Jericho Writers - a review and a thank you

Earlier today I was wondering what to post   - perhaps something on the way forward for my stitching projects but then, well, I've rather neglected any updates about writing ... what to say that could be of interest. Well, as I was pondering, the weekly newsletter from the always interesting Harry at https://jerichowriters.com, arrives.

Wow, as well as the usual good stuff, there is a great offer   - the Jericho Writers people are more wonderful than I thought!  They will give me a year of membership if I write a review of their website on my blog (or  a website). Very opportune.

Joining Jericho Writers is a key part of my writing plan for 2018/9. It will give me access to more, much more,  of their sound advice, events and, most important, editing and how to get published knowledge and skills. I spent time watching some of Harry's free on line seminars this summer. His 'teaching' style is easy to follow, very clear with lots of examples to contextualise the points he's making about enhancing and editing your writing. I was tempted to join then. But I was about to hand my draft novel over to two beta readers for their comments - another part of my plan. I hesitated.

Perhaps I should wait for my friend's comments first? Decision made, I used more of the useful free advice from Jericho Writers. I focused on finding potential agents, how to identify a few that might be interested in my novel, how many should I send my work to at any one time, how best to approach them, how to weave my way through the myriad of advice my internet search on the subject had come up with.

There is a lot that is free on https://jerichowriters.com. Jericho Writers is generous to those who hesitate before joining. I did (lots and lots) of my own research, made decisions about who send to and what to send guided by Jericho Writers website advice and their speedy answers to a couple of questions. Thank goodness for Harry (and I presume, his staff) because, although he clearly leads with his expertise and experience, surely one person can't run it all!

The Jericho Writers helped me plan a process to follow once I thought my novel was ready to be considered by an agent, and to keep writing number two novel as the rejections arrive in my inbox. My plan ends with the need to accept that, as advised, if ten or so agents reject it, I absolutely need more editorial help for the next draft. That's where membership of Jericho Writers comes in ... it was to be my 2019 beginning of the year spend on my writing practice.  And now it may be a gift ... which is wonderful.

This post is long enough but before I close I want to add that I've also been receiving newsletters  and information from organisations like Jericho Writers. There are lots of similarities amongst them but Jericho Writers and Harry get my vote not the least for their style and focus. This is one of their strap lines (a copy from their website)

WE’RE HERE FOR WRITERS

and hopefully, soon, I'll being able to read and participate in more of what they offer. Fingers crossed.

Today chez moi ....

Its been a while! I've been busy  ... so a quick catch up mostly in pictures ...

.

The transformation of 6m of white cotton to a beautiful set of colours for  my next stitching project  well, that was last Friday and Saturday taken care of ..

So relieved that all the buckets and bags remained whole as I drove home ....

Its hard work rinsing and washing all that fabric but exciting as the colours emerge

Some sunrise colours here

and the black to pale grey set will be perfect for pavements and stone walls ...

Finally, I found them a nice resting place  .... but they won't be there very long.












One short flight on Sunday and now I'm enjoying some late autumn sunshine at home in France .... there are five dogs, two people and walks twice a day  ... so twice along the quiet back road in the morning and twice around the lake in the afternoon. Lots of steps and lots of time for reflection.

In between my kennel assistant routine I slipped in some sedentary jobs. So, big news here, today I sent my novel, well, the first three chapters and a synopsis, out to several agents.

It felt the right time and I now have to wait for, what? Well, who knows. Fingers crossed ...

But doing that leaves my mind free to continue with what at the moment I am calling Novel 2.

That felt a big thing to be doing so in between  I tacked a small quilt ready for, yes, you've guessed, quilting. There was a slight hiatus in this gentle activity when in the middle of the morning I lost the thread and scissors.

They were there when I went out to feed the hens and gone when I returned.  The fabric was undisturbed, my pincushion was there but no scissors and spool of tacking thread

The culprit was Naomi ... loveable and naughty and very fond of chewing ... and eventually I found the evidence.  She now has a hard(ish) rubber ball to chew and I have learnt not to leave temptation in her reach!!!


There's a book review coming up in the next post .... do read on or is it up?

Writing and Stitching in the digital era ...

