Back in the Hurly-Burly

It was an intense, intensive manuscript wrangling time I had!  And now I'm back in the midst of the old witches' hurly-burly, I'm much better able to start at the beginning and work through to the next level of draftiness.  Which I've been doing.  First few chapters - fine.  Next few chapters - okay.  Then I hit Chapter 8 ... oh my.  Right.  I remember.  This was the one where I shoved all the stuff that hadn't slotted in anywhere else ... 

De- followed by re-construction continues, then.

(Change that ... and that ... and definitely that ...)

What to Wear 100 Years Ago

Meet me over on Girls Heart Books for more luscious fashion choices -  

Authors for the Philippines

Come bid on Slightly over at the Authors for the Philippines online auction, to help raise funds for the Red Cross Typhoon Haiyan Appeal.  Or if your shelves are already adequately stocked with Victorian girl detective stories, there is PLENTY more to choose from!

Slightly's entry is here.  The Browsing and Bidding page is here.  And the exceptionally useful Index is here.  There are so many REALLY FABULOUS things - come be a part of something good.

Beach in the Hills

I don't know exactly what kind of metaphorical beach I'll be in the midst of when you read this (I'll be in the hills of Perthshire, so no beach at all, but if you refer back to last week's post it'll make more sense).  So it seemed wise to give you a selection to look at.  Anyway, I hope your week has been as productive as I hope mine has been.  (Next post I'll be able to make use of slightly less complicated tenses!)  

Rocks and Roles

I've posted these photos of rocks because they remind me of what I've been up to in my writing these last weeks.  The photos are of arrangements/patterns/shapes that I liked, but didn't make.  I just recognized them.  It's been much the same with the writing. I've begun discovering the patterns in my book.  It hasn't felt as if I've been making them, so much as finding them.  The roles the characters play are becoming clearer the more time I spend with them and the more time they spend with each other.  Until recently it's been mostly a matter of close-ups of one character or another, one event or another.  But next week I'm going to go off and spend some time with just me and the book.  Next week, I'm going to try to see the entire beach ...

 (Okay, in the interests of accuracy, that's not me on the beach, it's my sister, and as far as I know she's not in the book, but well, hey - it's, like, you know, a metaphor.)

Photos and an Award!

Today I'm looking back at China, over with The History Girls.  And we've just heard that 26 Treasures has won the Literature Category in the British Book Design and Production Awards.  Huzzah!

November, Glenalmond and Flying Horses

(Monet Houses of Parliament 1905)

For the last few months I've been writing about London in November.  It's pretty normal to be writing about heat when it's winter, or leaves falling at about the time they're just re-appearing.  But now, it IS November.  It'll be interesting to read back, and see if I've been getting it right.  And then I really should go down to London and check that ...  

This week has had two loads of lovely writing to read in it.  I was invited on Saturday to Glenalmond College as the judge for a Junior Writing Competition involving several schools.  There were 18 finalists in 3 categories (7-8, 9-10, 11-12) and I had a whale of a time - thank you very much for inviting me, and for writing so well!

I also got through the post a fine fat envelope full of poems and pictures about flying horses from the P5 class at St Sylvester's Primary School in Elgin.  We'd met at the Spirit of Moray Book Festival.  It was great to see your work, so thank you Wishe, Paige, Aidan, Catherine, Robyn, Meadow, Kyle, Emily, Emma, Lara, Tegan, Lily, Marija, Amy, Carly, Chloe, Mariem, Sophie, AJ, Olivia, Lewis, Daniel, Geordan, Katie, Megan, Sean, Jason, Callum, Mati, and Ms McKenna!

(I'm having trouble finding exact dates for Monet's Houses of Parliament paintings - the year, fine, but I don't know which ones were painted specifically in November.  So here's another one, just because it looks like November and I really like it, but it's just a guess.  Anyone who knows, please tell!)

                            (Monet Houses of Parliament 1904)