Story Collector

For BBC6 Morning Show

2011-10-04T11:01:00.002+01:00

I often cheat on David,because while he lies sleeping,I shuffle down in my dressing gownwhere the world wide web is waiting.I log on as Cassandra- my hopeful face bathed blue -for I desire to ignite a fire in a lustful lucky few.Platonic love and friendshipare not what I am after.Polite hellos and how de doosLay flat my stormy water.The soft, the meek,

New Blog?

2011-06-14T17:21:00.000+01:00

I just had an idea for a new blog: Where do all the dead people go? In it I would write about the research I was doing and the quest for spirituality. I'm not sure yet. I need to think the idea through and not go rushing into things. Could I write about old boyfriends etc and want it OUT there? And would I be ruining it for myself if I published stuff that I wanted to put in the book? I suppose

Manic Tuesdays

2011-06-14T12:12:00.005+01:00

Feeling a little manic. Probably has a lot to do with the huge coffee I had about two hours ago. It was good to see Becca. She's so lovely - off to Sweden soon to start her new life. Pregnant too. But that's a secret. She's lost two recently and is just praying that this one will stay. I don't envy her at all. To have another baby - yuk. The weight of that responsibility, all that love...

Manic Tuesdays

2011-06-14T12:12:00.003+01:00

Manic Tuesdays

2011-06-14T12:12:00.000+01:00

Plans, plans, plans.

2011-06-13T13:13:00.000+01:00

Feel like I've got my life a little bit back on track. Boys are at school, I went for a run, sent off four stories and have had lunch. I then briefly had a panic because I had no emails to answer or anything important to do. I then realised that I need to make myself a little plan. Wrestle some control back into my life. In a minute I'm going to sit down on my bed and write down some daily plans

Dancing McQueen.

2011-06-12T12:05:00.000+01:00

Had a great night in Ipswich. The meal and company were all good, but the best was the dancing. I don't dance enough and it's one of the joys in my life. I need to do it more. Every weekend I don't have the boys I should plan in some dancing of somekind. Mwikali goes every weekend, so I should too.

RIP Goldfish

2011-06-11T10:10:00.000+01:00

Had three glasses of wine last night, then came home and watched 'The Damned United', ate a whole packet of streaky bacon crisps and some fangtastic sweets, which seem to have stripped the skin off my inside mouth. Feeling hungover and tired - which was not how I wanted to feel, but inevitably is how I feel everytime the boys are off. Still, could be worse. It's 10.03 now and I'm sitting in bed

Chapters

2011-06-10T10:20:00.000+01:00

There's an 'Off the Rails' Meeting at mine in an hour, but in the meantime I'm thinking about my dissertation commentary. It occurred to me as I was driving back from Noah's school, that I already have quite a number of chapters in mind. So far, they are: Depictions of Heaven and Hell. Using the books that I'm reading at the moment I can compare and contrast how I have depicted heaven with the

Revelations

2011-06-09T23:02:00.000+01:00

Well, Revelations is a grim read. I expect reading 'Pilgrim's Progress' followed by 'Revelations' is not good for anyone's sanity. The power of the language is incredible - perhaps the only reason why it's there, why it was selected out of those hundreds of gospels to go into the bible. You find yourself believing in the prophesy because of the conviction and repetition and beauty of the language

Books that Imagine Heaven or Hell

2011-06-09T13:14:00.001+01:00

Mmmm, I don't want to read a load of evangelist crap, but I do need to read some books that deal with the subject so here's a list of stuff I need to get through/ read with joy: Dante's Inferno 'The Five People You Meet in Heaven' by Mitch Albom. - I hated this last time I read it. Heaven and Hell by Aldous Huxley - sounds good. Paradise Lost - Milton His Dark Materials - Philip Pulman The

The Age of Decay

2011-06-09T09:34:00.000+01:00

Got to go and hand over my old house now and I'm feeling pretty nervous about it. I don't know why but it feels like a big deal. I hate the Martin and Co. people as they always make me feel exploited and unhappy. They use the renting system to extract as much money as possible out of people who can't really afford it. I've got a feeling we might have a run in over a light fitting that they'll

Pilgrim's Progress

2011-06-08T13:31:00.002+01:00

Feeling better but still tired (over-tired). Mwikali helped me do the last of the house cleaning and I took one last load to the tip. So, after tomorrow, when I hand back the keys, I don't have to think about it anymore! Hurray. I hate Meredith's Close now. Here is so much nicer. I've been thinking about my Nicky book a lot and I started reading 'Pilgrim's Progress'. This is an excellent basis

