Just thought I would round off October with a quick post since I have been somewhat negligent of late - sorry for that. Got back a week or so ago from a midweek break to the Isle of Wight. We were sooo lucky with the weather! We had one big storm and then lovely autumn sunshine for the rest of the week.
Does anyone out there know how to fully utilize twitter? I am trying to raise my profile by writing regular "twaikus" via my mobile phone. But I never seem to get any response so wondered if I was doing it right? Is there a Twitter For Dummies book? If not - why not? I'd write one myself except I don't know how to utilize Twitter! Here are a couple of my "twaikus":-
Where autumn turns the leaves
to gold, my heart is golden, too.
Feel the love I'm sending out
especially for you.
*************************
Sitting here in suit and boot,
I raise my coffee cup.
Tonight is when the weekend starts;
the only way is up.
*************************
Missed the rain,
snoozed on the train,
coffee at Nero's,
caffiene heroes,
ready now to face the day
AND the weekend's on its way.
Ok - I know they are sickeningly cheesy, but hey - at least I am writing poetry again. And that is about all I can manage this lunchbreak.
Any Twitterites able to help..?
Thursday, 31 October 2013
Thursday, 17 October 2013
Returning A Favor For An Old Friend ...
I think I may have found a publisher for The Book - watch this space for further updates (and an update of The Epic will follow eventually).
Tonight I am actually writing this post as a tribute (and an apology) to an artist by the name of John W Johnson to whom I owe a debt of gratitude. I came across his website completely by chance once day around ten years ago and found his artwork beautiful, tranquil and inspiring. If I remember rightly, I dropped him an email to congratulate him on his fine work and, somehow or other, quite a bit of my inspirational poetry ended up on his site, giving it exposure it would not have got elsewhere. You may recall at the start of this blog, I mentioned my very first blog FIFTY AND NOT OUT and upon that for the year or so it was running, I had a number of links set up, one of which was to John's site. Then when that blog sort of fizzled out, there was a bit of a gap - maybe three years or so, where I didn't have a blog at all. When I finally started up the blog for the Young Writers - and then a few months later this one - I couldn't actually find the facility for setting up links ( and I still can't).
Right now however I am going to insert the link to John's site in the body of this post by way of saying thank you to John for his support all those years ago. I also happen to think his artwork is still among the best you can find and I would love to share that with you. So, before you log off tonight, please take a look at John's work (and John I am sorry I didn't do it this way sooner!) on www.jwjonline.net
Tonight I am actually writing this post as a tribute (and an apology) to an artist by the name of John W Johnson to whom I owe a debt of gratitude. I came across his website completely by chance once day around ten years ago and found his artwork beautiful, tranquil and inspiring. If I remember rightly, I dropped him an email to congratulate him on his fine work and, somehow or other, quite a bit of my inspirational poetry ended up on his site, giving it exposure it would not have got elsewhere. You may recall at the start of this blog, I mentioned my very first blog FIFTY AND NOT OUT and upon that for the year or so it was running, I had a number of links set up, one of which was to John's site. Then when that blog sort of fizzled out, there was a bit of a gap - maybe three years or so, where I didn't have a blog at all. When I finally started up the blog for the Young Writers - and then a few months later this one - I couldn't actually find the facility for setting up links ( and I still can't).
Right now however I am going to insert the link to John's site in the body of this post by way of saying thank you to John for his support all those years ago. I also happen to think his artwork is still among the best you can find and I would love to share that with you. So, before you log off tonight, please take a look at John's work (and John I am sorry I didn't do it this way sooner!) on www.jwjonline.net
Sunday, 13 October 2013
Getting Back On Track
A whole heap of stuff has been happening lately. Firstly, I think the problem of finding a new venue for the Young Writers is virtually solved. I am just waiting for a couple of forms which I have to fill in but once that is done, it is more than likely that the sessions will be held at the local library, so a massive yippee for that. Also, I had another poem published last week and another one accepted for publication - all in the space of a few days. I have just put in place a month's notice that I want the rights of the Yucketypoo books reverted to me so I can find a new publisher for them. AND something else really exciting happened a couple of weeks ago. I was asked to do a motivational speech at the day job and I knew a poem I wrote a few years ago would be perfect for it - but do you think I could find it anywhere? Then I went on the internet and found that not one but two organisations in the United States had used it to inspire and motivate their teams. I am in America!!! Well - not physically of course. Physically I am sitting here in my cramped study, in my jim-jams updating my blog. But my work - well this poem at least - is in America. So I printed it off and it went down incredibly well. So feel as if I am up and running again ....
Sunday, 6 October 2013
A Whole Month ...
How on earth did that happen? A whole month since my last post? Shame on me! I will not do anything so mundane as to trot out a list of excuses other than the fact I was away for a week, my modem went down, the mobile keeps conking out, this flying saucer turned up in the middle of the night and took me to Mars ... I am way above such banal actions!!!!! But hey. I am here, now, right?
