The Witches' Hammer

Heroes and Heroines

2007-10-04T20:10:00.000+01:00

I'm putting Historical Fiction (the course) behind me and moving on to something new this week...

Heroes and Heroines (Sixteen Master Archetypes)
The premise is that all heroes and heroines in books, on TV and in films can be fitted into one of 16 archetypes. The author of the course-book is very definite that they are not stereotypes and that the boundaries are wide.

Heroes
CHIEF - Don Corleone in The Godfather and Darcy in Pride and Prejudice
BAD BOY - Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing and Huckleberry Finn
BEST FRIEND - Christopher Robin in Winnie the Pooh and James Stewart in It's A Wonderful Life
CHARMER - Bill Murrey in Ghostbusters and Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew
LOST SOUL - Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon and Heathcliffe in Wuthering Heights
PROFESSOR - Frasier Crane and Harry Potter
SWASHBUCKLER - Zorro and Peter Pan
WARRIOR - Superman and Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird

Heroines
BOSS - Boadicea (Boudicca) and Lucy in the Peanuts comic strip
SEDUCTRESS - Lolita and Cleopatra
SPUNKY KID - Lois Lane and Little Orphan Annie
FREE SPIRIT - Emma in Emma and Ariel in The Little Mermaid
WAIF - Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and Ingrid Berman in Casablanca
LIBRARIAN - Miss Marple and Dana Scully
CRUSADER - Ellen Ripley in Alien and Jane Eyre
NURTURER - Mary Poppins and Deanna Troi in Star Trek:TNG

She says that characters aren't necessarily confined to these. Some are layered with more than one archetype, and some will evolve from one to another in the course of the story.

My first Lesson is to decide which Archetype my hero is, and describe him a little. I'm thinking he will be a Bad Boy :-D

Feeling better.....

2007-09-10T22:23:00.000+01:00

She's not replied to my last comment but I've posted some 'Final Thoughts' on leaving the class.
* * * *
Thanks for the various feedback you've all given me - it's been interesting and thought-provoking.

It concerned me that you feel that to write those specific scenes was pathological. I discussed it with a friend of mine who is a children's author and one of the points he made is that history can be ugly and sometimes it's necessary to reflect that.

The scenes I have written are set in the correct era and based on contemporary accounts. These scenes are not set in the present nor the future and I believe that to write about this subject and not reflect what actually happened does a great disservice to the thousands of people who were subjected to it.

I am not talking here about whether an individual wishes to read about this, or indeed any other subject. This is purely a statement on writing about it.

Would you feel the same if my story was set in the concentration camps of World War II, or indeed The Killing Fields in Cambodia (see Lesson 3).

I don't know if you'll be able to come back here to read this, but I felt I needed to say it.

Thanks for your time
* * * *
She may not come back to read it, or post a response, but I feel better!!

Discouraged...

2007-09-05T19:06:00.000+01:00

Someone told me I was mentally disturbed yesterday. Or at least implied it.

I'm doing a course on Historical Fiction and had written briefly in one of my assignments that there was some torture in the Prologue of my novel. I feel this is completely justified because Rachel is accused of witchcraft therefore she is subjected to some of the tests they used at the time - ducking, sleep deprivation, use of a witch-pricker to see if there was an area of her body that did not feel pain or bleed.

The person posted in her first feedback that she would never read a book again with torture in it, which is completely understandable. She said she wanted the books she reads to be heart-warming and uplifting, and I can totally understand that. She also said that they should be inspiring. I replied back saying I agreed but I felt that or a book to be inspiring then the protagonist needs to work through various trials and tribulations and come through the other side.

I said that I hoped my book would have an inspiring ending but the Prologue wouldn't as it ends with Rachel's death. I gave a very brief description of the things Rachel would go through first and asked if (but only if she felt able to) she would give me her feelings on whether the actions were too disturbing, but not a problem if she would rather not read it.

I think it's a valid thing to know if what I write disturbs people because I don't want that to happen, but I don't want to disturb someone in the process.

She replied back that she wouldn't read it (fair enough) and that she felt that to put stuff like that out there was pathological. I checked the definition on Dictionary.com and it says:

Pathological - caused by or evidencing a mentally disturbed condition

I've posted back that I didn't feel that I was mentally disturbed but not had a reply yet.

I know she's completely entitled to her point of view, and not everybody wants to read that type of thing, or gory murders, or soppy romances. I don't think some of the people in my church would be that impressed that the book I'm writing has ghosts and witchcraft in it.

I'm surprised how much it actually upset me that she said that. I don't have a problem with someone saying they don't like my style, my ability, or the subject matter.

But to say I was mentally disturbed for writing about it felt hurtful. I even cried, which is pathetic.

I'd better get used to it, I guess. Time to start growing a thicker skin.

Plotting the Plot - Lesson One

2007-08-10T15:58:00.000+01:00

This is part of Lesson One. I'm not posting more because if I ever do finish this book I don't want to spoil the story for anyone who reads it :-)

In no more than 5 sentences, describe your story idea
My protagonist, Annie, finds out she's adopted and discovers that one of her ancestors (Rachel) was burnt as a witch in a small village in 1689, cursing the man responsible as she died.

Annie and her young daughter move from the city to her grandmother's cottage in the village where the man's malevolent ghost begins to haunt them and their new friends.

What is your main character's strong point?
Belief in the power of love for her family. This is what finally breaks the curse and defeats the ghost.

What is your main character's fatal flaw?
Acts rashly and instinctively without thinking of what the consequences of her actions might be. This is part of the reason that the first ceremony fails which leads to... ;-)

I'm enjoying getting back into writing again, and getting new ideas for my book.

My Mum's an Online Gamer!

2007-08-07T21:16:00.000+01:00

We were at the hairdressers a few weeks back and her credit card was rejected. She spoke to the bank and they authorised the transaction but gave her a number to ring ASAP. It turned out her credit card (which she rarely uses) had been maxed out to over £6000. The bank were checking out the 'unusual activity'.

It turned out that they were all internet transactions that had taken place over just three days. The bank were fine and she's not liable for any of it, she just has to sign a form to confirm that none of the transactions were hers.

We got the letter from the bank with all the details, including a website address - the Electoral Roll. All the others mentioned "SkillJam". I Googled it and it turns out it's an online gaming site. I think some of them are just ordinary games, but there are some with cash prizes too.

I guess the bank will probably have informed the police but no idea whether there's any chance of tracking them down.

I'm just really glad the bank believed her!

She made them cry...

2007-08-05T21:17:00.000+01:00

I think I'm over-sensitive. Actually, I know I am. There's just been a fictional vet programme on the TV which had an injured Westie in it. We're planning on getting a Westie puppy soon so that probably made it worse, but I started crying. Mum told me, "it's just a story". Well yes, thanks for that. It didn't stop me crying.

There is a relevant point to this. I cry when I read some novels too and one thing I've always wanted to do is to make someone cry whilst they're reading my book. I know that sounds a bit sadistic, but I want to write something that will have that effect.

I know there's something in my book that might make someone cry...we'll have to see if my writing is good enough to make it seem real.

Two Posts in One Day!

2007-08-04T21:46:00.000+01:00

I know, amazing isn't it.

I've had a bit of a play with the 'new features' of blogger. It's nice to have the option of pink writing on an orange background but I decided it didn't really fit the theme of my book. So I've pretty much kept it the same as before, just added a bit of purple text.

I've not written much for my novel recently but I suddenly decided the other night that I was going to start again. I've felt a bit down recently so I hope that this will help cheer me up a bit, or at least give me something more creative to do.

I've signed up for another course that starts next Wednesday.

Plotting the Plot
This course will show you how to build a plot around your story idea, using a plotting system.

It's only three weeks long so it should be fairly easy to stick with it!

Blogger Changes!!

2007-08-04T14:43:00.000+01:00

My first post in *MONTHS* was going to be that I'm starting writing here again (after nearly a year!) but instead it's going to be about the changes they've made to Blogger.

I've no idea yet about most of them because I've not checked them out, but I'd just like to say it's taken me three days to log in to my blog again trying to sort out how and what to sign in with.

I came very close to giving up altogether but thankfully I didn't :-)

So, this is it for now, I promise I will post more soon.

Feena
-x-

Basics to Create Dynamic Characters - Lesson 4

2006-10-19T19:38:00.000+01:00

Choosing Details and Make Your Details Manageable

The character I'm writing about here is Rachel. She is Annie's ancestor and is burnt as a witch in the Prologue. I wrote things down as I thought of them.

