Dates for the diary! 📆 The first of my three 2026 #writingretreats in the Swiss Alps will run from 1 to 7 March. To learn more about it: valeriavescina.com/teaching/wri... #writingretreat #WritingCommunity #writing #books #writerslife #writingtips

As part of the 5 trees, 5 walks, 5 poems launch @abs.ventures, Fiona and I read my speculative fiction story ‘There’s a Fungus Among-Us’. If you are a fan of art celebrating trees I recommend getting yourself a copy! www.artwalkporty.co.uk/publication/...

Some midweek promotion for local writers, OxPen, and guest contributors. 'Bananas on Toast': an anthology of friendship and food, in partnership with Scottish Book Trust/Book Wedk Scotland. Featuring #womenwritersnet member @sandybennett-haber.bsky.social Great gift idea!! amzn.eu/d/2ZeJIgm

A glimpse into my #writingretreats, in participants’ own words. Come and join me in March, June, or September 2026! valeriavescina.com/2025/01/27/a... #WritingCommunity #writingworkshop #writers #authorcommunity #writingtips

I'm turning 45! At least I've fulfilled my childhood goals of going to Europe & not being an "old maid." My mature goal is to take slow moments amidst various endeavours. Are you slow-averse, or do you incorporate pauses in the holidays? #BookSky #WritingCommunity nastasyaparker.com/current-even...

Looking for a #writingretreat? I’m holding three in the Alps in 2026: in March, June and September. To learn more and to book: valeriavescina.com/teaching/wri... #writing #WritingCommunity #writingworkshop #holidays #writingcourse #writersretreat #writingadvice #writingtips #writerslife

Thanks, @literaryhub.bsky.social 👏👏👏 for your "100 notable small press books": "a thriving ecosystem of books from publishers taking risks, publishing from the margins, operating on few resources, with small distribution and even smaller marketing budgets." lithub.com/100-notable-... #Booksky

How wonderful: an in-person catch-up by two of our @womenwritersnet.bsky.social team: @sandybennett-haber.bsky.social and @lizchampion.bsky.social! 🎉 Not a common occurrence, as we're strewn across the globe: UK, US, France, Switzerland! 🌍

Thanks to fellow writer Lou for showcasing me on her blog! louviewsnewscues.blogspot.com Check out my reflections on the writing process, and my bonus story Centuries, in Burnt Sienna. 'My sister devoured all history, beginning in the summer vacation when she was six...' #WritingCommunity #BookSky

This short article will interest you if you've ever wondered what #writingretreats are actually like, how they differ from one another and why they enable leaps forward for #writers at every level of experience: valeriavescina.com/2022/07/25/t... Happy reading! #WritingCommunity

Lovely IRL catch up with fellow @womenwritersnet.bsky.social pal @lizchampion.bsky.social in Edinburgh. We talked books, life and writing of course!

TOMORROW at 6 pm GMT: our @womenwritersnet.bsky.social #SkyChat on Women Writers & The #Writing Year in Review. Come along! We're there to support fellow #WomenWriters! #writing #WritingTips #WritingCommunity #WomenWritersNet

Check out the program for Push the Boat Out Festival: 20-23 November with a bold mix of poetry, performance, music and art in a sparkling celebration of words in all their forms. Over 120 artists on board for live and online events. pushtheboatout.org/programme/

Your host this week is @sandybennett-haber.bsky.social - I’ve been deep in rainbows, audio books and a writing deadline- what is swirling around your head today?

Inspiring morning exploring yesterday at the Jaune Quick-to-See Smith exhibition @fruitmarket.bsky.social gallery with others on the first gathering of the Artist as Advocate program.

Are you a morning writer? Or does your creativity come to life after dark? Whatever works for you I hope you are carving out time for yourself to write, plot and read this week. P.S I am absolutely a morning person.

Read 'Mary Shelley and the Scottish Gothic Tradition' > www.nls.uk/collections/... #MaryShelley #Scottish #Gothic #Dundee #Frankenstein #NLS100

A glimpse into my #writingretreats, in participants’ own words. Come and join me in March, June, or September 2026! valeriavescina.com/2025/01/27/a... #WritingCommunity #writingworkshop #writers #authorcommunity #writingtips

Midpoints are powerful because they re‑aim the story. Make bold moves here. If you're aiming to draft a novel in November here are weekly structure checkpoints and mindset reminders to get you to The End. nailyournovel.wordpress.com/2025/10/12/p... #NaNo #Plotting #WIP #WritersOfBsky #MakeBoldMoves

Reminder it is our #Spooky #Edinburgh #Literary #Salon tonight info and free tickets here www.edinburghliterarysalon.org/post/next-ev... 7pm, Live at the Outhouse Bar and on Zoom #EdinburghLiterarySalon

Last month's #writingretreat brought together #writers who had previously attended one of my tutored #retreats, so it was extra-special for us all! Old friendships were deepened, new ones forged, and the group will continue meeting online for feedback & support.

I just had to share this lovely blogpost by Fiona at Fountainbridge Canalside Community Trust. It contains images and inspiring writing from my recent writing workshop. www.fcct.scot/2025/10/24/i...

#WritingCommunity! Submissions invited to NEW WRITING SCOTLAND 44! We want poetry & prose in English, #Gaelic, & #Scots from writers who are Scottish by residence, birth, or inclination. All successful contributors are paid – deadline 31 Oct! Submit free via Submittable 👇 nws.submittable.com/submit

Tiffany Graham Charkorsky via @janefriedman.com: "Jane was right. In retrospect, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Either that, or she gave me a different lens through which to see this landscape and the pep talk I needed to stop thinking and keep going." janefriedman.com/all-others-t...

