Gwyneth Box
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gwynethbox.bsky.social
Gwyneth Box
@gwynethbox.bsky.social
110 followers 250 following 160 posts
Poetry. Language (English & Spanish). Writing tips & inspiration.
Creative & business writing. As a writing coach, I specialise in poetry & non-fiction. I work with business experts to help them on their journey to publication.
https://gwynethbox.com
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gwynethbox.bsky.social
Delighted to share that I'll be back at Swanwick Writers' Summer School, August 2026, leading a short course on "Co-authoring & collaborative writing".

Full details: www.swanwickwritersschool.org.uk

Looking forward to seeing everyone and maybe even starting a new collaboration!

#writingcommunity
December 22, 2025 at 12:10 PM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
The town was decked with greenery yesterday. Not holly & ivy, but olive branches, palms & oleander, with red geraniums, cyclamen & poinsettia, bright in winter sunshine.
Today it's the winter solstice and the mountains are hidden behind sheets of rain. The prospect of the sun’s return seems remote.
Square photo of an outdoor scene. There are wide steps leading up between white walls towards an impressive double-towered church. The church is built of pale cream stone with red highlights around the different levels. On the white walls there are flower pots with red geraniums and there are also bales of straw and pots of greenery at the side of the steps. There is a wide banner of greenery and red ribbons hung across the lowest part of the steps, suggesting that the town is decorated for Christmas. The sky behind the church is blue. Square photo of an outside scene. The photo is taken at a corner of a street of whitewashed houses. The houses have wrought iron balconies and ochre yellow painted detailing around the windows and doors. Behind the houses can be seen a great church with a clock tower and two tall towers. The sky is blue. There are bales of straw marking the corner and greenery at the windows and balconies. This photo is taken higher up the streps and from a different angle than the other one featured in this post.
December 21, 2025 at 2:54 PM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
Skinner is channelling her inner Gremlin.

Some creatures from films or books are simply unforgettable. Which are the ones that marked your childhood?
(Or indeed, your adulthood, as I can hardly claim to have been in child in 1984 when Gremlins was first released!)

#writingcommunity #caturday
Square photo. Grey tabby cat sitting low on a pinewood kitchen table so very little other than her head is visible. She is not looking directly at the camera, so the image is foreshortened, making her ears look huge and her front paws look tiny. There are pinewood cupboards on the wall behind her and a tall fridge, but the kitchen details are incidental to the effect of the sullen looking cat with enormous ears.
December 20, 2025 at 8:05 AM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
Natural & manmade
Soft & hard
Pliable & rigid
Curves & angles
Sunlight & shadow
Green grass & dry earth

Such a simple photo, but it contains so many contrasts.

Looking closely at what's in front of us is one of the first things we need to do if we want to be good writers.

#writingcommunity
Square photo. The photo shows a very tall grass stalk growing up through the centre of a metal pylon framework. The grass has gone to seed and the weight of the large shaggy seedhead is making it droop over one of the horizontal bars of the pylon. There is more grass and greenery, but this is the only long stalk. There is a lot of green, but around the foot of the pylon, the ground is brown and bare. It is clearly sunny as the grasshead casts a shadow on the grey metal.
December 19, 2025 at 7:05 AM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
A few steps further forward and the photo would show nothing but a great cathedral tower rising unchecked against the sky. Instead I used the arch as a frame.

A lot of writing skill is about framing, defining limits, knowing what to keep & what to leave out.

#writingcommunity #writingforreaders
Square photo. Photograph of part of Gloucester's medieval cathedral. The photo was taken so the main square tower is framed by the arch of another ancient building, perhaps the ruined wall of St Oswald's Priory.
December 18, 2025 at 7:05 AM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
Life feels all uphill recently, but I'm hoping for a good view from the top.
Even if there are more mountains beyond, I'll look back & see just how far I’ve come.

If your writing project seems overwhelming, set yourself a small goal, then pause to celebrate the progress so far.