~ ~ ~ ~
Illustrate which details you would use to give the reader strong visuals of your character.
* torn, muddy, bloodstained nightdress
* long dark plait with pondweed tangled in it
* face bruised, dirty with mud, smoke and dried blood
* eyes tired from lack of sleep and watering from smoke, but very angry
* bare, dirty feet cut by stones, wrists rubbed raw from coarse rope

Illustrate details that you feel would give an accurate and coherent impression of your character.
* anger at Cramer
* love for her daughter (Rosie) and fears for her safety as she secretly leaves the village
* pity and understanding for the other villagers who betrayed her to Cramer
* sorrow that other innocent woman in the village have also been burnt
* despair of betraying her beliefs
* fear her goddess won't honour the curse as it goes against her beliefs

~ ~ ~ ~
This is the final lesson in my first course. The next one I'm starting is a six week course called Horror Writing. I'm really enjoying them, and I'm finding them a good inspiration for plot points :-)

Basics to Create Dynamic Characters - Lesson 3

2006-10-15T18:01:00.000+01:00

Showing Your Characters With Natural and Believable Dialogue
This is a part of what I wrote for the assignment.

Pressing the spoon against the side of the mug, Annie scooped the teabag out again and, pushing the flip lid down with her free hand, dropped it into the bin. The teabag caught the lid and slid down, leaving a trail of leaves.

"At least it didn't fall on the floor," she shrugged.

Annie carried her drink into the front room and curled up on the sofa. She gazed into the mug and swirled the tea round, watching black specks floating on the top. They started to sink.

"It'll taste fine, and I get to tell my own fortune at the end of it." She chuckled to herself, "it'll probably say I talk to myself too much!"

Cupping the mug in her hands she sipped her tea until it was nearly gone. The moment she felt a leaf in her mouth she stopped. "Right, I'm sure I've read this in Harry Potter, you're supposed to turn the teacup over on a saucer, then read what's left behind."

Not having a saucer she glanced around to find somewhere she could pour the rest of the tea. She looked at the bedraggled spider plant sitting on the table and slowly smiled. "I'm sure tea is good for plants, it's practically compost." She swirled the tea left in her mug and poured it on to the plant. She peered into the mug, "Isn't this part where I see a tall, dark, handsome stranger taking me on a long sea voyage and selling my body for lots of camels? Hmm...maybe not." She turned the mug round to see if that made more sense. It didn't.

"Well, I guess that could be a letter...maybe that's his initial...then again, maybe I'm just day-dreaming too much again. Get a grip." She shook her head, chuckling, "and stop talking to yourself!"

Basics to Create Dynamic Characters - Lesson 2

2006-09-28T18:27:00.001+01:00

Do you know where your character comes from? To have three dimensional characters, you need to create a physical, sociological and psychological environment for them.

Physical Environment
My story has two main locations. It starts with a Prologue set in the 17th century in the same Essex village that the majority of the novel is set in, in the present day. The first chapter takes place in London where Annie and her daughter live before they move to the village, and the busy city will be a big contrast to life in the country. In the village there’s a village green which is the place where Annie’s ancestor (Rachel) was burnt as a witch in the Prologue. Some of the buildings from then still exist in the present day, e.g. the church, the inn/pub, and the stables (now converted).

Annie arrives in the village in the spring. The story takes place over the following few months, finishing in November, a few days after Halloween, on the anniversary of Rachel’s death. The weather is very varied, i.e. typically English!

Plants are an important part of the book as lots will be needed for various spells, potions, etc. I need to make sure that the ones I use are in season. There are several animals including owls and ravens with mystic links to things in the book.

Sociological Environment
In London there’s little interaction between neighbours, most keep to themselves, although Annie does have some people she’s close too. Rose doesn’t fit in that well at school. She’s not bullied, she’s happy as a solitary child. The village people are mostly friendly. Her gran is well thought of, but some people are wary of her because she’s descended from a witch, and this will cause some conflict.

Annie has a job in a small clothes shop in London, but doesn’t have one to begin with when they move to the country. She may start up her own cottage industry selling jam, honey, dried herbs, etc., that she’s made herself but I haven’t decided that yet. She will need to do something to support herself and Rose. Rose likes to help in the garden; she used to help a neighbour on his allotment in London.

In the village people mainly work in the local area (village shops, post office, hairdressers, library, pub, etc.), but there are some who commute to work in larger towns nearby. There are also some farms in the area.

Most of the villagers are Anglican; one of the secondary characters has a brother who’s a Catholic priest, who is called to do an exorcism later in the book. Gran and her family have always been pagans but Annie (who grew up without knowing her background) has no particular belief.

Gran celebrates traditional pagan holidays over the year including Beltane which is celebrated on May 1st. Local villagers also celebrate May Day with traditional maypole dancing on the green and there is conflict between some in the community who feel this shouldn’t be allowed because of its pagan roots.

In the village there is a pub and a small library, and a cinema in a nearby town. The publican is thinking of setting up a museum of local history in some converted stables, hoping that it will attract people to stay in his pub.

Annie and Rose lived in a tower block in London; the area had a reputation of being a bit rough. The village has always been a sleepy country one, but it is changing as people commute to other towns to work.

Psychological Environment
The publican tries to inflict his viewpoint on how things should be run, but the people who work out of the village don’t really care. Gran carries on doing her own things and the majority of people in the village are happy to let her.

In London most people don’t like to get involved in other peoples’ lives and Annie and Rose don’t have many friends. The village is very welcoming to them, sometimes a little too interested.

The main local legends are based on the history of the witch burnings that had happened there in the 17th century. The publican wants to capitalise on them to attract visitors to the village (and his pub). The area has a reputation for being haunted.

Annie finds life in London quite stressful so the village (to begin with) is a very restful change. In the village most people are friendly, there are just a few who dislike Gran and therefore any members of her family. There are some negative undercurrents and rumours about what Gran and Annie are doing when the presence of the ghosts becomes more widely known.

Get Well Soon Hamster!!

2006-09-24T14:42:00.000+01:00

The Vampire.

Its top speed is estimated to be 370mph. It accelerates at 0-272mph in six seconds. It's powered by a Rolls Royce Orpheus jet engine. It holds the Outright British Land Speed Record of 300.3mph. And last Tuesday it crashed at 300mph. It veered off the runway and flipped over several times, landing upside down. The driver didn't quite walk away from it, but he did say he had to do a piece to camera!

Richard Hammond (aka the Hamster) is one of the presenters of the BBC show Top Gear. It's more than just a show about cars, they do challenges and stunts and it's wonderfully funny and entertaining. It could be argued that this was a challenge (setting a new record) too far, but that's not important at the moment.

Richard was airlifted to hospital by Air Ambulance and was said to be 'critical but stable' in the Intensive Care Unit with 'serious brain injuries'. A couple of days later he was put into High Dependancy, and now he's on a general ward. He's walking a bit (he didn't break a single bone, apparently because they're strapped in so tightly) and the hospital say they are hopeful he will make a good recovery :-D

Fans set up a website to raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance hoping to raise about £30,000. By this morning it's already raised £144,219.22 and they've set a revised target of £500,000! YAA are planning to put the donations towards buying a second helicopter - Hammy's Heli.

I just wanted to add to all the good wishes to Richard and his family.

Get well soon!!

What Can You Say?!

2006-09-19T18:30:00.000+01:00

3 Brits die each year testing if a 9v battery works on their tongue.

142 Brits were injured in 1999 by not removing all pins from new shirts.

58 Brits are injured each year by using sharp knives instead of screwdrivers.

31 Brits have died since 1996 by watering their Christmas tree while the fairy lights were plugged in.

19 Brits have died in the last 3 years believing that Christmas decorations were chocolate.

British Hospitals reported 4 broken arms last year after cracker pulling accidents.

101 people since 1999 have had broken parts of plastic toys pulled out of the soles of their feet.

18 Brits had serious burns in 2000 trying on a new jumper (sweater) with a lit cigarette in their mouth.

A massive 543 Brits were admitted to A&E in the last two years after opening bottles of beer with their teeth.

5 Brits were injured last year in accidents involving out-of-control Scalextric cars.

And finally.........

In 2000 8 Brits cracked their skull whilst throwing up into the toilet.

Basics to Create Dynamic Characters - Lesson 1

2006-09-15T15:08:00.000+01:00

The first assignment is looking at the names we've picked for our characters.

My novel is a ghost story with aspects of witchcraft/paganism in it. There are four primary characters, two are from the 17th century and two from the present day.

My present-day main character's name is Annie, and I'm not sure where I got the idea from for that (I've been planning this book for years!). Her daughter is called Rose (Rosie). Originally I was going to call her Caitlin (Cait), because I like the name, but I decided it didn't look so good written down. I've joined a Wiccan Forum and been given a lot of help and advice from one of the Mods there. Part of her online name is Rose, so I decided to use that, and I think a flower name fits in well with the pagan aspects of the book.

