tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91526820598532484262024-03-13T05:15:13.339+00:00Linda's JottingsPersonal blog of Linda Daunter.
Mostly on the art and business of writing although I'm easily distracted.Linda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.comBlogger144125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-10838476759611667522018-04-04T11:54:00.001+01:002018-04-04T11:54:23.398+01:00Change of addressHello!
Lovely to see you, so pleased you've found your way here, but I confess I haven't been here myself for quite a while. My short blogging break (see previous post) turned out to be a bit longer than I'd planned, mostly because exciting things have been happening in my real world.
Anyway, before you click on 'Next Blog' I just want to tell you that my new Linda's Jottings blog is up Linda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-3590068489970339652016-10-10T17:53:00.002+01:002016-10-10T18:01:31.544+01:00Updates and upgradesWhat an exasperating exciting time I’ve been having.
Here are just a few of the ups and downs I’ve had to deal with over the past 2 months.
😧 Computer crashed and was sent away for repair.
🙂 Was able to use iPad and borrowed laptop instead.
🤔 Had to learn how to use iPad and laptop.
😧 Camera developed a fault.
🙁 Advised that replacing camera was best option.
😃 New camera more Linda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-82774546121828554002016-08-07T14:07:00.002+01:002016-08-07T14:07:26.873+01:00A different view I find the most frustrating thing about writing - apart from all the rejections - are those times when I know what I want to say, but can't find exactly the right words to say it. If I'm lucky, the answer will reveal itself after I've scribbled down and crossed out all the 'wrong' sentences I can think of, but when I'm completely stuck the best thing is to give up and go and do something Linda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-74818035154103313982016-08-03T20:08:00.000+01:002016-08-03T20:12:16.280+01:00Dear Followers (and anyone else who finds this blog)Just a quick note to say sorry for the lack of posts recently.
I'm still here, but have had blogging problems.
At the end of June, most of the pictures on my 2 blogs disappeared. It wasn't me - it was Google changing something that affected Blogger. Someone,somewhere was trying to fix it but days, and then weeks, went by and my blogs still looked very strange with blank spaces where the pictures Linda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-74831542600066697102016-07-03T19:21:00.000+01:002016-07-05T14:00:49.347+01:00A little ray of hope<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Overheard in the supermarket,
Little boy: Look, Mummy, look!
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I know I said I wouldn’t, but I’ve finally given in and set
up a Twitter account. Not sure how much I’ll use it – I’m still at the bottom
of the learning curve – but I’ve managed to find some of my blog followers on
there and have signed up to follow them (at least I think I have if I clicked on the Linda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-78862142045973429032016-05-22T00:07:00.000+01:002016-05-22T00:07:04.012+01:00A Riddle<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Q. What do you call a very heavy cold combined with hay
fever and tinnitus?
A. Writer’s block.
I’ve been struggling with it for ten days now!
Linda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-84436058464456485162016-05-04T19:06:00.000+01:002016-05-04T19:06:35.078+01:00NaPoWriMo – the verdict<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Well, April – otherwise known as National Poetry Writing
Month
or Global Poetry Writing Month – whizzed by much too fast.
I didn’t
manage to create a new poem every day, but I did scribble down 17 very rough
first drafts. That’s 17 more than I would have done without the help of the
daily prompts and Linda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-42190716290213971192016-04-28T19:29:00.000+01:002016-04-28T19:29:46.643+01:00NaPoWriMo - what day is it?<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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My calendar tells me it’s the 28th day of April
but after having a few days away (see my previous post), and then catching up
with things at home, I’ve fallen behind with the Write a Poem a Day challenge.
But I have been making a note of the daily optional prompts on NaPoWriMo.net,
and my muse has been sending me random ideas to fit some of Linda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-79297182412989170232016-04-26T19:08:00.000+01:002016-04-26T19:08:02.351+01:00A 'what if ' too many<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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‘What if ?’ must be the most useful phrase in a fiction
writer’s toolkit. It can – and has – sparked all kinds of wonderful stories.
What if a young girl fell down a rabbit hole?
What if someone found a treasure map?
What if two lovers were kept apart by their families?
What if humans could travel to another planet?
But, in real Linda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-250844860536755332016-04-21T16:57:00.000+01:002016-04-21T16:57:39.003+01:00NaPoWriMo catch-up<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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moment that I’ve fallen way behind with the Write a Poem a Day challenge, but
here are two more attempts:
When I saw the prompt for Day 14 – write a san san poem – I
didn’t even attempt to do it. It seemed too complicated, and I didn’t have time
for complicated! It’s a Chinese form that Linda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-79907726532575958412016-04-14T11:55:00.000+01:002016-04-14T11:55:22.579+01:00NaPoWriMo Day 13Today’s prompt was: a poem inspired by fortune cookies
Only time for a quick haiku.
Fortune does not shine
on fortune cookie buyers
but those who sell them.
www.NaPoWriMo.net
Linda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-42315825709073621892016-04-13T18:50:00.000+01:002016-04-13T18:50:07.271+01:00NaPoWriMo Day 12<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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The prompt from NaPoWriMo.net was: an index poem.
The idea is to make a poem using words found in either a
real or imaginary book index.
I took a very small section of the index in Life Style by Dr Peter Marsh, an interesting
book that I picked up in a library sale.
