Sunday 31 December 2017

New Year, New Start

And so 2017 has reached its end. At times I have found it a difficult year, but there have been many positives too.

William Gladstone 
On the writing front, I had a handful of pieces published - enough to remind me what a thrill it is to be acknowledged in print and online - enough to spur me on to want to achieve more in 2018.
  • 1 short story in Ireland’s Own
  • 2 short stories in this anthology (proceeds to RSPCA)
  • 2 poems in Yours
  • 3 shout-outs in Mslexia and Writing Magazine 
  • 4 news items in Writers’ Forum (winning a free subscription)
  • 5 pieces of Flash on Paragraph Planet
  • 11 letters in various magazines, including the iconic The Lady


Cake Stories, Jesmond
I’ve done things too. I’ve been places. I’ve met people.
  • I read at my first Open Mic night
  • I met up with three (previously online only) writing buddies
  • I had a three week tour of the UK which I used as a personal writing retreat, blogging daily about my journey, including three nights at the beautiful Gladstone Library and another three in glorious Hay on Wye, and a visit to Dylan Thomas’ boat house
  • I went to the Writers’ Holiday in Fishguard and made new writing friends there

Dylan Thomas’
writing shed
On reflection it hasn’t been such a bad year. I hope to achieve even more in 2018. I shan’t set any specific goals or targets, but this time next year maybe I will be able to report yet more positive writing news.

Thank you to all those who have supported me with words of encouragement along the way. Happy New Year to you all. I hope that 2018 will bring you every happiness and joy.

Thursday 14 December 2017

Melancholy baby

Blue Christmas
It’s how I’m feeling at the moment. Last Christmas was poignant but I coped. Stoical. Yet this year I’m really struggling. I’ve spent all morning trying to decorate the Christmas tree. Every little thing seems too much. Lights not working, batteries to change, all result in tears.
At what point does grief become self indulgent? I don’t know the answer. I spent time yesterday looking at Christmas cards for ‘my husband’, knowing I wouldn’t be buying one.


I want to write. I ought to write. Writing is a good therapy. Let the thoughts and emotions spill out onto paper - get it down, get it out. And this is as good a place as any to start. 

Does writing things down help you?

Saturday 28 October 2017

Letter writing

Dear Sir or Madam
It’s often said to be a lost art. Which is understandable. As a means of communication there are now many alternatives which didn’t exist when Cicero was writing to his daughter, or Daudet from his windmill. For immediate conversation we are more likely to telephone or video call. We use email, text and messaging apps.

A letter on the other hand is entrusted to a third party for delivery. One of the most inefficient methods is ‘pupil post’. A cousin of mine managed to convince her parents that her school didn’t produce reports at the end of term, meaning they never found out about her school day misdemeanours or dismal exam results.

Soldier Boy
I had an article published sometime ago by The People’s Friend focusing on the First World War postcards in my late father’s collection - a few words of news and love from home to a loved one.

My husband and I sent a postcard to ourselves from each place we visited as a pictorial journal of where we had been and what we had seen. Those two very full albums are a great joy, each card triggering happy memories of our life together.

For sale, unwanted gift 
I’m glad that magazines and newspapers still publish letters from readers - particularly when they pay the writer or send out a gift! It’s a good exercise in the general skills of writing - choosing a topic, using prose which fits the magazine’s style, starting with a good hook, engaging the reader, a pithy ending. And writing to a specific word count.

Brief is not always easy. The French philosopher Pascal said, “I have made this (letter) longer than usual because I have not had time to make it shorter.” It does indeed demand effort to concentrate one’s thoughts into a few words.

My creative writing muse is currently silent, probably the result of a difficult month. And so over the next few days I intend to write letters to various sources to exercise my writing muscle and force myself into the practice of writing regularly. And, hopefully, writing well.


Saturday 30 September 2017

Keep it going

"The big ship sails through the alley, alley oh... On the last day of September"

Winning subscription
30th September - how did that happen? It feels like only yesterday I arrived home from my travels. But I've checked the calendar and there's no escaping the fact, September is at an end.

