Monday 15 October 2018

3 Writers: 3 Creative hobbies

By Cassandra Samuels


Today I have 3 amazing writers who do beautiful creative hobbies. So, I asked them a few questions and they were happy to share some of their work with us.

Alison Stuart is the author of English Civil War novels and she likes to make quilts when she is not sitting down writing words.
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1. When did you start quilting and why?

When I was in Form 2, my school introduced a new idea – extra curricular lunchtime activities (how the teachers must have hated it!). It just so happened that Mrs. Howard the science teacher offered up patchwork – and perched on the benches in the science lab I learned English Paper Piecing patchwork (which is a considerable improvement on anything else I learned in the science lab!).


Alison finishing her first quilt
Alison finishing her first quilt
2.How important to you is refilling the creative well?
I know I am writing better when I am sewing (I also do cross stitch). I I do love hand quilting in particular but it is an awkward piece of sewing and the discovery of a local machine quilter has made me rather lazy!

3. And have you ever suffered as a consequence of not doing so?
At the moment I am definitely suffering because to embark on a major quilting project I need the same amount of creative (and physical!) space as my writing demands. I have to plan my project and it takes me a couple of days to get all my ducks in a row and cut out the material for assembly and piece the quilt top.


Cate Ellink  likes to write spicy hot romances for Escape Publishing as Cate Ellink and small town romance under Catherine Evans, but when she is not making her readers hot under the collar she likes to take amazing photographs.


1. When did you start taking photos and why?

Ever since I can remember I’ve written and taken photos. My extended family are good photo-takers. I hate having my photo taken so I rarely take others.


Buy this book here

Buy this book here

2. How important to you is re-filling the creative well?
I tend to think of this as balancing myself and my life, rather than re-filling the creative well. If I’m indoors too much, I begin to feel confined. If I’m doing too much for others, I become drained.

3. Have you ever suffered as a consequence of not doing so?
My balance is never perfect! Some years back, I had a really bad run with lots of stressful life events in a short period and everything got totally out of balance. I ended up really sick. As part of my change of focus, I looked more at creative pursuits. 

courtesy of Catherine Evans

It’s so hard to pick a favourite photo but since I have to, I’ll choose this one I took at Uluru in 2007.   I’d never seen one like it, so I was happy (even if you can’t really tell it’s Uluru!)



Melanie Scott likes variety in her books and so she writes fantasy under MJ Scott, hometown romance under Emma Douglas and sports romance under Melanie Scott. When she is not creating new worlds, new towns or new sports' heroes she loves to create lovely watercolours.

Copyright Mel Scott

1. When did you start painting watercolours and why?

I took a class on a whim in 2014. It was a few years after my first book came out and I had started to realise that I needed another creative hobby that wasn’t my job as well. I’d always liked watercolour but never been particularly arty so was just trying something out. Happily, I loved it!


Buy this book here
buy this book here


2. How important to you is re-filling the creative well? 
For me it’s really important. I know writers who don’t read while they’re writing or don’t watch TV/movies etc but I can’t do that. My brain needs lots of stories being fed into it as well as looking at pretty things and nice colours. There’s so much pressure on writers to just write, write, write these days and I don’t think most of us can do that long term without burning out.

3. And have you ever suffered as a consequence of not doing so? 

I definitely notice when I’m stressed and I start doing mindless internet surfing etc instead of reading or watching something on TV or doing some art that it flows over into the writing not going well.


What is your creative outlet?


I love to love…sitting at a cafe with a view and enjoying a sweet treat.

I love to laugh….at the positions my cat Angus gets himself into.

I love to learn…about other people's creative outlets.

12 comments:

  1. Thanks for inviting me to talk about my second most favouritest thing to do! And kudos to Cate and Mel. I come from a long line of artists but sadly the talent appears to have died out with my grandmother!

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    1. Hi Alison! I have such admiration for quilters. One of my best friends is one and I know how many hours are devoted to creating a quilt. All worth it, though, when they turn out so beautifully.

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    2. My mother is a quilter too so I know how much work goes into them. I've been to a few shows too and every quilt is so different.

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  2. No, yours has just taken a different form! I had no idea how to draw really when I first tried watercolour.

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    1. Hi MJ. Just wanted to say thanks for discovering your drawing talent! I love seeing all your drawings on Facebook!

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    2. Hi Melanie, I love to do watercolours, and have had mixed success. Yours are exquisite!

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    3. I've never been able to draw but my daughter is good and my father is also very good artist, even if he prefers to make his garden his art these days.

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  3. Hi Alison. Quilting is a wonderful creative activity. I've seen so many beautiful quilts at shows but have never tried myself. I'm more into cross stitch and tapestry, making pretty pictures in that way because I have no drawing talent.

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    1. I can draw a bit... but it requires time and application to master (neither of which I have). Unfortunately I am finding my eye sight is now no longer able to manage the fine cross stitch. The last sampler I did had more unpicking than sewing!

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  4. Mel, Catherine and Alison, I love your creative hobbies! My daughter is a photographer, I've learnt so much from her but my photos will never be the same as hers! I have some of her photos hanging on my walls at home. Painting is not my thing, but I love art and looking at it and also hanging it on my walls - such a gift to the world to enjoy. I also love sewing, quilts are amazing but I haven't got the skill or patience to make one. I cross-stitch instead, which I find soothing and something lovely happens when you finally finish - a gift, or another creation for the walls...! I need more walls...! Thankyou girls for sharing. I think we all need to dip into our creative wells at times, and your wonderful creativity shows in not only your hobbies but your wonderful writing. Kudos to you all.

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    1. Both of my sons are wonderful amateur photographers. Perhaps the family artistic talent percolated into a different creative form? Now they are both fathers, the portraits they 'snap' of their children are definite keepers.

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  5. Thanks so much for sharing your creative outlets with us. It is wonderful to learn more about how writers do their work.

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