Lucy Brighton

Published Author and Manager, Maths and English Online Provision Provider

There is a wealth of opportunity, warmth and encouragement awaiting you at Leeds Trinity.

How the MA in Creative Writing has supported me

Doing the MA after a long time of focusing on my career gave me the opportunity to revisit the creativity that had been missing in my life. Moreover, the people I met there became lifelong friends and inspirations to me. Martyn, Amina and Oz were supportive and knowledgeable and helped me develop as a writer and a creative.

The extra piece of the jigsaw

I have been a teacher for almost two decades and I now manage the Maths and English provision for an online training provider. For me, I had a career and what was missing was the creative outlet that fed my soul.

The build up to my Novella in Flash being published 

I bought a Novella in Flash by a writer I really admire - Kathy Hoyle - Chasing the Dragon. When I was reading it, I looked at who it was published by, followed them on social media and then sent mine to them when it was finished. 

The thought behind What Kind of name is Lolly Anyway?

All the stories in the collection centre around the chaotic world of Lolly. It follows her through childhood into adulthood. She has a dysfunctional relationship with her narcissistic mother and the stories examine how this fundamental relationship has ripples throughout her life. 

The character of Lolly has lived in my head for a long time and during sessions at my local writing group, I often found myself writing about her. When I had amassed quite a few stories, I started thinking about putting them together.

Finding out my Novella in Flash would be published

I was very excited and a bit nervous. It is an American publisher so there was a time difference when we were going back and forth with edits etc. The book is available on amazon.

My other published work

I had already self-published a novel, Finding Home and have been widely published in anthologies, online and in magazines. You can find a portfolio of my work on my website 

My advice to anyone else considering embarking on the MA writing course at Leeds Trinity

Just do it! There is a wealth of opportunity, warmth and encouragement awaiting you at Leeds Trinity.