What a joy to be amongst all these clever people last night launching #NorthBridge Where We Traveled last night. Huge thanks to @jedapearl.bsky.social for all her creativity, thoughtfulness and hard work bringing this project together. It only remains to say- buy the book! payhip.com/b/BxUCD

LAUNCH DAY!!!!!!!!! Now available from @northodoxpress.bsky.social, Amazon, Waterstones etc etc! Thanks to everyone who has taken their time to write such generous advance reviews!

Saturday 25th October is the launch of North Bridge: Where We Traveled. Edited by @jedapearl.bsky.social. I’m delighted to have a story in this anthology. Do come along to hear prose, poetry and more! #Edingburgh #NorthBridge #booklaunch #amwriting www.tickettailor.com/events/jedap...

What to do with the middle of your story? Something bold, like this. @KMWeiland www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/midpoint-sto... #writingtips #writingcommunity #authorcommunity #skywriters

What are you reading? I’ve just started the cosy sci-fi - The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers- Do share the #womenwriters whose pages you are turning. #amreading

Is it time that neurodivergence became normal? What do you think? Granular, Diverse, Mainstream, Messy, Normal luluallison.net/2025/10/20/g...

The Le Guin Prize and the lost continent of imaginative fiction The 2025 Ursula K Le Guin Prize for Fiction is about to be awarded. It’s for works that are categorised as ‘imaginative fiction’ - they have elements of science fiction and fantasy, but also of literary. What does this look like?…

We’re looking forward to this latest #authorinterview by @womenwritersnet.bsky.social with our very own @brethertonwords.bsky.social who will be discussing her writing journey and her award-winning novel The Fire In Their Eyes. Come and join in on Bluesky this Thursday at 6pm BST.

A reminder that @societyofauthors.bsky.social offers a lively programme of events for #writers, online and in person: societyofauthors.org/events/ #WritingCommunity

Our next #womenwriters interview is on Thursday 23rd October at 6pm BST. We will talk to @brethertonwords.bsky.social about The Fire in Their Eyes. This book won the 2025 NYC Big Book Award, and is longlisted for the 2025 Chanticleer Awards in the Global Thriller category! stephaniebretherton.com

Your Women Writer this week is @sandybennett-haber.bsky.social. Image from my open-mic prose reading at Edinburgh Sparks last week. It felt good/ scary to get words off the page and out into the world. Have you done any live events recently? Do share. #amwriting #openmic #womenwriters

The fourth #AuthorInterview in our @womenwritersnet.bsky.social series takes place on Thur 23 Oct. Can’t wait to interview @brethertonwords.bsky.social about her new novel, The Fire In Their Eyes. Come and join us - you are welcome to ask the author your questions! @breakthroughbook.bsky.social

Yearning for a #writingretreat to kickstart your #writing or to breathe new energy into a work in progress? Here is a glimpse into my retreats – in participants’ own words. Come and join me in March, June, or September 2026! valeriavescina.com/2025/01/27/a... #WritingCommunity #writingworkshop

One of the best 'in conversation' sessions I've heard: authors Victoria Dowd and John Curran @murderonefest.bsky.social

An important literary rediscovery. #reading #writingcommunity #womenwriters www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

25 October, 5.30pm, Charteris Centre North Bridge: Where We Travelled Book Launch We'll have poetry, fiction, SFF, memoir, script & a game from local authors! Plus 🍵🍰🍪 Tickets: www.tickettailor.com/events/jedap... Meet our amazing readers... 🧵

Sandy Bennett-Haber nearish-future intriguing 'Three' comprises: a newspaper article of how bus drivers won the heart of the city, a heritage resort Ambassador study guide, and an Ambassador's diary entry... Find Sandy on here @sandybennett-haber.bsky.social or sandybennetthaber.com

A hilarious round-up of September by our very own Liz Champion, who has just reached number 45 in the Rising in Humour chart on Substack! 👏👏👏 open.substack.com/pub/lizchamp...

Newly unearthed Virginia Woolf stories to be published www.theguardian.com/books/2025/s...

Last Thursday, @drhelenmtaylor.bsky.social interviewed @luluallison.bsky.social about her new novel, "Beast", for our monthly @womenwritersnet.bsky.social #AuthorInterview. You can find it with the hashtag #WomenWritersNet. Helen's own #LoveLayDown was also recently released. Here's a review!

Looking into #writingretreats to kickstart or breathe new energy into your #writing project? @valeriavescina.bsky.social will run 3 retreats in the Alps in 2026, starting with one in March. Here's a glimpse into her most recent one - and attendees' comments!

If you missed yesterday's @womenwritersnet.bsky.social interview with @luluallison.bsky.social about her new novel, #Beast, remember you can catch up here on our Bluesky channel! Use the hashtags #WomenWritersNet and #AuthorInterview to easily find the thread! Enjoy! @ofmooseandmen.bsky.social

For Edinburgh #Writers! Join @sandybennett-haber.bsky.social on Wed, 24 Sept @ 10am BST for an Inspiration Walk featuring #WritingPrompts designed to get your creativity flowing. No previous writing experience is required. Booking is recommended! For details, go to: www.fcct.scot/2025/08/14/i...

Here's a #Submissions call that opens 22 September for anyone interested #Writing in genres like horror, speculative, supernatural, etc.

Fancy meeting our supportive network of fellow #WomenWriters? Join us when we discuss Women Writers and Social Media on Thursday, 18 September at 6pm BST. #WomenWritersNet #WritingCommunity #WritingAdvice

This month's #WomenWritersNet #Skychat promises to be a lively one! We'll be chatting about #WomenWriters and Social Media on Thursday, 18 September at 6pm BST at @womenwritersnet.bsky.social. Come share your thoughts and meet our #WritingCommmunity on Bluesky!