Amazing Dialogue ...
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=479934107975
posted by Ron Deering
Gillian
Wednesday, 16 February 2011
World Book Night ...
Yippee ... I have been selected to give out 50 of the free books for World Book Night.
World Book Night: 5th March 2011
It’s a little over two weeks before the big night and things are gathering momentum at an exhilarating pace. All 1,000,000 of the books have now been printed by Clays and are ready for distribution. Literally hundreds of events are taking place across the UK and Ireland with libraries and bookshops staying open late so that givers, authors and members of the public can celebrate WBN together.
The World Book Night Team
I've chosen 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time' and have a place in mind to deliver some of the books, where I hope a number of people would really enjoy receiving and reading this title.
More tomorrow ... Just found myself asleep, wedged upright between desk and laptop, with fingers pressing the 'z' button.
Gillian
World Book Night: 5th March 2011
It’s a little over two weeks before the big night and things are gathering momentum at an exhilarating pace. All 1,000,000 of the books have now been printed by Clays and are ready for distribution. Literally hundreds of events are taking place across the UK and Ireland with libraries and bookshops staying open late so that givers, authors and members of the public can celebrate WBN together.
The World Book Night Team
I've chosen 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time' and have a place in mind to deliver some of the books, where I hope a number of people would really enjoy receiving and reading this title.
More tomorrow ... Just found myself asleep, wedged upright between desk and laptop, with fingers pressing the 'z' button.
Gillian
Monday, 14 February 2011
I So Love This Book ...
Carol Ann Duffy ... The World's Wife
A Wonderful collection of easy access tales about women ususally excluded from myth and history. Powerful, funny, entertaining, thought provoking.
Choose from: Mrs Midas, Anne Hathaway, Medussa, The Kray Sisters, Mrs Aesop, Queen Kong ... or just read them all !
Our Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, was born in Glasgow in 1955 and grew up in Stafford. She attended Liverpool Uni, receiving a degree in Philosophy.
Sunday, 13 February 2011
White Paper, The Short Story and Buying Ebooks on line ...
How far has the short story come?
Some years ago, during my MA studies at Lancaster, when the Short Story seemed to regarded as the under-dog and maybe even worse, the weak novel writer's first attempt, I remember attending a Short Story [University based] Conference, full of somewhat depressing [although well done] White Papers on the non-future of the then ailing Short Story. Whilst a few lecturers and writers hailed the Short Story, including AL Kennedy, who presented highly enthusiastic ideas for writing them, were supporting the cause, I felt only gloom then doom for the Short Story. I felt like a member of a secret society, almost ashamed that I was interested in the possibility of writing short stores or fast fiction as some writers might prefer to call them now. The only possibity for publication included small-time magazines and competitions. Publishers just weren't interested in turning out volumes of short stories. The novel reigned.
But hey, since the shock of the Credit Crunch, sending us into a dark place, the Short Story seems to have pulsed through somehow, lightening the load in our speedy lives, offering us the opportunity to fit in some catch-up reading between travel, work, limited leisure time.
And how? Clearly, the development of E book technology. I admit, I'm not TV/ DVD /IPOD techny; I have an MP3 player which remains in its cellophane packaging but I do have a Kindle ~ and it's got to be the easiest techno unit to operate. Even my mother could use one !
I refer to my Kindle [as writers, we know we have to write about ... what we know] but obviously, include ipad and any type of e-book technology, when I say that a whole new interactive experience has been created for the reader. We can change font size, type, page size. For me personally, struggling with a mild form of dyslexia, the clear format [possibly the darkened screen helps too], means I can read faster and therefore hold my concentration for longer. I can shorten the pages so I'm not overfaced by too much text on one page. When I turn the gadget on, my page waits for me. I can highlight and add notes from the text - so no pen and paper or laptop required. It's lightweight ~ no more lugging the weight of a paperback around with you or paying extra on holiday baggage allowance.
According to Cathy Galvin's findings [Sunday Times 30 Jan 2011], 'Within the first 80 days of going on sale, the iPad sold 3m world wide and sales boomed on the iBookstore.' Galvin states: 'Google has announced plans to launch an ebook store, Google Editions, allowing independant publishers to sell their catalogues for the first time.' I checked out Google Editions ~ which seems to be promised internationally but only to be available in USA at the moment. It looks like Google will allow readers free downloads and an 80% charge for ebook download to e-readers. Take a look at this article for an update:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/8176509/Google-to-launch-Google-Editions-ebook-store.html
Short story writers have much to gain ~ Where a novel might sell single thousands of copies, the short story sold for e-book publications might sell many times that [no printing / distribution costs either]. The industry are expecting sales to treble by 2105. It's great to see an opportunity for the Short Story writer at last. And I can't wait to upload / shuffle / read ... E-technology is bringing the Short Story to life at last.
* Search under 'Fast Fiction' at e-retailers or maybe Amazon iBookstore.