Good morning

Days, hours, where do they fly to? So, a small taste below of happenings in yet another blog gap.

In my stitching life I'm beginning to see the shape of my project about walking the London Loop with a group of friends. I created a separate notebook using the Paper App on my iPad to mirror possible pages in a fabric book about the walk. I'm adding photos taken on the walk with those of the work in progress (there is a lot of that) that the photos have inspired. My first Paper app notebook on this project has lots more detail about the  methods ... memory joggers really ... and  I needed a second notebook with a shape that might be that of the finished piece.

The app is very useful, and its easy to use -   do have a look at it, more details here https://www.fiftythree.com/paper.

the beginning of a railway arch ... 

In my writing life I've been editing my novel after a chat, and with the so very useful notes of, wonderful Jane - the first of my beta readers. To give me hints and encouragement in while I'm doing this I joined an short online course about the writing life. It has audio snippets that are good for just before sleep and when I wake up listening and thoughtful questions at the end of each brief 'lesson' .

It was a good decision and here's the website of the writer who put the short course together and has lots more to support fledgling writers   https://janfortune.com.

I feel I'm close to sending my first book out into the big wide world so have been researching how to do this via an agent and the possibility of self publishing.  This Saturday I managed to listen on-line to some of the presentations at a Self Publishing Advice Conference. More details at http://selfpublishingadviceconference.com. There's lots of good stuff on their website if you're thinking of self publishing.

And so good to  rejoin my Saturday morning yoga class at Yoki Studio http://yokistudio.blogspot.com
...    and to get out in the garden where this small creature had found its winter home

A gift .. wonderful English autumn sunshine

 ... warm and sunny is just how we like it for our London Loop walks and the weather delivered yesterday as six of us completed the Chingford

to Chigwell section.  Milage was up as we had to negotiate more of the London Underground than planned and diverted to Buckhurst Hill for lunch at the very lovely Green Owl.

 There are some amazing green and watery spaces in the City's suburbia and we enjoyed this one in the late afternoon sun.

And below, a first, a plaque to tell us about our next walk which we plan to do in two weeks time.

 Our minds are already on where to walk when we finish the Loop. Only 7 sections to do now.


In other news, I'm catching up with all my wonderful local friends after the summer break, resuming the gym (ouch) and thinking about joining a walking netball team.




And, I'm writing. My short break last week to do more in the Enmatte garden was fruitful. There is nothing like cutting back a wilderness for thinking abut things in different ways.
I've signed up for an Indie Authors online conference next week and I'm looking at alternatives to the usual route to publication. Anyone with any experience of this please let me know what questions I should be asking about this way of producing and marketing your own book.  Thanks.

Back soon.

It it still Summer or has Autumn arrived ...

... its that time of the year. That back to school time, holidays over and when you need to ask at the start of each day, and sometimes at other times,  which season is it today.

So a few photos from around the garden on that very theme, well, not the back to school one because I'm not back to the Institches School until the end of the month. But the rest are on song, so to speak.

   All ready for the new wood,


















Is this enough kindling?

And just in case it gets cold anytime soon ....












Meanwhile in the growing garden  - with credit to Paul for planting, sowing, watching for bugs and all that watering ,,,

Oh, but this one was my work ...

Meanwhile, inside I'm still stitching and I'm saying this very quietly  

I am also writing. Presently simply called Book 2 I've got a small routine going  and four days into it so far so good. Wouldn't it be wonderful if a very nice agent now wanted to represent me and sell my first one (it is finished) to a publisher?

In between the stitches and the words I keep looking at what can only be described as some odd bits of rusted and dyed fabric up on my design wall. Surely an idea of what to do with them will come to be soon. 

  and back to the garden, and the question of the season. The leaves are turning but it is still warm enough to sleep without the duvet. Is there a word for between one season and the other. Perhaps right now we are in sumertumn?  

Supper's ready, and yes, it includes one of those lovely lettuce and lots of tomatoes. 

Rosie by Rose Tremain -a review

Another lovely looking book with good size font, discrete chapters that follow RT’s life from early childhood to her first writing success and lots of family photos with young Rosie. 

This is an open, thoughtful autobiography aimed at giving an insight into the writer’s desire to write, and how that writing has been shaped, influenced and directly taken from early life incidents of note.

