Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts

Wednesday, 23 November 2011

days of signs....

Have you ever felt that you were being pushed into something? I don't mean physically and I don't mean being bullied into anything.No, I'm talking about signs, portents,indications of something important about to occur.

I feel like that at the moment...that I'm being pushed towards fate. Oh, doesn't that sound melodramatic? Like an old film when the plot is going to go into overdrive, the violins start screeching away.- signalling madly THAT SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN!

Don't worry, i'm not hearing things, but I've got a feeling.....

Once upon a time, there was a journalist who wrote a novel for young adults. When I say once upon a time, it was a while back. She finished the novel...with lots of encouragement from lots of writer friends....but never did anything with it.She merely put it away in a box...and carried on with her busy life.

That was me, but out of the blue, a few months ago my writer friend Liz suggested that I get out the novel, have another look at it and perhaps send it off somewhere.

I said I would. I found the old hard copy, had a quick look ,but in the intervening years, with changes of computers etc, I'd lost my digital copy.I did nothing.

Last month, another friend , children's author Ros suggested that I meet up with some other children's writers. I did, and listening to them talking about their latest books , I felt a stirring. I wanted to do this...I wanted to write again.

Last week, Ros couldn't go to the Society of Children's book writers and illustrators conference in Winchester.She asked me if I would like to go in her place. I did.


I went with two other children's writers Pippa and Alex for two packed days of workshops and discussions about children's publishing today.There were lots of laughs and so much talent about.....and I came away absolutely inspired. Both by the conference and the genuine camaradie there...and by Pippa and Alex on the road trip there and back.

I still can't believe what happened today though.Cue the sound of violins - very loud violins.

Sitting in my jammies with a cup of coffee at the computer before going to work, I was having a chat on facebook with another friend Lesley who lives in Somerset.

After the usual catching up natter, I mentioned that I went to Winchester (Lesley is another writer friend who also happens to make rather gorgeous jewellry)and she immediately asked me about my book, even though we haven't spoken of it for years.She urged me to send it off....and then ...here comes the killer moment for me ... said...completely out of the blue....I've got a copy of that on my hard drive.

Flummoxed and flabbergasted, I watched the copy arrive in my inbox moments later. Now if that isn't a bloody sign,I'd like to know what is. I'm not fanciful, but this has got to be more than coincidence.
So to Liz, Ros, Pippa , Alex and Lesley - thank you...all of you.Guess what I'll be doing this weekend?

Watch this space.....

tonight's track is "Every day I write the book." A fab song that I haven't heard for ages...I like this slow pared down version...I also like the 1983 version too but watching the old videos of it are excruciating.So here for you...elvis is making an appearance on my blog .At least, Elvis Costello is...


Wednesday, 19 October 2011

thinking of the days

To be fair, I don't quite know what I'm doing or why I'm here.

I'm talking about the blogging world and not real life -although come to think of it...no, no, I think I''ll be ok.

But back to blogging - it's true I don't know what I'm doing technically.I'm about as useful as a gnat's whatsit when it came to following instructions on blogspot.com .Setting this up has not been straightforward and I've found many new words I don't understand like link fields and float alignments.They mean nothing to me, but I've been saying the word "bollocks" alot...now, that's a word I know well.

SO why am I here?

Well, I love reading other people's blogs - all these windows on others' worlds that delight, entertain and intrigue.You could call me a blogging tart as I read blogs about gardening, self sufficiency, writing,music, beachlife - you name it, I'll read it.

But who will read this? I have no idea. What will I write? I don't know yet, anything that tickles my fancy I suppose.

In my working world I'm a journalist, I appear on radio and give talks. I'm really nosy so I get to go to some places others don't and I get to meet such interesting people.So this blog "thinking of the days" will reflect those, and also the days I spend doing what I love and being with the people I love.

Oh, and music.I can't not write about music - the tracks I adore,and the bands I see .

So,here we are...first blog nearly complete.But not quite....the soundtrack to this first blog has to be "Days " by the Kinks.

"Thank you for the days
Those endless days, those sacred days you gave me
I'm thinking of the days
I won't forget a single day, believe me.......
Here's a lovely version of the song performed at Glastonbury last year



So here we are.....hello!