Gwyneth Box
@gwynethbox.bsky.social
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
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
Watson and Skinner say they don't think it's enough simply to be writer's cats. They feel they should have hobbies of their own, so have taken up birdwatching.
What are your hobbies? Do they distract you from you writing?
Or is your writing just a hobby?
#writingcommunity #caturday #writerscats
What are your hobbies? Do they distract you from you writing?
Or is your writing just a hobby?
#writingcommunity #caturday #writerscats
November 15, 2025 at 8:05 AM
Watson and Skinner say they don't think it's enough simply to be writer's cats. They feel they should have hobbies of their own, so have taken up birdwatching.
What are your hobbies? Do they distract you from you writing?
Or is your writing just a hobby?
#writingcommunity #caturday #writerscats
What are your hobbies? Do they distract you from you writing?
Or is your writing just a hobby?
#writingcommunity #caturday #writerscats
The bougainvillea is an impressive marketer. Its tiny flowers would pass unnoticed if it weren't for the joyful visual noise of the coloured bracts.
How do you publicise your writing?
And is it like the bougainvillea, the kind of publicity that provides pleasure to the audience?
#writingcommunity
How do you publicise your writing?
And is it like the bougainvillea, the kind of publicity that provides pleasure to the audience?
#writingcommunity
November 14, 2025 at 7:05 AM
The bougainvillea is an impressive marketer. Its tiny flowers would pass unnoticed if it weren't for the joyful visual noise of the coloured bracts.
How do you publicise your writing?
And is it like the bougainvillea, the kind of publicity that provides pleasure to the audience?
#writingcommunity
How do you publicise your writing?
And is it like the bougainvillea, the kind of publicity that provides pleasure to the audience?
#writingcommunity
A while back I stayed at a B&B where the wall decoration looked vaguely familiar. Looking closer, I realised it was an upcycled printer's type case.
It's a great Mondrian-style art piece that would go perfectly on my studio wall. Just as well I only had a small suitcase with me!
#writingcommunity
It's a great Mondrian-style art piece that would go perfectly on my studio wall. Just as well I only had a small suitcase with me!
#writingcommunity
November 13, 2025 at 7:05 AM
A while back I stayed at a B&B where the wall decoration looked vaguely familiar. Looking closer, I realised it was an upcycled printer's type case.
It's a great Mondrian-style art piece that would go perfectly on my studio wall. Just as well I only had a small suitcase with me!
#writingcommunity
It's a great Mondrian-style art piece that would go perfectly on my studio wall. Just as well I only had a small suitcase with me!
#writingcommunity
I took typing classes in my teens, and was awarded a CSE after obtaining a "satisfactory" typewriting speed of 25 WPM. Not exactly Speedy González, but definitely one of the more useful skills I learned at school.
Do you touch type?
(No, I don't use the Remington for writing!)
#writingcommunity
Do you touch type?
(No, I don't use the Remington for writing!)
#writingcommunity
November 12, 2025 at 7:05 AM
I took typing classes in my teens, and was awarded a CSE after obtaining a "satisfactory" typewriting speed of 25 WPM. Not exactly Speedy González, but definitely one of the more useful skills I learned at school.
Do you touch type?
(No, I don't use the Remington for writing!)
#writingcommunity
Do you touch type?
(No, I don't use the Remington for writing!)
#writingcommunity
Want to be a successful writer?
Brush up on your people skills - modern publishing success is all about getting out there and being visible in person and online.
Where do you do your author networking?
#WritingCommunity #writingsuccess
Brush up on your people skills - modern publishing success is all about getting out there and being visible in person and online.
Where do you do your author networking?
#WritingCommunity #writingsuccess
November 11, 2025 at 7:30 AM
Want to be a successful writer?
Brush up on your people skills - modern publishing success is all about getting out there and being visible in person and online.
Where do you do your author networking?
#WritingCommunity #writingsuccess
Brush up on your people skills - modern publishing success is all about getting out there and being visible in person and online.
Where do you do your author networking?
#WritingCommunity #writingsuccess
I miss the colours of English Autumn.
But here's an old photo & the start of an old poem:
Notes for a November poem
The trees are ragged with Autumn. The wind nags
and worries scabby leaves. I see the skyline fray;
black scraps tear off to become
a join-the-dots of rooks…
#writingcommunity
But here's an old photo & the start of an old poem:
Notes for a November poem
The trees are ragged with Autumn. The wind nags
and worries scabby leaves. I see the skyline fray;
black scraps tear off to become
a join-the-dots of rooks…
#writingcommunity
November 10, 2025 at 7:05 AM
I miss the colours of English Autumn.
