Thursday 27 January 2011

Autocorrect ...

Saw this via a friend's friend's friend ...

Little bit rude, smirk, giggle, see if you can stop yourself laughing out loud ...

Guaranteed to help take your mind off the temperature and or credit crunch ...

http://damnyouautocorrect.com/category/best-of-dyac/%5C/page/3/

anon.

This Day That Year ...

This day that year would have been Lewis Carroll's birthday :~
real name: Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (born 27 January 1832 – died 14 January 1898).

English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer, his most famous writings are 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland', 'Through the Looking-Glass', 'The Hunting of the Snark' and "Jabberwocky', all examples of the genre of literary nonsense. He is noted for his word play, logic, and fantasy.

[Information courtesy of Wikepedia]

Also, this day that year ...

1888 National Geographical Society founded

1302 Dante was exiled from Florence
1970 John Lennon wrote and recorded Instant Karma ...

Although this day this year, I just need a hot deep bath.

Gillian

Wednesday 26 January 2011

Yarden

Whilst viewing small properties this week, a vendor showed me his Yardon !

What a fab word ... Yarden ... A Yard ... with a Garden !

Presumably a Garden has grass and much plantation whereas a Yard has paving flags. A Yarden therefore is a fusion of paving flags with some plantation and/or tubs with plants.

I love this word and would love to see it in the dictionary ...

It isn't in the dictionary already ... is it?

Happy Yardening ...

Gillian

Tuesday 11 January 2011

I am ...

I am going to write Chapter 8, I am going to write Chapter, I am going to write, I am going to, I am going, I am, I ... am going to write Chapter 8.

See y'all in a week or so ...

Gone to write Chapter 8 ...

Gillian

Saturday 8 January 2011

Write - Invite

Take a look at this for a great fun idea ~ Short Story competiton with an unusual style ...

The basic idea seems to be this:

Most Saturdays, around 5.30, click on to Write Invite [see below]. There you'll find a choice of themes. Enter the compeititon, pay £4 [through paypal] Write for 20 minutes. Chance to win £50.

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.write-invite.com%2F&h=c2348

Have a go. Easy to register. Fun to do. See you there ...

Gillian

Sunday 2 January 2011

To Kindle or not to Kindle ? ...

Okay, so I might be a bit late on the band-wagon, but I've got a Kindle at last !!

After researching ebooks v paperback and writing an article for a Blackpool Arts Festival newspaper, I was amazed to find how many readers enjoyed not only the tactile effect of a paperback, but the smell, I began to wonder how I would cope with a Kindle. I ended up with my vote for the paperback which was really unfair as I had only toyed with an ipad for a few days and only seen a smaller reader like the Kindle over someone's shoulder at an airport.

I received one for Christmas, thanks to hubby and so far, managed very nicely thankyou. I played around with the font sizes and downloaded a book [£7.99!], 'The Road to Wigan Pier', by George Orwell. I apologise for not knowing his real name, Eric Arthur Blair. I know my memory's not brilliant but as an English student, fairly ashamed I didn't even know this fact !

Back to the Kindle:
It's easier to handle than I had expected ~ Easier to hold ~ Needs only one hand ~ It's like holding one side of a book, so you don't have to prop the other side open.
The screen appears to have a matt finish with a texture which looks like paper ~ reminds me of the fire effect on a TV monitor in a pub - but better.

Changing the size of the font is handy ~ especially if you're tired.

Yet it feels strange to not have a page number up on the screen [probably due to chosen font size?] and also, I can't gauge where the next chapter is.

I could however take a dozen books on tour with me ~ and only carry the weight of the Kindle and charger. That's a bonus. Now I need to find somewhere to go ...

All in all, I do enjoy using the Kindle ... But don't feel left out, I love you paperbacks just as much as ever, I always will.

Gillian

Six Months to read a book ...

Yes, it's true, the holiday chicky-litty, light-hearted, fun, easy-to-read, no pressure, rom-com I chose to read whilst away for a few days in the sun last summer, has just been binned. I couldn't possibly pass it on to anyone else to read. Giving anyone a pile of trivia with an interest level of minus 1 to a reader or non-reader just wouldn't be fair.

As a follow up to the The Devil Wears Prada, Last Night at Chateau Marmont by Lauren Weisberger was one of the most boring reads I have ever undertaken. With every movement and utterance expressed the the nth degree, I wondered how I ever managed a routine day without logging my every movement and comment. I know I'm sounding harsh - but has anyone ever asked for their money back when they've endured a poor read? I often wonder where do the trading standards stand on this? After all, the blurb does promise 'dining at the glitziest restaurants, attending the most outrageious parties ... jetting off the the trendiest hotspots.' I suppose a book is like a hair-doo / cut - we just cringe, accept it in public ~ and complain later.

Having had my moan - I have to say that I can completely see the novel on the screen. The heartbreak, the eccentric in-laws, the rock-stardom and the romantic re-union. Sadly, Ms Weisberger didn't manage to create a realistic heartbreak, the in-laws were gaudy but boring and the rising rock star, Julian, lacked charisma, energy, musicality, sex-appeal, any kind of power or pzazz ... in fact, totally rock-star-less. As for the sorry to repeat it again, boring, what was her name, oh yes, Brooke [nick-named Rook or Rooky by the un-romantic Julian], the text was virtually faint for most of the time. Come to think of it, I still don't know what Brook/Rook/Rooky looks like and I sure find her name irritating.

It makes me think ~ I could have easily written something like that. Ok, I hear you say ... Get on with it. Point taken. I do beleive there's always something to learn from every experience in life - and plenty to learn here. This story is so simple. And people are buying it [even if it is on the back of The Devil Wears Prada]. The husband becomes famous. The wife is left behind. They make up in the end. There aren't too many characters. The one main girl-friend appears at the most obvious times. We know what's going to happen next [Something to learn NOT to do]. No real surprises [Something else to learn NOT to do]. It's easy when I think about it. Just follow the basic plan. Simplify my story, delete some characters, save them for the follow up novel, in fact, save them for the next 2 novels. So why am I wasting time talking about someone else's novel instead of getting on with mine?

Point taken. Off to write the beginning of chapter 8 ...

And maybe next time I'm looking for a holiday chicky-litty, light-hearted, fun, easy-to-read, no pressure rom com type novel, I'll try something more intentional ~ something from my long reading list or even just go to see a film ...

Thoroughly inspired to get writing now I've got that off my chest ...

Gillian