Published at 11:08, Thursday, 26 April 2012

STUDENTS at Lakes College have spent time with writer, journalist and ex newsreader Gilly Fraser as part of a writers event.

the circle line: Gilly Fraser with members of Lakes College's Writer's Circle

She spoke to members of the Lakes College Writers Circle, which was formed earlier this year.

The group, open to both staff and students, was formed by the functional skills team at the college for those with an interest in creative writing.

The ex-Border TV presenter and equestrian enthusiast discussed her work, which includes a series of Mills and Boons books under the pen name Rachel Elliot.

She said: “I knew from an early age that I wanted to write for a living. I used to write little stories about my friends at school. They always made sure I gave their stories happy endings and from there my stories just developed.

“I like to write books about things that interest me. Writing about something that is personal can help inspire ideas. You can guarantee there will be a mention of a horse in most of my novels.”

Gilly also explained how she managed to become a successful novelist and how she coped working as a freelance journalist at the same time. “I did not have the luxury of time when writing novels, but I loved the challenge,” she said. “I was spurred on to write by the pressure, even if what I wrote was nonsense it was a start. The hardest part is always starting.

“I like to think of myself as a ‘pantser’ writer, meaning I write flying by the seat of my pants. I usually have a vague idea of what I am going to write and then take it from there. There are also ‘planner’ writers; these tend know the full story of the novel before starting to write, it’s just a case of working out your own preferred style.

“There is also support available if needed – the publishers of my first novel were really helpful, they gave me tips and guidance which I found invaluable. I am pleased I followed that route when I first started out but now I can also understand the advantages of self-publishing.”

IT student SAMUEL BALLARD-ADAMS, 19, of Cleator Moor, likes to write fictional fantasy stories. He said: “I really enjoyed the talk. I found it especially interesting to find out that you can self publish. This is a route that would be of great interest to me and I will look further into the processes.”

DAWN ACKERLEY, 28, of Workington said: “I thought the tips Gilly gave about writers block were really helpful. This is always a problem for me and I feel better about my writing after listening to Gilly.”

Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk