Tag Archives: Maeve Binchy

Daily Reads

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I write every day, and I try to read every day. The two other things I try to do every day are 1) be a better person, inside and out 😉 (What? I’m a woman, I want my outside to be slightly acceptable as well! Lol) and 2) learn.

Sooooo, these are my bibles 😉

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Judy Reeves is absolutely essential for my writing prompts, Victoria Moran is helping me become the woman I want to be, Iyanla Vanzant is encouraging me and Sutherland & Fender are teaching me 🙂

Occasionally I manage to fit a bit of fiction reading in, but I seem to be stuck on a Maeve Binchy at the moment lol.

I did my timetable yesterday *groan* and already, on day 2 I’ve not stuck to it LMAO ;o)

I didn’t even manage yesterday’s prompt as I was concentrating on characterisation for my OCA course. Did a couple, tidied all my writing stuff up, looked at some competitions and fart arsed about basically *slump* Today the prompt is this is what my grandmother told me so the plan for today is to catch up with those and continue with my characterisations.

I’m off out tonight to see The Importance of Being Earnest I’ve never seen it before so I’m looking forward to it 🙂

Emotional Response

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I had a bit of a shock Thursday night……

I went out to BlueWater with my friend J for a coffee and a chin wag. J is also an aspiring writer and has also been following Judy Reeves Book of Days. I took my note book with me, to share some of the stories I’d written over the last few days, which she read. When it came to the one prompted by “things that enter through way of silence’ she burst into tears. Bless her 🙂 In the middle of Carluccio’s *snigger* We had to explain to the waitress what was going on 😉

Sorry J, if you’re reading this, it was quite funny. The waitress commented that my story must be good if it reduced my friend to tears. The subject struck a raw nerve with J…. A mother sitting in the darkness, waiting for her son to return from a New Years Eve party…..only he’ll never return because he’s been killed…..but still, every New Years Eve, she sits and waits…….

This got me thinking about my own emotional responses to the books I read. I’m not really a weepy person, although I do get upset about things on TV and in films…..but, I don’t think I’ve ever been reduced to tears by a book….oh, no, wait…..I think I shed a tear when I read Kes a couple of years ago.

So isn’t that what every writer wants? To illicit an emotional response in their readers? Should I be happy that J was so upset by my story? To be honest, I felt really bad.

Yesterday’s prompt about the hours was hard as I just couldn’t get Mrs Dalloway out of my head lol…..I’ve got a copy on my TBR (to be read…..what can I say, I’m a BookCrosser) pile….I think I’ll read it after I’ve finished the Maeve Binchy…… Anyway, yes, it was hard 😦 its funny how some have been so easy, and others I think will be easy, aren’t lol. I finally managed to write a story about a girl waiting for her date to arrive, watching the clock, but he never arrives.

Today’s prompt is write where the road leads

I think I’ll be having fun with that one 😉

A Very Productive Day :)

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I really wasn’t in the mood to do any serious studying yesterday, but, if I’m going to get my assignment in on time on the 20th, I really had to pull my finger out 😉

Sooooo, I spent the afternoon doing exercises regarding Adjectives, Verbs, Adverbs and Syntax. I wasnt able to upload the actual pieces I used, as they’re short stories I want to use at a later date for submissions. Anyway, some very interesting things emerged. The fact that my Syntax is kinda ok (no major problems anyway!). I don’t tend to use Passive Voice, which is good, but I do need to sort out my use of Authorial Comment 😉

I’ve finished Note Book number 8. It’s always a bit sad when I finish/fill up a book….but, it’s exciting to start a new one. All those clean empty pages….I can’t wait to fill it with writing and notes 😉

My next task on the course is to research the following:
Simile
Metaphor
Imagery
Figurative Language
Cliche
I enjoy doing research…..sometimes, you think you know exactly what a word means, but it’s interesting to delve a bit deeper 😉

I started reading Maeve Binchy’s Quentins last night. I haven’t read anything by Binchy before, so I’m eager to see why she is so popular 🙂

Tonight on TV, a new adaptation of Charles Dickens Great Expectations

Living only a couple of miles from where Dickens lived (and living in the town in Kent he loved so much) I’m always interested in watching anything Dickens related. I was hoping that this modern version might actually use some of the real locations from Rochester for the filming, so I was a bit disappointed not to see Restoration House used as Miss Havisham’s home 😦

Now, where did I put my copy of The Old Curiosity shop? I’ve only been reading it for about 2 years lol