Paranoia

2011-06-07T17:50:00.000+01:00

I've got one of those horrible paranoid feelings I get. I think I need some space and some time for me, because at the moment I don't feel safe. It's an unspecific feeling of fear, and is located between my shoulder blades. It's probably lack of sleep or a new living place, but nothing feels quite right. I know it's a warning. I've got to take it easy or things start to slip. I could say it

Thoughts about the Nicky Book

2011-06-07T09:39:00.001+01:00

Noah threw up great big chunks of vomit last night, all over the new carpet and then spent the night in bed with me. It was a shame as I was looking forward to a night in bed on my own without a child next to me. It is also a shame as I was hoping to do some writing today but I'm not sure if I can with Noah in the house. He's watching 'Horrid Henry' at the moment so I might be okay. I've been

Geek Love by Katherine Dunn

2011-05-31T21:36:00.000+01:00

This has been one of my favourite books for the last twenty years. I can't remember where I picked it up. Probably Japan. It is about a family bred for the cicus: there is an albino hunchback narrator, a pair of cojoined twins, a boy who can control things with his mind, and their brother who looks like a merman and starts off a cult where people cut off their arms and legs in order to become

Nearly there.

2011-05-27T21:54:00.002+01:00

Nearly back to normal - not quite. I'll give it ten more days then I'll be posting on here once more - no longer fat, fed up and unable to work.

Not right now.

2011-05-13T22:02:00.000+01:00

No time to write as I'm in the middle of moving house. But things to write about when I do get a minute are: last Walcott lessons. dinner with Walcotts, Penny and Marie-Christina. lunch with Marina. Off the Rails adoption Poetry Wiv judging Busy, busy me.

I hate myself. Period.

2011-05-03T12:31:00.000+01:00

Period has started, which explains both the high optimism and the following depression. I either love or hate being me in the week before I come on. I get this burst of creative energy, think I can do everything, but am also very touchy about those who don't share my enthusiasm, and get depressed when I see any tinge of disapproval in others. I also get very forgetful. On Sunday, I locked my

Overdone it.

2011-05-01T21:24:00.000+01:00

Feeling cold and groggy. Watched Derek Walcott's play last night: 'Mood Child.' Dr. Formagalli had put together the production in two weeks with actors from Rome, Essex, Zanzibar. If you take into account the amount of time they had to rehearse (about twelve hours in some cases) it was quite remarkable. There were drinks afterwards. Ishbel really enjoyed herself but I felt slightly uncomfortable,

Derek Walcott Seminar 2 or Tom O'Bedlam

2011-04-29T14:26:00.000+01:00

This time, I wasn't going to let Derek Walcott show me up as a complete arse. I was going to learn the poem and I was going to say it with such style that he would be in awe. I spent at least eight hours reciting: I know more than Apollo,For oft, when he lie sleeping,I see the stars at bloody warsIn the wounded welkin weepingThe moon embrace her shepherdAnd the Queen of Love her warriorWhile

At Valentino's with the Big-Wigs

2011-04-29T10:37:00.003+01:00

After the Walcott seminar, I ran to the car, picked up the boys, took them to their dad's and then came back to the university. Naruddin Farah was giving a talk. It was interesting, insightful and Naruddin seemed like the sweetest man on earth. He said that you didn't need to be a genius to write a book, all you needed was patience and five hours a day. 'After all,' he said, 'if Martin Amis can

Derek Walcott Seminar 1

2011-04-29T09:01:00.004+01:00

He was in a bad mood. No smiles, no welcomes. First he handed back our poems. 'Do you think that's a poem?' he asked Ros. 'Well, I...' 'That's not a poem.' Someone came, late and flustered into the room, and was stared at for ten uncomfortable seconds. Then, looking over to a man sitting at the back of the class, he said, 'Where are your poems?' 'They said it would be alright if I just sat in.' '

2011-04-28T11:00:00.001+01:00

Back home

2011-04-25T18:53:00.000+01:00

So glad to be back home. I was suffering from paranoia induced by too much to eat and drink. I hate being like that - I can't sleep and I don't want to because I'm afraid of switching the light off and being left with my own thoughts. I tried to ward them away last night by composing some children's poetry. I'd found a children's magazine on Duotrope's that paid well. But I have no talent for

Blast!

2011-04-24T17:25:00.002+01:00

I can't seem to get rid of this sign in. All M & D have to do to get on here is click on me at the search engine level, and it comes right through to here. I don't know how to stop this from happening. Ba here now. Better go... Later...

Shhh!

2011-04-24T10:10:00.000+01:00

I'm on here as I need to log out of my parents' computer. They are the last people that can see this blog. When I have come out of here, I will be entirely on my own - which for the moment feels wonderful. I love that feeling when everybody has gone, and there is only me in a silent house. From now on, for a while, this blog is only for me. A private indulgence. One of the main reasons why I'm

Southport Writers' Circle

2011-04-22T17:27:00.000+01:00

John, someone else, and Kate at Birkdale Library. I went to my old stomping ground last night: Birkdale Library. I was nervous walking in as I wasn't quite sure that anyone would recognise me. But they did and were pleased I'd come. There were only six of us there. Phil McNulty greeted me with a big hug, which he said was for everyone. I was the first to read. I chose 'The Dauntless Girl' to

The First Person

2011-04-19T22:58:00.000+01:00

I rewrote a story today and put it in the first person. This is always what it had wanted to be, but I wouldn't let it. I decided to have it in the third because I wanted to extend my writing capabilities. My thinking was that always writing in the first person was no good, unprofessional. But this story suffered. As soon as I was writing from my point of view, it flowed. I could see things that

Overheard

2011-04-18T17:15:00.002+01:00

I've added a new page. In it I record conversations that I overhear that interest me. I often walk around in a daze, entirely in my own world, but as a writer (I almost wrote actress) I think it's important to get the nuances of other people's speech, how other people are. I usually do this through thinking myself them (in a method acting type way), but it is interesting to look from the outside

Coming Thick and Fast

2011-04-17T23:05:00.002+01:00

Without realising it, I wrote five poems today. They are little explosions of thought, not much good, but a record of how I was feeling at the time. They have no literary merit but they hold my truths concisely. I might be able to make something of them at sometime. Perhaps not. They are raw, unmade. Even the thought of them makes me slightly uncomfortable: as though they are some newborn

Between Me and Me

2011-04-17T21:00:00.000+01:00

I have decided to only allow myself to look at this blog. I've blocked all other readers. I want to continue writing posts but I also want to stop worrying about my audience. If the audience is only myself, then there should be no problems, no late night anxiety, no terrible soul-searching about what this blog should be about. Until I have another volte-face, another schizophrenic desire to be

Page Me

2011-04-13T22:13:00.002+01:00

Just to let you know - there are some active pages now. Just look up. They are for reviews and stuff I don't really want to shout about, but do want to keep a record of. So, if you simply can't get enough of me...

Finding My Inner Nerd. Part One of my Quest to discover what I want to write in this blog.

2011-04-07T22:42:00.000+01:00

Good blogs specialise. I follow one blog which deals only in works of art made from the hair of the dead. I'm not saying it's a great blog, but it has a quirky attraction that a general chatty blog cannot achieve. It seems that in the world of blogs, as elsewhere in life, knowledge and expertise are interesting. (Up to a point. Having a son with Aspergers, I have come to appreciate that the web

Is that a joke?

2011-04-06T17:11:00.001+01:00

Feeling that my last post was very gloomy and depressing , and not knowing which direction I want to take with the blog, I felt I ought to put something cheerful up in the mean time. A bit like a screen saver, without the clever moving images, or pop-up porn pictures that your mate thought it would be funny to send you at work. So here are some jokes about writing, done in font fang-song, just

Too many words

2011-04-03T08:23:00.000+01:00

After a promising beginning of one poem I'm no longer doing NaPoWriMo. There are already too many worthless words in the world and I don't wish to add to them. I will be doing poetry but I need to take my time. I can see the fun of it if you are a good poet, but I'm not. I'm also too much of a control freak to allow really shoddy work on here. The same issues nag me every time I write this blog.

NaPoWriMo

2011-04-01T12:17:00.000+01:00

Mmmm, not sure why I'm doing this. Woke up this morning and thought - why did I join? I don't know anything about poetry. Then thought - it doesn't matter - you don't have to do it, you don't have to write a poem for every day this month. And perhaps, after all, it's an April Fools joke. No one, except Emily Dickenson perhaps, could be expected to write one poem a day. But as I was easing myself

A Poem for Geves

2011-03-28T10:32:00.000+01:00

Geves' daughter died nine years ago. It would have been Juliet's birthday on Saturday, and although I never met her, and although I don't know Geves that well, I've been thinking about her on and off all weekend. I feel close to Geves because of her blog, which celebrates Juliet's life and also talks about Geves' grief and how the family are coping. It's a very brave blog, and a very open one.

Derek Walcott and Me: Help Needed.

2011-03-24T14:48:00.001Z

I've been given the fabulous opportunity of having four seminars with Derek Walcott on poetry. I leapt at the chance, organising baby-sitters and play-dates etc, so that I can go. Just now, however, I received an email telling me what was expected of me. The good news is that I have to spend time reading, 'The Seagull' by Checkov and the full collections of Auden, Larkin and Thomas. The bad news

Bloody Swearing

2011-03-23T12:53:00.000Z

The station master had to have a word with me yesterday. He wasn't happy. He'd had complaints. As the editor of 'Words Down the Line' (the leaflet that I produce for Off the Rails) it is my job to make sure that grammar, spelling and punctuation are all correct. It is also my job to ensure that the material does not offend any travellers. Accordingly, I have dismissed stories about paedophilia,

On a desire to burn a book...

