Blog posts that fits nowhere else
My Birkbeck term ended a few weeks ago. I planned to use the free evenings (Monday and Wednesday were ‘school’ evenings) to write, write and write some more – no longer do I have the distractions of assignments, prescribed reading, etc.
What have I done since the end of term?
I have done the following: Continue reading “Getting down to writing – not!”
Woke up early on Saturday with the prospect of a day long Birkbeck session ahead of me. Good. Looking forward to it. But our house was in chaos as my brother, his wife and two young daughters are staying, along with our own daughter and boyfriend. Grabbed breakfast and left in a rush to catch the train.
Problem one: realised I had left my phone at home.
Was later leaving the house than I should have been, so almost ran to the station. Luckily, it was downhill all the way. It was raining.
Problem two: realised I had left my umbrella at home.
Arrived at the station and was surprised to see Continue reading “When the day starts badly …”
Nobody threw tomatoes and there was some polite applause- and even some laughter
Had a great time at the alt.fiction event at the Phoenix Centre in Leicester this weekend. Well worth going and I am looking forward to next year already. The rail service let me down Sunday, but that’s a different story.
Highlights are listed below.
And, of course, reading my short story extract at the Flash Fiction open mic session. It wasn’t sci-fi, fantasy or horror, but nobody threw tomatoes and there was some polite applause- and even a little laughter. (And, I better just clarify, the piece was supposed to be funny.)
Tomorrow I am going to my first ever fiction festival – Alt.Fiction – in Leicester. This weekend festival is for readers and writers of science fiction, fantasy and horror.
For some reason, and it seemed like a good idea at the time, I have signed myself up for the Flash Fiction Open Mic segment. I get three minutes to recite a story, extract or poem in front of a wonderful audience of like-minded people.
How difficult can that be?
Well, my story is neither science fiction, nor fantasy, nor even horror. But I did enjoy writing it and I hope it gets a laugh.
Will report back on how it went, if I survive. (Do people bring tomatoes to these events?)
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.
Ruth Livingstone 