I have recently set up a Substack page, which is a deeper dive into my life as a writer and editor, focussing on my own writing and the books I’ve helped other people to edit and publish.
At first, I wondered why I should set up shop on Substack, when I’ve got a perfectly good blog here, but it’s also a good way of building up a mailing list and my “platform” as a creative person and hopefully start to build a fan base before the launch of my third novel Field Values later this year.
Lot of my friends and creative associates are starting Substack pages or blogs or whatever it is! There’s also a whole new world of social media and other online ways of promoting oneself to explore, as I have finally deactivated my X account.
Probably the best way to tell people that I’m a writer is probably just to tell them when I meet them. ‘Hi! I’m a writer. Please buy my book.’ But that gets a bit boring after a while, both in real-life and online. However, I’ve got lots of stories up my sleeve, so I’m sure I will keep you entertained.
If you want to see what all the fuss is about, just click on this link. I’m still figuring out how it all works, but hopefully you’ll enjoy what I’ve written so far. https://annegrange.substack.com/
My novel Distortion on the shelves of Oxfam Broomill, Sheffield – in some pretty illustrious company, it has to be said!
The next Nature Writing Workshop and Walk – foraging special! is coming up this Saturday on 26th October from 11am – 1.30pm. If you aren’t really into writing (yet) or don’t know what foraging involves, I went on a “rehearsal” walk with Kath Walsh, a local foraging and plant expert yesterday.
The sun came out as I met Kath under a row of lime trees (not the citrus kind) at the junction of Limbrick Road and Walkley Lane, which is where we’ll meet you this Saturday. The flowers of this tree can be used to make herbal tea! These trees are just uphill from the weir on the River Loxley, which is deliberately being kept in its damaged state after flood damage, because it helps fish to swim upstream.
Lime Trees on Walkley Lane
Walking along Limbrick Road, Kath points out a lonely crab apple tree with a dramatic story, and told me about the edible properties of garden plant fuchsia. Stories are everywhere and walking slowly and mindfully, we notice everything growing here, including a strange slime mould creeping across the pavement! Even though we are still on a city street, I already feel transported to somewhere more magical.
Before we walk up a steep bank (please wear wellies or walking boots on this walk), Kath points out an apple tree and talks about the folklore and medicinal benefits of this fruit, which we often take for granted.
Kath shows me an apple tree
Before we’ve reach the flat space at the top of the nature reserve, we’ve talked about a dozen stories – from the tragedy of ash dieback that’s already decimating our woodlands, to the threat of the invasive Japanese knotweed. Nature always reflects human stories – from climate change to this thriving nature reserve on a formerly industrial site, which some say was also a local dump.
But you’d never guess that now – there are so many trees, shrubs and plants of all kinds here. We spotted a jay, busy collecting acorns for the winter and the air was full of birdsong. Many of the native plants here have magical or medicinal uses, or are poisonous, such as an edible fruit with a deadly stone. Even the humble nettle has health-boosting properties. There are plenty of fascinating facts and legends to please fans of witches and wisdom, as well as spooky facts to impress your friends.
This Saturday, Kath will be bringing along samples of plants she’s harvested, and you’ll be in safe hands as you try out some of the edible things in nature.
We will take some time to write and reflect, and we’ll take turns to read out what we’ve written, but only if you want to. You can do any kind of writing you want – one idea might be to write down everything you can see, hear, feel, smell, and taste, or you might have been captivated by a story about a plant.
At the end of our walk, we’ll call into a nearby pub for a final writing session and we’ll talk about the things that we’ve experienced on our journey! Hopefully you’ll have achieved the aims of the workshop and walk – to have fun, connect with other people, learn about nature on your doorstep and do some nature-inspired writing. Just bring along your phone or a notebook and pen.
Wildflower growing out of a wallAutumnal fungiLocal graffitiCloverNettleSpindleMugwortHazelGuelder Rose
Not many people would expect to start a walk starting from Meadowhall Shopping Centre to take in spooky abandoned railway stations, ancient woodland and an Iron Age Hill Fort, but that’s exactly what I did on Sunday, in preparation for my next nature writing walk and workshop. Here’s the link to book your place. I hope that my blog post will intrigue and entice you to come along.