I'd already read many of her books, and then this.  A god order of reading.  As the chapters move from the life of RT as a very young child, to school and take in the lives of key people in her life, the writer and her books emerge. A privileged and fascinating picture emerges and there are some great touches. I particularly liked the evolution of her name and the way RT's adult friendships were given their roots.

The style is easy read, in RT’s usual gentle and powerful prose. And it’s a well chosen length. Nothing is laboured. Everything serves a purpose and is contained within the author’s aim to recall a vanished life in order to provide some answers to the question : how did you come to be a writer? 

Posting reviews of the books I've read in the past few weeks emphasises to me that I do read a lot of books. More so when its too hot to do anything else very much. A quiet few moments with one more chapter ... what could be nicer after an hour of clearing a bigger run for our hens!!!! Or, after more free motion quilting. I find this stitching method very intense  -- it needs to be followed by quiet time with my book. 

Do let me know something about your reading habits. I'm always looking for recommendations to add to my to-be-read list.

Find out more about Rose Tremian and her books here https://www.rosetremain.co.uk

Leaves in stitch .... and other things

Good Monday morning ... hope your weekend went well.

We are still eating figs -rocket, avocado, goats cheese and fig salad was great with a from the garden/ market Spanish omelette.  And the fig jam is very good on scones. I have, at last, found a recipe using plain flour. Self raising is not available in France and my previous attempts have been less than light!
So thank you to https://www.bbc.com/food/recipes/paul_hollywoods_scones_70005.



I am still stitching ... 24 fish complete and now its leaves and more leaves ....

Next will be the eyes of the fish ... suggestions on how to stitch these please.

And in case you missed my FB or tweet about this great post on journalling, here's the link

https://medium.com/@janfortune/how-to-cultivate-the-powerful-mindset-of-a-writer-a7ad6df6bba6

I've been thinking for a while that I should combine my morning pages notebook with my daily journal and the other notebooks I have - mainly to lighten my load when travelling. Jan's post has convinced me to give that a go.

I also need to explore more of the entries on Medium and maybe posts some of my thoughts there.

Meanwhile, I have at last found some French language podcasts at my level ... they are good to listen to as I hand sew.

Finally, away from the electronic world I'm going back to the garden to do some gentle and therapeutic clearing rubbish and weeding.

Back here soon ....

...

A taste of my between-books writing

... and first of all, you're right, I need to say something about what this blog post title means. Nothing much really, it is just that I have finished, for the time being, my edits of my first novel, the second is in my head or handwritten along the lines of my morning pages journal,  I'm keeping my writing muscles sharp with other writing at the moment. You might call them fragments, very small essays, essentially, they are my thinking on the page ...


I'm a morning person, I know this, my habits show this and my genes confirm it.

I love the first-thing-in-the-morning air. There is something about its regularity and difference each day. The way it predicts, or tries to, or I think it can,  say something about what might happen for the rest of the day.

I love the feel of that air on my arms, my feet, my neck, being able to sense how it is moving or not moving, the weight of it, the colour of it. The aura it creates, each and every day.

I love the way it is there each morning when I wake up, spreading itself onwards, holding sounds, echoing those sounds, saying something about the day with the sounds.

It seems important to notice what the air at that time is doing, to pay attention to its words. Early morning air has the feel of wanting to be noticed. It is not shy but it doesn't seek attention. I've never seen first-thing-in-the-morning air stand up and shout, or say look at me.

It is an air that invites thoughtfulness. More than that, it deserves thoughtfulness. For a moment, or maybe for a few moments, it deserves recognition of its importance to the day ahead.

What if, each morning, the first time we meet the air outside of where we are with the outside of who we are, what if we stopped? Some people might call that taking moment to be mindful, to mediate, to pray. I'd rather not label it. For me it is a moment to stop, to feel, to consider, not to be thinking.

Just think though how many people would be doing that at the same time each day. How many of those moments would happen throughout the twenty four hours of each day. How much global slowing would happen at that moment.

Just think of what that slowing could add. All thanks  to the first-thing-in-the-morning air.

I might be back tomorrow with post about framing and hanging my small stitched pieces. Slowly, I'm learning how to do this. Or, it might the day after.