2011-03-20T16:25:00.002Z

I did something terrible the other day. I said that a story was 'immoral'. Yes, immoral! I have never yet called a book 'immoral.' If you were to cut me in half you would see beside my bleeding heart and my lily-white liver, the words 'liberal' tattooed on my flesh. I believe in Oscar Wilde's maxim: 'There is no such thing as a moral or immoral book. Books are well-written or badly written.' So

Tantamount to Begging

2011-03-18T09:43:00.001Z

I've put off doing this but, encouraged by my mother, I'm swallowing my pride and saying 'Vote for Me!'. The story I'm shortlisted for has a People's Prize' as mentioned before. If you go to the website you can read all the stories and then send positive or negative comments. The one with the most positive comments wins 'The People's Prize' (which from now on should be called 'The Cheeky Beggar's

Close-up and wondrous

2011-03-17T12:23:00.001Z

Slinkachu's butt viewed by the Queen Have fallen in love with this artist, and wanted to spread the news...

NEWS FLASH

2011-03-16T13:45:00.000Z

Unfortunately, my story wasn't in the final twelve for the Asham Award. I am not surprised and not really disappointed. I felt so pleased that I was short-listed. I now have a gothic story to send out to competitions. Onwards, onwards...

Joy and Horror.

2011-03-16T12:25:00.000Z

These days I'm reading books about books, and blogs about books, and books about writing and blogs about writing. I'm attending classes on writing, conferences on writing, seminars on writers by writers for writers. I attend meetings for Off the Rails about writers, and I edit prose and poetry for the Words Down the Line. On my nights off, I go to Ellipsis and do some more writing, or I hang

Raising Money for Japan.

2011-03-15T21:19:00.000Z

My oldest is collecting money for comic relief on Friday by selling and baking cakes and hoovering all the pennies off the floor. He is desperate to help the people in Japan. I'm going to give him what I can afford. However, if anyone wants a more imaginative way of giving, I thought this website was a really good idea. Authors have given books to be auctioned. You can bid on site.

A Conference of Birds

2011-03-13T13:41:00.000Z

I helped out at a conference yesterday. It was run by the university of Essex as part of the Essex Book Festival, and was about birds and literature. Here are some of the many things I learnt. Peregrine Falcons were used as part of the WW2 war effort and were trained to attack enemy pigeons. They tended not to know the difference between German pigeons and British ones. A man, brought up by his

Pumping my Statistics Up Hard.

2011-03-10T10:14:00.000Z

Recently I posted about the site Sexy People and mentioned my Granny. Now something about those combination of words sent my ratings up! I had more visitors to the site than at any time before. I wonder why? So here's an experiment. At present my visitor numbers are 2314. Using Google search statistics, I've found out what the most popular search terms are for yesterday. I also have a sneaking

This is my life!

2011-03-08T14:26:00.002Z

A Domestic-Creative Melting Pot.

2011-02-28T11:32:00.000Z

I've started something amazing in my life. I've started to use a note-book. I know this sounds very pedestrian. All writers are supposed to use a notebook, write down conversations they hear on the bus, note descriptions of a sink full of dishes etc. In fact, I recently bought a moleskin book, at great expense, for that very purpose. But the thing is, I'm not in the habit of writing that way.

Poo in a Box

2011-02-24T12:42:00.000Z

A lovely 3D giardia model. It is supposed to look like a clown under the microscope. For the last six days I've been ill. You don't want to know the details - lets just say that I'm hoping it's not giardia. Although this is unlikely, it's possible - my neighbour came back with it from Sierra Leone, passed it on to her son, who could have passed it on to my son, who... etc etc. I'm reluctant

The People's Choice

2011-02-17T17:29:00.000Z

I have been short listed for a competition that is taking place at Ormskirk's Chapel Gallery. Besides the actual competition, there is also going to be a people's choice and all the work is displayed in the cafe for customers to make comments on. The one with the most comments wins a special prize. Feeling pleased with myself, I rang my Dad to tell him the news. Bless him, because he went

Wishing my life away.

2011-01-30T15:56:00.000Z

There's a longing, an ambition, a terrible desire to DO MY BEST that creeps over me whenever I am away from the kids. It sneaks up on me, and brings with it an awful tiredness. I want to simultaneously sleep and write a best-selling literary novel. While yawning through childless days, it comes to me that everything I have done in the past is inadequate and that I am capable of much more. Ideas

Kick 'em when they're down.

