Ruth Livingstone

NaNoWriMo – better late than never

NaNoWriMo this year? Easy-peasy. Bring it on! Hmmm. When things seem like they are going to be almost too easy, you can bet they probably are not going to be as easy as all that.

I was really organised in the build up to NaNoWriMo this year.

I had the story all planned in my head with the characters fully formed and the plot outline in place. I knew who was going to do what and when. I had to stop myself starting the damn book in September, so enthusiastic and ready to go was I.

So, NaNoWriMo this year? Easy-peasy. Bring it on!

Hmmm. When things seem like they are going to be too easy, you can bet they probably are not going to be as easy as all that.

Had a huge piece of work to prepare for and didn’t get going on the 1st November. No problem. Last year, I started a few days late and soon caught up. Then a work colleague went off sick. Then another one. Then I got sick too – fever, sore throat, aching limbs, diarrhoea, hacking cough with retching (you really did want all of this detail didn’t you?).

Finally started on the 6th November. Shame on me. Now playing catch up like mad. And having terrible problems with my internal editor. Will tell you about her another time …. but for the moment, please excuse me – I have another 2,000 words to bang out before tea time.

Fry’s Planet Word

I have really enjoyed Stephen Fry’s series on the English Language. Fry’s Planet Word has been showing on BBC2 every Sunday night.

Here is the latest (and last) one in the brief series of five programs. Grab it on iPlayer before it disappears – Fry’s Planet Word: The Power and the Glory.

Although it got off to a slow beginning (in my view), the series soon warmed up and makes fascinating viewing for writers and for readers. Five episodes are not enough. More please, Mr Fry.

Difficult assignment

Difficult homework assignment.

How about this for a tricky bit of writing homework:

Rewrite the Hemingway story Hills Like White Elephants in the style of Gabriel García Márquez’s The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World.

Hemingway’s prose is sparse and factual. For the most part, his story consists of dialogue between two people while waiting for a train. Márquez’s narrative is dense and mainly descriptive, told in the style of a fable or legend.

My task, therefore, was a difficult one. However, having spent most of a sunny Saturday afternoon struggling with it, I was quite pleased with the outcome. But my story seemed unfinished. I went back on Sunday and added an extra scene. This gave the story a better ending, but changed the theme into something a little different from the original Hemingway one.

Now, my next piece of homework: to rewrite the Márquez story in the style of AL Kennedy’s story, A Bad Son …..

Creative Writing at Birkbeck

Term began at 6:00pm on Monday (3rd October). I set off to catch the 4:01 train from our local station, feeling nervous, with my rucksack on my back. My husband waved goodbye as I marched down the drive and said I looked like a schoolgirl setting off on her first day at big school. (I think that was a compliment.)

Monday was incredibly warm, with a gentle breeze to prevent the day becoming too hot for comfort. The birds were singing and I felt full of joy. I have to walk to the station, catch a train, change trains, arrive at King’s Cross and walk to Birkbeck in Bloomsbury. The whole journey takes two and a half hours. Then after the evening session, I repeat the whole process to come home. It gives me plenty of time to read on the train and yesterday I was filled with excitement and enjoyed the whole experience. I wonder if I will be feeling the same way as the nights get colder and darker.

This afternoon I will be setting off for my next session. My class group is an eclectic mix of people – different backgrounds, different ages, different ages and different aspirations. I know this year is going to be wonderful and stimulating.

I just ‘proofread’ the above post and got the message ‘No writing errors were found’. You see, my writing is getting better already!

Punctuation made simple (and funny….)

Who would believe a book on punctuation could be so amusing? If you have ever been stumped by the apostrophe, confused by the colon, or dithered over the humble dash – this book is for you

Just finished reading Lynne Truss’s wonderful book: Eats, Shoots and Leaves.

Who would believe a book on punctuation could be so amusing?

I wish my English teacher had the same entertaining style and ease of expression. If you have ever been stumped by the apostrophe, confused by the colon, or bewildered by the humble dash – this book is for you. Continue reading “Punctuation made simple (and funny….)”