Friday, 18 June 2010
Slush Pile Hell
Thought I'd pass on this link to Slush Pile Hell. Much mirth reading the query letters from wannabe authors!
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
Literature Map
Ever finished a book from favourite author and can't find another of theirs you haven't read? (Sorry, clunky sentence!) If so, try www.literature-map.com
Simply put the name of your fave author in the box, press search and it'll bring up names of authors who write in a similar fashion.
And because I can't find a suitable picture to make this post more interesting, here's a pic of Vic and Bob, my goldfish, instead. No relevance whatsoever, but they've cheered me up on what has been a frightful couple of weeks! Don't ask!
And, yes, I know it's not a very clear photo but you try getting fish to look at the camera!
Simply put the name of your fave author in the box, press search and it'll bring up names of authors who write in a similar fashion.
And because I can't find a suitable picture to make this post more interesting, here's a pic of Vic and Bob, my goldfish, instead. No relevance whatsoever, but they've cheered me up on what has been a frightful couple of weeks! Don't ask!
And, yes, I know it's not a very clear photo but you try getting fish to look at the camera!
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
The Anatomy Of A Book Cover
Don't judge a book by it's cover? Are you kidding? The cover needs to tell almost as much of the story as the text does.
Best selling author Elizabeth Chadwick shares her insight in the process of creating a cover here
Elizabeth Chadwick website
Monday, 17 May 2010
Just For Fun
I've been neglecting my blogging duties but there's been so much domestic stuff going on here that I've not felt up to it. Apologies.
I don't know about you but when I'm feeling I'll never write again, a quick jaunt to my writing pals' websites/blogs to see what they're up to usually lifts the brain fog and stirs me into scribbling.
Which brings me to those story generator thingamabobs. I've used them before with a few results so thought I'd try the one on Val McDermid's site. Glad I did because not only did it give me a giggle (death by custard pie? Sounds mad but you had to be there!)but it started the old cogs churning and I think I now have the bones of a crime story. So thanks for that Val!
Try it for yourself here
I don't know about you but when I'm feeling I'll never write again, a quick jaunt to my writing pals' websites/blogs to see what they're up to usually lifts the brain fog and stirs me into scribbling.
Which brings me to those story generator thingamabobs. I've used them before with a few results so thought I'd try the one on Val McDermid's site. Glad I did because not only did it give me a giggle (death by custard pie? Sounds mad but you had to be there!)but it started the old cogs churning and I think I now have the bones of a crime story. So thanks for that Val!
Try it for yourself here
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
Pig Baby Weekend
If any of you live down in East Sussex, here's something for you:
Pig Baby Weekend - is a fantastic weekend of poetry, short stories and literary fun in the Sussex countryside at Beechwood Hall, Cooksbridge, Near Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 3QG.
Good Vibrations
Spring has sprung, summer's just around the corner so in anticipation I spent yesterday evening changing my wardrobe around. By that I mean storing away the coats, scarves and boots etc that kept me cosy throughout one of the coldest winters I can remember and replacing them with cool linen trousers and summery tops that I'd stuffed un-ironed in a drawer after last year's holiday.
Happily I've dropped a dress size or two since last September but as we don't have a holiday planned for this year (new central heating boiler ate our spends) I'm not going to buy too many new clothes. I should be able to pull in the waistband drawstrings and add a belt to any baggy tops. If I look like a badly stuffed cushion, so be it!
There is one thing I am spending money on, however. After lots of research, I've bought a power plate exerciser from the shopping channel. The hope is I can tone up the dinner lady arms and get the rest of this old bod in shape, because losing the weight's one thing, tightening the flab to fit neatly back on the bones is another!
Surprisingly, Himself didn't remind me that the cross-trainer, air-walker and sit-up ball I owned all ended up on eBay or that there's still a training-bench in the cupboard under the stairs and several dumb bells clattering about under the spare bed.
Anyway, my Vibrapower Max Trainer with *6 free bottles of Bio Energy Fitness Water arrived this morning. I was at home but didn't hear the courier knock. Luckily I saw him pulling away in his van and eager not to miss my delivery slot, ran to flag him down. He'd left it somewhere safe, he shouted. In the wheelie bin! Luckily the blue one (paper only) and not the green bin (household waste) or I would've been scraping last night's curry off it.