#writingcommunity
Square photo. The photo shows an old-fashioned Spanish village street. There are four whitewashed houses with red tiled roofs and balconies with wooden railings. The street is cobbled. It rises to the right on a very steep slope. There are two modern cars parked in front of the houses. They look very anachronistic and because of the slope, they look very precarious. In the background the landscape is mountainous. The sky is blue, but quite cloudy, but there is enough sun to cast long shadows in the street.
December 17, 2025 at 7:05 AM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
Watson and Skinner were named after the behaviourist psychologists.
Sometimes, though, Watson thinks John Watson would be a more suitable namesake for a writer's cat. Here he is channelling Dr Watson's interest in other someone else's case.

#writingcommunity #caturday #writerscats #literaryheroes
Square photo. The photo shows a small green zip case with brown leather trim. The case occupies most of the image. It might be on a bed or a couch, but this is uncertain. It is open and is empty except for a white cat. The cat is lying down. His tail is curving out of the right hand side of the case. His face is not visible, but his ears and back and the curve of is hind quarters are all visible.
December 13, 2025 at 8:05 AM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
A gust of wind startles
yellow birds of autumn
from their treetop perches

--

An earlier version can be found in "Poems from the Pueblo – haiku and assorted fragments"
Use code HappyHaiku25 to download the book FREE from my website (25 free copies available. Until 31/12725).

#writingcommunity
Square photo. The photo was taken looking up towards a mostly blue sky, with just a few small white clouds. Between the viewer and the sky are the branches of a tree. It is clearly autumn, as the branches are almost bare, with just a few yellow leaves remaining. These leaves look as if they might be blown away at any moment.
December 12, 2025 at 7:05 AM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
Delighted that my poem “I dream of my mother” placed third in the NAWG 2025 competition.

The abutilon in the photo was grown from a cutting taken from one my mother grew. It is currently overwintering in the spare room where I’m staying. There may be another poem there.

#writingcommunity #poetry
Square photo of an orange abutilon flower. There is one flower facing the camer, another facing in the opposite direction and an unopened bud between them. A few leaves are also visible, but there are no other plants. The background is a cream-coloured wall. The abutilon flower is a five-petalled bell like flower, though it the blossom is horizontal, not drooping. The petals are a peachy orange colour and are heavily veined. the centre is like a yellow pompom.
December 11, 2025 at 6:54 PM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
Still got a long way to go to reach your writing goal?

Each day you keep at it takes you another step in the right direction…
Each rung on that ladder offers a clearer view of the outcome…

…just imagine how it's going to feel when you finally reach the top!

#writingcommunity #writingmotivation
Square photo. The photo is taken looking up a steep metal ladder. The ladder is outside and is fixed as part of a larger structure. The rungs consist of double rods painted red. the rest of the structure is grey. It could be part of a ship or maybe up on a building roof. Beyond the ladder is nothing but a few ropes or cables, one of which seems to have small pennants hung from it, and a very grey sky.
December 11, 2025 at 7:05 AM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
Ever wish there were a fountain where you could take your notebook down and just fill it up with ideas?

Take comfort in the fact that we all feel that way sometimes. Even Leonard Cohen said, "If I knew where the good songs came from I'd go there more often."

#writingcommunity #inspiration
Square photo. The photograph shows an elderly man in dark working clothes and a tweed hat filling up two large plastic containers with water at a public fountain. The man is leaning over, with his left hand pressed against the concrete fountain supporting him as he holds one of the bottles under the water spout. His left arm obscures his face. Very little of the street can be seen, but it is clearly not a busy street and is probably a village or small country town. Alongside the man, in the foreground of the photo, is a donkey who is waiting patiently, fully harnessed, to carry the water bottles. Only the head, neck and front left shoulder of the donkey can be seen, and the animal dominates the scene.
December 10, 2025 at 7:05 AM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
How anchored in fact should writing be?