And as always happens on this date I catch an ear-worm of this rhyme which takes me back to my childhood.  It involved a group of us holding hands and weaving through an arch made by two other children. One of the classic 'thread the needle' games.

News of my success
I came back from my travels 'Journey's End' determined to renew my writing. I'm pleased to say that I have! I made 12 submissions in total, of which one piece of flash fiction has been published on Paragraph Planet and four news items were published in Writers' Forum magazine, which awarded me a year's free subscription. Success!

Paragraphplanet.com
I have yet to hear about the other 7 submissions and competition entries, but I shan't keep my fingers crossed - it stops me typing. Like the childhood game, I have to keep on moving - write, submit, write, submit. And wait (and hope) for more successful publications.

All together now: "The big ship sails..."

Tuesday 1 August 2017

Journey's End

Day 23 - our heroine returns


I'm home! It's a little over three weeks since my adventure began. I've had a wonderful time visiting different places and meeting so many wonderful people. I've travelled 1,500 miles. But I am ready now to return to normality. 

Which begs the question: what is normal? Over the next few weeks I am going to discover the answer to that conundrum as I work out a new rhythm to my life, hopefully with a greater focus on my writing.

Mslexia’s newsletter
I was chuffed to see that Mslexia had picked up my suggestions for two new words, submitted whilst I was in Hay and published today in their Littlems newsletter. There's no money for the publication, just the glory (ha!) of having my name connected to such an august magazine, but I'm very happy to see Beatrice Charles in print again. I shall take it as a promise of things to come.

"MSLEXICON

...when only a new word will do

partache (n.) the sorrow experienced when an actor fails to portray a character in the manner you had imagined when reading the novel

direlogue (n.) badly written conversation

Thanks to Beatrice Charles for the first two contributions"


Inspired by firelight

Day 22 - our heroine sits by a campfire

You know how this particular trope goes. As the day is ending, a weary band of travellers stop. Too tired to travel any further they pitch camp. Soon a campfire is burning, the flickering flames holding back the darkness. Warm and well fed, the travellers relax. The glow of the fire and their shared repast work to promote a feeling of intimacy and unity amongst those who before had been only acquaintances.

Soon secrets are declared. Tales are told about where they have travelled and the sights they have witnessed. Plans and hopes for the future are shared, vulnerabilities laid bare, precious confidences entrusted to their new friends. 

Sometimes there will be music played round the campfire: a banjo, a fiddle. Voices combine in song: songs of adventure; songs of sorrow. The camp falls silent. The travellers sleep. Tomorrow they will journey onwards to their separate destinations.

A campfire is a useful device. It can be inserted into the text as a breather after a particularly fast-paced scene. Conversations around the campfire can show character development and disclosure. It can allow two previously hostile parties to reconcile.

Tonight I sat with friends and family in my niece’s garden, warming ourselves from the flames of a fire bowl. I told them of my journey and they in turn told me of their travels. Tomorrow we go our separate ways.


And as for me, I too shall return home tomorrow. And I shall write.

Monday 31 July 2017

Hope

Day 21 - our heroine experiences hope 

Babies are the ultimate display of confidence. A declaration that whatever we may face, life must and will go on.

Here is my family’s latest expression of hope for the future. She is pictured here with her great-grandmothers. They face each other across three generations - born nine decades apart but united by love.


The baby was christened yesterday and has been showered with gifts. And so much love. Delicate pottery, a song composed especially for her, wooden toys, a book trough. The gifts are many and varied and generous. And above all there are books, so many books, a wish for her to grow knowing the beauty of the written word.

Sunday 30 July 2017

Ghostly gathering

Day 20 - our heroine gathers with her kith and kin

It has been a long slow drive today to get from Fishguard in the west to Suffolk in the east. It took me 9 hours to travel across country. That time does include several stops along the way, so it wasn't solid driving, but throw in a few holdups on motorways, heavy rain and some dodgy satnav directions and you will understand why I am shattered tonight.

It was worth it though to be able to attend the family gathering for my great-niece's christening. Staying at Fishguard until Saturday morning meant that I missed the ceremony itself, but it was still good to join everyone for the after-party. And I got to meet and cuddle my great-niece for the first time. 

The Tudor barn where we met was impressive. I saw a strange something in there which I'm sure I can weave into a ghost story. It looked like a bubble floating horizontally across the shields and swords. It was nowhere near the kitchen and none of the children were playing with soap wands. I have no explanation. But I'm sure I can invent one.


Friday 28 July 2017

Farewell to Wales

Day 19 - our heroine bids farewell 

It's my last day in Fishguard. I have had such a good time both in the wonderful people I have met and the new friends I have made, but also the courses I have taken and what I have gained from them. I feel inspired to write. I have so many ideas buzzing inside my head. All I need to do is get them down, get them sent and get them sold.

My first Writers’ Holiday here in Fishguard will sadly be my last. The couple who organise the event have decided after 31 years that the time has come for them to end the July meetings. For those who have been regular attendees, tonight has been an emotional farewell and a few tears have been shed. 

The week ended in a performance this evening by the Cwmbach Male Voice Choir accompanied by a harpist and soprano. It was a fitting end to a wonderful holiday here in the Land of My Fathers, the land of song.


Tomorrow I journey on.

Everyman and Everywoman

Day 18 - our heroine reflects on the man who is no hero

To prove I have been working hard at my Writers' Holiday, today's post is about books and writing.

One of my favourite radio plays, later rewritten as a book trilogy in 5 parts, and then later again turned into a film, is ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ by Douglas Adams. I have brought the original 1975 BBC recordings away with me to keep me amused while driving.

The main character in the story is Arthur Dent, an ordinary man who finds himself caught up in the most extraordinary of circumstances. Bulldozers turn up one morning without warning to demolish his house ready for a new bypass. While he is still coming to terms with this apparent bureaucratic incompetence, the Earth is itself destroyed to make way for an intergalactic space highway. Arthur is rescued and finds himself at the centre of an improbable (and very funny) series of space travelling adventures.

It is essential to the story that Arthur be unremarkable. He is ‘Everyman’, the representation of the average person with whom the reader can relate. In time Arthur bumbles his way to achieve hero status, the reader cheering him on all the way.

And that is what I want the characters in my stories to be - identifiable women and men who when faced by challenges find a way to win through. I hope my time here at Fishguard will provide inspiration for the better crafting of my fictional stories.

Thursday 27 July 2017

Defender of the Realm

Day 17 - our heroine takes inspiration from local heroine Jemima

I was surprised to learn that in 1797, the last invasion of Britain took place near where I am staying in Pembrokeshire. The event is commemorated in the impressive ‘Last Invasion Embroidered Tapestry’, designed by Elizabeth Cramp and embroidered over a 4 year period by 77 local women and men.

Some 220 years ago Britain was at war with France. The military was on high alert along the east coast and the English Channel ready to repulse Napoleon’s troops should they decide to attack. It was therefore with some surprise that the invasion when it came was not where expected, but rather in west Wales. 1,400 French troops came ashore near Fishguard. The few British soldiers stationed nearby had to send for reinforcements before attempting to fight off the invaders. 

But the local women had other plans.
The French invaders had spread out along the coast, pillaging as they went. Some of them interrupted preparations for a wedding feast at Trehowel Farm. Tempted by the copious amounts of wine which the locals had ‘rescued’ from a recent shipwreck, they also helped themselves to the food which was still in the process of being prepared. Unfortunately they were too soon and ate undercooked chicken. 

Twelve of the drunken and by now somewhat queasy soldiers were captured by local woman Jemima Nicholas. Armed only with a pitchfork she singlehandedly marched them off to Fishguard where they were locked up.