The walk starts at Meadowhall Interchange, and I found a good route that takes just over two hours of slow walking time. A lot of it is uphill, but it’s worth it for the view and Wincobank Hill is absolutely amazing. If you are joining me on Saturday, please bring a packed lunch, water bottle, a waterproof jacket and your phone / camera / notebook / sketchbook to capture the experience.
We’ll meet on the tram platform at Meadowhall Interchange at 10am on Saturday 8th June. You could come by tram, train, bus or you could park nearby in the Park and Ride car park.
We will then walk across the pedestrian bridge into the shopping centre. It’s always fun to be going somewhere different from most people, and rather than retail therapy under bright artificial light, we are heading for a complete immersion in nature, a few streets away from the urban East End of Sheffield.
At first, the walk skirts the shopping centre alongside the river. This may seem like a detour, but it’s worth it for a few reasons. There’s a nature reserve running along the banks of the river and at the moment, it’s in full bloom. There are also interesting historical things to notice, including Hadfield’s Weir, dating from around 1600.
Hadfield’s Weir
Turning a corner onto Weedon Street, another unexpected place appears – Rag’n’Bone Sheffield, an arty, bohemian cafe, in what used to be a monumental mason’s yard! https://www.facebook.com/RagnBoneSheffield/ It would be rude not to stop off here for a quick coffee/cake, look around and a quick writing session, but it’s so close to the start of our journey that it would be easy to get distracted, so we won’t linger too long, for fear of not reaching our destination.
Rag ‘n’ Bones Sheffield
From here’s there’s a busy junction, familiar to anyone who’s ever driven to Meadowhall shopping centre, but even here are interesting historical details. The phrase “redundant span” written in official-looking paint on a bridge has led me to discover that the Brightside railway bridge we pass under is a disused bridge that goes nowhere these days. Colliery Road is blocked off to traffic and looks deserted and wooded, eventually disappearing into a spooky-looking tunnel under the railway. But we’ll carry on under the bridge towards the Crown Pub, turning left up Station Lane. It’s easy to imagine that this was once bustling with people travelling to and from work at the steelworks and foundries, but today it’s abandoned, apart from some flytipping.
It’s obvious that this was once the approach to a fairly substantial railway station, one you’ll whizz through if you catch a train to Meadowhall Interchange, Rotherham or Leeds. The bridge over the railway lines is open, but the steps leading down to the old platforms at Brightside Station have been removed and blocked off, adding to the eerie atmosphere. The station has been closed since 1995.
The bridge to nowhereThe abandoned Brightside StationNo steps down
Across the road, the Railway Pub looks inviting, but we need to keep walking! Crossing the road and following the path at the side of Holywell Road, there’s a magnificent view of Sheffield Forgemasters steel works. The other side of the road is deeply wooded, with wild roses growing everywhere. It’s the perfect Sheffield contrast. After a couple of minutes, we’ll reach the Brightside Colliery Memorial, a tribute to the miners who died in accidents in the nearby mine that closed in the 19th century.
Brightside Colliery Memorial
From here, there’s a path that runs steeply up a wooded embankment, emerging into Beason Way Open Space, a lovely meadowy space, through some more woods, into another field and up a steep path, emerging around the back of some lock-up garages! From here, we take a turn into suburban Sheffield on Beacon Way and Wincobank Lane, and this is where our wild adventure really begins.
There’s a spooky old house that looks abandoned, apart from smoke rising from a brazier in the overgrown garden. Someone seems to be doing it up – but very slowly. When it’s finally restored back to its Victorian glory, it will be beautiful. On one side of the road is a cluster of Victorian terraced houses, on the other side, ancient forest, rising upwards in the only steep hill for miles.
Slowly being restoredDog RoseThe view is worth it!The view over the south east of SheffieldAncient coppiced oakYou are here!
Following the path uphill through the trees, the modern world quickly falls away. This forest is a small glimpse into what Sheffield must have been like when it was part of Sherwood Forest, hundreds of years ago. But the history goes back further than that – to the pre-Roman Brigantes tribe of Britain, who built a fort here around 500 BC.
The steep stony path through the trees may go back to Roman times, certainly medieval people would have used it, and it leads straight to the top of the hill. The view over towards the north and west of Sheffield is stunning, and the outlines of the hills are unchanged for centuries. That’s what I like about Sheffield so much – you can always see trees and hillsides!
