2, 278 words.
That's how many I got done in this week's pubowrimo.
First, I went off to a garden centre, to buy some in-the-green snowdrops. And some winter aconite and a hellebore, because they were there.
The hellebore is beautiful, and reminds me of my mother. She always called it 'a Christmas rose.'
I love the aconite. It's bright yellow, and smells of honey.
And of course I love snowdrops. That goes without saying.
I also bought a large - a very large - plastic pot, because I caught Diarmuid Gavin on TV, making a 'container water-garden' to attract insects to the garden by adding another eco-system, in miniature. I loved the idea. And since it seems fairly simple and inexpensive, I'm set on doing it. So I've got the pot. The plants will have to wait until later, I think, until water stops turning to stone in my back-yard. I know the water plants are hardy - even the water-lily, it seems, tough as old boots - but they'll have enough trouble surviving anywhere near me without adding sub-zero temperatures to their lot.
Anyway, afterwards, I met up with my friend, and we went to the pub, bought cider and settled in - in the corner by the fire this time.
I had a quite tricky part to write, where a character has been set up by another, so it seems that he's made a serious suicide attempt. This results in him being sectioned under the Mental Health Act and admitted to a secure ward. I had no idea how to tackle this.
But as soon as I walked through the door of the pub, ideas started to pop. It's all becoming a bit Pavlovian. Pub = write.
Two thousand, two hundred and seventy-eight words. And I'm getting some ideas for the next part too. The gloves are coming off. The Bad Girl is baring her teeth and becoming frankly murderous - and the object of her homicidal intentions is a character uncomfortably like my beloved auntie. I didn't realise I was basing this character on Beloved Auntie until she was firmly established and it was too late. It's a little inhibiting. Has anyone else found themselves authorially threatening the life of a favourite relative?
My friend reports that he managed another solid 700 words - and he's pleased because he didn't think he'd be able to write anything this week. He also confesses to two unofficial pubowrimos at home - domestowrimos, I suppose. With tea instead of cider. He's trying to steal a march on me. He did another 700-ish words in each stint.
Ha! I'm still ahead.
Not that it's at all competitive, of course.
The secret, I think, is a free-flowing, scribbly pen that flows easily over the paper, without needing any pressure. The writing is sometimes hard to decipher when you come to type it up, but you can't half cover the pages.
That's how many I got done in this week's pubowrimo.
First, I went off to a garden centre, to buy some in-the-green snowdrops. And some winter aconite and a hellebore, because they were there.
The hellebore is beautiful, and reminds me of my mother. She always called it 'a Christmas rose.'
 |
| Christmas Rose |
I love the aconite. It's bright yellow, and smells of honey.
And of course I love snowdrops. That goes without saying.
 |
| Wafts of honey scent... |
Anyway, afterwards, I met up with my friend, and we went to the pub, bought cider and settled in - in the corner by the fire this time.
I had a quite tricky part to write, where a character has been set up by another, so it seems that he's made a serious suicide attempt. This results in him being sectioned under the Mental Health Act and admitted to a secure ward. I had no idea how to tackle this.
But as soon as I walked through the door of the pub, ideas started to pop. It's all becoming a bit Pavlovian. Pub = write.
Two thousand, two hundred and seventy-eight words. And I'm getting some ideas for the next part too. The gloves are coming off. The Bad Girl is baring her teeth and becoming frankly murderous - and the object of her homicidal intentions is a character uncomfortably like my beloved auntie. I didn't realise I was basing this character on Beloved Auntie until she was firmly established and it was too late. It's a little inhibiting. Has anyone else found themselves authorially threatening the life of a favourite relative?
My friend reports that he managed another solid 700 words - and he's pleased because he didn't think he'd be able to write anything this week. He also confesses to two unofficial pubowrimos at home - domestowrimos, I suppose. With tea instead of cider. He's trying to steal a march on me. He did another 700-ish words in each stint.
Ha! I'm still ahead.
Not that it's at all competitive, of course.
The secret, I think, is a free-flowing, scribbly pen that flows easily over the paper, without needing any pressure. The writing is sometimes hard to decipher when you come to type it up, but you can't half cover the pages.
6 comments:
Snowdrop wallpaper! So full of hope!
Well done, you and friend, on your word counts!
Yes, hailing far summer with uplifted spear, and all that. Blubells in a few months!
Lovely blog. I hope your flowers do well. I think of snowdrops, crocuses et al (though why helleborus niger is called Christmas Rose is a puzzle - perhaps I should try growing them under glass to flower at Christmas?) are the first notes of the overture of the year's flowering and fruiting..Very high, simple notes, I think, flutes and violins.
Your novel sounds great! I wanna read it! Power to your pen, honey.
Thanks Leslie. Snowdrops always make me think of you and your garden full of snowdrops. They don't grow so well for me. My soil is good, but heavy and rather acid.
But the one or two snowdrops I have are coming up, and I'm always glad to see them. No crocuses as yet - but there are a couple of primroses out today.
We have a friend coming to lunch on Sunday who has a dampish garden close to the river in Oxford, and we invite him most years for snow-drop viewing, Japanese-style, I suppose. There are loads of things you can grow that I can't, the things that make me grind my teeth when I read: 'Acid, moist soil.' The snowdrops are one thing that compensate for this! I had forgotten that you came at snowdrop-time.
Water garden in a pot is easy - you'll love it - easy to keep clean and you could even have a mini solar fountain if you fancy the sound of trickling water ... just as a change from, y'know, trickling ci9der on those days when you don't do a Pubowrimo ... :-)
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