But here's an old photo & the start of an old poem:
Notes for a November poem
The trees are ragged with Autumn. The wind nags
and worries scabby leaves. I see the skyline fray;
black scraps tear off to become
a join-the-dots of rooks…
#writingcommunity
But here's an old photo & the start of an old poem:
Notes for a November poem
The trees are ragged with Autumn. The wind nags
and worries scabby leaves. I see the skyline fray;
black scraps tear off to become
a join-the-dots of rooks…
#writingcommunity
I'm not sure if this great yawn is an indication of Watson being tired or bored. But let's take it as a reminder that if we're bored with what we're writing, it's pretty certain the reader will be, too.
#writingcommunity #caturday #writingforreaders
#writingcommunity #caturday #writingforreaders
November 8, 2025 at 8:05 AM
I'm not sure if this great yawn is an indication of Watson being tired or bored. But let's take it as a reminder that if we're bored with what we're writing, it's pretty certain the reader will be, too.
#writingcommunity #caturday #writingforreaders
#writingcommunity #caturday #writingforreaders
At first glance, these two pictures are very similar.
Look closely and you'll see the flowers have a different number of petals and the bugs – both hover flies – are really very different.
Details matter in writing. It's the small things that make our stories utterly unique.
#writingcommunity
Look closely and you'll see the flowers have a different number of petals and the bugs – both hover flies – are really very different.
Details matter in writing. It's the small things that make our stories utterly unique.
#writingcommunity
November 7, 2025 at 7:05 AM
At first glance, these two pictures are very similar.
Look closely and you'll see the flowers have a different number of petals and the bugs – both hover flies – are really very different.
Details matter in writing. It's the small things that make our stories utterly unique.
#writingcommunity
Look closely and you'll see the flowers have a different number of petals and the bugs – both hover flies – are really very different.
Details matter in writing. It's the small things that make our stories utterly unique.
#writingcommunity
The way grouting on a mossy wall can be transformed into bleak roadways running through a flat green wasteland just by zooming in and turning the photo sideways is a great reminder that different perspectives can make a huge difference to what the reader gets from our writing.
#writingcommunity
#writingcommunity
November 6, 2025 at 7:05 AM
The way grouting on a mossy wall can be transformed into bleak roadways running through a flat green wasteland just by zooming in and turning the photo sideways is a great reminder that different perspectives can make a huge difference to what the reader gets from our writing.
#writingcommunity
#writingcommunity
There's no need to keep looking back over your shoulder. No one is watching you writing.
No one is checking as you write that first draft. So go ahead and write whatever you want. Don't self censor – you can fix things later on when you're re-drafting.
#writingcommunity
No one is checking as you write that first draft. So go ahead and write whatever you want. Don't self censor – you can fix things later on when you're re-drafting.
#writingcommunity
November 5, 2025 at 7:05 AM
There's no need to keep looking back over your shoulder. No one is watching you writing.
No one is checking as you write that first draft. So go ahead and write whatever you want. Don't self censor – you can fix things later on when you're re-drafting.
#writingcommunity
No one is checking as you write that first draft. So go ahead and write whatever you want. Don't self censor – you can fix things later on when you're re-drafting.
#writingcommunity
I've never written a novel. I don't even write much fiction. But I'm still a writer.
A writer is someone who writes - whatever the genre.
#writingcommunity
A writer is someone who writes - whatever the genre.
#writingcommunity
November 4, 2025 at 7:23 AM
I've never written a novel. I don't even write much fiction. But I'm still a writer.
A writer is someone who writes - whatever the genre.
#writingcommunity
A writer is someone who writes - whatever the genre.
#writingcommunity
Somewhere in your story, you mention a lion.
Most readers will imagine a tawny African lion like Aslan.
Just a few may come up with a blue & regal creature, with amazing eyebrows, like the one here by William De Morgan.
How much should we spell things out for our readers?
#writingcommunity
Most readers will imagine a tawny African lion like Aslan.
Just a few may come up with a blue & regal creature, with amazing eyebrows, like the one here by William De Morgan.
How much should we spell things out for our readers?
#writingcommunity
November 3, 2025 at 7:05 AM
Somewhere in your story, you mention a lion.
Most readers will imagine a tawny African lion like Aslan.
Just a few may come up with a blue & regal creature, with amazing eyebrows, like the one here by William De Morgan.
How much should we spell things out for our readers?
#writingcommunity
Most readers will imagine a tawny African lion like Aslan.
Just a few may come up with a blue & regal creature, with amazing eyebrows, like the one here by William De Morgan.
How much should we spell things out for our readers?
#writingcommunity
Skinner may seem to be the main focus of the photo today, but Watson says we shouldn't forget that background characters matter, too!
#writingcommunity #caturday #writerscats
#writingcommunity #caturday #writerscats
November 1, 2025 at 8:05 AM
Skinner may seem to be the main focus of the photo today, but Watson says we shouldn't forget that background characters matter, too!