The main character from the 17th century is called Cramer. He is a Witch-finder, and I took his name from one of the authors (Heinrich Kramer) of a witch hunter's handbook called "Malleus Maleficarum" ("The Hammer of Witches") which was published @ 1486. The title of my novel is "The Witches' Hammer" so I thought using his name was a nice reference to that. The other 17th century character is Rachel, one of Annie's ancestors, who Cramer burnt as a witch. As with Annie, I'm not sure where I got the idea for her name from.

Test

2006-09-15T14:54:00.000+01:00

I'm getting an error message....my blog's disappeared!!!

September

2006-09-13T20:37:00.000+01:00

Start of the new school and college year. A couple of years ago I took a college course, "Writing and Publishing", and I wanted to do another one. The only creative writing courses that my local collage are running are during the day - obviously only unemployed or retired people want to write creatively!

I'd thought about doing an online course for a while, and I did the free short F2K course at the beginning of the year. One thing that had put me off was the cost. But then I thought, I was happy to pay £40 for the ten week course at the local college, so what's the difference of paying for an online one? I've joined the Writers' Village University for a year, and it doesn't cost that much more.

There are over 200 courses available, of varying lengths. My first one is four weeks long and starts today...

Basics to Create Dynamic Characters
How can you ensure your reader will care about your characters? Are your characters three dimensional or are they flat and lifeless? This course will show you step by step how to create memorable characters which will captivate your reader.

I'm going to do what I did before, and post my assignments here as well as on my WVU class posting board. I'm excited about doing the courses, I feel like it will give me a real kick-start to my writing, and stop me prevaricating.

So I might actually manage to write in my blog a bit more! If I don't post you'll have to nag me to make sure I'm doing my homework!!

Some quizzes...

2006-09-03T15:15:00.000+01:00

I know I've not written here for a while. I have been doing some book writing though, so that's a good thing.

I've done a few quizzes so here I am...

You Are From Pluto

You are a dark, mysterious soul, full of magic and the secrets of the universe.
You can get the scoop on anything, but you keep your own secrets locked in your heart.
You love change and you use it to your advantage, whether by choice or chance.
You don't like to compromise, to the point of being self-destructive with your stubborness.
Live life with love, and your deep powers will open the world to you.

What Planet Are You From?

You Are Sunshine

Soothing and calm
You are often held up by others as the ideal
But too much of you, and they'll get burned

You are best known for: your warmth

Your dominant state: connecting

What Type of Weather Are You?

Your Famous Last Words Will Be:

"Nice doggy."

What Will Your Famous Last Words Be?

Burglar Alarms

2006-08-07T19:58:00.000+01:00

Specifically, the one at work.

Spent my usual 8 am to 6 pm at work Friday, and after we'd finished putting things away it was about 6.15 pm by the time we got to the back door. We were just about to put in the code when one girl noticed the orange Trouble light was on, and the display screen said Fuse. Not good....and even less good that we'd noticed it. If we hadn't seen it, it would have been unfortuate if the alarm hadn't been set correctly over the weekend, but we wouldn't have known anything about it. But as it was, we had to sort it out.

We went back to Reception, called the Reception Manager (it was her day off) and she agreed that we had to ring the Alarm Company. The switchboard girl put me through to some department, and they said an engineer would ring. The phones were set up to direct all calls to the Out-of-Hours Urgent Care service, so I gave her my mobile number instead. She said the engineer should ring within 30 minutes. After about 20 minutes there'd been no call, then I realised there was no signal on my phone, probably because of all the metal shutters on the windows!!!

The Manager has a seperate line in her office, so I went up and finally managed to divert it downstairs . I rang the alarm people back and gave them the new number. Then I rang the RM again to let her know what was happening and she said that one of the other receptionists could go home but I musn't be there on my own (I'm the most senior member of staff there so I knew I had to stay). My Mum had turned up to give me a lift home so I told her to come in and said the others could go home.

I also rang the Practice Manager (she finished at lunchtime) to let her know what was happening but she was out so I just left a message. Then the engineer rang and said he was about 20 minutes away, so we sat and waited.

He finally got there and changed the fuse in box, setting the alarm off in the process - it was VERY LOUD!!!!!! I ran off to put the code in, and he rang his base because we're linked to the police station so they had to cancel the call.

Finally got in at 7.50pm!!

My Webmail

2006-08-02T19:59:00.000+01:00

I really am sad about online things *hehe*

We've all had our e-mail addresses changed at work, to make them more secure. We've gone from having an Outlook Express account to a Webmail one. Everything is stored on a main central NHS server so we can access our accounts from any machine, even from home apparently. I don't think I'll be doing that though, I'd rather forget about work once I've walked out the door!

The IT guys came late yesterday to update everything, and I've spent most of this afternoon changing things to make it look nicer :-D

Now it's got a green background instead of a blue one, I've added a "Private and Confidential, etc." signature, and changed the font to purple Comic Sans!!

Still getting used to how it all works. Some things seem better than OE but I'm not keen on part of the layout. I love the task list though. I've been used to writing lists and highlighting things when I've done them - this is much more technical and very cool.

Of course, anything's better than working!! ;-)

Games and Prevarications

2006-07-28T20:09:00.000+01:00

I'm writing this in Debenhams' café, drinking a large Diet Pepsi and eating a Double Choc Chip Cookie.

I was in Game earlier today, looking at different PC games I might be interested in. I bought Oblivion (a role-playing game) a while back but it turned out my PC isn't powerful enough to run it so the game's in a cupboard until I have to buy another PC. I think it's the RAM that's the problem so I'll make sure the new machine's got loads. I think it has to be huge because there's so much going on as you play. I was looking at Call of Cthulhu, Morrowind and The Da Vinci Code. CoC caught my eye because there's been some discussion about Cthulhu and Lovecraft's books on Outpost Gallifrey because of the look of the Ood (see below), apparently there are some similarities.

Two of my favourite games on the Playstation are Broken Sword One and Two. They are quite old "point and click" style games, but I love solving the clues, and they've got excellent storylines. TDC looks quite similar (but doesn't get a good review on Amazon).

I was looking and thinking, "well, £19.99 isn't too bad, although I could wait until I saw it second-hand". But I decided I wouldn't buy a second-hand PC game, just because of any virus problems, or damage they might do to the PC. I buy most of my Playstation games second-hand, and never had any problems with them.

Then I thought, "this is just more prevarication". I've written hardly anything in the last few months, mostly because of Doctor Who, I think. When the series was on the TV I was spending most of my time on DW sites talking and reading about the previous week's episode and the one to come (and also complete nonsense on other parts of the OG Forum!!

The series is over now until next year, although the spin-off Torchwood starts on the BBC in October. Both series are being filmed at the moment so there are always site reports to read, and pictures of aliens in Cardiff.

I really need to cut down on the amount of time I spend there so I can spend more time working on my writing. I was reading a friend's short(!) story on OG, and it's inspired me to kick-start myself again *crosses fingers*

*Looks up at what she's just written*

I think this is the most I've written in one go in MONTHS!!!

This is encouraging, although it might mean I need to spend more time in cafés! I think that's where J K Rowling started off, so it's no bad place to be. The good thing about this one is that it's quite big and right at the back of the shop. Most people stop at the little bistros they have near the entrances, so there's no problem about me sitting here in the corner for an hour.

I'm also waiting for Boots to develop my pictures in One-Hour (actually One-Hour and a Half because the developing man was on lunch when I took them in!) But more on them later....

*Looks up again*

I think I might have gone a bit overboard with the linkage!! *lol*

The Impossible Planet

2006-06-02T22:13:00.000+01:00

I know, it's been weeks since I last posted!! Sorry everyone, but I'm back :-)

I love Doctor Who. I think it's my favourite programme. This Saturday's episode is said to be very scary!! YAY!!

courtesy of Sir Didymus

The best show on tv and a brand new two part story. You don't need to have watched it before... but now's the perfect chance to find out just what 40% of the viewing audience in the UK, and an average of 7 to 10 million people are raving about week in week out... the show with the highest Audience Appreciation figures average...

The show that mixes sci-fi and horror with all out comedy from the cream of Britain's writing crop [including Russell T Davis, Queer As Folk/The Second Coming/Casanova; Mark Gattiss, The League Of Gentlemen; Steven Moffat, Coupling; Matthew Graham, Life On Mars; Stephen Fry, nuff said].