2011-01-24T13:45:00.001Z

When you have someone's work in your greasy paw, you have them in your power. So kick 'em with your critiquing powers. Best put downs are; 'An interesting premise,' 'I suppose someone who liked this genre might get it,' and my favourite, when you know someone has spent hours on it, is: 'It's very good for a first draft.' With any luck they won't enter another competition and will leave them all

What you saying 'bout me?!

2011-01-08T10:50:00.001Z

Criticism is good: Especially if you are a learning writer and want to improve your craft. From people’s criticism I have learnt far more about the effect of my writing than I could possibly have done by evaluating my own work. I’ve also learnt how to punctuate speech properly (thanks, Perry!) and not to dangle participles (thanks, Jeannie!). I’ve also learnt: to craft a story through action

They live below the surface.

2010-12-18T20:55:00.000Z

Recently I wrote a story and included a hapless character called Wendy. She had auburn hair and hazel eyes. It wasn't until weeks later that I remembered I've a cousin I haven't seen since I was nine who is called Wendy and has this autumn colouring. I thought my character had sprung from my imagination fully-formed, but really she was an estranged relation nestled in my sub-conscious. On the

Belated Advent

2010-12-15T15:26:00.000Z

I know I'm giving you this link a little late but try this advent calendar for some great ideas.

Punctuation Hyperbole

2010-12-15T15:06:00.001Z

I just don't have any comma sense. I went to see Tobias Hill today. He is one of the Royal Society of Literature Fellows. Aside from a mix-up where he spent half my session reading work by someone else, it was a very useful experience. One of the things he told me was that I was 'guilty of punctuation hyperbole.' This is true. I love nothing better than a comma. Part of this comes from being

Shortlisted!

2010-12-11T12:27:00.000Z

Good news. I've just been shortlisted for the Asham Prize. My work will be judged by Sarah Waters, Polly Samson and Carole Buchan. There's a thousand pounds top prize, and also a chance to be published by Virago. I sincerely doubt I shall get any further in the competition but it's nice to know that the people above will be reading my work.

We'll meet ourselves...

2010-12-03T22:27:00.000Z

I have nothing to say today, so have decided to give you a poem. It's about my frantic life. “Come on!” I cry,stuffing baby’s stiff fistsinto jumble sale sleeves. “If we don’t go now we’ll meet ourselves coming back” Kneeling, I grope behind sofa cushions.I discover no car keys:only broken bourbonsand dusty custard creams. We shall meet ourselves coming back I stand, jangled to attention.Keys,

Delegation's what you need...

2010-12-02T22:58:00.000Z

I get carried away. Am over enthusiastic. Think I can do everything. And then three weeks down the line, I crash and realise I've taken too much on. I do it all the time but it is only a pattern that I'm beginning to recognise. I need to start saying 'no' to myself. 'No, Petra, you can't do [whatever madcap idea I have in my head. This week I'm performing in Greece], because you are not free from

December's 'Words Down the Line'

2010-11-29T20:49:00.002Z

Here's December's issue of 'Words Down the Line.'

My idea of Heaven

2010-11-29T09:51:00.000Z

Bunny Heaven A long time ago, I wrote a story about my brother. It was a piece of magical realism whereby I had to go to Heaven to vouch for his good character. The Evangelists weren't letting him into Heaven because he hadn't accepted Jesus as his Saviour (He was deaf and brain damaged but that was no excuse). It was a good story to write and I've always liked it, but I've never been able to

Wired.

2010-11-27T22:24:00.001Z

Ever since I started my MA, I've been wired. I haven't been able to sleep and I've been taking travel sickness tablets to knock me out (beats wine but not as good as tamazepam). I'm not sure why I'm so high. Part of this isn't to do with the course, it's to do with things at home. (I'm having to arrange childcare to such an extent that the logistical part of my brain has blown up and I can't even

All Greek to Me.

2010-11-20T17:42:00.000Z

I need your help. I have this vague notion that somewhere in England, villagers found a man they believed came from the sea. From my hazy recollection, it happened in about the 18th century, because there were newspaper reports about it. Does anyone know what I'm wittering on about? I've googled it ad infinitum but cannot find what I'm searching for. I'm sure I didn't dream it. I want to know

Who Reads this Stuff Anyway?

2010-11-12T11:39:00.000Z

As you can see, somewhere over there to your right is a little counter. I love having a look to see how many people have come onto my page. Right now it's over 1,300! Can you imagine? All those people reading my stuff!! Thing is though, I know that hardly any of them will have actually read my blog - they might have been googling 'asparagus' and 'Einstein' and I happened to use both when

November Edition

2010-11-04T19:15:00.000Z

Here's the November Edition of Words Down the Line.