The trick is to create something that is real enough to seem possible but novel enough to appeal to the reader.

Read my article: "Write what you know: balancing personal experience with universal appeal":
gwynethbox.com/blog/journal...

#writingcommunity
Square photo. The focus of the photo is a small anchor painted in bright vermillion red. It is on a surface made of wooden pine boards and appears to be stapled down, so it looks as if it is part of a display, rather than actually on a boat. Beside and behind the anchor is a metal frame painted green, which supports a number of cog wheels painted red and black. There is also an old chain looped through this unit, so it looks as if it might be the unit that raises and lowers an anchor.
December 8, 2025 at 7:05 AM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
"You shall not pass"
Watson the White guards the threshold to the bedroom, denying all rest until a suitable number of words have been written or other progress has been made on writing projects.

Do you have an accountability partner for your writing?

#writingcommunity #caturday #writerscats
Square photo. The photo shows a white cat lying across the threshold of a room. The floors are tiled and there is a step up into the room. The door and door frame are wood, or wood effect, in a medium brown colour. The door is wide open, but very little can be seen inside the room as it is in darkness and there is a pillar or other architectural feature just inside on the wall the door opens back to and this obscures the interior. The cat is lying full length but it is wide awake, with the front part of its body and its head raised as if it challenging the person who is taking the photo.
December 6, 2025 at 8:05 AM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
This photo was taken long before phones with cameras, so I doubt the mural still exists.

I pitched an article on Madrid street art and used the fee to buy a digital camera so I could complete the project. One of my first successes at selling before I'd actually written anything!

#Writingcommunity
Square photo. Trompe-l'oeil mural on the side of a building. The building side façade has no windows or other architectural features, so might have been left as a plain white-washed blank. Instead, a mural has been painted to make it look like an actual building, mirroring the red-brick of the front façade and the same style of windows and balconies. The very top of the side is painted blue to match the sky. It is incredibly detailed and effective work and at first sight might pass unnoticed..
December 5, 2025 at 7:05 AM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
What every writer needs - a good hook.

#writingcommunity
Square photo. Most of the photo is a clear blue sky. Along the bottom of the photo is thick white cumulus cloud. In the top right corner is a branch of a tree. Hanging down from the top edge of the photo to approximately the centre is an old heavy-duty chain with a large hook.
December 4, 2025 at 7:05 AM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
Writing is all about communicating.
Are you on the same wavelength as your audience?

Not everyone is going to want to read what you write, but the better you can define your ideal reader, the better you'll be able to write in a way that they'll engage with and relate to.

#writingcommunity
Square photo of the top part of a communications pylon. There are two vertical poles and two horizontal cross pieces. There are many resistors and cables. the sky behind is a uniform pale grey
December 3, 2025 at 7:05 AM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
The ideal reader can be an elusive creature, but it’s definitely worth trying to identify them so you can speak to them directly and tell your story or express your intended message in a way that they will engage with and appreciate.


#Writingcommunity #WritingForReaders
December 2, 2025 at 8:11 AM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
Does the end of your writing project seem far, far off in the distance, like the end of this fence?

Note how every fifth finial of this fence is highlighted in gold.

Setting small milestone goals to celebrate along the writing journey may make it easier to keep motivated.

#writingcommunity
Square photo. The photo shows a wrought iron fence in front of a house. Not much can be seen of the house, which is painted in a greenish grey and looks as if it is a big period property. The angle of the photo is along the fence so the top of the railing recedes into the distance. The focus is on the ornamental shapes along the fence top. These are not sharp, but are pointed and vertical. Every fifth one is slightly larger and painted gold.
December 1, 2025 at 7:05 AM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
The flowers in this "Roses & Castles" style art piece are painted with only a few brush strokes. Nothing else is needed.

How much descriptive detail do you go into in your writing? Could you cut a lot more and make just as much impact?