The show with the best leading man on the box in David Tennant [Casanova, Blackpool, Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire], and one of the best leading ladies in Billie Piper [So Much Ado About Nothing, Spirit Trap].

The show with a guest star list that so far includes the likes of Anthony Head, Simon Pegg, Tamsin Grieg, Zoe Wannamaker, Pauline Collins, Annette Badland, Penelope Wilton, Adam Garcia, Anna Maxwell Martin, Sophia Myles, Richard Wilson and Simon Callow, and this week features Shaun Parkes and Danny Webb!

The homegrown mainstream smash that shames anything America's produced for television in the last five years.

TRUST ME. WATCH IT. IF YOU'RE NOT HOME, TAPE IT AND WATCH IT LATER OR CATCH A REPEAT... THIS IS MUST SEE TV.

AND PASS THIS MESSAGE ON.

SATURDAY. 7pm. BBC1.

I was young and I needed the money.....

2006-03-27T22:02:00.000+01:00

I mentioned on the OG Forum that I once went for a job interview in a massage parlour, and details were requested. As I wrote it up for there I thought I'd post it here too.

After I left University with my (really useful) archaeological degree I couldn't get a 'proper' job anywhere. I wanted to work in Stoke and the local museum only had vacancies for people who already had museum qualifications. I worked in Hanley market on a bread, cheese and oatcakes stall (that's where my Mum sold Russ Abbott some cheese); in a clothes shop (but I asked to be made redundant because they were messing me around with my hours); in a Pot Bank where most people were making pots but I was gluing the black artificial coal pieces together that are used in gas-fires (I had a reaction to the glue and started walking into things so I had to leave); and finally in a local cafe that opened for the Pot Banks at 6.30 am, so we had to get there before 6 am.

Me, my Mum and my next-door neighbour all worked there together, with the couple who owned it. The man who owned the 'massage parlour' (he didn't call it that obviously - he was a physiotherapist) used to come in every day for breakfast and then lunch. Apparently his last girl left so he needed a new assistant and asked me if I'd be interested, and that the money would be better than the cafe. He said he'd need to do an interview so to pop in any time. My Mum thought it was a bit dubious(!) so I took her with me, which I don't think he was expecting.

He showed me round - very nice and tasteful - and told me about the kind of work he did. Apparently he was the official physio for Port Vale Football Club (just up the road) so I'd be able to work on all those footballers too. Then he started talking about the 'training'. Apparently I wouldn't need to go to college, he'd teach me everything I needed to know...

When I would be massaging (sorry, physiotheraping) clients they would have various nether regions tastefully covered with a towel. However, I'd have to learn how to massage (sorry, do physiotherapy) on the entire body so, before the place opened each morning, I would have a practical session with him. Of course, so I could learn properly, he wouldn't be using any towels, so I could see exactly what I was doing...

It was at this point that Mum and I decided that this wasn't really the career I wanted to get into so we said thanks and left.

Funnily enough, we got a phone call from Hanley CID a few months later saying that the girl he'd taken on instead of me was being questioned about solicitation, and he was being investigated for running a brothel!!! After we told them I'd only gone for an interview but turned the job down they said it was okay, they didn't need to interview me.

New Car = New Start : this was very good advice!

2006-03-18T14:09:00.000Z

*still shaking*

I've done it!!!! I'VE FINALLY PASSED!!!!

I think I deafened the poor examiner when he told me because I shrieked so loud then I started crying and shaking so much I could hardly sign the form - the two signatures on it are completely different!

I only got 4 minors (out of an allowable 15) so I drove really well :-D

I'm a Driver!!!

It's taken me two years and eight days to pass, from my very first lesson. I daren't add up how much it's cost me altogether... it was £93 just for today!

Did I mention I'm a Driver!!!

Fourth time unlucky...?

2006-03-15T20:53:00.000Z

Okay. I'm fed-up and worrying about Saturday. I had a lesson last night and spent half of it in tears. My instructor's had a new car (2006 Mini) which is the same model (thankfully) but the clutch is different, etc. I'll have driven it for a grand total of three hours before my test at 10.44 am on Saturday morning.

I'm so worried I'm going to fail again...I find it *so* frustrating that 17 year old lads pass their test after about 3 lessons and I keep failing. That's not me being derogatory to teenagers btw - it's just my frustration that at 37 I should be able to do this!!!

I'll keep you updated on Saturday.

I feel like some pictures - Scotland

2006-02-25T16:51:00.000Z

I've been on holiday to Scotland lots of times, it's one of my favourite places, especially the Outer Hebrides, a group of islands off the north-west coast of Scotland. I had a book on Skye when I was younger and there was a picture of a house in it that I was determined to buy when I got lots of money. When I went there on holiday I made my Mum drive round the island until we found it!!

We went on a trip to Lewis and saw the Callanish Stones, I love ancient monuments, especially mystical ones.

One of the things I love about the Islands is the beaches. With the white sand and the azure sea it's hard to remember you're actually looking at the Atlantic Ocean!

Now I'm getting all nostalgic for Scotland...I think I need to go there again on holiday.

Very Short Update

2006-02-16T22:50:00.000Z

I might as well just copy+paste from earlier posts.... I failed my driving test again - for the third time!!!

My manoeuvres went okay this time because I didn't have to parallel park. It was the rest that was rubbish. My gears went to pot, I tried to pull out of a junction in third instead of first, I stalled twice, I was bloody useless!!!

I have put in for it again - March 18th. It's so expensive so I better pass soon. The test is £55 (more expensive on a Saturday) and £38 for a two-hour lesson.

I hate driving.

pbwiki - still great!!

2006-02-15T21:10:00.000Z

I've written about pbwiki before, in September when I started this blog. I've found it really useful for my writing, a good back-up along with my hard-drive and my flash-drive. I've been using it for my F2K work as well as my novel.

Mine is a private one as it's got all my work on it, but there are public ones out there too.

Here's a few I found that show how some people use them...

Narnia Confidential

FrauBucher: Books and Book Searches

Spam Legal Action

The Reading Cat

F2K : Lesson Three

2006-02-13T22:05:00.000Z

I found this difficult to write, I cried a lot. It's about Jake.

From your own writings, pick out a paragraph you like; then tell it from a different POV.

The lead slipped from her hand and the dog nimbly dodged underneath the couch, jumping over the metal struts supporting the legs.

"Hey you, come back here!"

Annie chuckled a little as he faced the corner then headed back around the room. However, her laugh was strained, the tears were falling. He walked back towards her, his trailing lead getting tangled round the vet's legs as he tried to move out of the dog's way. She sat down on the floor, leaning back against the wall, "Come here darlin', come and have a cuddle".

He headed straight for her and, turning round, sat down on her outstretched legs. "That's a good boy." She put her arms around him and gave him a hug, breathing in his doggy smell. Normally she hardly noticed it, but now she wanted to remember everything she could. His white fur tickled her nose and she sneezed, surprising them both.

The nurse came into the room carrying a metal dish and she and the vet both looked down to the pair sitting on the floor. Annie nodded slightly and nudged her dog off her lap. She stayed on the floor, kneeling up to hug him again as he stood in front of her, his side pressing against her. She could feel his heart pitter-pattering under her hand as she held him close.

The vet spoke softly, "Hold him tight for me; I just need to shave a little bit of his leg."

He knelt down too. The electric razor whizzed but it was so quick that the dog didn’t seem to notice the noise. The nurse knelt down beside him and passed over a small antiseptic wipe.

"This will be a bit cold for him, hold him and keep talking to him."

Annie hugged him again as he moved his leg away from the coldness. The vet took one of the syringes from the metal dish that the nurse was holding.

"How...how long will it take?" Annie asked, tears running down her face.

He smiled gently, "It's very quick, less than a minute, just keep talking to him all the time". She nodded, and buried her face in fur.

"It's all right my love...it's all right." Hot tears ran down her cheek and spilled onto her dog's back. She deliberately didn't watch what the vet was doing but heard the clink of the syringe in the dish and tried not to think about the liquid death that was pumping round his body. She knew that it was nearly time.

"I love you darling, you know I love you, I always will." She repeated the same words over and over, kissing the top of his head. She wanted the last thing he heard to be her voice, the last thing he felt to be her arms around him and her kisses. She wanted him to know that he was loved. Her voice turned thick and croaky as she cried.

She felt him sag against her, and gently supported him as she let him slide to the floor. She started to sob even more. It was over.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jake could smell the scents of strange creatures. He recognised his own kind, and those pesky cats, but there were others in the air... He skipped across the room under the bed, there was one wafting on the air over in the corner and he wanted to have a closer sniff.

