I live and breathe books: that’s true. And a bookish life is the best life of all. But like all the best novels, worldbuilding matters. Today, I’ll share a wider view of what I get up to when I’m not editing.
Claire Cronshaw bakes!
I’m a basic baker. I often use the cook book that’s ubiquitous in northern English kitchens: the Be-Ro book. It’s perfect for me. No faff. There are never more than seven or eight ingredients. Simple. Baking feels like alchemy – creating something from nothing. You think your cupboards are bare, and then voilà!
When I’m baking I listen to an audiobook. Borrow Box is my favourite app. Most local libraries use it, and if not this, then Overdrive. You have to be a bit patient sometimes to get the most popular titles, but it’s worth it. I went through a period of listening to all of the big BookTok books on there. Great to keep abreast of what’s flying off the shelves. Full confession: I finished two of the three shown on this screenshot. LOVED Daisy Jones and the Six and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Six of Crows is still on the TBR. This summer, though, I’m on it!
Baking + audiobooks = bliss. Agree?
Claire Cronshaw moves!
If I just sat at my desk all day, I’d soon become unwell. A sedentary lifestyle isn’t for me. But I’m not a gym membership kind of person. I don’t have any specific fitness goals. I just like to get out and about and stay healthy. I run. It’s something I never considered doing until I moved by the sea. We have miles of flat promenade, so it’s perfect. And I head out on the prom on my bike too, but I have to remind myself not to always stop for an ice cream. I enjoy walking and I go out every day. I’ve had a few holidays in the Alps and I grew up around the Lake District and Pennine fells, so I’ve always owned a pair of walking boots. And over the last 12 months a brilliant addition to my fitness schedule has been joining a Pilates class. I go once a week and it’s great for my strength, flexibility and wellbeing. It’s always good to get the knots out of my shoulders from time spent at my desk.
Unlike my baking hobby, I don’t accompany any of these leisure activities with audiobooks. I prefer to be aware of my surroundings and mindful, as folks say. It does me good.
Claire Cronshaw games!
Word games are probably my favourite, but it’s not all we play. You’ll recognise Scrabble pictured above (which we have as well as Boggle, Countdown, Rewordable and more) but do you recognise the others? We love our newest board game, Takenoko (pictured bottom left). A gardener moves and grows the bamboo; the panda moves and eats it. There are cards to draw that tell you the objectives you need to achieve. It’s a lot of fun. Also pictured is Labyrinth, which is about trying to work out your route on a moving maze to collect your items. The final picture is simply a game of rummy or somesuch. The only unusual thing about it is the deck of cards we’re using. They’re from Nintendo. Did you know Nintendo started out as a playing-card company?
Are you into board games? I’d love to hear which ones.
Claire Cronshaw improves and grows 🙂
Let’s call this final getting-to-know me section a miscellany or a ‘catch-all’.
While I’m not editing or reading, I’m often about the business of growing or improving – in whatever form that takes. I attempt quite a bit of DIY around the house, but you can probably tell how slap-dash I am if you look at the state of the paint tin! I enjoy being out in the garden and I grow a few plants and flowers. My biggest success story is my rhubarb, which started life as that small pot pictured with the compost bags. It’s massive now! I also like to improve and grow as a person and as a professional editor. At the moment, I’m doing a lot of reading around the subject of developmental editing, and so audiobooks such as Robert McKee’s Story are incredibly helpful as part of my CPD, and attending conferences and learning sessions is a must too.
What else is new?
Briefly, here’s what I’ve got coming up:
– Tomorrow (Saturday 13th April 2024) I’ll be appearing on the editing panel discussion at the British Fantasy Society online event The Book Journey. The programme looks excellent and it’s only £5 (or free for BFS members). Would love to see some of you there.
– Tuesday 30th April 2024, Andy Hodges and I are running our successful webinar Get Your Novel Editor-Ready again. It’s at 5 p.m. BST and it’ll cost you nowt. (Cumbrian for £0.00!) Join us. A real plus for attending live is to join in with the (non-recorded) Q+A at the end. Get your questions answered.
– I’m booking edits for autumn 2024. So if your novel will be ready for an edit in September or after, get in touch today to bag your spot.
– My coaching programme (run in collaboration with Andy Hodges) is now live and open for registration. This is a four-week supported programme for new writers on the fundamentals of fiction storytelling. Find out more today. Storytelling Coaching 101: The Fundamentals of Fiction Craft
– Do have a look around my website for other author services and editing services that might be just the support you’re looking for in your writing journey. You’ll find everything from proofreading to Zoom talks to author groups and everything in between. Go and have a look.
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