January 2008 - Posts
Today I received a cheque for some stories I wrote a while ago. It is always a strange experience to be paid for anything I write. Generally hours/weeks/months of work only result in a rejection slip As it happens an example arrived in the same post from an American agent, who told me there was much to commend in my work. Sadly not enough for him to represent me. Anyway, the cheque calls for a small celebration,which is appropriate considering the size of the cheque.
I was at the good old British Library at the weekend. The original, one and only copy of Beowulf was on display, still singed round the edges from the 18C fire. It made it rather clear how close we came to losing a masterpiece. Respect to the chap who rescued it.
I am still involved in my website build. It is coming on, but seems to have taken over my life.
One thing about building up a book with the snowflake method, from one paragraph to synopsis to draft, is you get to know early if it isn't working. It is so nice not to spend a year and 50,000 words and then find out you have written something useless. It took me 1500 words of the draft to work out the Telephone was going nowhere, for the moment at least. I start the University of East Anglia course in a couple of weeks so that should point me in a better direction.
On a more positive note I have just caught up with my Christmas story in Dimdima Magazine. I'm rather pleased with it, although sadly the illustrations aren't as good as usual.
I have just finished re-reading Madam Bovary. Emma Bovary is up there with Anna Karenina as literature's most silly and annoying woman. She does stand out, however, as being an early victim of retail therapy and for that has a place in history. The writing is, of course, brilliant.
On 11-12 January Liverpool celebrates becoming joint European Capital of Culture 2008. Hooray, and what a joy it is that we are proudly promoting Britain's cultural renaissance.
Er, well, not exactly. We should also be aware that Italy, Germany and France, to name but three, all have full time cultural ministers. We have a Secretary for State for Culture, Media and Sport. If he gives Media and Sport due attention (and he will, he will) he will only have two days out of a six day week to promote culture at all. I suppose we should be pleased that the Olympics is being separately looked after by the dire Tessa Jowell. Otherwise time devoted to culture would slip from two days to ten minutes. Just enough time for the Secretary of State to congratulate himself on the recent launch of National Year of Reading 2008. But sadly not enough time to mention that 40 libraries closed nation wide in 2007.
We are told that these days the construction of a website is easy. It probably is if all you want is a few pictures of the family binge drinking in some far off outpost of drug barons and a bit of text. I'm trying to do something rather more complex, a site selling a reading course for preschool children and others who could benefit from home tuition. In theory it is a win/win project. The more children who can read he more books we sell. Rather lik Julius Caesar.
Flavious: ...Why dost thou lead these men about the streets?
Cobbler: Truly Sir to wear out their shoes to get myself into more work.
Antway what with keyword optimisation, Google positioning, links to other sites and all the rest of the jargon it becomes totally mind bending. Also a lot of the desirable goodies cost extra money, which is seriously bad news.
This will run and run.