GILL BALFOUR

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I really mean it when I say that words are my life. I write for a living and for pleasure.  Since studying creative writing as part of my BA Hons in Literature I have continued to write constantly.  I now have short stories, screenplays and non-fiction as part of my portfolio.  

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I now have a Master's in Creative Writing from the University of Brighton and my dissertation is a passionate appeal to end the use of the term 'chick lit' .  The creative element is a full-length screenplay inspired by the incredible 18th Century writer Fanny Burney.  As part of my studies I was Writer in Residence at Fabrica Gallery in Brighton.  I facilitated Creative Writing Workshops for Fabrica's volunteer programme, the results of which were published in their online magazine Response 23. My teaching experience alongside my belief that everyone is creative is my motivation for running workshops for anyone who wants to unleash their creativity. 

 

In 2015 my Short Story Horizons was 'highly regarded' by The Brighton Prize and is published in the Rattle Tales 4 anthology.  The Master's has spurred me on and other projects are simmering away waiting to be brought to fruition.

  

I was inspired by the city of Barcelona while working there as an English language teacher.  The hours spent wandering around the city between classes led to a great curiosity about this wonderful city.  I read everything I could get my hands on and the result of that was my first published work Quite Literally Barcelona.   I am currently working on my first novel which also takes Barcelona as its setting.  Inspired by the incredible architecture of Lluís Domènech i Montaner ‘s Palau de la Musica, the novel is set in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is centred around the building of this shrine to music.  

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My love of the theatre led me to write a 10 Minute Play Journey  which is a contemporary scene played out on a commuter train from London to Brighton.  I also write theatre reviews for Broadway Baby during the Brighton Fringe and beyond.

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