Cabbage Soup is a year old sometime around now. It came into being in May 2005 and this blog started in July 2005. It's taken us almost exactly a year to work through all the exercises in Teach Yourself Creative Writing. We've just got the last one to do.
[Muffled scrabbling noises in background.]
I just tried to lay hands on my copy of the book to check what it is, but I seem to have misplaced it at the moment. Anyway it's something about coming up with alternative titles for books, I think. Nothing too strenuous as a final exercise. Just as well after the last one - the play writing. That was a tough one, but it was fun taking parts and reading them out loud.
What will we do now?
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Blogs and writing
I'm going to so many writing group meetings I don't have time to write! No, that's not really true, it's just an excuse. Going to writing group meetings gets me writing things I never would have done off my own bat, and dredges up all sorts of ideas that would never see the light of day otherwise. Maybe just as well in some cases, but there's the odd good one amongst them. Occasionally.
I think what has caused the slow down in blog entries is the sheer number of blogs I've been trying to keep up with writing or contributing to lately. (Not all visible through my Blogger profile.) It reminds me of my phase of subscribing to poetry journals. At first I signed up for all sorts, partly to get an idea what was about and what I liked, partly as a general learning experience. Then I slowly cut it back to managable proportions.
I'm thinking about which blogs I want to keep going and which I might retire, or retire from. I haven't made any decisions yet.
I think what has caused the slow down in blog entries is the sheer number of blogs I've been trying to keep up with writing or contributing to lately. (Not all visible through my Blogger profile.) It reminds me of my phase of subscribing to poetry journals. At first I signed up for all sorts, partly to get an idea what was about and what I liked, partly as a general learning experience. Then I slowly cut it back to managable proportions.
I'm thinking about which blogs I want to keep going and which I might retire, or retire from. I haven't made any decisions yet.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Fun
Cabbage Soup had fun today. Having just done an exercise which involved writing a childrens story we went to the childrens section of a local bookshop and looked at the books to see how our efforts matched up. (There were no children there, just us!) My favourite was Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers. A wonderful book, even though I thought it really should have ended a couple of pages before the not-quite-believably-happy ending.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
New writing - Shoozle by Alison Williams
Shoozle was not a dragon. He looked a bit like a dragon, but his dark red wings were feathery, rather than leathery, and his paws were big and soft and he didn’t have claws. He got a more dragonish look about him if you annoyed him though. Then he'd turn his bright eyes on you, narrow them to slits, and stare and stare until you went away, or at least changed the subject. It was rather rude, but dragons aren't expected to have good manners.
One day Shoozle was snoozing in his cave. He almost always snoozed with one eye half open, just in case anyone tried to creep up on him and steal his hoard of gold. He didn’t actually have a hoard of gold, but it seemed like the sort of thing that a dragon should do. So when the man in the grey suit with the small suitcase started up the path leading to his cave he noticed at once, and growled quietly to himself.
When the man got to the top of the path he stopped to catch his breath and cool off before he approached the cave. He knew that dragons are quick to spot signs of weakness, and he thought they might even eat you if you irritated them, especially if you looked particularly hot and tasty.
“Good morning Sir Dragon!” he said to Shoozle politely, bowing.
Shoozle opened his eyes and slowly raised his head.
“Tell me, Sir Dragon, are you ever embarrassed by your fire breathing? Ashamed of your scales? Mortified by…”
He dodged quickly to one side. A patch of grass shrivelled and smoked.
“Ah, well yes, I see that fire breathing is not a problem for you, but…” the man looked more closely at Shoozle, “perhaps the scales?”
Shoozle’s body was covered from chin to neatly pointed tail with velvety red triangles. The man set his suitcase down on the grass, opened it, took out a small green bottle and held it up.
“Just a few drops of this potion every day, and in no time at all you’ll have the shiniest, toughest scales of all the dragons in the world!”
Shoozle eyed the little bottle, then he yawned. When he’d finished yawning he spoke.
“Go away.” he said and gave the man one of his narrow-eyed looks.
The man looked surprised and a bit worried.
“But, with those velvety soft scales of yours, whatever will you do when George comes along?” he asked. “He’s got a sharp sword you know, and he doesn’t like dragons much at all. I really think you should… consider…”
Shoozle kept staring, and staring, and it’s not easy to keep on talking to a dragon, or even something very much like a dragon, when it’s staring at you like that.