Right at the top, there’s an open area, brimming with plant life, where you can see the fort’s ditches, and this is another great viewpoint – in modern times, over to the M1 bridge at Tinsley, Meadowhall and the Ikea. You can see why the Iron Age tribespeople would have found this hill so special. On our walk, this is where we’ll stop for some lunch and to take time to write about the walk so far and the beautiful setting.
Posh Pillar and Her DaughtersPath through the woodsLooking over towards RotherhamFrom cow parsley to industry
Just beyond this point is the site of a World War Two machine gun turret, and the path that runs downhill over the ridge from this point has been carefully cobbled in bricks, probably dating from the World War Two era. Then the path emerges onto Jenkin Road, one of the steepest roads in Sheffield, and world famous for being used for the Tour De France tour of Yorkshire in 2014.
From here. the path runs through Wincobank Community Woodland, and it feels miles from anywhere, but it soon emerges into urban Sheffield again. There’s a real sense that Wincobank is a village – with its own village hall and Victorian Church. This road has also had a brush with international fame, as the home of Brendan Ingle‘s boxing gym, which I once visited long ago as part of an old job, and met the legendary man.
At the bottom of the street, turn left, under a bridge with some intriguing post-industrial wasteland on both sides, the end of the walk come in sight in the form of the old railway track transformed into a smooth path, the Blackburn Valley Trail, that leads us straight back to Meadowhall Interchange.
But there’s some more intrigue – emerging onto the path is the unmistakeable wooden rooftop of a Victorian country railway station – the former Meadow Hall station. It’s been closed to passengers since 1953, but it still has an evocative atmosphere, particularly surrounded by deep summer vegetation.
Wincobank ChurchA tribute to Brendan IngleThe former Meadow Hall station
I hope I’ve given you an enticing taste of what this walk has to offer! I hope I haven’t spoiled any of the surprises, and I hope you find it inspiring. See you on Saturday!
I’m writing this with aching legs after a practice walk for the Spring Nature Walk and Writing Workshop I’m running next Saturday, on 20th April at 10am. Don’t worry though! I think I’m prone to aching more than most people and I added a few miles onto the journey by setting off from home in Walkley by foot. It was worth it for the views!
Back in that lockdown spring of 2020, I decided to get out on my days off and do some proper exploring, from my doorstop. I ignored the “one hour” rule, finding it didn’t actually exist, and it didn’t matter, as long as I was in the open air. I “invented” the sport of valley hopping! This is probably something unique to Sheffield, as we have five rivers and several tributaries all feeding into the River Don. My walks were often epic fifteen-milers, and I discovered new places and new scenery.
The walk on Saturday 20th April is a shorter, but no less scenic version of this sport! It’s slightly less than four miles and can easily be done at a leisurely pace in about two hours, leaving us with plenty of time to take photos, jot things down en-route and spend some time together writing with a coffee / cake / ice cream / chip butty towards the end of the journey. Please also bring your own water bottle, and feel free to take a few snacks to sustain you on your walk.
After walking down the very steep Rivelin Bank, the walk started properly at Malin Bridge. Next Saturday, after meeting at the Malin Bridge tram stop, we’ll be having a quick look at the Malin Bridge Inn, which was completely rebuilt after being destroyed in the Sheffield Flood of 1864, which is something that may be on our minds during this walk. We’ll cross the road to have a look at the bridge itself, where the Rivelin and Loxley rivers merge before joining the river Don lower down the valley in Hillsborough.
Rumours of Robin Hood
It’s widely believed that Robin Hood did come from the village of Loxley, the area we enter as we follow the River Loxley along a lane and passing through a former steelworks which is now a retirement complex. The path through the trees becomes lane following the river along fields until we get to a tiny hamlet called Low Matlock.
The Robin Hood InnA steep path – with a handrail!Millpond on the River Loxley
Where there’s a Low Matlock, there must be a High Matlock, and that’s where we’re going! It’s a very steep path that thankfully has a handrail so you can haul yourself up. The woodland becomes almost vertical, which I always love seeing. The path was very muddy towards the top! Your journey is worth it though, as the path comes out at High Matlock, at the former Robin Hood Inn, which is now private houses. It seems that the pub was named after the famous outlaw because of Robin’s fame in this area of Sheffield.
