Bethan lives an island life in Orkney where she tries to write around work as a Home Carer and her young children who are two and three. She has recently been published in Perhappened Magazine, The Aesthetic Directory, and The Adriatic. 



​What is your favourite thing to write?
I love writing poetry but I’m also working on a novel that I’m really enjoying. I’m learning that I just need to go with my moods and write whatever comes, instead of forcing something else....but that means having lots of projects on the go! 

What did you gain from the MumWrite programme?
I had never attended a workshop before as I’m quite self conscious about my writing, especially sharing WIPs or something written on the spot so it was a leap. I definitely gained confidence from the friendly environment. 

I also found a love for experimental techniques, even if the work doesn’t turn in to something that appears experimental. I now really enjoy just opening a book to pick a random line as a poetry prompt and then grabbing the dictionary or thesaurus to play and see what happens. 

How do you find time to write as a parent?
I have no idea! I write mostly in the evenings. I used to just sit with a notebook or laptop in the living room but it wasn’t productive. Now I take myself seriously and sit at the table (often with the door closed) so that I’m focused. I try to write for an hour and then my brain is frazzled after a long day, but will keep going if I can. 

What kind of prompts do you like to use when you need inspiration?
I love to pick a line from a book or just open the dictionary or thesaurus and just start writing, see where it goes! 


What's a writing achievement from the last 6 months that you're proud of?
Taking myself seriously and starting to close the door when I’m writing. 

What are your writing aims for 2021?
Finishing the novel I’m working on. And going through all of my notebooks to work on and type up the draft poems I’ve left unorganised. 

For more publications and information, visit Bethan on Twitter: @bethanhay_ ​

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What is your favourite thing to write?
My absolute first love is poetry but I have been known to tinker with crime and children's stories - I’m hoping to explore this more. 

What did you gain from the MumWrite programme?
I gained an immense amount from the MumWrite programme - in particular the confidence to explore my own creativity and take risks. I feel in the process I found my true authentic voice and the poetry I care about. 

How do you find time to write as a parent?
It's non-linear and unstructured - free for all - when I can grab the time. 

What kind of prompts do you like to use when you need inspiration?
Object evocation and or meditative writing - I feel inspired by memory so
memoir / autobiographical exercises usually work for me. 

What's a writing achievement from the last 6 months that you're proud of?
Being published in streetcake magazine  / The Babel Tower Notice Board.

What are your writing aims for 2021?
To complete and hopefully pass my MSc year 1 in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes and hopefully publish my first pamphlet (a labour of love I’ve worked on for the past four years).

Find out more about Michéle Beck on her website or find her on twitter: @michelebeckpoet

​CJ Cooke has published 12 books, including THE NESTING (HarperCollins, 2020), the poetry collection BOOM! (Seren, 2014), and, as editor, the anthology WRITING MOTHERHOOD (Seren, 2017). She is the founder of the Stay-At-Home! Literary Festival and is Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow. Her work is published in 23 languages. She has 4 children aged 8, 10, 12, and 14.
 
Who and what inspires you?

People who work hard, love hard, fail hard, and achieve big. We hear so many success stories without getting the full picture, and I’m inspired by people who are real about their setbacks and challenges but who just keep going despite it. First-time successes are myths – there is nothing but graft and perhaps a dash of good fortune behind success, and I’m always inspired by the stories of people who have built their own success, brick by brick.
 
How do you find time to write as a parent?
 
I think the answer to this changes so often that I first need to state that it really depends on the situation at home. I’ve always written, and when my children were babies it was so difficult to write but I tried to do it while they were napping, or sometimes my mother-in-law would babysit. I found that I clung to writing during these times as a way of coping.
 
At the moment, I work full-time, and my children are still young, but they’re at school during the day and they sleep through the night. So I write most often in the evening, often staying up until the wee hours. Recently I’ve started booking an AirBnB every so often when I need to work to a deadline. I can do this now, as my youngest is able to speak to me via FaceTime. She is autistic and for a long time couldn’t talk, and I couldn’t leave her without her being able to tell me she was happy. My husband is now based at home, so it has been possible for me to take off for a few days at a time and go off to a cottage somewhere. This has really given me headspace to get lots of work done – what might have taken three weeks at home would take three days while I was away!
 
I should say that, although time to write is always a challenge, finding headspace to write is even more so.
 
So, the short answer is – my writing schedule as a parent changes all the time, often at the drop of a pin.
 
Which writing activities kickstart your writing when you’re struggling to write?
 
In my case, I’m usually contracted to write a novel – which is quite a kickstarter! But in times that I haven’t been under contract, I have found that reading often throws up certain responses to things that I want to respond to creatively. Keeping a notebook and jotting my own thoughts and ideas for things that I can develop later has also been useful, and I’ve also found a lot of value in participating in the occasional writing workshop. Being part of a community of writers is probably the most important part of a writing practice – getting feedback and support is essential to developing your craft. 

​Find out more about CJ Cooke on her website or find her on twitter: @CJessCooke