Finished the sessions with Michael - at least for the time being. Our last session was three weeks ago. His mum sent me a text last night to say he had been diligently working on a story for three hours solid and wants to know if I will read it. How dedicated is this young writer? I will get back to her shortly in the affirmative.
Sadly, even though the Young Writers were due to start their sessions again a week or so ago, we suddenly found ourselves minus a venue when the coffee shop we usually meet at closed sown unexpectedly. So now I am looking for a new venue. I approached the local library yesterday and might be in with a chance there so fingers crossed. Failing that, I may have to think the whole thing through again. It is a shame though. The proprietor of that coffee shop was the first person to show an interest in the idea of a Writing group for youngsters. She put so much into that place; it is such a shame it did not work out for her. I hope she is able to pick up the pieces and soldier on somehow. She deserves that chance.
Gotta go - someone coming in shortly to discuss installing solar panels and I have to hop in the shower. Be back later with some good news though!!!!!
Finished the sessions with Michael - at least for the time being. Our last session was three weeks ago. His mum sent me a text last night to say he had been diligently working on a story for three hours solid and wants to know if I will read it. How dedicated is this young writer? I will get back to her shortly in the affirmative.
Sadly, even though the Young Writers were due to start their sessions again a week or so ago, we suddenly found ourselves minus a venue when the coffee shop we usually meet at closed sown unexpectedly. So now I am looking for a new venue. I approached the local library yesterday and might be in with a chance there so fingers crossed. Failing that, I may have to think the whole thing through again. It is a shame though. The proprietor of that coffee shop was the first person to show an interest in the idea of a Writing group for youngsters. She put so much into that place; it is such a shame it did not work out for her. I hope she is able to pick up the pieces and soldier on somehow. She deserves that chance.
Gotta go - someone coming in shortly to discuss installing solar panels and I have to hop in the shower. Be back later with some good news though!!!!!
Thursday, 5 September 2013
AMAZING!!!
Next week I have the final coaching session with my young protege Michael. What a total experience this has been for me! When we first met, this ten year old was shy, a little unsure and pretty quiet - although even then I could see something in his work! Now, we have a confident, articulate and very talented young writer and I cannot believe next week is our last session (although his mother has already asked if I might do a little refresher with him after Christmas). Tonight, I asked him random questions about all the areas we've covered; just to see how much he could actually remember and you know what? He remembered practically everything! I am so proud of him because really, he did this himself. I just provided him with the tools!
When I started the Young Writer group, I had no idea how to go about it because, to my knowledge, nothing like it had ever been done before. So imagine how up *$#@ street I felt I was when I was first approached by Michael's mum and asked to coach him professionally on a one to one basis! If it was hard putting together a plan of action for a group of children with ages as diverse as six to eleven, then how on earth should one go about coaching one shy little boy! But I did it! I planned it. I delivered it. And Michael grabbed it with both hands!
You know, when I was growing up, all I ever wanted to do was write. It is still all I ever think about. But I can say, hand on heart and without any sense of doubt, that sharing my own personal love of Creative Writing with so many youngsters, inspiring them to just give it a go - that has given me the biggest blast imaginable - more than getting published, more than holding my first published book in my own hands, more than seeing my first published piece at the age of twelve, more than anything. Because I gave that to them and opened that door.
I seriously doubt I will ever call myself a failure again!!!
When I started the Young Writer group, I had no idea how to go about it because, to my knowledge, nothing like it had ever been done before. So imagine how up *$#@ street I felt I was when I was first approached by Michael's mum and asked to coach him professionally on a one to one basis! If it was hard putting together a plan of action for a group of children with ages as diverse as six to eleven, then how on earth should one go about coaching one shy little boy! But I did it! I planned it. I delivered it. And Michael grabbed it with both hands!
You know, when I was growing up, all I ever wanted to do was write. It is still all I ever think about. But I can say, hand on heart and without any sense of doubt, that sharing my own personal love of Creative Writing with so many youngsters, inspiring them to just give it a go - that has given me the biggest blast imaginable - more than getting published, more than holding my first published book in my own hands, more than seeing my first published piece at the age of twelve, more than anything. Because I gave that to them and opened that door.
I seriously doubt I will ever call myself a failure again!!!
Sunday, 1 September 2013
UH-OH...
Thought I was being clever tonight and would set up a new blog just for my work. Big mistake. Found this other blog place on Google and it showed me step-by-step how to set up a new blog. It looked so easy to do! I picked this brilliant template and got as far as writing my greeting on the Home page - but when I closed it down to then go back in and check it, guess what - there is nowhere to sign in so you can carry on editing it. So I shall just have to pretend that never happened and see if I can find something simpler. I mean per-lease! I thought this whole techno thing was supposed to simplify our life not complicate it. I might just try one more time before I give up on it completely. Tomorrow though, not tonight. It's already almost 11pm! Maybe I am just tired and not thinking straight!
Wanted to just say hi, really. Feeling a bit sad, My lovely old mum wasn't too well when I went to visit her today. And my Steve had to go into work early so - no-one to talk to. I'll be okay by tomorrow. It isn't that I am like Billy NoMates. I just hate burdening others with anything. Everyone knows me as happy-go-lucky Jilly, always got a smile. And really most of the time I have. Just not tonight. Pathetic, isn't it!
