Posts Tagged ‘f
Ladies who Launch …
Blog 20 – Ladies who Launch – On each blog Ms Paige Turner tells an intentional fib and the first in wins a prize. This bi-month it’s four free handout sheets of the winner’s choice.
Well done to Caroline Francis – first in with my incorrect spelling of ‘Miss Havisham’ and of course I went to a ‘grammer’ and not a ‘glamour’ school but one could be forgiven for not noticing the latter error. So a 400 word free assessment for clever Caroline, also a clever children’s writer. Phillip Sheahan aka Mr Double Cream from Uxbridge – what were you doing in Blackheath of all places?
So … just two weeks to go until the ‘Dear John’ missive writing competition deadline on July 31st and Creative Ink Publishing has made hundreds of pounds for the Heart charities. It has been exciting getting Dear Johns posted through my real mail box and reminds me of when we used to get Christmas cards before the advent of festive emailed messages. But I am looking forward to Phase 1 of this venture merging into Phase 2 which will be rehearsal of the best of the missives for the ultimate film.
The Beaconsfield Library has booked Patricia Sentinella – author of the ‘Dear John, Dear Anyone …’ collection which has been selling swifter than baby bottom butter – and me to read on Friday 30th September at 11.00am and then they booked me for Wednesday 12th October to give a talk on all the Creative Ink things. Hence my title – Ladies who Launch. I really like this title and feel that someone should permanently employ me to write titles.
The builders are in tomorrow for the bedroom extension.
Sheer Delight: Cape Grapes and Chocolate …
Blog 12 – Sheer Delight – Cape Grapes and Chocolate …
The intentional fib in the last blog (11) was that I had posted that the tenth blog was credited as the ninth whereas I had actually credited as the eighth. Too complicated. I did have Louis di Bianco’s TV erroneously carted away in Montreal and I did leave him a pair of bathroom scales in exchange as I couldn’t get them in my suitcase.
Talking of suitcases – no-one mentioned that I had been in Cape Town for all of March. I was there (amongst other things) covering Pimple Popping Plots with the Fish Hoek Scribblers and in Milnerton with the West Coast Writers. Pure delight. The latter asked me if I would like my notorious flip chart to face the clock or the window. I said it would be rather novel to teach facing Table Mountain. They said – “It’s Devil’s Peak, actually.” But who’s quibbling about mountains? There are so many in Cape Town where I received my first bee sting in March and can now join the grown up race.
I met Viv from www.scenicsouth.co.za Please visit – a shame you can’t be in the scenic south in person but more of my words are on Viv’s website – this month: ‘Cape Grapes’ and ‘Sheer Delight – Chocolate.’
That’s enough for now as I’m still in holiday humour and can’t wait to receive all these Dear John missives – see www.janmoranneil.co.uk for all the details. Proof reading for Patricia Sentinella’s collection by the same name was going on whilst I was out in Cape Town getting bee stings and popping plots and I can’t wait for Creative Ink Publishing’s launch in a few weeks. That’s when Creative Ink classes start for the summer. A few places left but all courses are running.
I’m still trying to give away six handout sheets for the intentional fib. And I was in Cape Town.
Dear John or Blogging it to Death or The Worst Ever Blog
Blog 8 – Dear John or Blogging it to Death or the Worst Blog on Earth – Every week an intentional porkie pie is told. Be the first to spot it and this week you will get six free handout sheets emailed to you on any writing related topics of your choice.
Louis di Bianco posted information on his Facebook wall regarding the worst blogs in the world. I went to the website and discovered that a blogging cardinal sin is to self promote.
But that’s one of the main reasons I blog. More on self promotion and Blogging it to Death later.
Let me tell you about Louis di Bianco. He was my landlord when I lived in the French-Portugese area of Montreal in the late seventies. He was a Vietnam draftee and his next door neighbour was a German/American draft dodger who was given one of the few Nixon pardons. Juergen was therefore able to return to the US having fled to Canada for asylum. Louis sub-let his apartment to me when he went to fight his way to Broadway so officially Israel’s father was my landlord. Israel used to come round to my flat every Friday night for the rent and to knock back brandy and that was all. These then thirty somethings were gentlemen itself. They really were. And when Juergen Dankwort – my pardoned neighbour – drove me and Mr Red Hat down to New York, my twenty two year old self couldn’t have asked for more protective child minders at midnight on 42nd Street. Louis was rafeish and dark and deliciously Italian/Broncs as his name suggests and it’s good to see him posting all sorts of vital information on his wall. As my Christian name was Titterington – he nicknamed me Twitters and when we reunited on Facebook he said, “Who would have thought, Twitters, that a whole social network would be named after you?” Can you believe Louis has over 1000 friends on Facebook? I hope they all fly to read my blog.
Well, try and find a fib in there. No-one found last blog’s fib – I think the whole thing was too hormonal. And who said they thought I could have been quite netbally sporty at school? Oh, come on … a 52 week a year period?
