Author diaries

29th August 2003

Hello again. Its Friday night and I feel like a small child clad in my pyjamas covered in Body Shop Comfort Rub that is very similar to Vick . Comfort Rub by the way is meant to alleviate women's ailments not that I've got any but the smell is quite nice.
Ive had a busy day on the chalk face trying not very successfully to encourage people to write. First there is Barley Mow Housebound Group who will not be disturbed from their Bingo and raffle. Its my job to elicit bits of memory and text for a book but its not that easy have tried various things . Next week I'll take a tape recorder in. After disappointing fish and chips- I drove all the way from Deckam to Swallwell for them... I went to Bensham Hospital to visit one of my old ladies who is about 80, tiny and today she was tucked up in bed looking a bit miserable. She's waiting for a bed at a supported accomodation place, she's bored striff there's nothing to do there the other women are almost in communicado- no one speaks, there's an atmosphere of stifling decay no wonder she's depressed. However hopefully she'll be out soon. Then as a treat to myself I visited the Baltic saw some fab photos - they almost stop you in their tracks they're more real than real, by Sirkka kottingen- that's not quite her name- sorry Sirkka- but i haven't got anything to copy from Photographs of the East Durham coastal coalfields. Enjoyed a coffee in the caff but was dismayed by the amount of rubbish on the floor- there's something wrong with the management of that place surely. I better sign off as I'm sounding more and more like Hyacinth Bucket as i go go on. Weekend here will be nursing a sore blister, painting a window frame and possibly picking blackberries if I can find a place where there's loads.

Posted by Mary on 29 August 2003 at 07:03 PM GMT [Link]

The Stars

I’ve just spent two weeks in a five-roomed Cornish cottage with four adults, seven children, three dogs and a cat. I took pen and paper - we used them for scoring in Contract Whist.
I was in the overflow tent in the field with my youngest son. The first night he woke saying:
“It’s dark, I’m scared. Put on the light.’
So I opened the tent flap and we looked at the stars. He said ‘Wow’.
We saw shooting stars, one with fire leaping from its tail.

I’ve been told that the Red Planet Mars is making the closest approach to Earth ever. On August 27th Mars will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. It’ll rise in the east at 10 p.m. and reach its azimuth at about 3 a.m. But by the end of August, Mars will rise at nightfall and reach its highest point in the sky at 12:30 a.m. We'll be witnessing something that no human has seen in recorded history.

Posted by Ellen on 19 August 2003 at 11:23 AM GMT [Link]

Endangered Species

So there are readers out there! Several people have been in touch to say that they read my diary entry last week, so here goes with a second one.
I've now got a couple of ice poems written. They're at the stage where they are what I call my carrying poems - the ones I've got copies of in my bag. I look at them in spare moments. Usually this is when words that don't fit suddenly jump out at me, or I realise that I've repeated the same word or idea and set about changing it. I used to hate tweaking poems like this but over the years changed my mind. This week I'll probably email the poems to a couple of friends and get their feedback.

Last week I heard Val McDermid interviewed on Radio 4 about the Save Our Short Story campaign. I signed up a while back and the first two stories were sent out this weekend. I think it's a fantastic idea and I really enjoyed reading the stories by Ali Smith and Denise Mina. In case you haven't heard of it, two short stories are emailed to subscribers every month for a year. There is also a website with loads of information about short stories - including news on who is seeking submissions, so if you are interested in reading or writing short stories you should definitely visit it.
Another good website is Canongate Books. I've visited their website before, but have only just discovered the members' scheme that they offer. This is free. You sign up online and then when you buy books (which are discounted) you get a free book of the month too. I placed an order on Thursday and on Saturday a parcel with Louise Welsh's The Cutting Room and Ray Lorga's My Brother's Gun arrived. Now all I need to do is find time to start reading them...

Posted by Fiona on 18 August 2003 at 09:51 AM GMT [Link]

Think ice

Hi
Forget Britain having record temperatures - I'm thinking ice. Just back from two weeks in Norway which tied in very nicely with the next writing theme for Mslexia magazine - Ice (deadline September I think).
I visited two museums about glaciers, five "arms" of glaciers and even took a tumble down one (just as well we were roped together and with a guide!). As well as the bruises I have plenty of notes and started working on some poems on the ferry home. Only problem is, that I'm back at work so am counting the hours until I get home and start on some real writing.

Posted by Fiona on 11 August 2003 at 09:28 AM GMT [Link]

Hello

Hi, I've just got back from Edinburgh - warm weather, bars open till all hours, just like the continent.
I saw Jo Brand hailing a taxi and Jenni Eclair buying her lunch.
I paid to see Ross Noble - ten stars, v funny. and Def Poetry Jam - performance poetry from New York, very strong and lively. That'll be popular I guess.
I didn't see Liz Lochhead's Thebans, too much to see and too many people to decide between, that's the problem with a crowd.
I did see Bob Doolally, being funny about football and I recommend count Arthur Strong's the greatest story ever told - surreal and very funny.

Posted by Ellen on 4 August 2003 at 09:42 AM GMT [Link]