Before you go, I'd like to know what the first-thing-in-the-morning air was like where you are today. Please leave a comment.

The Clock Winder by Anne Tyler - Review

This is the first of Tyler's books I've read for a while and it is very good. Family, growing up, loss, small town life, what goes on in our heads - all written in thoughtful and forensic prose. There is a good shape to the story, incidents are well left to the reader to ‘know’ what happened afterwards and subtle, clever and neat changes to the shape of the character set.

For me, as a writer, some key point about this book are:- 

 - character consistency , Mrs E after her stroke, Elizabeth's job when she returns to her parent's home as a rehearsal of the ending, possibly I should have picked that up but I didn’t!

- big events, Timothy’s suicide, happen and, thank goodness, this book does not turn into a police procedural. It keeps its focus on what happens within people, away from the public/legal response.

- subtle hints at how time has moved but events also tell the reader to this, e.g. children are born, the nuance of hints of the external viewpoint of the family group, from the Dr. 

- parent/child dynamics, three examples,  the Evesham’s, minor, Elizabeth’s family esp. father and, right at the end, Peter's wife and her family.  So very well done.

Finally, there is the title. Well chosen for a book that is about time and the passing of our lives. 

Other reviews are available!  Read what the media said 

from US for example, in the New York Times  https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/98/04/19/specials/tyler-clock.html

and from the UK in the Sunday Times 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/review-clock-dance-by-anne-tyler-at-the-speed-of-life-qdrj77j9c 

Let me know what you think of my review and of Tyler's 22nd book. I look forward to reading your comments. 

NB Picture credit: copied from Google search 

Waking up this blog ....

Wow, one blog post at the very beginning of this year and .... well nothing since!!

But much has been happening including a number of hospital appointments and investigations, lots of stitching and some finished projects.  Oh, and I almost forgot, editing my novel and a place on the long list of a poetry competition, see https://www.therialto.co.uk/pages/2018/05/01/nature-poetry-competition-2018-results/.

And what, you may well ask, has promoted me to remember the blog and make a promise that I will try to write more posts. My answer in short notes is

- a discussion yesterday on Design for Stitching Course about Artist's Statements and social media for stitchers (that's me) but of course, others call themselves textile artists, quilt artists, fibre artists etc. etc.

- confirmation that I will be having stereotactic body radiotherapy very soon for two small but unwanted nodules in my lungs so I might have more 'sitting around' time for a while,

and
- well, it's always my intention to be here more regularly and to post bits and pieces that can't be easily shared on other social media.

To that end today here's a few pictures of completed and ongoing stitching projects and the long listed poem -and yes, it is itself long, but its also very thin so please read on.  The pictures await you ...

The Red Admiral in Thirteen Movements 

after Thirteen ways of looking at a Blackbird by Wallace Stevens 

1

At the edge of a Dorset cliff 

a man with binoculars

watches for migrating 

Red Admirals.

2

Crimson streaks edge

and divide the Red Admiral's

seventy mm wingspan.

3

One Red Admiral 

flying

south from the north.

4

At the man's feet 

two Red Admirals 

rest.

5

American scientists 

are making detectors

to fit the Red Admiral's thorax.

6

On the cliff path

Red Admirals drink nectar

from November blackberries.

7

Feeding Red Admirals 

are undisturbed by

interested people.

8

Why Admiral?

No-one knows.

9

Along the wings 

of the Red Admiral,

black and white frills.

10

For inflight warmth

Red Admirals develop

a hairy thorax.

11

Red Admirals rise above 

turbulence, or wait

until it has passed.

12

Orphan travellers,

the Red Admiral flies

alone.

13

From below, the man

watches the Red Admiral's

dark underwings.

Yes, I'm stitching fish or rather appliqué fish and then some bubble free motion quilting. There are 24 on the quilt so I'm planning to go slowly, maybe 1-2 each day  ... thats if the thread, the needle and my fingers behave well.

and here are the makings of a practice sample for a new project about walking the London Loop.

i have an idea about transferring the map on the TFL website to fabric, using confetti quilting. I just now that much trial and error is going to be involved.