He heard her voice calling from behind so turned back and, pushing past a stranger, trotted up to her and sat down heavily on her lap.

This is much nicer than sitting on the cold floor, he thought. He felt her arms around his tummy and smiled happily to himself as she scratched one of his ears.

He stood up again as she nudged him and then pressed himself against her as she hugged him. Hug me again, he thought, I love it when you tickle my tummy and scratch behind my ears. Scratch my back too, in that place I can’t reach however hard I try.

He felt someone else kneel down beside him and looked round, confused at the new people who were here with him. The whirr of something strange distracted him a little but he snuggled back against her and closed his eyes in pleasure.

What’s that, it’s cold...ouch...and it’s sharp...

He could feel water splashing on his coat and looked up, worried for a moment when he saw she was crying. She smiled at him again and he felt reassured, everything’s fine.

He could hear her voice telling him she loved him and he wished he could tell her that he knew, and he loved her too. But these humans, he thought, they just never seem to understand what we say.

Her voice seemed to be getting further way, and he felt a sudden wave of tiredness sweep through his body. His eyelids felt heavier...he leant against her.

So tired, just need to sleep for a little while.....

Word Cloud

2006-02-10T22:52:00.000Z

I found this on mentalexcrements' site.

My Blog summed up in 100 words.

You can buy T-shirts with your very own Blog Cloud on.

F2K : Lesson Two - Writing Exercise 2

2006-02-07T21:51:00.000Z

Write one (1) paragraph using all the senses. Include at least three (3) words or phrases that suggest something without saying what the sense is.

She walked, trying to move silently through the trees. Dried brown pine needles crackled under her boots and she winced in dismay. Quickly she turned to see if there was any sign of someone following her but there was no one there. Her chest hurt as she breathed in the Christmas-scented air quickly and deeply, her heart still pounding from running into the forest. Her misty breath clouded her vision as she peered into the blackness behind her. As she reached the bottom of the slope the ground became very soggy. Mud squelched under her pink wellingtons, dirtying the bright white daisy pattern. She skidded a little in her hurry, trying to keep her balance on the sloping ground. Suddenly a crow cawed loudly as it flew up from a nearby tree, breaking the heavy silence. Turning again to look behind, her foot slipped in the mud and she fell heavily. The mud was thick and viscous under her hand. She tried get up but her hand kept sliding away so she turned herself over to push herself up from her knees. She tried to stifle a sob as pain shot through her ankle where she'd twisted it as she fell. She could feel the sweat running down her face but when she wiped it she was shocked to see streaks of red amongst the dark brown mud on her hand. She felt around her mouth gingerly with her tongue, and tasted the coppery tang of blood seeping from the inside of her cheek. She must have bitten it as she fell but hadn't even realised until she saw the blood on her hand. Daylight was starting to fade and the forest was becoming gloomier all the time.

F2K : Lesson Two - Writing Exercise 1

2006-02-06T22:18:00.000Z

Write one sentence for each sense (all 8 of them).

Sight
As the flames reached ever higher, sparks and flaming flakes of ash rode the wind upwards and disappeared into the smoke.

Hearing
The child covered his ears with his hands and shut his eyes tightly, but the screams of the women still echoed in his mind.

Touch
She tried to free her wrists tightly bound behind her, the coarse rope rubbing her raw flesh.

Smell
There was a rancid stench from the thick smoke billowing from the pyre.

Taste
The taste of death was in the air.

Time
The silver moon hung low in the sky, its reflection fractured in the frozen surface of the lake.

Space
As she sank to the bottom of the lake the trailing weeds entangled themselves around her, getting tighter as she struggled.

Unknown
His breath was hot against her cheek...she gasped slightly as his hand tightened around her throat, she could feel herself slipping into darkness.

My Jake

2006-01-26T20:53:00.000Z

My dog Jake's a border-collie cross. He's been off-side for a while, he went off his legs on Chrismas Day and just lay there, looking confused. He didn't seem to be in any pain and after about ten minutes he was up and walking about. It happened again this morning. We were in the front room and he suddenly started yelping. All his legs had gone, they were splayed out like Bambi on ice. It must have been painful, straining like that and that was why he was yelping. He was in front of the kitchen door and we couldn't get in, but he dragged himself across the floor so we could open up the door.

I rang the vets and they said bring him right in. The vet gave him a good going over and said he had a heart murmur but it was probably arthritis that was causing him to go off his legs. He was getting stiff while he's asleep then couldn't get up when he tried. She said we could try an anti-inflammatory injection, but she knew what we'd come prepared for.

He's sixteen and he's had a good life. Giving him a pain-killing injection would be for us, not for him. So we had him put to sleep. I cuddled him while it happened, he just fell asleep. The vet left us with him and I stroked him while he grew colder under my hand.

We're having him cremated and having the ashes back, but don't know what we're going to do with them yet.

I've got some pictures from Christmas on my new digital camara, once I've worked out how to upload them, I'll put a couple of pictures up here.

I know it was the right thing to do, but it still hurts.

Birthday Blues

2006-01-17T22:18:00.000Z

It's my birthday on Thursday, I'll be 37. I know in the great scheme of things that's not old, but somehow it's so much closer to 40 than the mid-thirties.

I guess I'm a bit down about it. It's not so much the actual age, it's that I look at my life and see that nothing's really changed over the last fifteen years. I finished my degree (archaeology - so useful in everyday life!) then had about eighteen months of casual jobs (market stall, shop, cafe, potbank) before getting a receptionist job at a doctors' surgery.

Fifteen years later I'm still there, working upstairs doing computer reports on clinical data. But the only real change in my life is the people I've met through the Internet - either in RL as well or just online. I still live at home with my Mum (I know, how sad is that!), we've got the same dog (a mad Border Collie-cross called Jake). I do go to a different church, Anglican instead of Methodist. Oh, my hair's red now but that's hardly life-shattering.

I am happy most of the time with everything, I guess I just get thoughts now and again about what I want from life - this is a 'now' time.

I don't know what could make it different and even whether I'd be happier if it was. Oh well... I'm sure I'll be back to my usual cheery self in a few days, after Thursday anyway ;-)

F2K : Lesson One

2006-01-15T16:18:00.000Z

Bit nervous but here goes...

Have a character you have created tell us a little about you. Have them give us a view of you that we wouldn't normally see (why they think you created them, how they feel about you, what you put them through in your writing, etc.)

I was in a dark empty place but she hath given me life. For a short time at least - for then she gave me death. Thee might think I would be bitter about that, but I am not, at least not at her. I am Rachel. The witch-hunter Cramer claims I am a worshipper of Satan, but he is wrong. I am a good woman and a good mother whose only crime is to worship the old religion.

I know that it gave her grievous heartache to kill one of her own. She cares too much about such things, she needs to remember that everything lives and that everything dies. My life and death hath lasted many centuries now, but my soul doth not rest easy. I said I have no bitterness towards her for my fiery death, and that is true, but she hath filled my heart with hate, my mind with dreams of revenge. When I first met her I had a joyous life, but she changed that forever. I thought I knew where my life was going, but she hath taken that away from me... I see only blackness now. I do not know where my journey will end.

Let me know what you think, all comments appreciated. They don't have to be complementary - although obviously I'd like that best!! *lol*

Midway-thru-January Resolutions

2006-01-14T16:54:00.000Z

Well. Umm....so where does the time go to? I think I did quite well with this to begin with, but then made the fatal mistake of stopping! It's hard to get motivated again, especially around Christmas.

But here I am again - two posts in one day!!!

I got nowhere with NaNo but I am determined to keep writing my novel. I definately know that I'm one of those people who need lots of encouragement to realise that they can actually write okay. All the people who comment here at my Blog do that, and I thank you. I decided I also wanted to try a creative writing course that might help stretch my abilities.

I Googled and found F2K: Fiction Writing for the New Millennium. Everyone who registers is put into a virtual classroom and all the members comment and encourage each other. It runs for seven weeks with a new assignment posted every Wednesday, and I've posted up my first one!!! It's a bit daunting, but I'm enjoying it so far.

I think I might post my assignments here as well, then you can see some of the stuff I'm writing too. Maybe.

Well could you all cope with three posts in one day from me?!!!

Driving Test Update

2006-01-14T15:00:00.000Z

I know - recover from the shock of me actually posting anything here!! I'm in the midst of putting a longer one together, but I thought I'd kick-off with this.

I failed my test again in December, on exactly the same thing. Who needs to parallel park in the Real World anyway? You just drive round until you find a space ;-)

I booked my third one online this morning. Tuesday 14th February at 10:14 am.