* Costs around 99p - £1.99
Enjoy, Gillian
Some years ago, during my MA studies at Lancaster, when the Short Story seemed to regarded as the under-dog and maybe even worse, the weak novel writer's first attempt, I remember attending a Short Story [University based] Conference, full of somewhat depressing [although well done] White Papers on the non-future of the then ailing Short Story. Whilst a few lecturers and writers hailed the Short Story, including AL Kennedy, who presented highly enthusiastic ideas for writing them, were supporting the cause, I felt only gloom then doom for the Short Story. I felt like a member of a secret society, almost ashamed that I was interested in the possibility of writing short stores or fast fiction as some writers might prefer to call them now. The only possibity for publication included small-time magazines and competitions. Publishers just weren't interested in turning out volumes of short stories. The novel reigned.
But hey, since the shock of the Credit Crunch, sending us into a dark place, the Short Story seems to have pulsed through somehow, lightening the load in our speedy lives, offering us the opportunity to fit in some catch-up reading between travel, work, limited leisure time.
And how? Clearly, the development of E book technology. I admit, I'm not TV/ DVD /IPOD techny; I have an MP3 player which remains in its cellophane packaging but I do have a Kindle ~ and it's got to be the easiest techno unit to operate. Even my mother could use one !
I refer to my Kindle [as writers, we know we have to write about ... what we know] but obviously, include ipad and any type of e-book technology, when I say that a whole new interactive experience has been created for the reader. We can change font size, type, page size. For me personally, struggling with a mild form of dyslexia, the clear format [possibly the darkened screen helps too], means I can read faster and therefore hold my concentration for longer. I can shorten the pages so I'm not overfaced by too much text on one page. When I turn the gadget on, my page waits for me. I can highlight and add notes from the text - so no pen and paper or laptop required. It's lightweight ~ no more lugging the weight of a paperback around with you or paying extra on holiday baggage allowance.
According to Cathy Galvin's findings [Sunday Times 30 Jan 2011], 'Within the first 80 days of going on sale, the iPad sold 3m world wide and sales boomed on the iBookstore.' Galvin states: 'Google has announced plans to launch an ebook store, Google Editions, allowing independant publishers to sell their catalogues for the first time.' I checked out Google Editions ~ which seems to be promised internationally but only to be available in USA at the moment. It looks like Google will allow readers free downloads and an 80% charge for ebook download to e-readers. Take a look at this article for an update:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/8176509/Google-to-launch-Google-Editions-ebook-store.html
Short story writers have much to gain ~ Where a novel might sell single thousands of copies, the short story sold for e-book publications might sell many times that [no printing / distribution costs either]. The industry are expecting sales to treble by 2105. It's great to see an opportunity for the Short Story writer at last. And I can't wait to upload / shuffle / read ... E-technology is bringing the Short Story to life at last.
* Search under 'Fast Fiction' at e-retailers or maybe Amazon iBookstore.
* Costs around 99p - £1.99
Enjoy, Gillian
Friday, 11 February 2011
Mills and Boon
Whilst in London the other day, happening to be in Selfridges, I couldn't help noticing a 'pop-up shop' by Mills and Boon ~ all shiny and colourful in their new coats [okay - sleeves]...
Sorry, forgot to take a photo - but you can see the display at:
http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/fashion/514563/mills-and-boon-pop-up-at-selfridges.html
'The Together Shop' features the newest range of Mills and Boon romances, as well as a limited selection of rare first edition titles from 1930s archives ...' Marieclaire.
It's like vintage fashion but for reading ... I dare you to read one .
Gillian
Sorry, forgot to take a photo - but you can see the display at:
http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/fashion/514563/mills-and-boon-pop-up-at-selfridges.html
'The Together Shop' features the newest range of Mills and Boon romances, as well as a limited selection of rare first edition titles from 1930s archives ...' Marieclaire.
It's like vintage fashion but for reading ... I dare you to read one .
Gillian
Friday, 4 February 2011
The Gift ...
I was sooo lucky at Christmas, spoiled rotten by my daughter ... amongst my many thoughtful and fun gifts, was this ...
The Gift, by our very own Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, is the story of a girl's journey through life, and the desires that shape it. Beautifully illustrated and created by London artist/lasercut artist, Rob Ryan [ http://www.misterrob.co.uk/ Shop: 126 Columbia Road London] ...
A pure Gift.
Gillian
Gillian
Facelifts ...
Character, Conflict, Complication, Point of View, Setting, Monotony ... Monotony ?
Give your [short] story a Facelift:
As advised by Margaret Wilkinson ...
'Don’t abandon your short story just because it’s been rejected a few times. If the idea was enough to inspire you in the first place, chances are it has the potential to inspire an editor or competition judge too. Perhaps all it needs is a bit of a makeover? If so, here are a few tried and tested tweaks to try.'
http://www.mslexia.co.uk/magazine/workshops/workshop_scomp11.php
Check out her tips, see if they motivate you to tweak that story ...
Gillian
Give your [short] story a Facelift:
As advised by Margaret Wilkinson ...
'Don’t abandon your short story just because it’s been rejected a few times. If the idea was enough to inspire you in the first place, chances are it has the potential to inspire an editor or competition judge too. Perhaps all it needs is a bit of a makeover? If so, here are a few tried and tested tweaks to try.'
http://www.mslexia.co.uk/magazine/workshops/workshop_scomp11.php
Check out her tips, see if they motivate you to tweak that story ...
Gillian
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.
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
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
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