“Well… perhaps… if you should… change your mind… just… let me know…”
With that the man put the little bottle away in his suitcase, and hurried off down the path.
Shoozle settled down for another snooze, careful to keep one eye half open. Which was just as well, as it meant that he spotted George’s sword glinting in the mid-day sun while he was still quite a long way away. It did look like a very long, very sharp sword, and George was heading straight for the path that led up to the cave.
When he saw this Shoozle opened both eyes, got up, and padded on his big, soft paws to the very back of the cave where he gazed down at the king’s daughter who was curled up there, fast asleep. Then he padded back out of the cave and started down the path that George was coming up.
George, seeing Shoozle, gave a loud cry of “Dragon!”, and started to run up the path towards him waving his sword. Shoozle opened his mouth and shot a blast of fire that made George duck, but he recovered quickly and began swinging his sword wildly again. At this Shoozle reared up, spreading his feathery wings, and flew into the air, circling just beyond reach. Then, suddenly, he swooped down, grabbed the sword out of George’s hand, and carried it off between his great paws, disappearing into the distance as George stared after him, empty handed and with his mouth open.
Shoozle took the sword far, far away, dropped it down a deep, deep pit and then, as the sun was setting, he returned to the cave and padded right to the back to find that the king’s daughter had woken up.
Shoozle was tired out after fighting George and flying such a long way, so he curled up next to the king’s daughter and she stroked his feathery wings, his velvety scales and his big soft paws until he fell fast asleep.
One day Shoozle was snoozing in his cave. He almost always snoozed with one eye half open, just in case anyone tried to creep up on him and steal his hoard of gold. He didn’t actually have a hoard of gold, but it seemed like the sort of thing that a dragon should do. So when the man in the grey suit with the small suitcase started up the path leading to his cave he noticed at once, and growled quietly to himself.
When the man got to the top of the path he stopped to catch his breath and cool off before he approached the cave. He knew that dragons are quick to spot signs of weakness, and he thought they might even eat you if you irritated them, especially if you looked particularly hot and tasty.
“Good morning Sir Dragon!” he said to Shoozle politely, bowing.
Shoozle opened his eyes and slowly raised his head.
“Tell me, Sir Dragon, are you ever embarrassed by your fire breathing? Ashamed of your scales? Mortified by…”
He dodged quickly to one side. A patch of grass shrivelled and smoked.
“Ah, well yes, I see that fire breathing is not a problem for you, but…” the man looked more closely at Shoozle, “perhaps the scales?”
Shoozle’s body was covered from chin to neatly pointed tail with velvety red triangles. The man set his suitcase down on the grass, opened it, took out a small green bottle and held it up.
“Just a few drops of this potion every day, and in no time at all you’ll have the shiniest, toughest scales of all the dragons in the world!”
Shoozle eyed the little bottle, then he yawned. When he’d finished yawning he spoke.
“Go away.” he said and gave the man one of his narrow-eyed looks.
The man looked surprised and a bit worried.
“But, with those velvety soft scales of yours, whatever will you do when George comes along?” he asked. “He’s got a sharp sword you know, and he doesn’t like dragons much at all. I really think you should… consider…”
Shoozle kept staring, and staring, and it’s not easy to keep on talking to a dragon, or even something very much like a dragon, when it’s staring at you like that.
“Well… perhaps… if you should… change your mind… just… let me know…”
With that the man put the little bottle away in his suitcase, and hurried off down the path.
Shoozle settled down for another snooze, careful to keep one eye half open. Which was just as well, as it meant that he spotted George’s sword glinting in the mid-day sun while he was still quite a long way away. It did look like a very long, very sharp sword, and George was heading straight for the path that led up to the cave.
When he saw this Shoozle opened both eyes, got up, and padded on his big, soft paws to the very back of the cave where he gazed down at the king’s daughter who was curled up there, fast asleep. Then he padded back out of the cave and started down the path that George was coming up.
George, seeing Shoozle, gave a loud cry of “Dragon!”, and started to run up the path towards him waving his sword. Shoozle opened his mouth and shot a blast of fire that made George duck, but he recovered quickly and began swinging his sword wildly again. At this Shoozle reared up, spreading his feathery wings, and flew into the air, circling just beyond reach. Then, suddenly, he swooped down, grabbed the sword out of George’s hand, and carried it off between his great paws, disappearing into the distance as George stared after him, empty handed and with his mouth open.
