February Sunshine

Here in Hampshire it has been a lovely sunny weekend with morning hard frosts and glorious star filled nights drifting into warm bright sunshine. Snowdrops, early primroses and daffodils. A taste of spring.

The early salads have germinated in the unheated greenhouse [ which reached 19C yesterday according to the greenhouse thermometer] and the first of the Spring insect life has emerged in my garden.

Red Admiral and Brimstone butterflys. A bumble bee - probably a queen from overwinter.

I can only hope they survive on the few flowering plants and early ornamental cherry blossom.

Of course once you are in the garden you start to notice the huge amount of clearing and clipping that needs to be done before the real Spring push starts. And did I mention the ground Elder?

I am always amazed the difference a little sunshine can make to the world- both external, and internal? We are stoking the fires of new energy and drive.

Jazzed up about YOUR work yet?

An Overnight success

David Baldacci has created some fantastic thrillers over the years - although my favourite is still 'Absolute Power' - but I came across this article in the New Statesman which reflects his humility, and amazement at the way fiction writers are perceived.

http://www.newstatesman.com/199905100048

'Most sane people don't believe they can play basketball like Michael Jordan or wear the Yankees' pinstripes like Babe Ruth did, or paint like da Vinci or Pollock, or sing like Kathleen Battle or Celine Dion, or act like Olivier or De Niro. Yet most people, sane or mad, believe they can write fiction. Writing is probably the one creative endeavour that everyone believes they could do, if they just had the time.'

Very apt considering the recent press on Category Romance.

What's Playing on my YouTube at the moment? Madeleine Peyroux -I'm all right. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=YfJrwLJJp3A&feature=PlayList&p=10960FB742FA50ED&index=40

Random acts of non-writing. Monday

Just in case I become bored, working through my huge File of Cunning Ideas, I could always try this...



HOW TO MAKE A DICTIONARY WALL

Methinks some folks have WAY too much spare time on their hands.

Now old movie posters- or Maps. THAT I can understand.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/how-to/how-to-make-a-dictionary-etc-wall-040423

The One Song

'And, of course, that is what all of this is - all of this: the one song, ever changing, ever reincarnated, that speaks somehow from and to and for that which is ineffable within us and without us, that is both prayer and deliverance, folly and wisdom, that inspires us to dance or smile or simply to go on, senselessly, incomprehensibly, beatifically, in the face of mortality and the truth that our lives are more ill-writ, ill-rhymed and fleeting than any song, except perhaps those songs - that song, endlesly reincarnated - born of that truth, be it the moon and June of that truth, or the wordless blue moan, or the rotgut or the elegant poetry of it.
That nameless black-hulled ship of Ulysses, that long black train, that Terraplane, that mystery train, that Rocket '88', that Buick 6 - same journey, same miracle, same end and endlessness."--





Nick Tosches, Where Dead Voices Gather

[And I thought I wrote long sentences.]

Distractions

The Lutener household has several compost bins which benefit from the large quantities of veggie peelings and shredded paper which we generate in a week.

Last week, one of these bins had a tunnel in it. A round tunnel. At an angle.

Result:

1. A humane rodent catcher cage. Bait goes inside cage and door locks behind critter.

2. Cold night Thursday. Compost bin tunnel destroyed. Cage baited with dry cure bacon.

3. Yesterday morning. Live rat in cage.

At this point Mr Ray-Anne has to go to London so Ray-Anne given responsibility for regular checking of long, sleek, not-too-happy, rat which is trying to gnaw it's way out of cage.

IT IS A BIG RAT.

4. Cage loaded into plastic storage box with lid. Box loaded into car boot.

5. Car driven to local woodland a few miles away. Box out. Cage out.

6. 3 attempts to open fancy secure latch on cage with thick gardening gloves before door open.

7. rodent leaps and bounds into forest.

8. Realisation that rodent probably has a family group nearby and we shall have to do the whole thing again. Several times.

Distractions.

Hibernation

This is the fireplace in my living room.

It comes complete with a sofa, and a coffee table straining to hold up the To Be Read Pile.

All I have to do is nip outside for more coal and logs now and then.

Tea and mince pies are optional extras.

Signing off now until after the holiday.

I hope you have everything you wish for. Health and happiness. Love and laughter.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blatherings. Ray-Anne

What's playing on my YouTube right now? Darren Hayes. 'Words' http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1bXPuyAESG0&feature=PlayList&p=AD563AB40FF75834&index=1&playnext=2&playnext_from=PL

Multi-Media Options

Because Santa is so busy, Mr Ray-Anne has my new Darren Hayes CD to wrap. I have his 5 disc [ yes, I did say 5] special edition Bladerunner DVD set. There are probably 10 films and shows recorded from the TV waiting to be watched. Plus DVDs of the latest blockbusters from Amazon.