So, after lots of puffing to get the thing inside, more puffing and cussing putting it together, I got my first go at power plate exercise. Seriously, I can't begin to describe what it's like to stand/squat/perch/lean and lunge on a rubber mat that's being vibrated/oscillated at over 35-50 times per second. Thank heavens each routine is only for 3 sets of 3 mins per session, every other day. And hey, it doesn't involve breathlessness or sweating...amazing!
It promises a host of benefits, ranging from an immediate improvement in blood circulation, to a variety of other measurable outcomes such as increased muscle strength and flexibility, improved range of motion, decreased cellulite (woop, woop), increased bone mineral density and reduced arthritic pain. I think they omitted to mention it can loosen teeth, too!
I'm not expecting miracles and nor am I fooled into thinking *Bio Energy Fitness Drink is anything but sweetened water, but I'm giving it a go. Who knows, It might rattle my brain cells enough to let a few story ideas fall out.
Happily I've dropped a dress size or two since last September but as we don't have a holiday planned for this year (new central heating boiler ate our spends) I'm not going to buy too many new clothes. I should be able to pull in the waistband drawstrings and add a belt to any baggy tops. If I look like a badly stuffed cushion, so be it!
There is one thing I am spending money on, however. After lots of research, I've bought a power plate exerciser from the shopping channel. The hope is I can tone up the dinner lady arms and get the rest of this old bod in shape, because losing the weight's one thing, tightening the flab to fit neatly back on the bones is another!
Surprisingly, Himself didn't remind me that the cross-trainer, air-walker and sit-up ball I owned all ended up on eBay or that there's still a training-bench in the cupboard under the stairs and several dumb bells clattering about under the spare bed.
Anyway, my Vibrapower Max Trainer with *6 free bottles of Bio Energy Fitness Water arrived this morning. I was at home but didn't hear the courier knock. Luckily I saw him pulling away in his van and eager not to miss my delivery slot, ran to flag him down. He'd left it somewhere safe, he shouted. In the wheelie bin! Luckily the blue one (paper only) and not the green bin (household waste) or I would've been scraping last night's curry off it.
So, after lots of puffing to get the thing inside, more puffing and cussing putting it together, I got my first go at power plate exercise. Seriously, I can't begin to describe what it's like to stand/squat/perch/lean and lunge on a rubber mat that's being vibrated/oscillated at over 35-50 times per second. Thank heavens each routine is only for 3 sets of 3 mins per session, every other day. And hey, it doesn't involve breathlessness or sweating...amazing!
It promises a host of benefits, ranging from an immediate improvement in blood circulation, to a variety of other measurable outcomes such as increased muscle strength and flexibility, improved range of motion, decreased cellulite (woop, woop), increased bone mineral density and reduced arthritic pain. I think they omitted to mention it can loosen teeth, too!
I'm not expecting miracles and nor am I fooled into thinking *Bio Energy Fitness Drink is anything but sweetened water, but I'm giving it a go. Who knows, It might rattle my brain cells enough to let a few story ideas fall out.
Monday, 26 April 2010
Epilogues
Pop over to Sue Moorcroft's blog for some wise words on epilogues.
The last few books I've read (currently half-way through and loving Number Ten by Sue Townsend) there's been a prologue and an epilogue. My own novel has both, though they're quite short.
I wish I could recall which agent it was who said he liked neither and most agents he knew felt the same. Bit of a sweeping statement and probably just a passing trend as with all things literary. Anyway, whatever the current trend, I'm sticking with mine. One agent I sent my novel to remarked that he liked my epilogue and the fact that it's title is 'The Beginning'. Pity he didn't like the preceeding 300 odd pages as much!
The last few books I've read (currently half-way through and loving Number Ten by Sue Townsend) there's been a prologue and an epilogue. My own novel has both, though they're quite short.
I wish I could recall which agent it was who said he liked neither and most agents he knew felt the same. Bit of a sweeping statement and probably just a passing trend as with all things literary. Anyway, whatever the current trend, I'm sticking with mine. One agent I sent my novel to remarked that he liked my epilogue and the fact that it's title is 'The Beginning'. Pity he didn't like the preceeding 300 odd pages as much!