Cherry blossoms and tower blocks
After plunging into the countryside, we are once again in suburbia, with cherry trees in blossom silhouetted against dark skies (hopefully the skies will be sunny on our actual walk!) A walk down a ginnel, gennel, jitty or whatever you want to call a narrow alleyway brings you out in a playing field in the shadow of Stannington’s 1960s tower blocks. These three towers look a bit out of place in what’s essentially a village on the edge of the Peak District, but have become an iconic part of the landscape! As a long term resident of Crookes and Walkley, I’m used to looking at them from the opposite side of the valley – it’s quite strange to see them this close. Intriguingly nearby on my map, it says “remains of tower” – a church tower, or maybe something from the days when this was Robin Hood’s forest? Maybe we will find out next Saturday, but it was a bit soggy so I didn’t stop to investigate.
Popping out through a rather foreboding underpass which also seems like it doesn’t quite belong in the landscape, the 1960s housing estate continues, but on a much more human scale. Small houses with quirky individual gardens and communal washing lines perch on the edge of the hillside. This section of the walk is best seen this time of year though – the cherry blossom is gorgeous. Walking downhill, the view of the Rivelin Valley opens up with the former Bell Hag Inn appearing like a centuries-old tower block because of the way it’s built into the hillside.
Cherry blossom in StanningtonStannington’s tower blocksCommunal washing lines
Return to Rivelin
Emerging from the cherry trees, it starts to feel more like the countryside. There’s an old chapel and a quarry in a woodland. A steep cobbled path runs downhill past the chapel (now a house with a nosy cat looking out of the window). Thankfully this path is not slippery and I realised that it must be the path that the workers at the grinding wheels (small water-powered cutlery factories) must have taken too and from work every day. It’s difficult to imagine this beautiful place being a hive of industry. For everything you need to know about the Rivelin Valley, The Rivelin Valley Conservation Group’s excellent website – and the information posts and plaques dotted along the valley – really give a picture of what life here used to be like. https://rivelinvalley.org.uk/the_valley/
It was almost a surprise to descend to the road that crosses the river. I decided to take the path immediately on my left, taking me through Rivelin Glen, as I’d never followed this route before. But the main path following the river more closely might be the more sensible choice and it involved steep climbs up and down and some very muddy bits. Still, it was an adventure, and I came out at the ruins of Roscoe Mill This was when a lady in running gear shouted ‘Look! Look!’ at me and pointed towards the hillside. For a split second, I was worried that a terrible accident had happened, then I saw two deer running up the hillside. I could see them clearly, especially their white tails bobbing up and down through the trees. I think they were roe deer It was a magical moment and both me and the jogger looked on in amazement. She said that in over thirty years of coming to the Rivelin Valley, she’d never seen deer here before. And neither had I – but you never know what you might see. The Rivelin always has a kind of enchanted atmosphere about it for me, always leading to new discoveries.
Then it was a gentle walk, past Rivelin Valley’s very own throne sitting in the middle of the river and to the cafe. On Saturday 20th April, we’ll spend some time outside or inside the cafe, depending on the weather, to do some writing, and sharing what we have written or have been thinking about.
The Bridge at Roscoe MillTree eroding the river bankSomeone’s found lots of pottery shards by the old stepping stones, which have been dislodged by flooding.This stone was at the end of a steep section of path. Ancient health and safety to stop people from falling down the hill?Random artificial flowers in a dead treeAnother steep path!Path down to Rivelin
The final section of the path down to Malin Bridge tram stop again sadly doesn’t include the stepping stones downstream from the cafe – they have been partly washed away! This must have happened in the recent storms in autumn and winter. Further on from where we have walked, a whole section of the Rivelin trail has been washed away. I hope the stepping stones and path are restored soon, but it’s a stark reminder that the places we love are not there forever unless we respect them.
Passing the fire station on the opposite river bank, Mousehole Forge once produced anvils that were exported all over the world, most famously to the wild west of the USA back in the 19th century. Some of the mill buildings and the mill house are still standing, and amongst a ruined building, you can see th beams of a huge drop hammer. It’s a Scheduled Ancient Monument, but if you peer through the wrought iron gates too, a very barky dog appears!
As we emerge onto the road again at Malin Bridge, take a look at the carved stone wall outside Lidl, commemorating the Great Sheffield Flood.
On Monday 1st May, it felt like there were many occasions to mark at once. Summer was actually in the air, and on time for once this spring. It also marked the tenth anniversary of launching my freelance writing business. I’ve learned a lot over the years, and have met many remarkable people. I also felt ready for a challenge, and to connect with nature and my own creativity. So I caught the tram and tram train to Rotherham Parkgate shopping centre and walked back home along the canal.