Shoozle took the sword far, far away, dropped it down a deep, deep pit and then, as the sun was setting, he returned to the cave and padded right to the back to find that the king’s daughter had woken up.
Shoozle was tired out after fighting George and flying such a long way, so he curled up next to the king’s daughter and she stroked his feathery wings, his velvety scales and his big soft paws until he fell fast asleep.
Friday, April 21, 2006
Fun, but a little scary
Next tuesday I start my WEA Creative Writing course. Will I be able to keep up with Cabbage Soup exercises and the demands of this new group? We shall see! It will also be fun, if a little scary, to meet new writers.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Bedtime story?
I seem to have written a childrens story. Or at least, it's the closest thing I've ever written to a childrens story. I have no idea what a child would make of it. I might post it here once Cabbage Soup have seen it. I want them to see it first so I know whether it needs a PG rating for violence!
Words and music
Listening to what Daniel Barenboim is saying about music and wondering what it might mean for verbal performances as opposed to the printed page.
"I will therefore attempt the impossible and maybe try and draw some connection between the inexpressible content of music and, maybe, the inexpressible content of life."
"I will therefore attempt the impossible and maybe try and draw some connection between the inexpressible content of music and, maybe, the inexpressible content of life."
Friday, April 07, 2006
Borrowing an ebook
Now this is interesting. An author who has got the idea that making your book available for free makes sense. Commercial sense. I'm enjoying reading Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town as each chapter arrives via RSS, its like borrowing it from a library. Authors got used to libraries a long time ago, some of them even realise that people who borrow also tend to buy. How long will it take for more to catch on to this type of thing I wonder?
Sunday, March 26, 2006
The novel - almost finished - (the meetings that is!)
Our last Cabbage Soup meeting on 'the novel' is set for this Monday. It seems that we're all in the fairly early stages of writing these, even if some have more definite plans than others, we've all got a lot of writing to do before we've finished! Talking to one of the group the other day we thought that it might be good to have regular checks on progress in future, so at least we know that someone else knows and cares about that file full of notes, plans and half-formed novel we've got lurking around somewhere. It might be a motivator to actually write a bit more of it now and again if someone might ask after it. It might. I'm not promising...
After that we get back to writing exercises. I've missed doing them while we've been concentrating on each other's book plans, but it's also been a relief to have a break from deadlines. It might be fun to have to produce something again. Unfortunately it's a childrens story we're supposed to be writing, which I have no clue how to do!
After that we get back to writing exercises. I've missed doing them while we've been concentrating on each other's book plans, but it's also been a relief to have a break from deadlines. It might be fun to have to produce something again. Unfortunately it's a childrens story we're supposed to be writing, which I have no clue how to do!
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Word cloud
You've read the blog? Then get the t-shirt! I think it might suit me to go about clothed in my own word cloud...
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Serendipity
It's funny how you come across other blog entries by accident sometimes, or by an unlikely series of links, that are just what you would have been looking for, if you'd known it existed. If you see what I mean. Today it was this one.
Cabbage Soup off the menu yet again
We've had to delay the Cabbage Soup meeting yet again - that's about three times now. This time due to a ridiculously busy day (see my work blog if you're at all curious about the details.) It's now scheduled for Monday lunchtime. It's amazing how difficult it can be for a handful of people to find one free hour a fortnight to meet. I don't know how people manage to find convenient times for larger groups.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Of librarians and books
One of my favourite library bloggers has blogged about one of my favourite books and it's given me an idea. I could claim to have finished my novel but lost it. Tragically, only fragments are left...
(There's an in-joke here that only about two people in the world will get.)
(There's an in-joke here that only about two people in the world will get.)
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Australia misses out
I found this today, serendipitously. If any Australian library would like a copy I'd be delighted to supply, just let me know.
Record Id: 22693391 (Australian Library Collections: Titles)
Title: Fragments / edited by Alison Williams with help from Timothy Collinson and co-operation and inspiration from all the members of Ukku.
Published: Spalding : Hub Editions, c2001.
Description: [48] p. ; 11 cm.
ISBN: 1903746043 (pbk.) :
Dewey Number: 821.04108092
Series: Hub Haiku series
Subjects: Haiku, English.