As for ‘Blogging it to Death’ and self promo – Creative Ink Publishing is delighted to announce that that Tony McHale – BAFTA award winning producer of ‘Holby City’ and BBC scriptwriter and director of ‘Casualty’ and ‘EastEnders’ – will be judging its ‘Dear John, Dear Anyone …’ writing competition. The best letters, emails, texts or Skypes will be filmed by Creative Ink for Actors and an overall winner will be chosen – unknown to everyone but Tony and the technical director until the release of the DVD. The overall winner will receive £100 and the runners up will receive free DVDs.
You can write up to 600 words but there must be some kind of ‘brush off’ – romantic or otherwise.
The entry fee is £5 and donated to the British Heart Foundation and Hearts & Souls.
The deadline is July 31st – by email to creativeinkpublishing@gmail.com and pay your entry fee to Creative Ink Publishing, send by post with cheque (payable to Creative Ink Publishing).
Details: Creative Ink Publishing, 11, Pitch Pond Close, Knotty Green, Beaconsfield, Bucks, HP9 1XY and for full details go to www.janmoranneil.co.uk
Still a few places left on my Creative Ink courses this coming summer term on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and also the ‘Get that Book’ weekend course on May 21st and 22nd. Check out my website.
Bread Pudding Days
Blog 8 – Bread Pudding Days …
Fiction is a fusion of truth and lies …
This bi-month there are no porkie pies …
For Muriel 10.6.22-14.2.01
With love.
Bread Pudding Days by Jan Moran Neil
On soggy days
when the rain spits
my mother’s house is filled
with the warmth of cinnamon sticks,
rich dried fruit
and softly sifted sugar.
She folds and wraps our words:
- the bargain cost of my orange gloves
- the price we paid for our lost loves
- our woeful tales of wicked hate
- our splendid plans to be great.
All are measured, sieved, considered
for their mixed worth
baked into something sturdy,
crusty, spongy and deeply palatable.
And in that cooking fragrance
- the weight and varied textures
touching half remembered edges -
my mother’s syllables and smiles stretch on:
a balm against the greying bits,
a refuge against the rain which spits.
From Paige to Performance
Blog 6 – From Paige to Performance – (Ms Paige Turner tells an intentional fib on each blog. This week win a copy of her latest play – ‘The Deadly Factor’ – if you are first past the post. Click on the title to leave an answer in the box.)
Mr Double Cream from Uxbridge! How could you suggest (and more – heavens above! and epheu! – which is ‘alas’ in Latin) that I intentionally left an ‘o’ out of Pookey’s name at the Crazy Bear! You bring the exclamation marks out in me! And I really was in Cape Town before Christmas. What would the Fish Hoek Scribblers do without my occasional injection? But back to the letter ‘o’. Both Caroline Francis and Zaneta Lawrence came in at the same time with the intentional ‘printer’s devil’ of a ‘U’ replacing the correct ‘O’ in Uxbridge as Master Mind’s true blue educational establishment. If you have it, flaunt it.
Caroline and Zaneta will enjoy free tasting at Creative Ink classes which I am pleased to say are bubbling over with only one place left on each course this term. And talking of devils – this week’s prize is a copy of my last play – ‘The Deadly Factor’– featuring seven of them – for being the first to deposit the spotted fib in the box below and not on my regular emails, thank you.
This week I would like to plug Writing Magazine and Writer’s News. I’ve been working for them for a couple of years now as both a home tutor and a monthly contributor and the staff are a delight to work with and for, especially the editor, Jonathan Telfer. It’s always good to keep in with editors. My twelve part series – From Page to Performance – has just begun in February’s edition so do subscribe on www.writingmagazine.co.uk The magazine is full of useful tips and news.
I realise that my blog has been full of a plethora of characters: Miss Connect, Miss Tea Tree Oil, Miss Fairy Tale Days, Ms Silver Screen Suppers, Miss Publicity, Miss Trial, Miss Juke Box, Master Mind, Master Sound Advice, Master Brylcream, Mr Red Hat and not least Mr Justin Case. I hope I am not suffering from crowding my page or stage and will get back to re-entries in due course but at the moment I am very busy with Creative Ink’s new project – ‘Dear John, Dear Anyone’: a launch of our first book this year and an international writing competition to find the best ‘Dear John’ letter, text, email or Skype (up to 600 words). The full details will be out very soon but get writing …
At This Present Time …
Blog 4 – At this Present Time …
Rose Chaffe won herself a free taster for being first past the post to complete this old saying: Red Hat, No Drawers. Prostitutes in the nineteenth century were identified by the wearing of a red hat.
No-one writes or reads blogs the week before Christmas so this is short and snappy and I’ve been busy buying gifts at this present time, so I will be back on Monday 3rd January with a prize for the first to spot the intentional fib.
Oh … and watch out for those wearing red hats this festive season.