Jo Bell

2010-10-29T21:18:00.000+01:00

Not Tilly but like her! Went to Poetry Wivenhoe last night to support a friend of mine, Ellie Robinson. Last year she proof read 'A Work of Genius' and was amazingly positive throughout.She does a good line in funny poems and it was great to be there. We laughed loud and hard and Tilly, her dog, did a star turn. The other poet there that night was Jo Bell. She is the coordinator for National

The fall of 'A Work of Genius'

2010-10-27T22:05:00.000+01:00

Look at this, and imagine they are all my books.

Page99Test

2010-10-27T08:29:00.000+01:00

Just set up my account at Page99Test. Looks like fun.

Lazy Arse McQueen.

2010-10-26T22:02:00.001+01:00

I thought I would have started something by now. I thought I would have achieved at least a first draft of my first story. But what have I done? Nothing. Diddly-squat. Sweet FA. To be more precise - I fiddled around on various blogs, played Bejewelled Blitz, watched Antiques Roadshow, and generally was a complete lazy arse. Best-selling / Hight respected writers are not born of such behaviour. I

Station Master's House Update

2010-10-26T09:00:00.002+01:00

Had a fantastic meeting yesterday about the Station Master's House. Before we began the meeting I was worried that our vision for the place was dissolute and we wouldn't be able to tie the whole thing into a package that would be easily explainable to Network Rail / National Express. But the idea is as strong as ever. Downstairs we want to have a bike hire/ bike shop where people can come to

Flashbacks

2010-10-24T23:04:00.000+01:00

The short stories I really admire take place within a short period of time: 'The Garden Party' by Katherine Mansfield happens in the course of a beautiful summer's day, and in 'A Jury of her Peers' by Susan Glaspell, the action occurs within about an hour. In 'The Yellow Wallpaper', Charlotte Perkins Gilman tracks a young woman's descent into madness over a summer vacation; and in 'Souls Belated'

Blog Awards!!

2010-10-19T19:07:00.001+01:00

Just as I was saying to a friend that I didn't think anyone read my blog, I got this award from the wonderful Patsy Collins. Thank you, Patsy! It seems I got it for good writing and that I have to choose six other people to give it to. In the spirit of the award, I'm going to tell you about six of the best blogs that I know. Here they are: 1. My first blog award goes to If you do what

What next?

2010-10-15T11:54:00.000+01:00

The question is what am I to write for Adrian’s course? There feels no point submitting anything that I’ve already written. I think that would be a cop out. All of my stuff (bar my very bizarre gothic story, which I’m too embarrassed to even read to myself at the moment) has been seen and criticised by people I respect. There would be no point giving the same pieces to yet more people if I want

Why Write?

2010-10-15T11:00:00.002+01:00

Since Adrian asked the question yesterday, it’s been humming around my brain. For me, writing is a compulsion, an energy that gets misdirected unless I put words on a page. I write because I have to, because it is where I have found fulfilment for the last seven years. I could give it up, but I just don’t want to. It’s ingrained by now. But as an answer I know that’s not good enough. Personal

Bouncing Off the Walls

2010-10-14T14:17:00.000+01:00

I've come home for twenty minutes to bounce off the walls, before I have to pick up my son. Today was my first seminar at the start of my MA in Creative Writing. The tutor distilled my fear, which had been brewing all day, by some comment about how we should know what we want to be doing at this stage in the game. He's absolutely right, I should know what I want to do - another novel? an epic

Inspiring

2010-10-10T18:19:00.000+01:00

If only I could write like these boys can dance.

The Happy Reject.

2010-10-05T17:45:00.001+01:00

Happiest / maddest picture I could find of me! (Sorry to include you, Stacey...) Next great rejection letter!! This time from an agent - Rupert Heath. I'm so chuffed! "Thanks for this. i really thought was well done and was the work of a writer of real talent. Unfortunately, I don't think I could find a place for it with any of the major publishers in today's publishing climate. However, I

Page 99

2010-10-03T09:46:00.000+01:00

Ford Madox Ford has said that if you open up a book at page 99 you will know if you want to read the whole thing or not. I've just heard about this on Radio Four and it seems to be causing a bit of a buzz about the internet. Here, for example. So to test the theory I've pasted Page 99 of my novel 'A Work of Genius' below. See what you think... PAGE 99 of 'A Work of Genius.' The clock on the

The Influence of Randomness (or Hiroshima to Essex via Phone)