The TV guide for the holidays is sitting on the breakfast table and we idly flick through and circle a few things. For every day. Including some most excellent BBC radio programmes.

The local Cinema is showing 'Enchanted.'

I was struck this morning by how much technology has changed the way we celebrate the Christmas holiday and approach our leisure time - in our culture at least.

Cable Tv. DVDs. Cds. Radio. Video. Home Cinema. Big Screen out with the popcorn sitting with other people cinema. The theatre. Live concerts. Your local Pantomime.

Is anyone besides myself exhausted yet?

I can imagine folks arguing about what, when, how it can all be fitted in. Then cross words when they miss it, or, perish the thought, someone wants to watch the other channel!

Except of course, you probably have more than one TV, and the children watch their own progs and talk to their friends on cell phones in their own rooms. Away from the family who are so BORING.

They might have a point.

No YouTube today. In the spirit of this post, I am going to work away from the PC and study story structure.

My WIP is at what I call the 'Reasonable' Draft Stage. 52k. 12 chapters. Now it's time to challenge myself and my characters. Time to dig even deeper.

Miner's helmet on. Ice axe in hand. I'm going in.

Petition

Literacy is everything.

The Times newspaper here in the UK had a report yesterday on the petition handed into our Prime Minister at No 10 Downing Street pleading for more government action on helping our children to read before they leave school.

How is it that some British children cannot read before they are sent to High School? Or, worse, they leave school and face the adult world not able to function with the written word which dominates it.

I cannot imagine NOT being able to read the label on a tin of food, or the gas bill, or being embarrassed to fill in a job application or operate a computer, or write a Christmas card. It is something else I simply take for granted.

As for the cultural and educational impact? Horrific.

Well shame on me.

The petition was signed by more than 500 well known authors, including many familiar names from the world of Romance Fiction such as: Joanna Trollope, Katie Fforde, Sophie Kinsella, Rosamunde Pilcher, Adele Parks, Marion Keyes, Fiona Loakes and Michelle Styles.

The full article is here: http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article3050957.ece

and the campaign continues here:

http://www.channel4.com/culture/microsites/L/lost_for_words/aim.html

Let's hope that the momentum continues.

No YouTube at the moment. My Sunday morning treat - Radio 4. Desert Island Discs. Paul Weller today.

And where do you get your story ideas from?

Business Opportunity - Ghostwriter.*

___________________________________________

"Very busy executive would like to hire a writer to send emails on his behalf on personal dating websites. And do a few emails back and forth to get the ball rolling.
This person needs to know how to write in a masculine, but romantic way and at the same time create a challenge for the reader of the emails."

_______________________________________

Wow. SHADES OF CYRANO DE BERGERAC?

Does it surprise you that this ad appeared in Los Angeles?

What is that rushing noise?

Ray-Anne working on a story idea while HER brain engine turns over the possible implications of that one.

Now. What kind of heroine would apply for the job?

Then of course fall for this executive who is too busy to write his own letters to prospective dates.

I can already hink of a couple of scenarios where this situation could be worked up - can't you?

I love this. And who said that truth is stranger than fiction.

Now excuse me while I print this one out for my ideas file. I may even use it.

Unless of course you do first. Except there are so many others like this out there that you would never get around to writing them all.

So, next time someone asks where you get your ideas from - you can tell them, the job ads.

*This was listed on craigslist http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wri/ , which lists all kinds of creative writing and other jobs by city, and quoted by the most excellent Jurgen Wolff http://www.timetowrite.blogs.com/

What's playing on my YouTube right now? West Wing to Quando, Quando, Quando. Classic. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=QWgVi3GU01c

Medical Romance

Did anyone listen to the ‘TODAY’ programme this morning?

I only caught a snip on the way back from food shopping and was stunned to hear that a consultant psychiatrist from Dublin has been analysing novels with a medical romance theme and had written to ‘The Lancet’ – a well respected medical journal in the UK – with his findings.

My interest was piqued.
What gems had this medical professional uncovered in his scientific investigation to make it worthy of a slot on the BBC premium morning News Programme?

For your education and delight. Here are some SELECTED highlights from the letter by Dr Brendan Kelly from The Lancet 2007; 370:1482 [who of course own the copyright to the full text – but the article is available free of charge online to all who want to read it -*]


Medical romance
Brendan D Kelly at the Department of Adult Psychiatry, University College Dublin,

In recent decades, medical romance has emerged as a substantial subgenre within romance fiction and, to explore this area further, I studied 20 randomly selected medical romance novels.

All novels contained heterosexual romantic plots in which both protagonists were involved in medical work.