Sunday, 25 April 2010
RIP Alan Sillitoe
Sad to hear the news that Nottingham-born novelist Alan Sillitoe has died aged 82 in Charing Cross Hospital. His novels marked him out as one of the Angry Young Men of British fiction.
Saturday Night And Sunday Morning was made into a successful film starring Albert Finney after the novel was published in 1958. Then came The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner starring Tom Courteney. Both films were seen as classic examples of kitchen sink dramas reflecting the reality of life in Britain.
He also published several volumes of poetry, children's books and plays.
A Million Womag Writers
Amanda Brittany has started to compile a list of womag writers on her blog. Boy does she have her work cut out! There must be thousands of us out there, all scribbling away hoping to please an editor. Which got me to thinking about when I first started out submitting back in 2001.
A sub to People's Friend would take approx a week to 10 days for a yay or nay answer. A sub to Woman's Weekly or My Weekly maybe three to four weeks. Take A Break usually got back to me within 4 to 5 weeks, 6 at the most. How times have changed!
The People's Friend still remains the quickest, with all the other mags taking up to 6 months and in some cases over a year for a decision. That's if they bother to answer at all. Increasingly, some are adopting the 'if you don't hear from us assume it's a rejection' attitude, which I find irksome (a bloody liberty). Yes, I know you're busy but how difficult would it be to hit the reply button on an email? If any editors who've adopted this stance are reading this then...um...ignore my comments - I don't want to be black-listed! Which, I suppose is exactly why they get away with it.
My pet hate is editors who don't EVER get in touch. Not even to say 'Stop sending me your pathetic drivel'. A certain overseas mag editor hasn't replied to me in years, though she accepted the first thing I ever sent her so she must like my writing. Maybe I should take it as a sign she's not interested but until she actually says so I'll keep sending. No, I wont get tired and disheartened, Missy. I'm made of sterner stuff! You don't get rid of me that easily.
Maybe she needs to take a leaf out of Fast Fiction Oz who have an automated reply system to acknowledge receipt of a submission which I think is a brilliant idea - but even that's hit and miss, especially following their (frequent) editor changes.
The nice people at My Weekly generally send a brief 'Got it, Sue' email as does Woman's Weekly. They may then take months and months to give a definitive answer, but at least I'm not left wondering if it ever arrived in their in-box.
But then never having been an editor I can't imagine what it must be like to open my in-box on a Monday morning to find it crammed to busting point with submissions. And not all of publishable quality at that!
A sub to People's Friend would take approx a week to 10 days for a yay or nay answer. A sub to Woman's Weekly or My Weekly maybe three to four weeks. Take A Break usually got back to me within 4 to 5 weeks, 6 at the most. How times have changed!
The People's Friend still remains the quickest, with all the other mags taking up to 6 months and in some cases over a year for a decision. That's if they bother to answer at all. Increasingly, some are adopting the 'if you don't hear from us assume it's a rejection' attitude, which I find irksome (a bloody liberty). Yes, I know you're busy but how difficult would it be to hit the reply button on an email? If any editors who've adopted this stance are reading this then...um...ignore my comments - I don't want to be black-listed! Which, I suppose is exactly why they get away with it.
My pet hate is editors who don't EVER get in touch. Not even to say 'Stop sending me your pathetic drivel'. A certain overseas mag editor hasn't replied to me in years, though she accepted the first thing I ever sent her so she must like my writing. Maybe I should take it as a sign she's not interested but until she actually says so I'll keep sending. No, I wont get tired and disheartened, Missy. I'm made of sterner stuff! You don't get rid of me that easily.
Maybe she needs to take a leaf out of Fast Fiction Oz who have an automated reply system to acknowledge receipt of a submission which I think is a brilliant idea - but even that's hit and miss, especially following their (frequent) editor changes.
The nice people at My Weekly generally send a brief 'Got it, Sue' email as does Woman's Weekly. They may then take months and months to give a definitive answer, but at least I'm not left wondering if it ever arrived in their in-box.
