Rang the Council today to order more recycling boxes - what a good environmentalist I am! Apparently there's a 4/6 week wait as everyone wants them, but in the meantime we can shove the stuff in plastic bags. Hurrah - at least it will mean the flat might resemble a recycling station a little less.
Spent the rest of the morning struggling - and I mean struggling - with squeezing the next couple of thousand words of "The Gifting" out. It took such an age to get anywhere - how I hate it when the writing's like that. I only finally managed it just after Lord H came home post-work. Phew. Hope tomorrow is better. Also popped in to see Gladys - her hearing aid is playing up today, so I spent an hour shouting the same few segments of conversation, and am now hoarse. And I imagine her neighbours are much wiser too. Then golf with Marian - she had a rather unfortunate round (the universe is sometimes against us golfers ...) and I was okay, but felt I could have done better. Still, it made a welcome break from the writing struggle.
Back home, I've had a very enthusiastic review of the latest section of "The Gifting" up on the Writewords (http://www.writewords.org.uk) site - apparently, my style reminded the viewer of Philip Pullman, whom I'm afraid to say I've never read, so there's a much-needed thumbs-up! And a couple of people have enjoyed my poem (also on the Writewords site), which is greatly appreciated. On the negative side, I felt extremely riled by a to my mind vicious review (and a rather personal one, I think) of "Maloney's Law" on the You Write On (http://www.youwriteon.com) site - I don't mind too much if people don't like it, as I know other people do, but this reviewer seemed too cutting and also too unhelpful, giving me no useful clues as to what they might have preferred. They really didn't like it! And they weren't prepared to offer worthwhile suggestions either - so actually my answer, sir/madam, is shove it up your bottom and turn it. Maybe I'll pay you more attention when your novel extract has been shortlisted for three national novel prizes and longlisted in one! Hmm, suspect I'll be waiting some time then ...
Have just finished Peter Lovesey's crime cosy novel, "The Circle". Load of old tripe - old-fashioned, cardboard characters and ridiculous plot. Apart from that, it was fine of course! Hey, I can give cutting reviews too - but at least mine is more honest!
Today's three nice things:
1. The Writewords review of "The Gifting"
2. Golf
3. Finishing "The Circle" - at last!
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.goldenford.co.uk
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