*crosses fingers for third time lucky*

A Poem

2005-11-20T19:24:00.000Z

A Witch's Death by Silver DawnHawk

The forked tongues lick at my flesh
They lick me, teasing, hungry
I shiver despite the heat
I pull against the bonds that hold me
Freedom is beyond the choking grey cloud
My eyes water with unshed tears
Through moments of clarity I see the faces
And then they are swallowed by fog again
The tongues are hungrier
Licking with intensity
Playing with my clothes and hair
MOTHER, my mind screams
But I voice no words
The fog closes in
No more moments of clarity
The tongues finally enjoy their feast.

Silver DawnHawk's Website

Sorry I haven't posted for a while, I've been sewing my fingers off!!
Not a good month to NaNo, I've hardly written anything at all.
So here's a poem by someone else :-)

Mary Sue

2005-11-13T15:28:00.000Z

I started writing the main section of my novel for NaNo and I found that the main character talks to herself a lot. Some of you may remember me saying here that I do this as well. She's just come out that way, I've not done it on purpose, but now I'm conscious that I mustn't write her like me...or more to the point how I'd like to be!! *lol* She musn't be a 'Mary Sue'!

I've heard of the name a few times before, often in connection with fan-fiction, but I thought I'd look into it a bit more.

'Mary Sue' - A female character who is so perfect that she is annoying. The name originated in a very short Star Trek story that mocked the sort of female characters who showed up in fanfiction. It usually refers to original female characters put into fanfiction, but can refer to any character.

Mary-Sues are characters who are usually extraordinarily gorgeous, amazingly talented, unusually powerful, and exceedingly attractive to whoever the author has a crush on. They often possess ridiculously fancy and pretentious first names -- Angel, Raven, Jewel, Lorelei Bianca Julia Marizza Snape -- and are very, very annoying.

This is a test I found to check if your character is a 'Mary Sue'.

And if you decide you do want to have a Mary Sue in your book then this could be quite useful ;-)

I'm Starr Devereaux, with Silver Topaz eyes, hair the colour of Tousled Mahogany and my signature scent is Ivory Night-Blossom. My paranormal power is Time Travel and my specialised skill is Expert Pilot. My distinguishing marks are Pointed Ears and my newly revealed relationship to a major character is that I'm Tyr Anasazi's Watcher.

So now you know! :-D

Next Test...

2005-11-12T12:28:00.000Z

I promise I am going to write a post today about my book, but this is just a quick one first!

I've booked my next driving test for 21st December at 11.41 a.m. *crosses fingers* I hope my parallel park works better this time!

Popcorn

2005-11-09T20:16:00.000Z

Meet Popcorn the Bear! This is the throw I'm sewing for my friend for Christmas. I've cross-stitched bigger pictures but the material I'm sewing on is huge! My hoop is about 2 ft across so it's not the most managable item to hold. I'm going to make the heart pink, I think it needs more colour.

I'm going down to London on 1st December so I need to get it finished by then. I'll carry on blogging but my NaNoCoMo will probably have to go on hold for a while...I'm running a bit behind with the sewing.

50,000 Words in One Month

2005-11-07T17:28:00.000Z

Well...I'm not going to achieve it this month. I've only managed 2014 words so far! I'm working hard on my sewing to try and get done by the end of the month. I'll have to carry on trying in December (and probably January!) I'm using a free programme I downloaded to write in and it adds up all the words as I go along so I'm going to continue using that.

It's called yWriter and I'm finding it really good. It took me a while to figure out how it works (what can I say - I'm dozy!) but I think I've got it sorted it now :-)

Features:
Organise your novel using a 'project'.
Add files to the project, each containing a chapter.
Add a summary to each file, showing the scenes in each chapter.
Print out summary cards, showing the structure of your novel.
Display the word count for every file in the project, along with a total.
Saves a log file every day, showing words per file and the total. (Tracks your progress)
Saves automatic backups at user-specified intervals.
Allows multiple scenes within chapters
Viewpoint character, goal, conflict and outcome fields for each scene.
Storyboard view, a visual layout of your work.
Re-order scenes within chapters.
Move scenes from one chapter to another.
Automatic chapter renumbering.

Tagged

2005-11-03T00:12:00.000Z

My first ever Tag has come from rand!!

"Name five foods, dishes or otherwise, that were a part of your childhood, and that you sometimes miss when nostalgia gets to you..."

These are all memories from my childhood before I was nine years old, which was when we moved house. I don't really remember foods in that nostalgic way after that.

Fishfingers, mashed potato and peas
I always came home for lunch when I was at primary school because I lived next door (no excuse for being late!). I'm sure my Mum did make other meals for me, but this is the only one I remember. I watched Mr Benn, Fingerbobs and Rupert Bear while I was eating it, and made castle walls with the mashed potato. Then back off to school again.

Pink Sugar Mice with white string tails
Used to buy these on the way to school - very bad for me, and therefore delicious!

Hotdogs made by my Dad, overfilled with oily onions
We used to go to an old 1860s fort by the sea on summer Sundays and we always took the same thing for lunch. I used to search for crabs with a net in the rock pools. Happy times.

Tomato soup in a white polystyrene cup
This one is very seasonal (if you're English at least). Bonfire night celebrations at my primary school. I don't remember the bonfire or the fireworks, just the hot baked potatoes wrapped in tin foil and thick florescent orange soup.

Thick pea soup with real peas in it
This is nostalgic in a bad way I guess. I don't remember much about it, but my Dad and I were knocked down by a car when we were crossing the road. He broke his ankle, I got dragged along for a while on my face. When it happened people took us into a nearby petrol station until the ambulance came. I was crying a lot so they gave me a bright orange plastic beaker to take my mind of it. No lasting damage *smile* but I couldn't eat properly for days. I used to have pea soup in my beaker that I drank through a straw, and the peas kept getting stuck in the straw! I wouldn't use a bowl or a mug - it had to be that beaker! I only threw it out a couple of years ago, after nearly 30 years.

I think this is my longest post so far. Thanks for the tag rand :-)

NaNoCoMo

2005-11-02T19:10:00.000Z

Someone suggested this name on the official forum; apparently December is NaNoFiMo for all the novels written this month.

To make the target I need to write an average of 1660 words a day...think I might need to do a bit of a catch-up at the weekend. I've only done about 650 so far! My boss is out tomorrow so I'm hoping I can do some now and again over the day *bad girl...hehe*

I've also got a needlework project on the go. My friend's birthday is at the beginning of December and I'm trying to embroider a throw in time. Fingers crossed I can do both, if not the throw will have priority, and I'll carry on my novel in December.

I know I wouldn't finish the book this month anyway, even if I was writing every waking minute...I’m just happy to be getting some words down on paper. It's definitely been an incentive to write.

Halloween

2005-10-31T21:27:00.000Z

Happy Halloween and Blessed Samhain to you all :-)

NaNoFiMo

2005-10-30T13:58:00.000Z

I know it sounds like it could be a lawn-mowing championship but it's actually my very own version of the proper NaNoWriMo. The Fi is short for Finishing because I've already started it!

What I've decided to do is put the Prologue on hold for a month and make a start on the main part of the book. It's set in the present day so no worrying about the 'thees' and 'thous' *grin*. I've not written any of this yet, just lots of plans and research notes, so it's more in the spirit of the proper event.

I'm still going to post here whenever I can, I'm not going to turn into a hermit. I am going to try and cut down on my time spent on Forums like Outpost Gallifrey.

Wish me luck :-D

National Novel Writing Month

2005-10-28T18:10:00.000+01:00

"NaNoWriMo is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down."

I'm not doing this because I've already got this book on the go, but it sounds a real challange, and maybe quite a lot of fun too.

I failed

2005-10-27T12:33:00.000+01:00

I only got 4 minors (you can get up to 15 and still pass) but I got 2 serious faults so it was automatic fail after the 1st one...which was about 3 minutes into the test!

I was going up a narrow street and I should have waited for a lorry coming in the opposite direction to pass me. I hit the kerb in my parallel park so that failed me too.

I was het-up before I even began, so I'm not really surprised, though obviously I'm gutted about it. When I pulled the lever inside the car to open the bonnet on my pre-test check I cut my finger and it wouldn't stop bleeding. I've got blood all over my trousers, the car side window, the floor in the toilets in the examining place (but I did wipe that up!) and pretty much everywhere else I went! They didn't have any plasters there, they're not allowed to in case someone has an allergic reaction, so my instructor went to the corner shop to buy some for me.

Still. it's not the end of the world, I can take it again.

Pictures and Words

2005-10-25T19:29:00.000+01:00

I've been reading what I've written and I know I need to put in more descriptive detail. Not go overboard on the adjectives, just help visualise the scene a bit more. I want to try and give an idea of the 'sights and sounds' of the place.

