Flying Teapots and Handless Angels
Spring Round-up
Quills
I asked my writing group recently what proportion of time they spent editing compared to writing. The results varied a lot, and I wasn’t surprised that our two tutors gave very different answers – one of the beauties of our group is they have polarised methods of working, both of which work for them. But everyone agreed that, whatever your planning method, editing stil required a big chunk of a writer’s time. Well, it’s certainly kept me occupied. And I’ve learned that, before I embark on rounds of edits for things like character or atmosphere, I must read it through for continuity and plot holes, even if I think I’ve fixed them all in draft X.
The Night Crawlers, my MG WIP, features gargoyles, as I’ve said before. I wouldn’t have thought of classing them as dragons until I came across a book that did so. But dragons are very much a la mode at the moment. My subconscious picked this up when I selected some stories to offer my students in my day job, tuition for primary children, because all bar one featured a dragon of some sort! They were The Last of the Dragons (E Nesbit), The Home-made Dragon (Norman Hunter) and The Lost Five Minutes (Joan Aiken). I’ve learned, though, to re-read stories before presenting them to children. What was acceptable in the 70s is definitely frowned on today! What was so terrible in this literature? Well, the dragon in the Norman Hunter got roasted alive! My student who chose that one for the term’s read was very unimpressed.
There’s much made in the writing world of competitions and the benefits of entering them. Almost nothing is said of submitting to anthologies. As I’ve thoroughly enjoyed submitting to them myself and having some success, I offered a talk to my online writing group. Whether it went down well I can’t tell thanks to the way displaying a powerpoint means you can’t see your audience’s faces! However, they’re now enthusiastically embarking on a group anthology, so they must have found it inspiring.
Spring also saw the launch of regular open mics in nearby Southend, promoted by a local group that supports the arts scene and hosted in an indoor climbing centre. Where else? In the cafe part, not actually half way up a wall. I put myself down and, as the whole event lasted three hours, turned up for the last hour only to see that I was the last booked performer and had only arrived to catch the last five minutes of one other creative! I’ll be making sure I arrive earlier in future. But it was rather thrilling to see my name on the poster (see photo) and also great to meet in person the Evil Sherif of Nottingham (as she was in the January panto) who was our not at all evil comper for the afternoon.
Quests
Two artist’s dates this spring. In February I visited Abney Cemetry, one of the great Victorian graveyards, all gothic script and handless angels and ivy. I do wonder where all the hands have gone, and whether there’s an underground market for them. April saw a romantic getaway to Canterbury, where my husband and I first met. We’ve been back many times –it’s just a hop across the Estuary, after all – but still the medieval walls and the slow-moving Stour and the buzz of tourists and students in the pedestrianised High Street, or perhaps the copious amounts of tea drunk, sparked plenty of ideas. Which shall I try first - the flying teapot, dispensing comfort, or the garden that grows on a hat?
Quotes/Best Spring Reads
Murder at Snowfall: Fleur Hitchcock
This was the first murder mystery for children I’ve read – a simplified version of the form they take for adults but not simplistic or dumbed-down. The child characters are really fleshed out and the relationship between the two - step-siblings after both being only children for so long - grows as they start to share their misgivings.
The Orphans of St Halibut’s, Pamela’s Revenge: Sophie Wills
As funny and whacky and irreverent as the previous book about these characters, developing them further. The orphanage has just burned down and the children find themselves camping in the woods, until they discover the traintrack is planned to go straight through their camp. With some deliciously wicked villains and lots of escapes, this is a charming and utterly enjoyable yarn.
Claire de Lune: Cassandra Golds
This reminds me of Elizabeth Goudge - charming children, adults who are mostly good or well-meaning, a sprinkle of enchantment and a sweep of faith, about the friendship between a girl and a mouse who both love ballet.
True North: Caitlin Gemmell
Full of dreaminess and poetry, brimming with imagery and longing and thoughtfulness and love. I’m not much of a poetry reader but I really enjoyed the way the words and images lapped over my metaphorical feet, like the surging tide and ebbing surf on a beach.
Queens/Other creative ventures:
I’ve played around with scrapbooking, loving the opportunities to mess around with printed text, but I keep coming back to dolls. This spring I’ve finished a nature sprite, who, thanks to the direction I cut the teeshirt material, ended up a good deal taller than planned, a mother and baby, and a Greek goddess. A jewelled beetle was fun to make too. I think it might be featuring in my next short story, where a woman finds a forest growing in her fridge.
Lynden Wade lives in England near a haunted wood and two castles. She writes about history, folklore and legends. She has had a number of pieces published in journals and anthologies or on websites: more details on her website but here’s one you can read for free.
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Thanks for recommending True North! It was such a sweet surprise to stumble upon your Substack posts and see your mention of my book.