The walk I’m leading for the Writers Workshop will take around two hours at a leisurely pace with time for writing en route and sticks to the towpath, which is entirely traffic free. In contrast, Monday’s walk was an epic adventure including a detour around New York football stadium (the home of Rotherham United before you think I really got lost.)
Starting as I waited for the tram, I wrote notes that turned into poems on my phone, using Google docs. I also took lots of photos. Sometimes I sat down at a particular location and took notice of the things that were happening around me. Sometimes I wanted to tell the story of where I was, and some poems just happened spontaneously as things happened. It’s interesting that when I write poems as they are happening, often something will come along at the right time to resolve the poem.
As a word of caution, if you are planning on doing this on a long walk – my walk was around twelve miles – I would recommend bringing a mobile powerpack with you, as my phone was almost out of battery by the time I arrived home.
After a very busy start to 2023, I am now ready to take on new clients to my writing business. Do you have a project you would like me to work on with you?
I would like to show you some of my favourite recent writing projects and tell you more about the work I did on them, showcasing my skills, and my interests on the way, as well as giving you a taste of life as a freelance editor.
From the start of my business in 2013 (look out for 10th business anniversary celebrations at the start of May), I have enjoyed working with local authors from Sheffield and South Yorkshire. My first major client was the late Labour MP Joe Ashton, which led to a close working relationship working on his memoir, and fascinating adventures, such as helping him to organise a reunion of Sheffield Blitz survivors. https://wildrosemarywritingservices.co.uk/2013/12/16/attercliffe-blitz-survivors-still-fighting/
At that meeting, I met Joan Lee, a retired pub landlady, who asked me to edit and publish her own memoir, Behind Bars, which I typed up from a hand-written manuscript! It’s a fantastic read, especially if you are interested in social history, and includes Joan’s account of the Sheffield Blitz.
One of my regular clients is now Joan’s son Mick. I’ve edited and published several books with Mick Lee now, ranging from memoir, short stories, and now his crime thriller series, the Tenerife Noir series. Mick has been a police officer, pub landlord and for the past forty years, the Managing Director of Constant Security Services, Mick has a wealth of first-hand experience, stories and knowledge that inform his writing. When Mick sends me a manuscript to work on, I know I’m going to enjoy myself and be taken on a rollercoaster ride. As far as the editing goes, I’m polishing grammar, punctuation and making sure that the descriptions and dialogue are perfectly punchy! I also spot continuity errors and anything that doesn’t quite ring true and work together with the author to iron out any mistakes.
Another novel that took me on a wild ride was Losing It by Adam Kingdon Morris. Back in 2001, I worked with Adam at a music training centre in Sheffield and it was great to catch up with him again, connecting through The Writers Workshop. I edited and formatted the book for the eBooks and for the paperback version. Losing It is a fictional version of Adam’s career managing high profile bands. This book is like a time machine to 70s student unrest, 80s London squats and life on the road with a grimy post-punk band, to the insanity of 90s raves and the drug fuelled excesses of the music industry. This book is an essential for anyone interested in music, and that’s one of the reasons that I really enjoyed working on it. But it’s not just a rockumentary. It’s a tale of a troubled character and his search for happiness or oblivion, with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas amounts of debauchery along the way.
A different sort of excess is explored in Mandy Lee’s X, Y, Z series. I’ve just finished proof reading and editing Y, the second book in the series. Mandy had already worked with an editor, so I was doing a final check (it can be useful to have several pairs of eyes working on your project), and setting the book up for publication on Kindle Direct Publishing It’s free to publish a book using Amazon’s self publishing platform, but it’s useful to have a professional editor to help you. As an indie author myself, I can make books look beautiful as paperbacks and eBooks, as well as graphic design skills to insert illustrations and create covers.
I must admit that I have never read Fifty Shades of Grey, not even when everyone else was reading it, but I really enjoy Mandy Lee’s own brand of erotica. These books are plot and character-driven and Mandy writes intriguing female characters with many facets. In particular, Y is also a thriller about a young woman on the run, afraid to reveal her true identity. I was hooked as I was working on this book. I would love to work on more romance and erotica and I enjoy the great working relationship I have with Mandy.