Then, while the local British troops still waited for military support, the formidable Jemima continued with her plans. She led a group of women in a continuous walk around the Bigney Hill. From afar, the French soldiers mistook the ongoing  stream of local womenfolk, wearing their traditional outfits of red cloaks and black bonnets, for red-coated British soldiers. Assuming they were outnumbered, the French promptly surrendered.

Maybe the story has become a little embellished by local folklore, but I rather like the tale of Jemima - a woman not to be messed with!

Wednesday 26 July 2017

Clifftops and Cairns

Day 16 - our heroine climbs a cliff (note: no caterwauling was required)

The sun shone brightly as I walked through the Pembrokeshire village of Porthgain. The tide was out leaving the few fishing boats behind the harbour wall beached in the mud, the ropes which tied them to the harbour wall hung limp, garlanded with drying seaweed. The fishy scent of the empty crab pots was soon left behind as, with the gentle breeze whispering across my arms, the call of the larks enticed me up along the Pembroke Coastal Path. 

I soon gained height, the cornflake-crunch of my boots upon the gravel path giving warning of my approach to the insects and other creatures which were doubtless hiding amongst the undergrowth. My aim was to reach one of the two white-washed cliff top markers placed either side of the cove, designed to lead boats safely to the harbour.

Porthgain was once a busy port where slate from the nearby quarries was taken and broken down before being shipped out. Later the slate works gave way to brick making and after that rocks were broken down into rubble for road laying. The buildings which housed the industries are derelict now and covered over by brambles and other creepers as nature seeks to take back ownership of the land. 

The walk was a practical exercise in ‘writing the landscape’, which is the title of the workshop I am taking at the Fishguard Writers’ Holiday. I wrote notes at various points on my walk to record not just the sights but also the sounds, scents and textures I was experiencing. Occasionally I muttered to myself if I saw something worthy of note, but I did not shout out.

I say this because ‘Clifftop caterwauling’ is a trope used in fiction whereby the hero climbs to a height and screams with rage, despair or triumph. Think ‘Wuthering Heights’ and ‘The Lion King’. 


Triumphant as I felt from my climb, I satisfied myself with quietly adding another stone to the cairn made by those who had walked the path before me, before I returned to the harbour and The Sloop Inn where I enjoyed a most welcome drink.

Tuesday 25 July 2017

Bugger all *

Day 15 - our heroine experiences writers’ envy

I visited “the strangest town in Wales” today. This is the description given by Dylan Thomas to Laugharne.  It is in fact not at all odd, but a very pleasant little village and well worth a visit.

I drove there listening to a soundtrack of Dylan Thomas reading some of his lyrical poetry and prose in his mellifluous and resonant voice.

The boathouse where Thomas lived for several years is now a visitor centre allowing the faithful to see for themselves the beauty of the setting with the views across the wide expanse of the Taf estuary. 

I indulged myself in some Barabrith with a cup of tea and imagined how much better my writing would be if I could only live and work in such a wondrous place.

Thomas himself wrote in the Writing Shed which is situated above the Boathouse. 

The shed is furnished in such a way that it looks as though the bard has just popped out (probably to Brown’s Hotel for a quick drink!) and will soon be back to pick up his pen to begin writing again, inspired by the wonderful view through the window.

Dylan Thomas’ final masterpiece, ‘Under Milkwood’ is set in the fictional town of Llareggub, parts of which are said to be inspired by Laugharne. 


(*If you do not know and wonder why I am swearing, ‘Llareggub’ is a constructed word, bugger all in reverse.)

Sunday 23 July 2017

Austen-tatious

Day 14 - our heroine learns not to expect fame and fortune

I've been to Bath today where events to commemorate Jane Austen are in full flow. Austen died 200 years ago this month. For a short time Jane Austen lived in Bath and the city is keen to celebrate their famous resident. 

But despite the high regard in which she is now held, her writing career didn't bring her the fame and fortune one would expect.

