Greta Thunberg arrested for holding a sign opposing genocide. When peaceful protest is a crime, democracy is in deep trouble. Happening under a Labour Government.

This is the barn owl stained glass window in St Thomas’s Church at Harty on the Isle of Sheppey. Sure did hear those last night in the moments when I drifted in and out of sleep! #NightInAChurch #Sheppey #WinterSolstice

Remember: It ys okaye to be lonelye. It ys okaye to feel lost. It ys okaye to be sad. It ys okaye yf nobody ys arounde. It ys okaye to have no plannes or just small plannes. It ys okaye to have big plannes that seem exhausting. It ys okaye to be a mess. Take care of thyself. Thou art amazinge.

I don't believe that old saying about writers hating writing but loving having written. The writing is the best part. When you're in it, it's pure magic. The non-fun bit is the stuff that sometimes goes with it. A publisher running off with £20,000+ of your earnings, just to pick one random example.

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 80519000: Your work is your own. Your decisions are yours. Whether you use editors, sensitivity readers, beta readers or not, whether you take advice or not, whether the readers like it or not, you call the shots. For good or ill, it stops with you.

Door 23 of #Shevent: Your final gift of #Shedmas is an acorn, plump and still in its cup. "Plant it in your garden," he says, "and watch the fruits of your labours grow."

"Whenever people keep being given a platform to say they have no platform, or whenever people speak endlessly about being silenced, you not only have a performative contradiction; you are witnessing a mechanism of power". Sara Ahmed

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 71616: If you're struggling to stay creative during the dark part of the year, go back to what you love. Re-read, re-watch, rediscover old favourites. Remind yourself why you're doing this. Find your joy.

Door 22 of #Shedvent: Your second gift; in a wooden cup. A cheering draught of winters past; of summertime; of absent friends, and friends as yet unknown; all scented with nutmeg and cinnamon, and brandied apple, cherry, and cloves...

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 55: You don't have to describe everything. Sometimes a well-placed detail can be more evocative than a page of description...

I SCREAMED www.instagram.com/reel/DSaex-X...

Door 21 of Shedvent: the Winter King, in his crown of green oak and mistletoe and red holly berries; here to welcome you to his hall. He hands you a bottle the size of your thumb, closed with an acorn stopper. "Here, on the heels of the longest night, is a gift of light: use it well. And shine..."

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 155: It takes time and practice to get good at writing. Anyone telling you otherwise is a liar. Anyone trying to sell you ways of doing it without those things is a crook.

Third Sector Against Transphobia has launched an open letter in support of trans people and requesting improved guidance and support from the Charity Commission for charities attacked by ‘gender critical’ transphobes ‘lawfare’ Sign here 👉 www.thirdsectoragainsttransphobia.org

Coincidental to @joannechocolat.bsky.social's story today....

GOAL: one more backer today. YOU can make that happen. My Xmas will be saved. Plus it's really, really good. www.kickstarter.com/projects/daa...

There is a story the bees used to tell, which makes it hard to disbelieve. #Storytime

rfk will not rest until your kid is dead wapo.st/4s2l2zn

Every time there's a breaking story about a celeb's treatment of women, everyone in the book world asks, "Is it finally Walliams?" Well, it finally is.

Door 20 of #Shedvent: You follow the passage into a subterranean hall. Lanterns hang from the ceiling: woven rugs line the rocky floor. A great fir tree grows in the centre, laden with silver icicles and small, wrapped gifts tied with silver string...

David Walliams dropped by book publisher www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

❄️If you're enjoying all my many advent stories, please, please consider supporting my writing (and somewhat precarious health) and buy me a Kofi (ko-fi.com/annelouiseav...) or join my patreon, where are hundreds upon hundreds of stories & recipes for every season! patreon.com/annelouiseav...

this is culturally a vital work of modern art

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 1726: Fiction hates coincidences. Just because it happens in real life doesn't mean it will work in fiction. In 1379, in Yorkshire, there was born a girl named Diot Coke. This, although actually true, still doesn't mean you can use her name in your historical novel.

Door 19 of #Shedvent: Your see a small round building, half-buried in the undergrowth. An iron gate opens to reveal a spiral staircase, leading down to a broad stone passageway, lit by coloured lanterns...

@joannechocolat.bsky.social in case you’ve not seen it yet, and to pass on to others.

Also applies to authors, as Oisín mentions downthread.

Hang on in there, its nearly the shortest day, we can make it.

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 165: Don't try submitting a manuscript - to anyone - during the Christmas break. Agents, publishers, editors, bloggers - *no one* wants that right now.

Door 18 of #Shedvent: And now the animals arrive to guide you into the heart of the woods: deer, and foxes, and badgers, and birds and forest creatures of every kind; waiting; patient and unafraid…

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 32178: You don't need to set a daily word count. You simply need to make your words count. 300 well-chosen words are better than 3000 banal ones.

Four years after I first said goodbye to Mr. C., and my scan is clear. Crack open the fizz...

Door 17 of #Shedvent:: The forest folk return to their home, taking you with them: riding a sledge of grasshopper glass, drawn by Arctic foxes, you enter a forest in which every tree is lit with particles of light, and every turn of the path seems to lead to a new and singular mystery…

Week 2 www.instagram.com/reel/DSViz-I...

got a full-body shiver of relief

doing this to someone should be as difficult and come with as many hoops for the company to jump through and safeguards for the customer as it would be for the bank to lock you out of your house even though you were totally up to date on your mortgage payments. it's that serious.

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but you’re under no obligation to justify yourself to anyone if you decide to spend the entire day reading books and eating cinnamon rolls.

Jane Austen used 'however' at the beginning of a sentence, and so can you.

Introduce yourself with 5 animals you've seen in the wild: Honey Badger Manta ray Lion Badger Crocodile

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 17862389: You don't need to use uncommon words to make your work sound original. Instead, you can use common words in an uncommon, original way...

Politicians wringing their hands over why teachers are leaving the profession. The truth is, we'd get more people staying in teaching if our various Governments understood that the real purpose of education is *not* to build a compliant workforce, but a society of well-rounded individuals...

Day 16 of #Shedvent: A frozen lake, perfect for skating. Rows of skates for you to choose from; lanterns by the water's edge. People glide across the ice; people wearing velvet gowns; animal masks; butterfly wings; suits of watered grasshopper silk and boots of dragonfly leather...

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 170: Not every noun needs an adjective. Use your seasoning sparingly.

Philip Pullman, Richard Osman, @joannechocolat.bsky.social & @katemossewriter.bsky.social are some of the authors calling for library membership to be linked to birth registration. This is a subject very close to our hearts. Read more in @theobserveruk.bsky.social by @vanessathorpe.bsky.social

When I interviewed Spinal Tap and Marty DiBergi this summer, none of them broke character, for the whole hour. Except Rob Reiner, once, losing it when Michael McKean's David St Hubbins talked about minimalism. I didn't use this in the feature and hadn't published any audio, but this is joyful.

Door 15 of #Shedvent: Now, across the snow, come an array of familiar figures; friends and loved ones present and past; smiling; carrying lanterns; celebrating the turn of the year in laughter, love and companionship...

Happy birthday to Shirley Jackson, an all-time favorite of mine. To celebrate, here's my favorite Jackson paperback cover art, an image that famously captures the central theme of The Lottery: boobs.

I wrote a little story about voices, and how we choose to use them. Buy me a cup of tea if you like, or just read it here for free... ko-fi.com/post/The-New...