If you’ve read this far and think I just enjoy working on books about international drug gangs, rock ‘n’ roll managers and sexuality, there’s much more to me and my skills.
I’m proud to have edited and formatted three books for the South Yorkshire Industrial Heritage Society: Wilson’s Piece, The Butcher Works and Suffolk Works. I worked from a manuscript, photos and illustrations to put together detailed academic historical publications. I’ve always been fascinated by archaeology and would one day like to write more historical fiction, so I loved finding out more about the 19th century weaving industry and how the cutlery trade built Sheffield while working on these books. To put these books together, I used a graphic design programme to lay out photographs, diagrams and illustrations, balanced with the text, adding captions and footnotes. These books really appealed to my love of making something look right on the page to enhance the reading experience.
So, no matter what you are writing, please get in touch with me to talk through the options. Start by reading my What I Can Do for You page, which includes my contact details. I look forward to hearing from you.
I’m really excited about the poetry masterclass with Liv Torc later this month, on Sunday 27th November. This will be a fantastic opportunity to work with an inspiring poet, who will bring joy into your heart, who is very much part of my own writing “journey”.
Liv Torc Performing poems from her latest book, The Human Emergency.
I first came across Liv on a festival spoken word stage, performing her wonderfully cosy, laugh-out-loud poem about her family’s bed. Here’s a link to that poem, so you can see Liv in action (54) Liv Torc – The Family Bed – YouTube
It was probably at the Hip Yak poetry stage at WOMAD, in 2018, taking a moment to sit in the shade of the arboretum to listen to poetry in between the music. Or perhaps at the poetry stage at Shambala festival, the Phantom Laundry, where some of the best poets and spoken word performers in the country have performed.
As a writer, I’ve always loved poetry, but as I was grounded in fiction and the challenges of writing novels, I always thought that poetry had to be about something grand. A poem about something as ordinary as a bed was something that really stuck with me. Just turning up, sitting down and listening to live poetry really influenced my poetry journey and inspired me to give poetry writing a go!
Then the Covid 19 pandemic struck and lockdown happened. Two major things also happened to keep me writing poetry. The first was our own Beverley Ward’s Keep Calm and Carry on Writing Facebook page, which she set up at the start of lockdown in 2020, providing people with a daily writing prompt. The daily discipline of writing something – anything – every day, helped to keep me sane that strange spring and summer! The second thing was the wonderful ZOOM poetry events, Yes We Cant, run by the Poets, Prattlers and Pandemonialists collective, which I discovered through following Emma Purshouse, a poet I’d first seen live at the Shambala festival poetry slam.
Yes We Cant is still running on Zoom on the first Sunday of every month, and on Sunday 6th November, the headline poet has strong links with Sheffield, Jonathan Kinsman.
Liv Torc was the headline poet at one of the first Yes We Cant nights I attended and she completely entranced me. For starters, every school day, Liv writes poems on bananas for her children’s lunchboxes! This has inspired a banana poem revolution. Banana Poems – Liv Torc . During lockdown, Liv coordinated the Haiflu project, using poetry (haiku of course!), music, photography and film to tell the story of the Covid 19 pandemic as it was happening.
I was also inspired by Liv Torc’s writing about climate change, especially as part of Hot Poets, an Arts Council funded project that brings poets together with partners working on solutions to climate change, for example, the RSPB and Forest Schools. The Hot Poets performed at COP 26 in Glasgow and they are also heading to COP 27 in Egypt to perform their vision of a better future.
This year, at the first WOMAD festival for three years, I virtually lived at the Hip Yak Poetry Shack, which Liv Torc produces and co-hosts. I got to hear some of the Hot Poets poems performed live, and I even entered the WOMAD poetry slam, which was very exciting. I even went to see poets perform under a giant model of the moon suspended in a woodland clearing.
I’m really excited (as you might be able to tell) about bringing Liv Torc to the Writers Workshop, albeit virtually, as she is based in Somerset with a young family (the recipients of those banana poems!). But that means that you can also participate from anywhere in the world. Hopefully Liv’s workshop will inspire you to write about your bed, on bananas, to document the world around you through words, and change the world for the better!
This week, I have updated my website, and for the first time in nine years, treated myself to a proper domain name: wildrosemarywritingservices.co.uk
I set up my own business in 2013, so what took me so long? A lot of things: finding my feet, finding my confidence, losing my confidence, and then finding it again. Finding my own voice. Battling imposter syndrome, dealing with a busy workload, the Covid-19 pandemic, part-time work and other commitments.