But then never having been an editor I can't imagine what it must be like to open my in-box on a Monday morning to find it crammed to busting point with submissions. And not all of publishable quality at that!
Friday, 23 April 2010
Rowan Coleman's short story Comp
There's a great short story competition being run by Rowan Coleman
Rowan worked in bookselling and publishing for seven years before entering and winning Company Magazine Young Writer of the Year Competition in 2001. Since then Rowan has written eight novels for adults and six for teens.
All you have to do is write a 1000 word (approx)story on the theme of starting over.
There're some fabulous prizes to be won.
FIRST PRIZE: 3 months creative writing online mentoring from Rowan Coleman, Tea and Cakes at Random House Publishing with Arrow Publishing Director Kate Elton and Rowan Coleman, a letter of introduction and agent feedback from David Higham Associates, £100 to spend on Random House books, your story to be published on Rowan Coleman's blog/website and a signed copy of THE HAPPY HOME FOR BROKEN HEARTS.
SECOND PRIZE: 1 months creative writing online mentoring from Rowan Coleman, £50 book vouchers to spend on Random House books and the story to be posted on my blog and a signed copy of THE HAPPY HOME FOR BROKEN HEARTS. THIRD PRIZE: £25 Worth of vouchers to spend on Random House books and the story to be posted on my website and a signed copy of THE HAPPY HOME FOR BROKEN HEARTS.
All the details and guidelines for submission are on her blog.
Thursday, 22 April 2010
I'm in the My Weekly Spring Special
Woop, woop! It's a super issue, too. 15 stories in all, some from my writing friends and a couple I don't know but am sure to come across at some time. Congratulations to all. Teresa, if you're reading this, I loved your story!
I always like My Weekly and Woman's Weekly's illustrations. The one accompanying mine has the Colosseum in the background (of course, because it's set in Italy)and a woman pointing at a Roman gladiator - though to me he looks oddly like a Viking with his flowing locks and beardy thing going on.
Not sure about my little author box comment. I always find them so difficult for some reason. And other writers' sound so much more interesting. This time, I had to supply a few words on my favourite flower and I don't really have one to be honest so I wrote that I like sweet William because when I smell them I know summer's not long in coming. Wish I could smell them now, because though the suns out here in Notts, it's blummin' chilly still. Hopefully, it's going to get up to 18 degrees at the weekend so I might save reading the rest of the stories until then when I'll sit out in the garden, swaying in my hammock, sipping a glass of pinot...I can dream can't I?
I'm currently putting a pitch together for a 3 part serial aimed at My Weekly. I've yet to be successful with a serial. They usually come back with 'We've carried a similar subject before'. Well, this one has a fairground as the backdrop. It's a mystery with a touch of romance and a splash of humour. Still only got a working title and I've only written the first episode and first episode synopsis which I might send off today. Then if I get a rejection, I haven't wasted my time. Not that one word will be wasted, I'll probably finish it at some point, but where can you place a 9000 word womag type story these days?
I always like My Weekly and Woman's Weekly's illustrations. The one accompanying mine has the Colosseum in the background (of course, because it's set in Italy)and a woman pointing at a Roman gladiator - though to me he looks oddly like a Viking with his flowing locks and beardy thing going on.
Not sure about my little author box comment. I always find them so difficult for some reason. And other writers' sound so much more interesting. This time, I had to supply a few words on my favourite flower and I don't really have one to be honest so I wrote that I like sweet William because when I smell them I know summer's not long in coming. Wish I could smell them now, because though the suns out here in Notts, it's blummin' chilly still. Hopefully, it's going to get up to 18 degrees at the weekend so I might save reading the rest of the stories until then when I'll sit out in the garden, swaying in my hammock, sipping a glass of pinot...I can dream can't I?
I'm currently putting a pitch together for a 3 part serial aimed at My Weekly. I've yet to be successful with a serial. They usually come back with 'We've carried a similar subject before'. Well, this one has a fairground as the backdrop. It's a mystery with a touch of romance and a splash of humour. Still only got a working title and I've only written the first episode and first episode synopsis which I might send off today. Then if I get a rejection, I haven't wasted my time. Not that one word will be wasted, I'll probably finish it at some point, but where can you place a 9000 word womag type story these days?