2010-09-09T14:40:00.001+01:00

Wivenhoe Mud On leaving university, I ended up back in my awful hometown, split up with my boyfriend and was thoroughly miserable. I wanted to travel but couldn't afford it so did a TESOL teaching certificate. I applied for jobs, any jobs that would get me out of my parents' house and away from the rank smell of despair. Three jobs came all at once: one in Tokyo, one in Istanbul and one in

Thank you for the days

2010-09-05T19:41:00.000+01:00

When I'm a writing novel, I become worried that I'm not progressing fast enough, that the novel is not emerging as quickly as it should. I get frustrated, depressed. Why am I so hopeless? Why cannot I just write the thing and it's perfect? Why do I have to edit and rewrite until the whole thing has been flayed, turned upside down? But I've come to realise that I am not giving myself the time to

Subversively Move Tony Blair's Memoirs to the Crime Section

2010-09-04T13:20:00.001+01:00

Think that the war in Iraq was about greed, power and oil? Hate that we were conned into condoning the action? Rather than protesting in the street (or as well as) move Tony Blair's memoir to the Crime section. The idea was dreamt up by Euan Booth, who has set up a group on facebook. Check it out here. What a fantastic idea! Grassroots rebranding.

September 'Words Down the Line'

2010-08-31T17:26:00.000+01:00

Iceland - a country without trains The September editions of 'Words Down the Line' are now at the station in the modest green box next to the door in the ticket office. There is a great prose piece from Thorunn Bjornsdottir Bacon, about growing up in a country without trains, and inspired fiction from Alison Kent. The poetry edition features work by Pheobe Lambert, George McKissock and C.

The Plot-Junkie's Habit

2010-08-20T22:59:00.000+01:00

I am trying to wean myself off the plot-junkie’s habit of moving too quickly in a story. I’ve decided that my reader needs a little more time than I’m allowing, so I’m writing more around each plot point. But how do you do that without waffling? And if only true actions and reactions are allowed, which is another rule I’m trying to go by, then each sentence must be tested against my own reality

The Perfect Publisher

2010-07-29T23:20:00.000+01:00

Today I received a rejection letter, which really cheered me up. No seriously. This is it: Sorry for taking a little while to get back to you about your synopsis and chapters; thanks for your patience. You write very well – each scene really comes to life and there is a wonderfully visual quality to the prose. The novel has a startling and original premise, and an intriguing story unfolds,

Words Down the Line - Lovely Leaflets

2010-07-28T15:52:00.002+01:00

The leaflets are now at the station and are looking really good. They are on the little white side-table near the door to the platform. Please pick one up as you go past. They contain poetry by Elly Robinson, Phil Mcnulty and Stephen Beattie. In the prose leaflet, Jamie Dodds has written a lovely piece about his granddad, who was the Station Master at Mark's Tey. We already have some great

The Mapp-Flint Masterpiece

2010-07-26T20:29:00.002+01:00

While reading E.F. Benson’s ‘Lucia in Trouble’, I had a sudden desire to see the portrait of the Mapp-Flints painted by ‘quaint’ Irene Coles. Elizabeth Mapp-Flint is described as standing in a huge shell like Boticelli’s Venus, her rotund imperious figure fully clothed in a shawl, bonnet, striped skirt and buttoned boots. Major Benjy, her husband, is in the clouds blowing his wife into Tilling,

2010-07-18T21:28:00.000+01:00

Try this cool gizmo: http://iwl.me/ . It analyses your writing and tells you which author you most resemble. I write like 'Chuck Palahniuk', author of 'Fight Club' apparently! What fun.

Lit in the Dark

2010-07-18T09:05:00.000+01:00

He is often unnoticed. Tonight, in the supermarket, tills bleeping, bright lights casting compass shadows, he is overlooked in the queue. A woman slips through his stance and crashes her basket on the counter. He stands solitary amidst the bustle loaf of bread in hand, waiting to be noticed. It was his turn. Then, at the bus stop, night fallen, cars arching water from deep

Inspiration and Accidents

2010-07-15T10:41:00.000+01:00

I've had to move the whole of my book collection recently and I found, tucked between an E.F. Benson and a Jonathan Coe, a book written by the 'Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association' compiling a list of Mountain Accidents 2005. This flimsy paperback is an amazing record of events. The entries of no more than fifty words each include details such as weather, ground conditions,

Calling all Writers.

2010-06-30T14:16:00.001+01:00

The search for poetry and short stories goes on. I am looking for writers who'd like to see their work published on a leaflet to be available to travellers who pass through the Wivenhoe station. The leaflet can hold up to four small poems or 900 words (a thousand at a push in smaller font). The idea is for people to pick up one of the leaflets at the station. The writing will go on a journey

Disconnected!

