Friday 15 June 2012

this week

  • I've had a brilliant few days of writing related goodness. Just been getting on with stuff, feeling open to new ideas, working on a new story, a couple of proposals, and entering this amazing competition to win a 10-day residency at Anam Cara retreat in Ireland. It closes tomorrow - send a 500 word story - no entry fee - bloody good deal. 
 

  • I thought about how when you sit down to write, it's okay to take a little time to warm up. Give your head space. If you sit at your desk and the first 20 minutes is looking around the room, looking through your documents, that's okay. You're warming up. You're letting your brain have a little think about what it wants to do.  Getting in the mind set. 

  • Tonight we're having a smorgasbord for tea because we do this really cute thing (HA!) where we theme our meals to major sporting and world events. England are playing Sweden tonight in the Euro cup so it's pickled fish, meats, eggs, mince and potatoes, beet salad, and these little chocolate cookies that you don't have to bake. 

  • I realised I haven't read a really good novel in ages. I read 'Fifty Shades of Grey' - that really rude one - the other week and I read it very quickly but was ultimately disappointed (I really didn't mean that to imply anything...) Any recommendations? What's the novel this year that you've bought or wanted to buy for friends? (Mine is Vanessa Gebbie's The Coward's Tale - just magnificent)


4 comments:

Rachel Fenton said...

For humour: I enjoyed Catherine McNamara's "Divorced Lady's Guide to Living in Italy". Lit fiction: I've ordered Emily Perkins' The Forrests and cannot wait to read it. Been reading lots of short fiction and non-fiction lately though. Fave novel of last ten years is still Michael Ondaatje's "In the Skin of a Lion"

Hope you win the retreat! Best of luck x

Karen Jones said...

Unfortunately my brain is taking longer and longer to decide what it wants to do - it's very old and tired and too easily distracted.

Eh, is it okay to say I'm glad I wasn't at your house for dinner?

I've just finished Jonathan Franzen's Freedom and really enjoyed it - more so than The Corrections, which is the only other book of his I've read - and would definitely recommend it.

One of my favourite reads this year so far is A Confederacy of Dunces. I never thought I'd like it, have ignored it for years, but finally gave in and I'm so glad I did.

Best of luck with the competition. I know this is a prize you'd love to win. x

Teresa Stenson said...

Thanks, gals!

I will add these books to my list.

Karen - what, no pickled fish??? (We couldn't get any in the end - Mario came home with a jar of cockles instead. Close.)

Vanessa Gebbie said...

Ah - just seen this - THANKYOU!!!