Thursday, 15 April 2010
Jacqui Bennett Writers Bureau comps
Thought you might like the details of the new JBWB SUMMER 2010 COMPETITIONS
including the poetry comp.
There's also the NEW 'chuckle bonus' for poetry entries. As Jenny says:
We all need a lift in these depressing times, and this quarter, JBWB will add a £20 bonus to your prize, whether you come first, second or third, if your poem also provides us with the broadest smile, longest chuckle or deepest belly laugh. So consider this when you write, and see if you can add some humour to brighten up our days...
The latest competition prize-winning stories and poems can be found here and here
I know I haven't been blogging of late but there's been so much domestic stuff going on I've neglected to update. I'll be back soon....as soon as I've got my latest attempt at a serial off to My Weekly!
including the poetry comp.
There's also the NEW 'chuckle bonus' for poetry entries. As Jenny says:
We all need a lift in these depressing times, and this quarter, JBWB will add a £20 bonus to your prize, whether you come first, second or third, if your poem also provides us with the broadest smile, longest chuckle or deepest belly laugh. So consider this when you write, and see if you can add some humour to brighten up our days...
The latest competition prize-winning stories and poems can be found here and here
I know I haven't been blogging of late but there's been so much domestic stuff going on I've neglected to update. I'll be back soon....as soon as I've got my latest attempt at a serial off to My Weekly!
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
The Lady
Just a reminder to watch Cutting Edge tomorrow at 9.00 pm, The Lady and the Revamp,a documentary about changes to the mag. Might pick up a few tips.
Friday, 26 February 2010
First Page Promises
I wonder how much of a short story submission an editor actually reads. My guess is she (I only know of 2 male eds at the womags so I'll call her 'she') will speed read the first paragraph and decide immediately whether it's worth another five minutes of her precious time. I could be wrong, of course, but judging by the amount of rejections I've had this month I'd say I've been failing in what Sarah Duncan calls The First Page Promises - the need to grab a reader's attention as soon as possible with the promise they're in for a treat if they carry on.
In a short story I'd call it First Paragraph Promise or maybe even First Sentence Promise incorporating the who, what, why, where elements.
Here's an example taken from one of my shorts (Killing Doc Latimer) published in Woman's Weekly 2005:
Louise twirled spaghetti around her fork, unaware she was firing specks of sauce over her T shirt.
"Want to hear a confession?" I said.
She stopped twirling and gave me a hapless look. "Don't tell me anything that has to stay a secret, Donna. I won't mean to let the cat out of the bag but you know me and my loose lips."
"Relax. It'll be general knowledge by the weekend, anyway." I took a deep breath. "Thing is...I've killed Doctor Latimer."
Now I'm not saying the above is perfect but those few lines plunge you straight into the action. You get a sense of place, time and an insight into the characters and their relationship. Hopefully, you'll be intrigued to know why Donna's killed her GP and why she seems not to care too much if it becomes general knowledge.
Unless you're completely new to writing you'll be bored by now so I'll impart some more family news:
My eldest son, Russ, has announced his engagement to Maria. The'll marry next year....in Las Vegas! I need to sell an awful lot of stories to get me to Vegas, so I'd better stop blogging and do some serious scribbling.
x
In a short story I'd call it First Paragraph Promise or maybe even First Sentence Promise incorporating the who, what, why, where elements.
Here's an example taken from one of my shorts (Killing Doc Latimer) published in Woman's Weekly 2005:
Louise twirled spaghetti around her fork, unaware she was firing specks of sauce over her T shirt.
"Want to hear a confession?" I said.
She stopped twirling and gave me a hapless look. "Don't tell me anything that has to stay a secret, Donna. I won't mean to let the cat out of the bag but you know me and my loose lips."
"Relax. It'll be general knowledge by the weekend, anyway." I took a deep breath. "Thing is...I've killed Doctor Latimer."
Now I'm not saying the above is perfect but those few lines plunge you straight into the action. You get a sense of place, time and an insight into the characters and their relationship. Hopefully, you'll be intrigued to know why Donna's killed her GP and why she seems not to care too much if it becomes general knowledge.