I’m not sure if the following can be classified as a Linda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-31286413705234089862016-04-12T18:29:00.000+01:002016-04-12T18:29:54.101+01:00NaPoWriMo Day 11<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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The prompt for Day 11 was a bit complicated: a poem closely
describing an object or place, then ending with an abstract line that doesn’t
seem to have anything to do with that object or place – but does.
I understood it better after reading a poem recommended on
the website, but had to wait for my muse to visit the next morning before
Linda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-66983386681111869312016-04-10T15:08:00.000+01:002016-04-10T15:08:17.364+01:00NaPoWriMo Day 10<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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I was lagging behind with this ‘write a poem a day’
challenge, but I’ve caught up with the help of today’s prompt: write a book
spine poem.
The idea is to juggle titles of some of the books on your
bookshelf to make something that might be called a poem. Here’s what I found in
my non-fiction bookcase:
The Paper Astronaut
sings a
Song Linda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-18703416757943200192016-04-10T12:40:00.001+01:002016-04-10T12:40:51.513+01:00NaPoWriMo Days 8 & 9<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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napowrimo.net
The prompt for Day 8 was: a poem about a flower
Sounds simple but it had me stumped! What could I say about
a rose, or any other bloom, that another poet hasn’t already said so much
better?
Staring out of the kitchen window, hoping for inspiration, I
noticed a little patch of blue and came up with this:
Jogging myLinda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-67703619554921799222016-04-08T18:34:00.000+01:002016-04-08T18:34:24.979+01:00NaPoWriMo Days 6 & 7<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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So much to do, so little time, racing to catch up …
The NaPoWriMo.net prompt for Day 6 was; a poem about food.
Such a huge subject that I didn’t know where to start. In
the end, I thought about how different the food I eat today is from my
childhood meals. When did ‘traditional British food’ start to change? A little
trip down memory Linda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-55984514657742262082016-04-06T17:35:00.001+01:002016-04-06T17:35:31.393+01:00NaPoWriMo Day 5 <!--[if gte mso 9]>
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The prompt for Day 5 was: a poem inspired by the
name of an ‘heirloom’ plant.
The website gave links to a couple of American seed
companies, but I did a search for British heirloom seeds and found plenty of
inspiration at The Real Seed Catalogue
The Czar is a tall runner bean with white flowers.
Pink
Passion chard is a leafy green Linda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-28403834936359573152016-04-04T18:55:00.000+01:002016-04-04T18:55:46.504+01:00NaPoWriMo Day 3 & 4<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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http://www.napowrimo.net/
The prompt for Day 3 of this ‘write a poem a day’ challenge
was: a poem in the form of a fan letter.
I could think of lots of people I’d like to write such a
letter to, mostly writers and artists who have inspired me, but I just couldn’t
find the right way to start. By the end of the day, this was all Linda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-59512169972996676042016-04-03T14:15:00.000+01:002016-04-03T14:15:02.440+01:00NaPoWriMo Day 2<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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(I did write this on April 2 - honest! - but didn’t have time to post it
here.)
Prompt: a family portrait
The only photo I have of my great-grandmother shows a very
stern-looking woman …
Old photograph
Sitting so stiff and straight,
the great-grandma I never met
stares at the camera
down Linda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-61379350466599928882016-04-02T01:11:00.000+01:002016-04-04T19:02:26.179+01:00NaPoWriMo Day 1<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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I had no idea what to write for the first day of the
NaPoWriMo challenge. Luckily, they post an optional prompt for each day on
their website so I had a look at that. Today’s prompt was to write a LUNE.
It’s a three line poem with
&Linda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-20005009392280250822016-03-27T14:59:00.001+01:002016-03-27T14:59:24.727+01:00Strange times<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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A conversation I had yesterday:
‘Must remember to alter the clocks tonight.’
‘Ah yes, forwards or backwards?’
‘Forward one hour.’
‘So if I go to bed at eleven, I’ll have to change my bedside
clock to twelve.’
‘You don’t have to. It doesn't officially change until two in the morning. But if you don’t, and forget to do it when you wake up, you’ll be anLinda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-56631550868931705932016-03-20T17:06:00.000+00:002016-03-20T17:06:11.982+00:00The real life benefits of made-up stories<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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It seems to me that there are two sorts of people: those who
‘get’ fiction, and those who don’t. While some of us see nothing strange in
becoming totally involved with a fictional character who only lives in a novel,
play or film, there are others who look on with puzzled frowns.
‘But it’s not
real,’ Linda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-6977296220958580452016-02-29T18:29:00.000+00:002016-02-29T18:29:25.371+00:00If the name fits<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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<![endif]-->Most of my fictional characters are born with their names
firmly attached. As soon as I have a sense of their personality, and a rough
idea of age, appearance and occupation, I don’t usually have to think too hard
to find a suitable name.
But, every now and then, I try out a whole list of names and
Linda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152682059853248426.post-69600430412551148712016-02-10T14:37:00.000+00:002016-02-10T14:37:06.051+00:00No more rejections?<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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During a decluttering session last week, I came across these
cartoons that I drew way back in 1990 for the long-departed Writers’ Monthly
magazine.
It occurred to me that they just wouldn’t work today because writers
no longer collect piles of rejection slips – at least, not the paper ones.
Our books, stories and articles are still Linda Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06799429286538446158noreply@blogger.com10