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How quiet is your voice? Who hears your writing? I read somewhere the other day that if you put a male butterfly in a box with a big, colourful fake butterfly and a little real female, it will go for the big fake butterfly every single time. Looking at the shelves in the bookstore today, the Christmas Celeb biographies and novelty books I thought again about that big, bold fake butterfly. I've done my bit for the industry - everyone is getting books this year. If you've been feeling a bit like the real thing, quietly flapping your wings in the corner to no avail this is a good time of year to take stock and think what you are going to do next year.
I had one of those conversations yesterday that suddenly pulls everything into focus. My lovely little (she comes up to my waist) 92 year old grandmother was reeling with shock. You know that brilliant line in 'As Good As It Gets' where the art dealer tells Jack Nicholson 'My Grandmother has more Attitude than you!' - well mine has Attitude with a capital A. She still lives - alone - in a remote nunnery with my grandfather's shotgun under the bed. Yesterday for the first time she sounded old. A dear friend of hers suddenly died on the way to pick her up for church. Heart attack. 'She was only young,' Mamgu said faintly (she was 74). It made all my recent worries seem ... insignificant.
People either love or hate American Beauty - I thought it was great and sought out this video clip last night. Dancing carrier bags are my kind of thing. If Christmas does nothing else this year, may it give us all a chance to take stock and appreciate how fleeting this all is and how lucky we are.
Anyone who needs cheering up drop me an email - 'Kate's Calendar' is going down rather well with certain ladies who read this blog. Your free copy could be winging its way via email to you tonight ... x
TODAY'S PROMPT: Have you ever written a book for your children? Depending on their age, or the age of your nieces and nephews, godchildren or little friends - there is nothing like having a book in which you are the main character. They will love it - and who knows it could be the next Alice in Wonderland.
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13 comments:
That was the theme of Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang. The adventure in Vulgaria was a story told by Caractacus Potts to his children. I think you would be the perfect Truly Scrumptious, Kate.
I can recommend Kate's calendar....guaranteed to banish the winter blues!! And put the lead in your lady pencil
I wrote a kids 'book' with my daughter just for fun about a butterfly she had just hatched from a chrysalis - it was the butterfly's adventure around the world, she did the pictures. It was pretty cute.
First of all, you rock! Second, you rock! I mean that calendar did things for me ...well, Santa would blush hahahaa..thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are brilliant.
I love American Beauty...I really, really do. I thought it was incredibly well done. And I needed this little boost of inspiration as I doubted myself yet again. I needed to remember that life is fragile and short and living my dreams - whether I succeed or fail - is the only thing to do. Without dreams, we have nothing. I'm off to dream good thoughts
Hey ho, Mr B! One of my favourites (though the childcatcher v scary). Thank you - will do my best to be as scrumptious 'as the breeze across the bay' in 2009 x
Emma - 'lead in your lady pencil' LOL!! I may have to fiddle with the calendar to add that tagline ... x
Natasha - I'm sure Santa has seen it all before :) 'Without dreams we have nothing' - here's to working and making them real in 2009 x
At risk of sounding foolish, or crossing invisible and unapproachable gender lines, may I ask about THE calendar? Is it something which could be passed to The Missus, say? if I promise not to look at it?
American Beauty a favorite; that year's Oscar going to Hillary Swank instead of Annette Bening was absurd. (What the heck was HS even DOING in the SUPPORTING actress category for Boys Don't Cry?!?)
Mentioned the other day a book of Christmas memories I wrote some years back. That one is "for" my nephews and niece as much as it's for the rest of my family (who actually lived it with me). I hope that in their eyes, right after a book in which they themselves are the main characters would be a book in which their mothers, uncles, and grandparents are onstage the whole time.
John not at all foolish - the look of sheer horror on the face of the pilot this evening (he's just back from his Rovanimi Santa trips) when I said we girls had come up with the writer's equivalent of the Pirelli calendar ...
I'll email one to you with love to the Missus (it will need some stapling/ribboning at your end :) I loved your Christmas excerpt (esp the malevolant Christmas wreath ... I was imagining something quite Stephen King!) x
I too went a little 'peculiar' when looking at the calendar! Thank you very much Kate for this treat.
I have American Beauty on video. I think I should watch it again, sometime soon.
Sx
When I used to write, the stories I tried to get published were children's books. I have a maunscript "When Granma Nancy come to Hawaii" based on my mom's trip here to see her grandchildren. It was held twice for 6 months, with nothing ever happening. i eventually felt like writing was keeping me away from living and that the words I put to paper fell into a big black hole.
American Beauty and the dancing carrier bags scene are favorites of mine too.
I haven't written a story for my kiddo, but I've gotten him to dictate one.
As for who hears my writing? I'm not sure I can answer.
I once had a an oral story going on (and on and on . . .) with my daughter when she was around nine or ten. It lasted over a year. I was divorced from her mother; she spent every other weekend with me. To spice up the drive back home to her mom on Sunday evenings - she lived over an hour away - I told her a continuing story that would pick up where it left off the previous Sunday. She told me later – she’s now 26 – that she looked so forward to our car/story séances, that it made up for the sadness of our weekend being over. She says that I ought to write it – The Golden Seed - out and try to publish it, which has crossed my mind now and then. Well, at least one ‘reader’ enjoyed it. The problem is that I’d also like to illustrate it; where am I going to find the time to do ten or fifteen illustrations? I have down some preliminary sketches, so who knows .
A funny aside – to enable me to remember all the characters’ names, I stole freely from popular literature and my own past; Gandalf, names of former girl-friends and pets, etc. When my daughter got a little bit older she started reading (or hearing about) these same names and I was busted. So I’d have to do a bit of name-changing if I were to ever try and go public with it . . .
I'm intrigued by all the comments on your calendar. How would one take a look? I DO need a pick-me-up...
I love telling my kids stories. Sometimes we all tell them together, one picking up where another left - much like the "Burning Lines" blog.
Merry Christmas to you and I hope 2009 proves to be a great one for you!
As for your question about writing a story for your children, that is exactly what I am doing now. My WIP is for them but is not a childrens story.
Scarlet - may the first of each month be a special treat in 09! x
Pseudo - 'like writing was keeping me away from living ...' I know what you mean. It's agony ... tempting to give up, but if you have succeeded in writing a tale that your family will cherish that's a success in itself. Happy Christmas!
Son - this tale needs to be written! Your daughter would love it (and your little guy!) Happy Christmas to you and yours!
Mary - one pick-you-up in your stocking! (well inbox)! Happy Christmas!
Sarah - Happy Christmas! Would love to hear more about your story.
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