Wanted to just say hi, really. Feeling a bit sad, My lovely old mum wasn't too well when I went to visit her today. And my Steve had to go into work early so - no-one to talk to. I'll be okay by tomorrow. It isn't that I am like Billy NoMates. I just hate burdening others with anything. Everyone knows me as happy-go-lucky Jilly, always got a smile. And really most of the time I have. Just not tonight. Pathetic, isn't it!
Saturday, 31 August 2013
My Champion!!!
Husband Steve recently suggested we change hobby rooms in our house. His huge passion until fairly recently anyway, has been to collect Lledo vintage vehicles and he has thousands of them. In fact an article I wrote about them appeared a couple of years ago in DieCast Collector Magazine (October edition 2004, to be precise) entitled "I'm No Back Seat Driver" and it appears that most of the South East has heard about his hobby (seriously - we get gas meter readers coming in saying 'Are you the guy with all the model cars?', this is absolutely true). And when I was interviewed by one local paper following the publication of the first Yucketypoo book back in 2007, the photographer also knew about them and took dozens of photos of Steve with his car collection (and a couple of me with the children's book I had just had published!!). Our modest (but lovely) semi-detached house in Addiscombe has three bedrooms (well to be honest, two bedrooms and a box room about the size of a pocket handkerchief) and, once our youngest daughter had moved out, the second bedroom became Steve's hobby room, since by then I was already established in the pocket handkerchief.
But it became very clear not so very long ago that, since my writing career has started to regain some of its former momentum, my pocket handkerchief study just is not big enough. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE it to bits. The desk is right by the window, there's a gorgeous redwood three-drawer filing cabinet, shelving from floor to ceiling all along the back wall, a book case and books, files and folders in teetering piles all around my comfortable, lumber supporting office chair. There are three pin boards (one quite big where our map of the British Isles lives, complete with all its colour-headed pins showing everyone entering exactly where we have been on our beautiful islands), one medium sized on the wall behind the desk which features things like business cards, my Society of Authors leaflet, several inspirational photos of notebooks, pens and cappuccinos and various other odds and ends, and a small one featuring around half a dozen half-decent drawings I have managed to produce in all five plus decades of living. On the window sill, there is a framed letter from The Prince of Wales wishing me luck with the Yucketypoo books, my Society of Authors Membership Certificate (I was elected in during July 2003) and a couple of framed inspirational poems (not by me, I hasten to add), so I am very at home here, very much in my comfort zone. But honestly there is not an inch of spare floor space to be seen and it just has not been working for me lately.
Anyway, Lledo cars are not being produced anymore. You can still buy them from boot sales and vintage car shows, but no new ones have been issued for several years and Steve said to me the other day, "I think I might box up most of these and just keep my really specials one out, so how about we move your study into my room and I'll take yours?" So now our plan is to start taking all the cars down and packing them into boxes until such times as we can find somewhere bigger to live when they will all go back on display. It isn't going to happen overnight but we would like to get in done by the New Year. And, the best things is that it can still house the futon and z-bed for when we have people to stay!
This is the unstinting love, support and belief my Steve has in my writing! Am I lucky or what?
But it became very clear not so very long ago that, since my writing career has started to regain some of its former momentum, my pocket handkerchief study just is not big enough. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE it to bits. The desk is right by the window, there's a gorgeous redwood three-drawer filing cabinet, shelving from floor to ceiling all along the back wall, a book case and books, files and folders in teetering piles all around my comfortable, lumber supporting office chair. There are three pin boards (one quite big where our map of the British Isles lives, complete with all its colour-headed pins showing everyone entering exactly where we have been on our beautiful islands), one medium sized on the wall behind the desk which features things like business cards, my Society of Authors leaflet, several inspirational photos of notebooks, pens and cappuccinos and various other odds and ends, and a small one featuring around half a dozen half-decent drawings I have managed to produce in all five plus decades of living. On the window sill, there is a framed letter from The Prince of Wales wishing me luck with the Yucketypoo books, my Society of Authors Membership Certificate (I was elected in during July 2003) and a couple of framed inspirational poems (not by me, I hasten to add), so I am very at home here, very much in my comfort zone. But honestly there is not an inch of spare floor space to be seen and it just has not been working for me lately.
Anyway, Lledo cars are not being produced anymore. You can still buy them from boot sales and vintage car shows, but no new ones have been issued for several years and Steve said to me the other day, "I think I might box up most of these and just keep my really specials one out, so how about we move your study into my room and I'll take yours?" So now our plan is to start taking all the cars down and packing them into boxes until such times as we can find somewhere bigger to live when they will all go back on display. It isn't going to happen overnight but we would like to get in done by the New Year. And, the best things is that it can still house the futon and z-bed for when we have people to stay!
This is the unstinting love, support and belief my Steve has in my writing! Am I lucky or what?
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