Unless you're completely new to writing you'll be bored by now so I'll impart some more family news:
My eldest son, Russ, has announced his engagement to Maria. The'll marry next year....in Las Vegas! I need to sell an awful lot of stories to get me to Vegas, so I'd better stop blogging and do some serious scribbling.x
Sunday, 14 February 2010
New Writers Forum Judge
Just a quick post to let you know that the lovely Sue Moorcroft has taken over judging the Writers’ Forum fiction competitions, which means that along with Jan Jones she'll be providing the optional critiques.
Sunday, 7 February 2010
Serial writing
I've tried a couple of times to crack this market but the nearest I got was a reply saying they'd have been interested if they hadn't published something similar. Typical of me to have missed the boat!
You can find a few wise words and guidelines on serial writing for the women's mags on Sue Moorcroft's blog.
Sue is a creative writing tutor for the London School of Journalism, Writers’ News Home Study and University of Leicester and as well as serials, has sold hundreds of stories to the womags.
The most important bit of advice is DON'T write the whole thing first. Just send in a proposal or a brief synopsis and maybe the first few thousand words. That way if they've run something similar, you wont have wasted weeks of work.
If the editor wants to proceed, they'll usually ask for the first installment. Be prepared for a long haul, especially where People's Friend is concerned. A full serial can take up to a year or more to get every installment accepted (they do like to give some input into the plot)and then may not be published for a couple of years after that. The good news is you can sell the thing again as a novella (or as a novel if you can expand it to around 80,000 plus words). There's also the large print market to consider.
You can find a few wise words and guidelines on serial writing for the women's mags on Sue Moorcroft's blog.
Sue is a creative writing tutor for the London School of Journalism, Writers’ News Home Study and University of Leicester and as well as serials, has sold hundreds of stories to the womags.
The most important bit of advice is DON'T write the whole thing first. Just send in a proposal or a brief synopsis and maybe the first few thousand words. That way if they've run something similar, you wont have wasted weeks of work.
If the editor wants to proceed, they'll usually ask for the first installment. Be prepared for a long haul, especially where People's Friend is concerned. A full serial can take up to a year or more to get every installment accepted (they do like to give some input into the plot)and then may not be published for a couple of years after that. The good news is you can sell the thing again as a novella (or as a novel if you can expand it to around 80,000 plus words). There's also the large print market to consider.
Friday, 5 February 2010
Take a Break
I popped into my newsagents this morning to get my copy of TAB and as I usually do whilst standing in the checkout queue, I turned straight to the back pages looking for the author of this week's fiction.
Imagine my shock to see (or rather NOT see) any fiction anywhere. Now, granted, I've sold very few to the weekly over the years but this is one of the best paying markets at £400 for around 800 words. Is it a one-off? Has anyone heard gossip? Is it a cost saving thing? Will there be an empty promise to bring it back if their readers object? Let's face it, their fiction writers are the only ones likely to put pen to paper so I'm not optimistic. Sigh! Another one bites the dust.
Imagine my shock to see (or rather NOT see) any fiction anywhere. Now, granted, I've sold very few to the weekly over the years but this is one of the best paying markets at £400 for around 800 words. Is it a one-off? Has anyone heard gossip? Is it a cost saving thing? Will there be an empty promise to bring it back if their readers object? Let's face it, their fiction writers are the only ones likely to put pen to paper so I'm not optimistic. Sigh! Another one bites the dust.
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
My Weekly annual
Got an email today from Margaret Street of My Weekly to say she's buying the two stories I sent to her last month. One will go in the weekly magazine and the other will go into the 2012 hardback annual. I'm so thrilled because though I've sold a few to them I've never made it into the annual. Yes, I know 2 years is a long time to wait but at least they pay (if not a great deal) on acceptance.
And I was tickled pink to read this on their website:
The My Weekly Annual has been given a modern makeover with a brand new, bright and colourful look. New and enthralling stories from much–loved My Weekly writers, such as Marian Keyes, will touch and inspire, and provide an absorbing read for fiction fans everywhere.
Oops, no, I don't mean I now consider myself a 'much-loved writer', it's the thought I could be in the same book as my favourite author, Marian Keyes. Oh, joy!