#writingcommunity #writingforreaders #keepitsimple
Square photograph. The image shows four roses painted in the "Roses & Castles" artwork style popular on barges in the 19th century. The top rose is yellow on red. The one below is peach on orange. Then there are two deep red blooms at the bottom. The background is very dark green and there are green leaves around the flowers. There are bright red and yellow strips painted on either side of the artwork, , which curve slightly , suggesting this may be a close up of a curved barrel or other container. The impression is bright and cheerful, without detail.
November 28, 2025 at 7:59 AM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
Have you noticed how films use a distinct colour palette to set the mood?

Your book may be printed in black & white, but do you have that sense of colour for your story?

Colours change, of course: this landscape is usually olive green, but on this morning, it was grey-blue.

#writingcommunity
Square photograph of very misty looking hilly landscape. There are various ridges at various distances, meaning the ones on the horizon - a long way off - are probably quite high.There are pools of cloud or mist in some of the valleys. The sky is mostly cloudy, but with some pale blue, suggesting that the clouds are clearing after a storm, perhaps. There are one of two shite specks, which are probably distant houses. The foremost patch of land is quite bare with isolated trees. The hills al lool relatively green, although the colour is actually more blue than green.
November 27, 2025 at 7:05 AM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
Nothing remains of the face of this tomb sculpture to show us who he was and we are free to imagine him as we choose.

Do you include clear features of your characters, or do you let your readers imagine them for themselves?

#writingcommunity #writingforreaders
Square photo of a tomb sculpture. The image shows the carved head and shoulders of a statue of a male lying on his back with his head on a pile of cushions. He is wearing a robe with a wide collar and some kind of crown or headdress. The sculpture is probably stone or. marble and is obviously very old. It has been defaced multiple times with scratched initials. The facial features have been completely broken or worn away so there is no nose and no detail of eye or mouth. The right ear, which is Visble to the viewer is, however, completely intact.
November 26, 2025 at 7:05 AM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
It’s tempting to think that someone else will organise the get-togethers, workshops, writers’ group meet-ups etc, and all we need to do is turn up.

Then we complain about the timing, the focus, the format, and how it doesn’t really work for us…

There is a solution, of course!

#Writingcommunity
November 25, 2025 at 8:22 AM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
Writing isn't the most lucrative of professions, but it still requires specific tools and skills.

In fact, Liam Neeson's speech from Taken could have been written with writers in mind: "I don't have money, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills".

#writingcommunity #writingskills
Square photo. The image shows a metal shelf with a slot in it through which a collection of old metal spanners (wrenches) is hanging.
November 24, 2025 at 7:05 AM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
It's great to get positive comments, reviews & reactions to your writing.

I'm pretty sure, though, that Skinner's look of adoration is not triggered by my writing skills. I suspect she just wants another treat.

What nice things have people said about your writing?

#writingcommunity #caturday
Square photo. Small tabby cat lying on a greyish cream carpet looking straight up at the camera. Onnly the cat's head and front half of her body are visible. The cat occupies slightly more than half of the photo, filling the bottom right diagonal and leaving an empty space in the top left. The cats head is central to bottom left as the cat is twisting to look over her right shoulder. The look could be interpreted as one of fixed adoration.
November 22, 2025 at 8:05 AM
gwynethbox.bsky.social
I really like this photo as I actually got the focus right and managed to lose everything that didn't matter in the background.

Focus matters in writing: if you put too much emphasis on the background characters and setting, you risk boring, distracting or confusing your reader.

#writingcommunity
Square photograph. Close up of a flower head, probably from the allium family. The flower head is on a long, leafless stem and consists of many smaller pale mauve flowers that form a kind of pompom effect.There is a second bloom. behind the first but this is out of focus. In the background there is some green, probably plants of some sort, and some white buildings, but it isn't clear whether these are houses or other structures as they, too, are out of focus.
November 21, 2025 at 7:05 AM