Of the six novels for which she is famous, only four were published while she lived, and they were anonymous: ‘By a lady’ was the only clue given on the cover of ‘Sense and Sensibility’. ‘Pride and Prejudice’, Mansfield Park’ and ‘Emma’ were the others which she lived to see in print, but without her name on the cover.

‘Northanger Abbey’ and ‘Persuasion’ were not published until a year after she died. Only later was her authorship acknowledged.

It is said that she did not earn much money from her writing whilst alive. However since her death her novels have been in almost constant print.

Some of her writings were pirated. They were translated into French without her consent and with no payment.

So with no official recognition, a low income and piracy issues, it has to be said that the life of ‘one of our greatest living authors’ wasn't in fact all that great. 

Who’d be a writer, eh?




Saturday 22 July 2017

Z - time to reflect

Day 13 - our heroine pauses

Regular followers of this blog will know that each of my posts follows alphabetically. When I reach the letter ‘Z’ I take time to reflect. 

This latest series has taken 10 months to get from ‘A’ in August 2016, to ‘M’ in June 2017. There's nothing wrong with that. It has been a challenging year.

But now that I am away on my travels the pace has picked up. I became ‘Nomadic’ on Monday 10th July until reaching ‘Z’ today. In the last 12 days I have: 
- descended into the abyss; 
- been rescued by the Wizard; 
- set out on a pilgrimage; 
- run away to sea; 
- walked among the dead; 
- been forced to decide between truth and falsehood; 
- gone in search of knowledge; 
- regained control of the mysterious artefact; 
- met a companion; 
- dug for buried treasure; and
- sought an answer to a 100 year old mystery.

Rattled off like that it sounds exhausting! However I don't feel exhausted. I have enjoyed company and enjoyed solitude; I have exercised and I have relaxed; been peaceful and been busy. In fact time for everything from one extremity to another. From A - Z in fact.

Tonight I pause for breath. Tomorrow my journey goes on.




Friday 21 July 2017

100 Years on

Day 12 of the journey - our heroine seeks an answer to a 100 year old question

I found this delightful little book today. As you can see it is no bigger than my mobile phone. For each day of the year there is a quotation from a Browning poem and space to list the names of friends and family who celebrate their birthday on that date.

The inscription inside the cover reads:
“With best love to Elsie from Bert January 12th ‘17”

Who were Bert and Elsie, I wonder? What was their story? In 1917 Britain was at war. Was Bert a soldier, perhaps, gifting this little book to his sweetheart Elsie before he left England to serve his country?

Elsie has written names on some of the pages: Muriel Macrae, Sid Butcher, Tim Wyles, Ethel Hoare. Some names have been crossed through, presumably when friends died. 

Who were these people? What was their relationship to Elsie? How many of them are still living? 

I will of course never find the answer to my questions.

What I can and will do is use the book, the names and my imagination to create answers and to rewrite Elsie and Bert’s story, 100 years after their true life tale began.

Thursday 20 July 2017

'X' marks the spot

Day 11 of the journey - our heroine goes in search of buried treasure

First you need a map. Follow the directions to where ‘X’ marks the spot. Then start digging. With a bit of luck you'll unearth some booty that has been hidden away.

And so, I followed the map and now find myself in Hay-on-Wye in Powys. Hay is the National Book Town of Wales and is indeed a very bookish place. There are more than 20 designated bookshops but many other stores also include a shelf of second hand books so that there are books literally everywhere you turn. For the bibliophile it is thrilling and also mind boggling. 

There are general book shops and others which specialise. ‘Mostly Maps’ has a rather splendid cartographic gentleman in the window. ‘Murder and Mayhem’ stocks mystery and crime books inside its fiendishly decorated premises.  ‘Rose’s Books’ focus on rare and out of print children's and illustrated books. ‘The Poetry Bookshop’ sells exactly what its name suggests. The biggest and longest established general bookseller is ‘Hay Cinema Bookshop’ with over 200,000 volumes on display inside the old cinema.


So many books. And amongst all these books I hope to find one or two treasured volumes. Tomorrow morning I head back to town to start digging.