Other Authors: Williams, Alison BA. Collinson, Timothy.
Language: English
Libraries that have this item: Not yet held in an Australian library
Record Id: 22693391 (Australian Library Collections: Titles)
Title: Fragments / edited by Alison Williams with help from Timothy Collinson and co-operation and inspiration from all the members of Ukku.
Published: Spalding : Hub Editions, c2001.
Description: [48] p. ; 11 cm.
ISBN: 1903746043 (pbk.) :
Dewey Number: 821.04108092
Series: Hub Haiku series
Subjects: Haiku, English.
Other Authors: Williams, Alison BA. Collinson, Timothy.
Language: English
Libraries that have this item: Not yet held in an Australian library
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Never mind the person from Porlock
Why haven't I prepared for the Cabbage Soup meeting tomorrow? I blame ASDA: the people who put the hassle into online shopping. I can't single out any one person to give the credit for this, it was a team effort at truly appalling customer non-service. I did get (most of) my delivery - eventually - but a trudge down the hill and back up again, heavily loaded with shopping, in the rain, would have been a more pleasant experience. So that's my excuse. Otherwise I would have finished writing my book by now.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Friday, February 10, 2006
The next meeting
We've had a bit of trouble finding a convenient time for the next Cabbage Soup meeting. It's probably going to be next Thursday lunchtime, and we're going to be discussing my novel. Oh dear...
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Favourite books
The last Cabbage Soup meeting was our 'Favourite Books' meeting. Not everyone could come up with a single favourite, so I've also listed here many others that people found it hard to choose from.
Favourites
All Passion Spent - Vita Sackville-West
The Third Policeman - Flann O'Brien
The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
Honourable mentions
All of These People - Fergal Keane
Fire and Hemlock - Dianna Wynne-Jones
Harry Potter series - J.K. Rowling
Gormenghast - Mervyn Peake
A House in Sicily - Daphne Phelps
Testament of Youth - Vera Brittain
The Mayor of Casterbridge - Thomas Hardy
Tess of the D'urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
Treasures of the Snow - Patricia M. St. John
The Roses of No Man's Land - Lyn McDonald
The Kindness of Strangers - Kate Adie
Give me Ten Seconds - John Sargeant
The Return of the Soldier - Rebecca West
Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Dafoe
The Foundation Trilogy - Isaac Asimov
Our Mutual Friend - Charles Dickens
Narnia series - C.S. Lewis
Sherlock Holmes - Conan Doyle
The Number of the Beast - Robert Heinlein
The Soldier's Return - Melvyn Bragg
Birdsong - Sebastian Faulkes
Charlotte Gray - Sebastian Faulkes
Favourites
All Passion Spent - Vita Sackville-West
The Third Policeman - Flann O'Brien
The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
Honourable mentions
All of These People - Fergal Keane
Fire and Hemlock - Dianna Wynne-Jones
Harry Potter series - J.K. Rowling
Gormenghast - Mervyn Peake
A House in Sicily - Daphne Phelps
Testament of Youth - Vera Brittain
The Mayor of Casterbridge - Thomas Hardy
Tess of the D'urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
Treasures of the Snow - Patricia M. St. John
The Roses of No Man's Land - Lyn McDonald
The Kindness of Strangers - Kate Adie
Give me Ten Seconds - John Sargeant
The Return of the Soldier - Rebecca West
Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Dafoe
The Foundation Trilogy - Isaac Asimov
Our Mutual Friend - Charles Dickens
Narnia series - C.S. Lewis
Sherlock Holmes - Conan Doyle
The Number of the Beast - Robert Heinlein
The Soldier's Return - Melvyn Bragg
Birdsong - Sebastian Faulkes
Charlotte Gray - Sebastian Faulkes
Monday, January 09, 2006
Not estate agents this time
Estate agents writing style must rub off on those involved with housing. I saw a house share ad today asking for a 'professional non-smoker'. I've given it up, but I wouldn't say I've gone so far as to make a career of it.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Rejection
Even the best books can be rejected by publishers. We've all heard the stories of books that got rejected many times before becoming best sellers. I suspect that most publishers have no clue what is going to appeal to the general public and are amazed when they actually manage to pick a winner. But you'd think they might recognise a prize winning book that had already been published! According to this article in the Times, they wouldn't.
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