Happy Halloween!

The pumpkins are out in full force tonight, and I love the originality in the faces people carve. I went traditional and spiky...because I'm not very good at carving them. I did manage to nearly set it on fire when a candle split inside it though, which gave me a fright at least.

Pumpkins also mean pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, and toasted pumpkin seeds. Yummy! There's something that satisfies my soul and creative urges when I can cook with seasonal veg. I'm sure I've talked about it before, but creating something from start to finish satisfies creativity when you're stuck on a project where the end is nowhere in sight. I think that valuable idea came from The Artist's Way. It's made me gain a few pounds, I must admit!

As I write this there's a special Halloween themed Story Scavenger event taking place in Brighton, but if you don't make it there will once again be free creative writing workshops every Thursday at the cafe in Waterstones on North Street.

This time last year I entered the Writer's Weekly 24-hour short story contest, and won a small prize. Seasonal themes really do get creative juices flowing, it seems. I suppose because you're surrounded by the season and can relate to it in some way, you're in the mood, you can tap into your feelings more easily, and the 24-hour challenge seems slightly less daunting! 

I mention this because it was the first writing success I had, so I have something personal to celebrate today, along with the normal festivities!

Whether you're celebrating Halloween, Samhain or the Day of the Dead over the next two days, have a lovely holiday x