#writingcommunity #caturday #writerscats
#writingcommunity #caturday #writerscats
What's spookier, a dark alley at night or a maze on a sunny day?
You can't see the end of the alley & the lights might go out at any time.
You're lost in the maze & you don't know what's lurking there.
As writers, it's our privilege to create worlds for readers to visit :-)
#writingcommunity
You can't see the end of the alley & the lights might go out at any time.
You're lost in the maze & you don't know what's lurking there.
As writers, it's our privilege to create worlds for readers to visit :-)
#writingcommunity
October 31, 2025 at 7:05 AM
What's spookier, a dark alley at night or a maze on a sunny day?
You can't see the end of the alley & the lights might go out at any time.
You're lost in the maze & you don't know what's lurking there.
As writers, it's our privilege to create worlds for readers to visit :-)
#writingcommunity
You can't see the end of the alley & the lights might go out at any time.
You're lost in the maze & you don't know what's lurking there.
As writers, it's our privilege to create worlds for readers to visit :-)
#writingcommunity
For me, Michaelmas daisies are firmly associated with shorter autumn days.
If you're writing a novel or a story told over a long period, or at a specific time of year, do you pay attention to the seasons and the flowers and plants that are around as different scenes play out?
#writingcommunity
If you're writing a novel or a story told over a long period, or at a specific time of year, do you pay attention to the seasons and the flowers and plants that are around as different scenes play out?
#writingcommunity
October 30, 2025 at 7:05 AM
For me, Michaelmas daisies are firmly associated with shorter autumn days.
If you're writing a novel or a story told over a long period, or at a specific time of year, do you pay attention to the seasons and the flowers and plants that are around as different scenes play out?
#writingcommunity
If you're writing a novel or a story told over a long period, or at a specific time of year, do you pay attention to the seasons and the flowers and plants that are around as different scenes play out?
#writingcommunity
It may be too late in the year to roll the lawns, but it's always a good time to iron out the mistakes in your writing!
It's hard to spot all the mistakes if you're correcting your own writing, so check out "Ten tips for manuscript checking" on my website journal gwynethbox.com
#writingcommunity
It's hard to spot all the mistakes if you're correcting your own writing, so check out "Ten tips for manuscript checking" on my website journal gwynethbox.com
#writingcommunity
October 29, 2025 at 7:05 AM
It may be too late in the year to roll the lawns, but it's always a good time to iron out the mistakes in your writing!
It's hard to spot all the mistakes if you're correcting your own writing, so check out "Ten tips for manuscript checking" on my website journal gwynethbox.com
#writingcommunity
It's hard to spot all the mistakes if you're correcting your own writing, so check out "Ten tips for manuscript checking" on my website journal gwynethbox.com
#writingcommunity
There are lots of reasons for writing…
Maybe you write to practise or experiment with different styles and forms. Maybe you write background, backstory and dialogues that go on "behind the scenes" of the main story...
…and maybe you just write for fun!
Why are you writing?
#writingcommunity
Maybe you write to practise or experiment with different styles and forms. Maybe you write background, backstory and dialogues that go on "behind the scenes" of the main story...
…and maybe you just write for fun!
Why are you writing?
#writingcommunity
October 28, 2025 at 8:10 AM
There are lots of reasons for writing…
Maybe you write to practise or experiment with different styles and forms. Maybe you write background, backstory and dialogues that go on "behind the scenes" of the main story...
…and maybe you just write for fun!
Why are you writing?
#writingcommunity
Maybe you write to practise or experiment with different styles and forms. Maybe you write background, backstory and dialogues that go on "behind the scenes" of the main story...
…and maybe you just write for fun!
Why are you writing?
#writingcommunity
With my surname, I have always been fond of boxes of all shapes and sizes. But sometimes even boxes have to be got rid of.
As writers, too, we have to learn what needs to be culled from the manuscript – and all too often it's a case of "Kill your darlings" :-)
#writingcommunity #amwriting
As writers, too, we have to learn what needs to be culled from the manuscript – and all too often it's a case of "Kill your darlings" :-)
#writingcommunity #amwriting
October 27, 2025 at 7:05 AM
With my surname, I have always been fond of boxes of all shapes and sizes. But sometimes even boxes have to be got rid of.
As writers, too, we have to learn what needs to be culled from the manuscript – and all too often it's a case of "Kill your darlings" :-)
#writingcommunity #amwriting
As writers, too, we have to learn what needs to be culled from the manuscript – and all too often it's a case of "Kill your darlings" :-)
#writingcommunity #amwriting
When Skinner & Watson were found, the vet guessed their birthday as Oct 21st. These are the official first-birthday photos.
Do you know your characters' ages, birthdays & star signs?
Are they part of the story or just background you know but don't share?