It's strange, when I'm writing it seems like I'm seeing and hearing it as a film in my head, then I write down what I've seen. Does that happen to other people or is it just me being weird? *lol*

I've had some advice (thanks guys), and I've been trying the dialogue out loud, and I think I've pretty much decided to scrap most of the 'thees' and 'thys'. I know that's how they may have spoken but it seems very distracting. I think perhaps that a reader is more likely to be distracted by the archaic speech than notice that I'm using 'you' and 'yours' instead. It just doesn't seem to sound natural. I'll still put in some contemporary words and phrasing so hopefully it should stand out from the rest of the novel which is set in the present day.

Driving Test

2005-10-22T18:06:00.000+01:00

It's got nothing to do the book, but I've just had my last proper driving lesson before my test on Thursday, and it didn't go that well.

All my manoeuvres went horribly wrong, normally I can at least do the Turn-in-the-Road but not today :-(

My instructor says not to worry about it, because I know I can do them, so I can only do better on Thursday. Which is true, I know, but I've just got to believe it.

Here you go - Methods of Burning

2005-10-21T18:41:00.000+01:00

Quote 1
Three slightly different methods of burning were used. The first, consisted of using a heap of faggots piled around a wooden stake above which the prisoner was attached with chains or iron hoops. The British and Spanish Inquisition preferred this method as it had the greatest visual impact.

The second method, mostly used on witches, was to tie the condemned to the stake and heap faggots all round them, effectively hiding their sufferings from sight so that they died inside a wall of flames . It is said that Joan of Arc died by this method.

The third method, used in Germany and the Nordic countries, involved typing the prisoner to a near vertical ladder, the top of which was tied to a frame, and then swinging them down onto the fire.

Quote 2
The witch was strangled first, and then her corpse--or sometimes her unconscious or semiconscious body--was tied to a stake or dumped into a tar barrel and set afire. If the witch was not dead and managed to get out of the flames, onlookers shoved her back in.

Quote 3
Burning, by the way, didn't mean being burned alive. If you recanted (admitted you'd made a mistake and were sorry), you were killed beforehand, and then your body was consigned to the flames.