So I have some unwanted fabric and net and oh  scissors to cut the lawn squares into confetti  ... result is below ... not sure I like the net but the technique is fine.

I'll be back ... not sure when!

Cornwall & London: poetry, art and lines

Catching up at home again after a week in St Ives writing poetry,  enjoying the beach and finding lines everywhere.

yes, Doris was forecast and passed by on her way up country 

some of Hepworth's inspirational lines 

sent out to write about what we found, and now have poems called Lines I and II in draft!  

I'll post more on the poetry retreat later this week ... I've been in London today at a wonderful exhibition of art by my brother-in-law, Andy Thornley. Its on for one more day and well worth a visit. Here are the details ... 

I ended my day at Tate Modern, and captured a few more lines!

Sometime soon something in my line photo collection will link with the fabric and thread and stitch ideas and become, well, I'm not sure what yet.  Maybe the place to stitch one of the Lines poems.

Good stuff on small journeys

I'm writing this with an eye on the flurry of long tailed tits feeding on suet balls in the garden and wondering if, at last, I'm comfortable with the flapping of birds' wings!!  The robin is also there, defending his or her winter territory and yesterday Mr Blackbird came along. What joy.

And I'm feeling very relieved to have rinsed, washed, ironed, and logged the 24 pieces of fabric that were put into dye baths three weeks ago.

 The record keeping was a bit tedious but now I have colour recipes when I want a particular colour and shade.


Not sure how i'll use them yet, somewhere that'll show the great patterns from the more or less fidgeting I did with the fabric while it was in the dye bath.












Maybe the fabric will come into its own for a piece based on some of the ways that lines have - I'm collecting lots of pics of lines, like these on a walk around Bloomsbury last week.

Lots of blue plaques en route (http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/blue-plaques)

and some inspiration for stitching patterns ....













Finally, a couple of pics from last weekend in Dorset: I slept under this ancient beam and the first snowdrops bloomed under my window.








Have a good weekend all. My to do list includes mushroom soup and drafting a poem for the first workshop of a Poetry School (https://poetryschool.com) online course called Re-writing the Map.
This fits wonderfully with the work I'm doing on journeys at Inspiration to Stitch  -almost too good to be true.

Posting poems

Those of you who spend a little while with my blog know that, in the past, I've occasionally posted my poems on one of the header pages that is titled A Small Collection of Poems.

This explanation goes on for a bit so by way of light relief I'm posting photos of how the drop in temperature in the last few days has wrought its magic on our garden and the adjacent farmers track.

Just for a change, a winter leaf 

I love how the leaf skeleton is highlighted here 

Usually I kept back poems that I planned, one day, to send to magazines or perhaps and rather grandly, that might have been part of a pamphlet.  In doing this I was following poetry tradition and custom as poetry editors don't want a poem once its been published elsewhere and a personal blog counts in that respect.

Maybe a stitching pattern here

This year I plan to share my poems in a different way by publishing many more on this blog. Once a poem is on one of these general pages I'll add it to the Collection page and  look forward to your comments. I'd love for this to be a way for me to hear what you think, how the poem looked and sounded to you etc., etc.

Yippee, no more hours in the poetry office, more hours to enjoy the writing and rewriting and for reading and commenting on the poems posted on the sharing poems Facebook closed page I'm part of following the 52 project.   Its a  decision that feels a very good one to have made as a new year begins.

Answers in the comments secant please ... 

A slow walk today with my wonderful new camera (thank you, James) and some useful hints from Paul about how to keep still while pressing the shutter resulted in these and many other photos that I hope will be valuable for my new Inspiration to Stitch sketchbook.


Then we all had a fast walk with the dogs, off road, in and out of the sunshine, tracking the changes underfoot between the shady and sunlit verges.


Finally, here is today's poem (not that there will necessarily be one tomorrow). This is draft two, draft one was longer and I have some very good poets friends to thank for pointing out the repetition and the value of this particular poem being short.

 In fog

there are fewer lines to follow,

no place else where

other people live.

The smell of fog is full

of your own breath and

your ears hear you and you.

After a while the blanket

becomes a parcel and people

live in a pared down world.

And to close a glimpse of a scattering of seed stitches ...  a needle, thread and slow fingers