What finally convinced me to commit to my own writing career? Joining The Writers Workshop as an associate member, a network of amazing writers in all stages of their careers, and finding out that I do have my own niche as a self-employed writing professional, guiding authors through the maze of independent publishing.
Writers are often plagued by insecurities – I know I’m not alone with this confession, but when we believe in ourselves, and commit to ourselves, it feels good. Giving yourself time to write, instead of spreading yourself too thin, is essential for a writer’s wellbeing. And only by sitting down to write will your true voice come through. And always remember that a first draft of any piece of writing is better than a blank page or empty computer screen. It can always be improved by the editing process and once you’ve started, it will spark new ideas that you would never have had otherwise. It’s just a case of making that first step or that leap of faith, just like finally investing in my own domain name and having faith in my own abilities.
Being part of a community of writers makes a huge difference, rather than writing alone. Sometimes, even supportive, constructive feedback can seem harsh, but it can set the imagination working to improve your writing. Sometimes a piece of writing needs time to breathe before it emerges into its final state. The Sheffield Novelists group has been giving me rock-solid support since it started, an unbelievable thirteen years ago, and has given me the confidence to publish two novels – and hopefully a third novel will be out before too long.
My confidence in my poetry skills has also been growing, thanks to the west-midlands poetry collective, Poets, Prattlers and Pandemonialists. The pandemic has enabled people from across the country and even the world, to take part in their spoken word nights, now held online, poetry courses and I now feel that I have a writing community. Arising from that, I’m kick-starting an online poetry group that came out of a PPP poetry course, and it will be starting at 7.30pm on Thursday 1st September, so if you are interested in joining it, please get in touch with me for more details.
Times are about to get tough, but the world still needs people to express themselves through words. The world will always need art and creativity, so why not commit to yourself and your writing, tell your story, write your words and tell your truth.
I feel so much better already for committing to myself.
Put yourself forward with the confidence you deserve! Photo copyright Nelly Naylor Photography.
Whatever you write, this is your chance to get inspired by the natural world.
About this event
Join me in the beautiful Rivelin Valley for a treasure hunt with a difference – you’ll be searching for the words to describe the wonder of nature and your relationship with it, using all of your senses and learning how to incorporate the natural world into your writing. We will be taking a walk up the valley, which is a haven for wildlife and industrial archaeology, stopping a few times to write and explore, before heading back to the Rivelin Valley Cafe for a drink, a sit down and a writing exercise to finish off the morning with a flourish! Suitable for adults and older children and teenagers with an interest in writing! The walk will be fairly easy-going but will not be suitable for wheelchair users in some places. For more information about the Rivelin Valley, follow this link: https://rivelinvalley.org.uk/ More information about the Rivelin Park Cafe: https://www.facebook.com/Rivelin-Park-Cafe-724084727634545/
Meet outside the Rivelin Park Cafe for a 10am start!
I’m Anne Grange, a local writer who loves nature. I’m often found walking, taking photos, watching wildlife and even swimming outdoors!
My novels are always inspired by the natural world, and issues such as climate change. I would also describe myself as a nature poet, inspired by post-industrial landscapes and the “unofficial Countryside” as well as the breathtaking vistas of the Peak District. The Rivelin Valley is both of these things!
The beautiful willow tree outside Rivelin Park Cafe, coming into leaf yesterday.
Every year at Christmas, my Nan (known as Nanny but this gets confusing for posh people – I mean my grandmother of course!) made delicious stuffing. It was baked in an oven dish – not actually stuffed inside anything, so I carried on eating it, even after I became a vegetarian.As a child, stuffing was part of my grandparent’s loving world – so much love and contentment made out of stale bread.
Nanny was a very traditional cook, rooted in Nottingham. The most exotic thing she ate was gammon and pineapple, and she was always very suspicious of garlic – but her cooking was always delicious and a link back to older, poorer times, when there could be no waste. Nan’s portions were always magnificent – offered out of generosity and gratitude, when during her childhood, her stomach must have often been empty.
