In case you missed the simple pleasure that was the #derangedpoetess hashtag kicking about on Twitter, I shall briefly summarise. Last week, a journalist called Oliver Thring wrote what can be read as a pretty sexist piece for the Sunday Times about poet Sarah Howe, winner of the T.S.Eliot prize. Some fellow female poets then tweeted to suggest the language he used was somewhat crass (this overview by Katy Evans-Bush details that line of thinking). Thring responded by saying he was being harangued by ‘deranged poetesses’. Continue reading “How To Be A Deranged Poetess”
I recently had a birthday, which was pleasant. I saw my family and some friends, added to my ‘to read’ pile and my gin collection, and I made a cake that induces a sense of euphoria and remorse that I like to call euphorse.
The only trouble is that as I get older, birthdays are beginning to feel a little bit like markers for everything I haven’t done yet – not least because mine falls at the end of the month, where the deadlines live.
Continue reading “Taking Stock”
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Today being the 27th of the month, I am remarkably close to the half way point of the whole 12 books in 12 months fiasco (unless you count book 13, I suppose, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves).
Unfortunately this happens to be the point where progress has slowed down an embarrassing amount. I ought to be basically done with book six by now, yet I’ve only written about 10,000 words. Almost all of which is background and characterisation that I foresee myself editing down to maybe a few paragraphs in the final book. It’s the type of stuff that it makes sense to know as an author, but probably feels a bit long winded and boring to the reader. Pottermore, rather than the material a gripping plot is crafted from.
Continue reading “A Progress Report”
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This is an excerpt from what I’ve written for book six, but it’s really just background characterisation and I don’t think I’ll end up using much of it in the final draft. Still, thought I should point out I’ve written something…
Nicola woke up with her face stuck to the cheap plastic keyboard of her work PC. She rubbed her cheek to get rid of the indentations, but knew from experience it would take a while to return to normal.
The monitor in front of her stopped playing its screensaver, revealing a too-white document that was a mess of m’s and 8’s and ‘hn’s.
Still, at least she’d saved her story this time.
Continue reading “Book Six Excerpt”
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This has been a procrastinating sort of day. I’ll tell you for why.
Continue reading “A Day In The Life of Book Six”
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Are you a journalist? Have you ever known or worked with journalists?
Then I need your help.
My sixth book this year is about the staff of a recently shut down local newspaper deciding to start up a zeitgeisty current affairs stroke gossip website, probably called something like ‘Michty!’ (the genre for this one is Scottish), and getting it terribly wrong. With hilarious consequences, of course.
I am hoping to gather some anecdotal research, which is where you come in.
Continue reading “Journalists Wanted”
12 Books in 12 Months 