Uncategorized
Creative Writing, Anyone?
I wandered, lonely as…. lonely as a sadsack with halitosis and a personality disorder? No, that doesn’t work. Back to the pencil chewing. Let’s talk about similes. I’ve discovered that I have, if not an allergy certainly a sub-clinical sensitivity to them. Dog dander, sulphites, and now similes. The sulphites are a particular burden because I…
Read MoreDistant Elephants
This morning I slayed (slew?) an elephant. Not a real one, you understand. I like elephants, though I acknowledge they don’t make good neighbours. Uprooting trees, trampling crops and generally setting themselves up for an ASBO. And they look so cute. But I’m talking about distant elephants, those things we agree to because they’re months and months away and…
Read MoreBreaking News…
I’ve been invited to speak at The Lady Literary Lunch on September 9th and unlike Miss Otis I am able. You can reserve your seat right here No pushing, eye-poking or stampeding, please.
Read MoreHere's One I Prepared Earlier
It’s been a funny old week. We went down to Kerry for a few days, making the most of our Senior Citizen free travel passes before the Irish government decides to withdraw that generous concession. But I took with me two pieces of work: the page proofs of The Grand Duchess of Nowhere which required immediate attention and my…
Read MoreA Bad Case of Subjunctivitis
Circumstances beyond anyone’s control have led to a telescoping of the final tweaks to this year’s book. Less than a week after finishing the copy-edit the page proofs are already on my desk. It’s been hectic and quite taxing, not least because of a bit of a grammatical wrestling match. Generally speaking writers don’t get to meet their copy…
Read MoreMeasuring Progress
First thanks to all those who responded to my last post. It’s always interesting to take a sounding from readers before I set off and, in all likelihood, carry on as before. Most days I have lunch with my husband and most days he asks, ‘How goes it?’ It’s a question I try to duck.…
Read MoreBut Seriously…..
So here I am, suitcase unpacked, laundry done and ready for anything. I had imagined I’d have plenty of time for creative thinking during my holiday, seeing as how someone else was steering the boat and cooking dinner but as it turned out my thoughts very soon settled into a comfortable rut. The biggest decision I made all week…
Read MoreAll Change
Perfect timing, for once in my working life. My long-planned holiday starts tomorrow when I can say, hand on heart, that I’ve well and truly cleared my desk. Even the tempting bit of journalism that was wafted under my nose late on Sunday evening has been done and delivered. The sight of an open suitcase can certainly…
Read MoreThe Ackroyd Tendency
I don’t spend too much of my time poring over the work of other, better writers and feeling bitter. You can only do your best, as my old Mum used to say. I’ve always admired the work of Peter Ackroyd and was particularly shocked to discover that he’s younger than me. How did he get…
Read MoreSue Townsend and the N Word
Today the sad but not unexpected announcement of Sue Townsend’s death. In recent years she was prey to a shocking list of disabilities and a testament to the old saying that health is wealth. Sue and I grew up on the same street and went to the same school. We were never friends. She was a…
Read More