My mum carried on the tradition, and the smell of sage always filled my nose on Christmas eve as she soaked the breadcrumbs. The stuffing would come out of the oven, moist in the middle but crispy on the edges – an essential part of a festive dinner. But the best bit was the next day, when the stuffing had solidified so much it could be sliced and was a great sandwich filling to take on walks between Christmas and new year, especially with a spoonful of cranberry sauce. Even though it’s essentially a bread sandwich – don’t let that put you off.
Eventually, I started hosting Christmas myself, and I asked Mum for the recipe. She shrugged and said that there wasn’t really a recipe. There wasn’t really very much to it – just onions or leek, sage and a huge pile or breadcrumbs, usually cheap white rolls. We were very much a wholemeal Hovis sort of family, but Mum said that the white bread soaked up the flavour better.
So I made my own version, adding my own twenty-first century vegan (try it with nutritional yeast flakes added to the mix) and Sheffield twists (a dash of Henderson’s relish!). There are no quantities – this is pure guesswork. This year, in the strange Covid 19 Christmas of 2020, I made it again, just for myself. I could carry on making it through the year, but somehow, I don’t. It’s as if my family stuffing can only be made at Christmas, even though it would be good with a Sunday dinner at any time of the year!
So, here it is. My own version. Please try it, especially if you only know those dry round stuffing balls that you make up out of a packet. Those packets look cheap but basically, you are paying a lot for a tiny amount of breadcrumbs and dried onion and herbs. Much better with the real thing – and remember that the stuffing is there to stuff you, designed as a thrifty way of filling your plate and making the more expensive stuff go further. And don’t forget the gravy!
Use one large leek or onion – or both if you are making a larger amount – chopped up and sauteed in a generous amount of olive oil. Add a couple of cloves of garlic. Keep the heat low to medium, so the leek/onion becomes translucent and soft.
Add herbs, seasoning and maybe some spices. The more herbs the better. I have fresh sage growing in my garden. I used the sage leaves I’d grown from seed this year, but I think it needed more. I should have raided the older sage bush but it was chucking down with rain when I made this the day before Christmas eve, and I thought I had enough. But if you think you have enough, always add a bit more sage.
Shred your bread. I’ve used the food processor to make breadcrumbs for stuffing, but I think larger chunks are better – just rip the bread into small shreds with your hands and put it in a large bowl. This is quite cathartic. I think it makes the texture of the stuffing softer. This year, I had about half a loaf of Tesco’s seeded batch. I usually freeze bread for sandwiches, but I put this one in the freezer slightly squashed and I couldn’t separate the slices without mangling them! So a bit of a departure from the usual white cobs (East Midlands word for bread rolls).
Stir the breadcrumbs into the leek/onion mixture, along with a crumbled stock cube (I used an OXO vegetarian stock cube) or a couple of teaspoons of vegetable bouillon.
Add enough boiling water to soak the bread and create a mush. I know that’s not the most appetising word, but neither is moist, apparently! What you’re going for is soggy, but not too soggy. Now is a good time to add more seasoning if you don’t think you’ve added enough. If in doubt, leave the kitchen and come back in. Your nose should be hit by a lovely sagey aroma.
Spoon the mixture into a shallow, greased oven-proof dish. It doesn’t really matter what it is, but ideally, it should only be a couple of inches / about five centimeters deep – you don’t want your stuffing to become unstable. Drizzle (or pour) olive oil on the top. You can use sunflower oil or dot with marg. I like olive oil though. It’ll probably be really expensive after Brexit. Thanks for that. Nanny probably used lard!
Cook for around thirty minutes at about 200 degrees centigrade. If in doubt, just bung it into a hot oven while your vegetables are roasting and your main dish is cooking.
Eat it! Straight from the oven, it will have a crisp shell on top and will be slightly molten underneath. It will go perfectly with the rest of your Christmas dinner.
Allow the leftovers to cool and put them in the fridge. Slice up cold to put in sandwiches (or cobs) or heat up to go with your delicious leftover meals. Bubble and squeak is also one of my favourites (fried up mashed potato with leftover sprouts/cabbage), but that’s another story.
Sautee the leek /onion gently in lots of olive oil – add herbs and seasoning.
Add the shredded breadcrumbs and crumbled stock cube.
Add boiling water and mix until mushy (in the nicest possible way!)
Spoon mixture into a shallow ovenproof dish and bake in a hot oven.
Crispy on the top, molten in the middle!
Perfect with a plate of roast vegetables, stirfried greens and gravy (and a mushroom and chestnut pie!)
Anne Grange Writing 