You might find your next favourite . . . or find the perfect gift for a loved one!
The English Civil War by Diane Purkiss
Blood And Guts: A Short History Of Medicine by Roy Porter
Travelling Cat In Ireland by Frederick Harrison
It Ain’t Heavy, It’s My Story: My Life In The Hollies by Bobby Elliott
Agatha Christie by Lucy Worsley
Taste by Stanley Tucci
Victorian London by Liza Pickard
The Journal Of A Georgian Gentleman by Mike Rendell
The Penguin Guide to the Superstitions of Britain and Ireland by Steve Roud
Myths And Legends Of The British Isles by Richard Barber
Erebus by Michael Palin
The Inklings by Humphrey Carpenter
The Crown In Crisis by Alexander Larman
The Life And Times Of The Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
And finally, anything by historian Dr Ruth Goodman!
Do you work better if you have a deadline to meet, or does it make you panic?
The majority of you like a deadline and find it motivating. A few of you said that you like a deadline even though they make you panic!
For the rest of you, the famous quote by Douglas Adams kept popping up in comments:
“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.”
It seems like they don’t affect you at all and you enjoy the freedom.
What’s your favourite piece of research that you’ve done either through writing or after having read something in a book?
These topics can get very specific! Here are just a few:
Researching 1830s convict history for my convict constable stories has been fascinating.
— Liz Filleul (@lizfilleul) November 29, 2022
I looked into the evidence for the legendary Christmas football match on no man’s land during the 1914-18 war, for a story which was accepted by The People’s Friend. I found that very interesting.
— Eirin Thompson (@ThompsonEirin) November 29, 2022
Has to be the Clydebank Blitz for a story which won People’s Friend writing competition in 2007…
— Jane Burns (@Author2017) November 29, 2022
A4. I had a great time researching recipes from the 1500s when I wrote my last pocket novel which was set in an abbey at the time of the dissolution. And I discovered that modern-day mint sauce was probably around then. #PFWritingHour
— susan cook (@popsytops) November 29, 2022
It has to be the opportunity I had to chat with members of the Durrell family as part of my research for ‘Looking for the Durrells’ A privilege and so uplifting – they were generous, kind and supportive.
— Melanie Hewitt FRSA (@MelanieHewitt61) November 29, 2022
If you could team up with any fictional detective to solve a crime, who would you choose and why?
The top picks were Miss Marple and Inspector Montalbano!
Columbo, Ruth Galloway, Christopher Foyle and Jessica Fletcher all tied for second place.
There’s a dream detective task force here . . .
Let’s fast forward a couple of years. Where do you see your writing life going?
Whatever your writing goals are, we wish you all the best with them!
Our goal will continue to be to provide the best serials, short stories, pocket novels and poetry for our readers.
We’ll see you at our next Writing Hour on Twitter — 11 a.m. on Tuesday 6 December, 2022.
Or click here to see our previous roundups.
Abigail Phillips Abbie is the newest member of the fiction team at the "Friend." She loves how varied the role is - every day is different and there is always a new story to read. She is keen to work closely with established writers and discover new writers, too.
