I am currently trying to write two totally different articles for two separate publications, both about 12 books in 12 months and how it got started.  They’re due at different times and the word count is different for each.

It’s not as easy as you might think.

Ideally I would like to be 100% fresh and exciting for both articles.  However, I’ve already been over the information several times in various interviews, on the ‘about’ page above, and in Mslexia, which makes it kind of difficult to be zingy.  Of course I know maximum newness isn’t totally necessary, because these pieces are going out to readers who probably don’t know the first thing about the 12 books insanity.  The fact I get bored reading the same thing over and over doesn’t mean first timers will be falling asleep around their desks.  If anything the opposite will happen – I get the impression it’s all really rather interesting the first time round.

I’m still not going to copy and paste stuff, though.  I will come up with different phrasing, at least, like a kid painstakingly plagiarising a history essay off Wikipedia.  Although I may retire to bed weeping hysterically over a bag of doughnuts before the night is through.

Oh, except I can’t, because my brilliant flatmate and her frabjuous* band are on the tellybox tonight, so I have to stay up til at least 10pm.  You should too, and watch Scotland Rocks at SXSW on BBC 2 Scotland from 9-10pm.  Callooh!  Callay! (she chortled in her joy).  It’ll be amazing, or your license fee back!  Not really, though.  I’m not technically authorised to make such promises.

Image by Phil Postma, http://minionfactory.blogspot.com/

*it’s a Lewis Carroll word (from Jabberwocky) which I’m hoping to bring into common use – after all we’ve taken on mimsy and galumphing.