Most were set in primary care or emergency medicine settings (seven each), including emergency medicine departments (five) and airborne medical teams (two). The remainder were set in general hospitals (three) and maternity settings (three).

All central male protagonists were doctors who worked in emergency medicine (six), primary care (six), surgery (five), obstetrics/neonatology (two), or paediatrics (one). 11 central female protagonists were doctors who worked in primary care, obstetrics/neonatology, training or residency programmes, surgery, anaesthesiology, or emergency medicine.

The nine other female protagonists consisted of eight nurses and one paramedic. The most common pairing was male doctor with female doctor (11), followed by male doctor with female nurse (eight).
There was a marked preponderance of brilliant, tall, muscular, male doctors with chiselled features, working in emergency medicine; they were commonly of Mediterranean origin and had personal tragedies in their pasts.

Female doctors and nurses tended to be skilled, beautiful, and determined, but still compassionate; many had overcome substantial personal and professional obstacles in their lives. Protagonists of both sexes had frequently neglected their personal lives to care better for their patients, many of whom had life-threatening illnesses from which they nonetheless managed to recover.
These novels draw attention to the romantic possibilities of primary care settings and the apparent inevitability of uncontrolled passions in the context of emergency medicine, especially as practised on aeroplanes. These novels suggest that there is an urgent need to include instruction in the arts of romance in training programmes for doctors and nurses who intend working in these settings

*http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673607616316/fulltext

Any volunteers to provide instruction?
You have to laugh.

What's playing on my YouTube right now? The West Wing to Rod Stewart http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=BuepGZeqvC4&feature=PlayList&p=4F1D642A6F9D7B46&index=41

Disappointment

Mini Rant

Yesterday afternoon I actually, truly, in person, threw a paperback across the room at the wall.

I hate being a cliché, but there was nothing else to be done.

I was lying on the sofa at the time and it was not worth my time standing up and gently lowering the collection of pressed cellulose fibre sheets with ink scratchings, into the bag of other unloved items intended for the charity shop.
Fortunately I was alone when the book went flying.

Reason for ranting?

I bought this contemporary romance for cash money.

I spent time trying to read it late at night. And then I gave it a second chance.

It was published in 2007. It was written by a writer I had heard of, and it was from a line and publisher I may submit to one of these days.

And it was Dreck.

It was so Dreckky that I actually had to flip through the pages to make sure that I had not missed any good bits.
Nope. It was completely Dreck. From first to last page.

That is to say, it was Dreck as I define Dreck by MY standards and expectations.
And there lies the rub of course.

The author who spent months of her life writing the words, the editor who bought it, the publisher and cover artist and marketing etc etc did not think it was Dreck.
And they certainly could not have expected their readers to think it was Dreck.
So.
Is it just me? As a reader?

As a writer – I know that what I should do now, of course, is to analyse PRECISELY why it was Dreck.
What was so wrong with it that I had to force myself to scan read the last third?
Maybe I should try to rewrite, say, the first scene, as a writing exercise, so that I can use the precious time I spent trying to read the [thing which was not worthy of being called fiction] as a learning opportunity?

But I already know the answer.

Because it hit me like a large rock to the head when I read Chapter One.
The Premise, the ‘Story Idea’ which started off the story, and brought the hero to the heroine’s door, was not believable. Or even plausible. I did not, could not, believe the reason why the couple got together.

Not for one second.

Now, I know that sometimes you can get away with contrived situations if the characters are interesting. Nope. Both of them were TSTlive.

And that pulled me out of the story, away from any sympathy or empathy with the characters, and, frankly, I was bored. And there are plenty of others in my TBR pile.
If I ever have any doubt about how important that intial set-up is, I know better now.

Of course there were other things which were wrong. He spent a lot of time cooking for her - and the cooking times and ingredients, etc. were so wrong it was silly.

Only it was not meant to be silly.

And yet again, these ridiculous details pulled me out of the 'story'.

I should not be thinking.. you BOILED IT? FOR HOW LONG?

Another reader may love that storyline, and the characters. I hope they do. Because my copy is now headed to the charity shop.

Has this ever happened to you?

What's playing on my YouTube right now? Mr Richard Armitage - North and South, with the fantastic lyrics of 'In the Deep' , which is intended to restore my faith.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=DnJLgyonhNA

Big Brother

The Washington Post carried this article yesterday:

'The U.S. government is collecting electronic records on the travel habits of millions of Americans who fly, drive or take cruises abroad, retaining data on the persons with whom they travel or plan to stay, the personal items they carry during their journeys, and even the books that travelers have carried, according to documents obtained by a group of civil liberties advocates and statements by government officials.'

My blog is not for political comment. But this ....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/21/AR2007092102347.html