2010-06-29T14:17:00.001+01:00

For the last week I've been disconnected, unreachable, scuppered by my lack of internet. Many apologies. I'm back now - with a remarkably clean house and clothes which have been darned and ironed. I should arrange to have an internet free week more often. For those that have asked - there has been no news on my exciting news as yet. But soon, soon.

Hush, hush!

2010-06-22T21:52:00.000+01:00

So, so excitingly busy at the moment. Something is happening which I can't yet talk about but will be amazing. It will change lives and will change mine. I can't say anything until it is confirmed but watch this space...

Words Down the Line

2010-06-13T09:34:00.002+01:00

As part of my role as Curator of Writing for 'Off the Rails', I'm collecting poetry and short pieces of writing about trains and stations, and/or about Wivenhoe. These pieces will be typeset into leaflets and will be available on the station platform for anyone to pick up and read. This is a fantastic way of getting writing into the community, and who knows where the work will end up? Mark's Tey?

Waiting for the Wave

2010-06-12T10:46:00.002+01:00

Sometimes I feel like my head is out of control - too busy with thoughts pinging around uncontrollably. When I'm lucky, I can catch all these thoughts and turn them into stories and poems. On those days, there is nothing so easy as writing, nothing so necessary. Maybe, and this is a new thought brought about by the slow inadequacy of my typing, the act of writing slows down the thought processes

Pigwell and the Impossible Dream

2010-05-31T10:44:00.002+01:00

I love this next story. I've never sent it to any competitions, because the premise is so fantastical and I thought it would be rejected. I couldn't bear for this story to be sent back home unwanted, there is so much joy in it. It began as a first line given to me as a prompt: 'In Pigwell, time is not measured in days or weeks but in the number of eighteen wheelers that drive past my house.' The

Review:‘King David, Man of Blood,’ shown at Mercury Theatre, Colchester 29/05/10

2010-05-29T14:40:00.004+01:00

When the play had finished, I felt as though I’d witnessed a car crash. The lights came up, and I turned to my friends. “I feel terrible.”They nodded and we began to talk. It took us twenty minutes to leave the auditorium. Staff swept up around us. We talked more in the theatre bar: fitting the pieces together, making the connections. Talking, talking, talking. Actors, three foot

2010-05-28T10:15:00.004+01:00

'The Best Audience' or 'Reading a Short Story to my Boys over Breakfast.'

2010-05-27T13:25:00.001+01:00

I thought they'd be bored. "I'll skip this bit," I say, scanning through the pages to the part where the little man appears. "No," says Noah, cramming a bit more bread into his mouth. "It's interesting." Dough is inside the gaps in his teeth. I read on, glancing up every now and again to detect boredom on their faces. Are they listening? Barnaby opens up the honey jar and stares inside. I don't

Story Collector

For BBC6 Morning Show

New Blog?

Manic Tuesdays

Manic Tuesdays

Manic Tuesdays

Plans, plans, plans.

Dancing McQueen.

RIP Goldfish

Chapters

Revelations

Books that Imagine Heaven or Hell

The Age of Decay

Pilgrim's Progress

Paranoia

Thoughts about the Nicky Book

Geek Love by Katherine Dunn

Nearly there.

Not right now.

I hate myself. Period.

Overdone it.

Derek Walcott Seminar 2 or Tom O'Bedlam

At Valentino's with the Big-Wigs

Derek Walcott Seminar 1

Back home

Blast!

Shhh!

Southport Writers' Circle

The First Person

Overheard

Coming Thick and Fast

Between Me and Me

Page Me

Finding My Inner Nerd. Part One of my Quest to discover what I want to write in this blog.

Is that a joke?

Too many words

NaPoWriMo

A Poem for Geves

Derek Walcott and Me: Help Needed.

Bloody Swearing

On a desire to burn a book...

Tantamount to Begging

Close-up and wondrous

*NEWS FLASH*

Joy and Horror.

Raising Money for Japan.

A Conference of Birds

Pumping my Statistics Up Hard.

This is my life!

A Domestic-Creative Melting Pot.

Poo in a Box

The People's Choice

Wishing my life away.

Kick 'em when they're down.

What you saying 'bout me?!

They live below the surface.

Belated Advent

Punctuation Hyperbole

Shortlisted!

We'll meet ourselves...

Delegation's what you need...

December's 'Words Down the Line'

My idea of Heaven

Wired.

All Greek to Me.

Who Reads this Stuff Anyway?

November Edition

Jo Bell

The fall of 'A Work of Genius'

Page99Test

Lazy Arse McQueen.

Station Master's House Update

Flashbacks

Blog Awards!!

What next?

Why Write?

Bouncing Off the Walls

Inspiring

The Happy Reject.

Page 99

NEWS FLASH