And I was tickled pink to read this on their website:
The My Weekly Annual has been given a modern makeover with a brand new, bright and colourful look. New and enthralling stories from much–loved My Weekly writers, such as Marian Keyes, will touch and inspire, and provide an absorbing read for fiction fans everywhere.
Oops, no, I don't mean I now consider myself a 'much-loved writer', it's the thought I could be in the same book as my favourite author, Marian Keyes. Oh, joy!
Friday, 15 January 2010
Thaw!
At last it appears we have a thaw. Snow is pretty to look at but the novelty soon wears off doesn't it?
A normal working morning sees me driving to a nearby bakery to collect morning goods (that's bread and lovely fresh-baked om-noms to you) to sell in our shop. Getting stuck in heavy rush hour traffic on the Mansfield/Chesterfield roads is bad at the best of times but add black ice and snow storms to the mix and you're talking F-E-A-R!
'Don't hit the brakes if the car goes into a skid', is the advice. I'm sorry but when the car did that Bambi thing on the by-pass and I was hurtling towards a Wilkinson's juggernaut, I can tell you, I stomped on those brakes for all I was worth! Luckily, I gained control, but that was me done! No more trips until a thaw set in. If I want a white knuckle ride I'll hop over to Alton Towers, thank you very gladly!
This morning was the first time I'd ventured out for over a week. The roads were as busy as ever but at least free-flowing with no ice or drifts.
Compared to what's going on in Haiti, I shouldn't complain.
P.S In case you were wondering 'om-noms' - made famous by Sesame St Cookie Monster are an onomatopoeical adjective based on the sound emitted when something is "oh so tasty" (either through hunger or flavorological value) that one gnaws through it without regard to cleanliness or etiquette. This sort of ravenous eating will often result in an "om nom nom nom" noise being emitted from the eater.
A normal working morning sees me driving to a nearby bakery to collect morning goods (that's bread and lovely fresh-baked om-noms to you) to sell in our shop. Getting stuck in heavy rush hour traffic on the Mansfield/Chesterfield roads is bad at the best of times but add black ice and snow storms to the mix and you're talking F-E-A-R!
'Don't hit the brakes if the car goes into a skid', is the advice. I'm sorry but when the car did that Bambi thing on the by-pass and I was hurtling towards a Wilkinson's juggernaut, I can tell you, I stomped on those brakes for all I was worth! Luckily, I gained control, but that was me done! No more trips until a thaw set in. If I want a white knuckle ride I'll hop over to Alton Towers, thank you very gladly!
This morning was the first time I'd ventured out for over a week. The roads were as busy as ever but at least free-flowing with no ice or drifts.
Compared to what's going on in Haiti, I shouldn't complain.
P.S In case you were wondering 'om-noms' - made famous by Sesame St Cookie Monster are an onomatopoeical adjective based on the sound emitted when something is "oh so tasty" (either through hunger or flavorological value) that one gnaws through it without regard to cleanliness or etiquette. This sort of ravenous eating will often result in an "om nom nom nom" noise being emitted from the eater.
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
The Lady
Anyone catch the new editor, Rachel Johnson (author of The Mummy Diaries...and Boris Johnson's sister), being interviewed this morning? She's the 9th in their 124 year history.
They're vamping up the mag but seems fiction has been dropped. She didn't say as much but I managed to get hold of a few recent issues and fiction was absent. I only ever sold them one story and that was a while ago. I admit I didn't especially target them as the pay wasn't that great, but still we can't afford to lose another outlet.
I got a rejection today from Norah at Take A Break. Funnily enough I'd chased a couple of submissions sent before this one (August)last week and hadn't heard anything back. No doubt my letterbox will be flapping again tomorrow with more rejects.
They're vamping up the mag but seems fiction has been dropped. She didn't say as much but I managed to get hold of a few recent issues and fiction was absent. I only ever sold them one story and that was a while ago. I admit I didn't especially target them as the pay wasn't that great, but still we can't afford to lose another outlet.
I got a rejection today from Norah at Take A Break. Funnily enough I'd chased a couple of submissions sent before this one (August)last week and hadn't heard anything back. No doubt my letterbox will be flapping again tomorrow with more rejects.
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