Quote 4
In France, Germany, Switzerland, and Scotland, almost all of the executed were garroted before the flames were lit.
~~~~
There seem to be several different ways. I think I'll use the first method, but some of my victims may be killed beforehand. *lol* I sound like a serial killer!

Lots of words

2005-10-21T12:48:00.000+01:00

I'm so pleased with what I've written. In long-hand it looks quite a lot, story-wise I've not covered that much. Which is probably quite a good thing.

My very first First Draft of the Prologue was 769 words long (thank goodness for Word Count) *lol* but I knew it had to be longer than that. As I said in an earlier entry I want to write something that is emotionally strong enough to affect my readers. It's not exactly spoiling the end of it to reveal that Rachel (the accused woman) dies. I feel that for people to connect with her more they need to know her better, so writing in more detail will help that.

I'm still in the process of typing it up to see how much I've written, but I've already got 1200 words just in my ducking scene. I think there's at least that much in the torture scene so far and I've hardly started!

I'm here again...briefly

2005-10-16T00:55:00.000+01:00

I'm off on holiday to Eastbourne for 5 days in..... 6 hours and 20 minutes. And I haven't gone to bed yet! I won't be back until Thursday night so it's likely I won't be able to post until Friday.

I'm determined to write some more TWH, especially in the afternoons. I'm going with my Mum and she tends to have an afternoon nap - perfect time to scribble :-D

I probably won't get to finish the Prologue but I'm going to have a darned good try!

See ya soon *waves*

I'm still here...

2005-10-15T23:56:00.000+01:00

Sorry I've not written anything here for a few days, don't worry I've not given up on it :-) I've had a bit of a block on what to Blog about...which I suppose is worth an entry in itself.

I've not really written enough in my life to get 'proper' writer's block. I read about authors staring at a blank page, or nowadays probably more likely an empty screen, and they just can't write a single word. Nothing's there. When I'm trying to think of things to type and nothing's happening, it's usually just because I get distracted by things rather than I have an empty head.

In rand's blog he says that he wants "to be engrossed, undistracted, deep in the magical world of writing". That does sound wonderful. I think I need to spend more time at my word-processer instead of the machine that opens the door to the Whole Wide World.

What Do I Want?

2005-10-12T00:38:00.000+01:00

I've been thinking about what I want from writing the book...

The first thing is - just to finish it! That would be a real achievement for me, so if that was as far as it got I'd still be happy.

But I know that if it does get finished I would desperately want someone to publish it. I would love to walk into a bookshop and see my book sitting on the shelves. And if that did happen, I'd be realistic about it. However much I dream about writing a bestseller for my first novel I know that's not likely to happen. The JK Rowlings of this world come along very rarely!

But my real desire sounds a bit odd I think...I want to make people cry.

I'm a right soppy mare about...well...everything! I cry at TV, films (I even cried at Terminator 2, I'm that bad!), pretty much anything you can think of. I've sobbed at books - and how embarrassing is that when you're sitting on a train!

I want people to laugh as well but I would love to write something powerful enough to make people cry.

Thee, thy, thou, thine

2005-10-09T20:37:00.000+01:00

I've been working on the prologue and one of the things I want to make sure about is that it sounds (reasonably) authentic. I've written it in ordinary English to begin with, but obviously they spoke a bit differently in 17th century Essex. I want it to sound natural though, not silly. There isn't a Ye Olde Tea Shoppe on the village green.

I thought changing the 'you' and 'yours' throughout to 'thee' or 'thy' would work, and maybe throw in a couple of dialect words as well. But I hadn't realised it was more complicated that. I tried changing 'you' to 'thee' but it sounded wrong. I thought maybe putting in some 'thy' would help but I couldn't decide what should go where.

I started looking into it and it is more complicated that I thought. It's all to do with grammar. French and Latin grammar made sense at school, probably because I was learning the whole thing from scratch. English is already there, in my head, so talking about nominative, objective and possesive is just *whoosh* over my head!

Nominative: thou
Objective: thee
Possessive: thy (before a consonant, so "thy servant"), thine (before a vowel, so "to thine own self be true")

Which is all great. Now I know that if the 'you' is nominative it should be 'thou'. So I've just got to go and find out which of them are nominative and which are possessive!

Why "The Witches' Hammer" ?

2005-10-07T13:52:00.000+01:00

I couldn't decide what to call my book for ages. My college lecturer said it was really important to choose a strong title that would catch people's attention and make them want to pick up the book to see what it was about. Do you think TWH works? Please tell me if you don't - all suggestions welcome :-)

I got it from a translation of a book called the Malleus Maleficarum which was published in 1486. It's one of the most influential Witch-hunting manuals of all times and describes the detection and punishment of witches. I wanted to get as much contemporary source material as I could. I've found various extracts on the Net but I wanted a complete copy so I bought it as an E-book on ebay for 99p - I thought that was a pretty good deal!

In my book the ghost of a 17th century witch-hunter terrorises a present-day family. Some of them are Wicca-type witches and together they are able to defeat and banish him, hence the 'hammering'.

The prologue of the book is set in the 17th century and a lot of my current research is studying contemporary accounts of the trials and torture of accused women (and men). It is fascinating, and some of it is quite disturbing. I can't be too graphic in the book. I've written the ducking scene, now I'm concentrating on the torture. And how bizarre is that sentence!

I've got a headache...

2005-10-06T19:40:00.000+01:00

Late night next door with the neighbours. He works in Saudi Arabia and is over here for a couple of weeks so they invited us round for a party. They kept 'forcing' red wine on me and it would have been rude to decline. Scotch eggs and mini sausage rolls don't really soak up that much alcohol! Still, I can't really use that as an excuse completely because we came back home at @ 11 pm and I was up until nearly 3 am on the Net *very bad* especially when I'm working the next day!!

I'm writing this (on paper) at work at the start of a meeting. Everyone else is eating lunch but I'm not hungry so I'm doing this instead. Usually when I write at work I do it straight onto my email, ready to send at a moment's notice if my boss walks in! *lol*

I really will have to be careful that I don't spend all my time writing my blog instead of my book. I'm going to Eastbourne in a couple of weeks so I'm determined to only write TWH while I'm away.

Wiki, Wiki, Wiki

2005-10-05T23:59:00.000+01:00

Oi! Oi! Oi!

The Wikipedia site, and various spin-offs, seems to have suddenly become very popular. It's an interesting concept, if you haven't come across it yet I'd definitely suggest going to have a look. It looks like an ordinary encyclopaedia site, but information can be added to it by anyone. There's always the danger that people will make stuff up, so it shouldn't be taken as completely accurate, but it is very informative, and I do have to be careful not to get sidetracked when I'm looking at it. There are lots of links to other sections on every page so if I start clicking on them I can be lost for the afternoon!

A friend started using a site called pbwiki for a project he's doing, and now I'm using it for my book. I had a bit of a disaster 6 months ago when my old PC died and I didn't have everything backed-up onto floppies. Thankfully I had hard-copies but it still meant I had to type it all in again. My pbwiki site means that I can store all my research and my writing online instead of on my hard-drive. They back up their site offline twice-hourly, and I regularly download a zipfile of my work as well to keep all the information on my PC just in case.

It's much better than having lots of Word documents on my computer because I can link pages to each other to keep everything tidy but easily accessible. The index page means I can find anything I need within seconds. It's very cool.

The site is password protected but if you give the password to someone they can contribute to it as well. That aspect isn't really useful for me, it depends what you're using the site for, and obviously you could only give it to people you trust otherwise they could go on and delete everything!!

I think it's giving me more incentive to write because I can see all the work I've already done straight away. It would be such a shame to waste it all by giving up.

Travel Writing

2005-10-03T17:56:00.000+01:00

I've been away for the weekend to stay with my friends in Essex. I go down quite often, usually on the coach, and I'm always full of good intentions to write while I'm travelling. It takes quite a while to get there, 5 hours down on the coach (I have to change in Birmingham) and then an hour on the Underground from Victoria. The train is quicker but more expensive, and to be honest more of a hassle. It takes me nearly as long to travel out of London on the 3 tubes (or 2 tubes and a train) I need to use from Euston as it does to get down to London on the train in the first place!

My handwriting is bad at the best of times, and it looks like spidery shorthand when I write on the coach so I tend to make notes rather than try and write the story itself. Part of it takes place in London and, as I don't know the city at all, travelling through on the coach gives me a good opportunity to make notes on my surroundings.

I just write a few words about the people I see walking past; the shops, cafes and restaurants; the stone carvings on the old buildings that nobody notices; the parks and the traffic. Stuff like that.

Most of the story is based in Essex and I get to see the local countryside as well when I'm travelling through on the tube. It really surprised me the first time I used it when I went to stay with my friends. I always thought of the Underground as being...well...underground, but on the District Line (and probably the others too) once the tube reaches a certain point out of the main part of the City it appears above ground and carries on just like a normal train.

I'd really like to visit Manningtree in Essex where Matthew Hopkins, the so-called Witchfinder General, lived in 1644. He was responsible for several hundred woman being executed after they were accused of witchcraft. I haven't been able to persuade my friends yet that it would be a good place for a grand day out, and I don't know why!! Maybe next summer we can go there and have a picnic.

Mad or Eccentric?

2005-09-28T00:34:00.000+01:00

Does anyone else have conversations with themselves or other people in their heads? I do a lot, especially now I'm working on the book - that's my excuse anyway *lol*. Usually it's in my head but sometimes it's out loud, mainly when there's no one else around (but not always!). I talk to myself while I'm sitting at my desk at work or out walking in the fields at lunchtime. I'm usually planning out stuff, but sometimes it's proper conversations with other people.... *realises she's sounding like a complete loon who needs to increase her medication*.

It's said that poor people are mad, but rich people are eccentric....so this means I'm mad because I'm definitely not rich!!! Maybe in a few years time when I'm a world-famous author who's richer than JK Rowling (yeah right!) I can look back at this and say that back then I was clearly eccentric and poor, but not mad.

I'm writing this at work, on my email. Sometimes I get creative urges at work (especially when I'm bored with what I should be doing), so I have to write it all down. Then I email it to myself at home and work on it there. It's amazing how much I can write when I'm here and shouldn't be doing it, compared to when I'm at home. My boss was out at a meeting one afternoon and I wrote over 500 words in just over an hour!! It's not usually like that :-)

I think I need to set myself a target to write a minimum number of words a day. If I get behind I have to try and catch up at the weekend. I've read in a "How To Write a Bestseller and Become a Billionaire Overnight" book that by doing that, even if what you write is rubbish and you scrap it all the next day, your mind gets in the habit of producing something regularly. It does sound like sensible advice, I'll try it.

Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam

2005-09-26T17:34:00.000+01:00

*cue Monty Python song*

I logged on here again and got really excited because I had two new comments (and how sad is that anyway *lol*). I did hope they were going to be nice, but even if not at least someone had read it and been prepared to leave a comment.

But, when I read the first one I was really disappointed. It started off lovely, "I was browsing, I saw your blog, it's really interesting, etc.", but then it carried on, "by the way, if you're thinking of buying a house in Florida I can sort out a great mortgage deal for you." I guessed it was just an advert but I checked the link anyway, and sure enough it was.

Never mind, I thought, at least there's another one.

It was a whole deja vu thing, word for word, except that this nice kind person could arrange a really great financial plan for this house that I'm going to buy in Florida!

I know it's not just an Internet thing (like most people I get loads of mail at home too but usually that's just "have a loan/credit card/win a million pounds on the Reader's Digest competition". As an aside, has anyone actually won a Reader's Digest prize??? Anyway, although I don't really mind getting spammy emails (they're easy to delete and I don't get hundreds...possibly not the best thing to admit because I might get loads now *lol*) I was really disappointed about getting spam comments here.

They're easy to delete as well (as you can see because they're not here anymore) but I felt really bad about it! I'd actually got comments and now I was getting rid of them!

And, when the day comes that I decide I do want to buy a house in Florida I won't be able to get a great mortgage and financial plan because I've deleted the links!!!

What's it about?

2005-09-25T19:25:00.000+01:00

Now I've linked it so other people can read this, I'd better say what it's all about :-)

It's a ghost story where the main character is haunted by a 17th century Scottish witch-hunter who was responsible for the death of one of her ancestors.

Most of the research I'm doing is on the Burning Times, the mass European witch-hunts where (it's estimated) about 40,000+ people where killed (men as well as women). I'm also looking at present-day paganism for the modern-day part of the book.

It is really interesting, but I tend to get sidetracked when I'm reading.

I've written parts of the Prologue so I just must make sure to keep going

*puts on determined face*

Yay! Entry # 5

2005-09-25T14:56:00.000+01:00

So this is a very good sign! It's the next day and I'm writing here again. Maybe I will manage to write this for a while :-)

It's good practice as well, if I can write here often I can write my own stuff too. Like they say, use it or lose it!

Time for some research I think....and some OGing too *bad girl* I should be working properly!!

Entry # 4

2005-09-25T02:10:00.000+01:00

Well, this is the 4th post (only a few minutes after the 3rd one!) so we'll see if I manage to make another one because that'll be a good sign that I'm going to carry on, for a while at least ;)

I've decided to make this public, I'll see in the next few days if anyone reads it, or at least reads & takes the time to leave a comment (hopefully a nice one *lol*).

Probably no one will, but at least I'll feel that I'm using a blog as it should be used. Otherwise I might just as well be writing it on scraps of paper and hiding it in a shoebox under my bed!

So this time I can say night all :)

I should be in bed!!

2005-09-25T01:56:00.000+01:00

It's nearly 2.00 am and I should be in bed but I'm here, sitting in front of my PC, typing away on this blog.

I've been up late all week, til 3.00 am some nights (mornings!) because I get carried away online. I spend a lot of time at Outpost Gallifrey (a Doctor Who website) and then I get deep into research for my book as well.

Sometimes I wonder about all the research though. I've got to do lots, and it's really interesting, but occasionaly I think maybe I'm using it as an excuse to do that instead of actually writing my book!!

I need to sleep....I'm going to go now....

I would say good night all, but as no one is reading this because I haven't made it public that would be really silly! *lol*

Public or Private?

2005-09-24T20:20:00.000+01:00

At the moment this is private.... should I make it a public one?

I'm not sure because I'm not very confident about my book (I need to be more positive *lol*), so I'd be worried about people saying my ideas are rubbish!! They might be right, but I'd rather not hear it until I've written more, and by then I might have decided that for myself!

Also, I've always been rubbish at keeping a diary (I usually manage it for the first week in January and then I get bored) so it'll be really pathetic if I write about 4 entries and then stop!!

For now I'll keep it private....but I might change my mind in a few days....

The Witches' Hammer - first thoughts

2005-09-23T17:37:00.000+01:00

I've started writing a novel, and I'm going to use this to set down my trials and tribulations along the way....

Blame Chris Golden for this! I had to sign up so I could post on his Blog *lol*