Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin ...
Happy Halloween boys and girls - the little ones are togged up as a pumpkin and a vampire skeleton, and we're off trick or treating. In England, Halloween has only really taken off in the last couple of years - when I was small you were hard pushed to find a single pumpkin in Devon. How do you feel about it all? Is it an excuse for a party or do you feel uncomfortable with the whole thing for religious and/or moral reasons? Strange things happen at this time of the year. I never thought I'd write these words, especially having laughed at Little Britain's spoof of her for so long (see the post before last): Dame Barbara Cartland has inspired me. Well not her exactly, but the BBC4 docudrama of her life. Take heart all ye writers who fear global recession is the death knell for your publishing prospects, BC has spoken:
'In times of strife people need happiness and hope.'
Normally the sighthound only rouses herself from the sofa to lunge at wild cats and other dogs on the TV, but she made an exception for Dame Barbara. Every time the actress came on screen she leapt to her feet huffing and wuffing, practically knocking the screen over at one point when the woman was wearing a huge feathered hat. The lady is something of an institution in the UK - fifteen books a year. Count them. Fifteen. Over one a month. How? Narrating to a team of secretaries from a chaise longue certainly helps with your stamina but it is still impressive. These days a book a year is good going for commercial authors. I've never read one, but millions have. Have you? Perhaps having dismissed M&B it's time to step outside my comfort zone and give BC a whirl.
By now those of you who have been good enough to read the posts regularly have an idea of where I'm coming from. Misssy kindly referred to me recently as the 'windswept jazz loving authoress' - perhaps a new tag line? However as much as I love fresh air and great music (fnaa) - I have always adhered to the idea that once in a while it is a great idea to push your comfort zone. While I dislike tacky - I love kitsch. (As if you couldn't tell from the 'Werewolves in London' track accompanying this - if it sounds oddly like Kid Rock, this came first). If you embrace places like Vegas or Blackpool with an open mind they can be terrific fun. I was arrested by the Hare Krishna 'Smile Police' in Waikiki (for wearing black and just looking too - well - London/jet lagged), and cleaned up on the slots at the Luxor in Vegas, (so we blew it on a room at the top of the pyramid with a purple hot tub in the bedroom that overlooked the Strip) - both experiences never to be forgotten. Don't even get me started on Blackpool - 'Kiss Me Quick' hats, the illuminations, Jess Conrad as Joseph and the majesty of the organ rising out of the pit in the Tower Ballroom as old couples waltzed gracefully round and round beneath the mirror ball. Under normal circumstances you wouldn't catch me dead in any of these places, but as you travel pushing your comfort zone, and being able to find something wonderful in the places you end up will keep your eyes and ears open - and may just give you the key to your next piece of work.
'In times of strife people need happiness and hope.'
Normally the sighthound only rouses herself from the sofa to lunge at wild cats and other dogs on the TV, but she made an exception for Dame Barbara. Every time the actress came on screen she leapt to her feet huffing and wuffing, practically knocking the screen over at one point when the woman was wearing a huge feathered hat. The lady is something of an institution in the UK - fifteen books a year. Count them. Fifteen. Over one a month. How? Narrating to a team of secretaries from a chaise longue certainly helps with your stamina but it is still impressive. These days a book a year is good going for commercial authors. I've never read one, but millions have. Have you? Perhaps having dismissed M&B it's time to step outside my comfort zone and give BC a whirl.
By now those of you who have been good enough to read the posts regularly have an idea of where I'm coming from. Misssy kindly referred to me recently as the 'windswept jazz loving authoress' - perhaps a new tag line? However as much as I love fresh air and great music (fnaa) - I have always adhered to the idea that once in a while it is a great idea to push your comfort zone. While I dislike tacky - I love kitsch. (As if you couldn't tell from the 'Werewolves in London' track accompanying this - if it sounds oddly like Kid Rock, this came first). If you embrace places like Vegas or Blackpool with an open mind they can be terrific fun. I was arrested by the Hare Krishna 'Smile Police' in Waikiki (for wearing black and just looking too - well - London/jet lagged), and cleaned up on the slots at the Luxor in Vegas, (so we blew it on a room at the top of the pyramid with a purple hot tub in the bedroom that overlooked the Strip) - both experiences never to be forgotten. Don't even get me started on Blackpool - 'Kiss Me Quick' hats, the illuminations, Jess Conrad as Joseph and the majesty of the organ rising out of the pit in the Tower Ballroom as old couples waltzed gracefully round and round beneath the mirror ball. Under normal circumstances you wouldn't catch me dead in any of these places, but as you travel pushing your comfort zone, and being able to find something wonderful in the places you end up will keep your eyes and ears open - and may just give you the key to your next piece of work.
TODAY'S PROMPT: How are you feeling tonight? Comfortable ... or a little nervous? I am feeling unsettled but it has nothing to do with Halloween or Werewolves in London. Dame Bab's battle cry inspired me to sign up for NaNoWriMo for the first time (bites knuckles). Writers, your countries need you! Have any of you done NaNoWriMo? Are any of you going for it this year? If any of you have tips or comments to share with those of us seriously pushing our comfort zone (a novel in a month? how many words a day?) ... you know where to click.