#writingcommunity #caturday #writerscats
Do you know your characters' ages, birthdays & star signs?
Are they part of the story or just background you know but don't share?
#writingcommunity #caturday #writerscats
October 25, 2025 at 7:05 AM
When Skinner & Watson were found, the vet guessed their birthday as Oct 21st. These are the official first-birthday photos.
Do you know your characters' ages, birthdays & star signs?
Are they part of the story or just background you know but don't share?
#writingcommunity #caturday #writerscats
Do you know your characters' ages, birthdays & star signs?
Are they part of the story or just background you know but don't share?
#writingcommunity #caturday #writerscats
It's too late for sunflowers, but this one is wonderfully autumnal and I think the feed needs more florals.
It needs more poetry, too, so here's an extract turned into a stand-alone:
--
the sun flowers
and sheds its petalled light
into the corners
of our unswept lives
--
#writingcommunity
It needs more poetry, too, so here's an extract turned into a stand-alone:
--
the sun flowers
and sheds its petalled light
into the corners
of our unswept lives
--
#writingcommunity
October 24, 2025 at 6:05 AM
It's too late for sunflowers, but this one is wonderfully autumnal and I think the feed needs more florals.
It needs more poetry, too, so here's an extract turned into a stand-alone:
--
the sun flowers
and sheds its petalled light
into the corners
of our unswept lives
--
#writingcommunity
It needs more poetry, too, so here's an extract turned into a stand-alone:
--
the sun flowers
and sheds its petalled light
into the corners
of our unswept lives
--
#writingcommunity
When you get that first sketchy idea, do you wait till it settles and forms into something more solid of its own accord, or start researching, planning and shaping?
Or do you just pitch right in and get writing?
#writingcommunity #amwriting
Or do you just pitch right in and get writing?
#writingcommunity #amwriting
October 23, 2025 at 6:05 AM
When you get that first sketchy idea, do you wait till it settles and forms into something more solid of its own accord, or start researching, planning and shaping?
Or do you just pitch right in and get writing?
#writingcommunity #amwriting
Or do you just pitch right in and get writing?
#writingcommunity #amwriting
A bit of an obvious question, given the photo, but here goes:
How do you stop your characters being wooden? How do you bring them to life?
#WritingCommunity #Fiction
How do you stop your characters being wooden? How do you bring them to life?
#WritingCommunity #Fiction
October 22, 2025 at 6:05 AM
A bit of an obvious question, given the photo, but here goes:
How do you stop your characters being wooden? How do you bring them to life?
#WritingCommunity #Fiction
How do you stop your characters being wooden? How do you bring them to life?
#WritingCommunity #Fiction
Did you think being a writer was all about writing? That it was something you could do alone in your room, in the company of no one but your cat?
In reality the modern writer needs to be willing to be seen, both on social media and – at least occasionally – out in public.
#writingcommunity
In reality the modern writer needs to be willing to be seen, both on social media and – at least occasionally – out in public.
#writingcommunity
October 21, 2025 at 6:28 AM
Did you think being a writer was all about writing? That it was something you could do alone in your room, in the company of no one but your cat?
In reality the modern writer needs to be willing to be seen, both on social media and – at least occasionally – out in public.
#writingcommunity
In reality the modern writer needs to be willing to be seen, both on social media and – at least occasionally – out in public.
#writingcommunity
There are few signs of autumn where I am in southern Spain, but I still have plenty of photos of autumnal colours in the UK to remind me what it's like to live with "proper" seasons :-)
Do you take photos as notes for your writing? Or look back through them for inspiration?
#writingcommunity
Do you take photos as notes for your writing? Or look back through them for inspiration?
#writingcommunity
October 20, 2025 at 6:05 AM
There are few signs of autumn where I am in southern Spain, but I still have plenty of photos of autumnal colours in the UK to remind me what it's like to live with "proper" seasons :-)
Do you take photos as notes for your writing? Or look back through them for inspiration?
#writingcommunity
Do you take photos as notes for your writing? Or look back through them for inspiration?
#writingcommunity
I fear that Skinner's look of rapt adoration is not due to her appreciation of my poetry or even of me as a person. I think she's just very aware that I am the one who feeds her.
Maybe I'd have more success as a writer if I included a food package with each book sale :-)
#caturday #writerscats
Maybe I'd have more success as a writer if I included a food package with each book sale :-)
#caturday #writerscats
October 18, 2025 at 7:05 AM
I fear that Skinner's look of rapt adoration is not due to her appreciation of my poetry or even of me as a person. I think she's just very aware that I am the one who feeds her.
Maybe I'd have more success as a writer if I included a food package with each book sale :-)
#caturday #writerscats
Maybe I'd have more success as a writer if I included a food package with each book sale :-)
#caturday #writerscats