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jemck at 10:13am on 01/12/2008
jemck at 10:13am on 01/12/2008Monday morning is starting with the now apparently traditional slew of admin. Nothing too onerous. Then I shall do some work on The Sekrit Projekt, and possibly, something else, she says mysteriously.
The only major work obligation I have this month is The Write Fantastic's gig at Stretford Library, Manchester on 17th December. Plus guests. The line up is now myself, Chaz Brenchley and Stan Nicholls, with Paul Magrs and Nicholas Royle. We'll be talking about reading and writing SF&F, from 7 pm, so if you're around, do come and join the fun.
Workwise, November was busy. Not just with delivering Blood in the Water but TWF's gigs in Wokingham and Bexley, and also last Friday's teaching gig in Rutland. Where I had 30 teenagers learning about creative writing. Mostly paying attention, most of them, most of the time. Which is actually pretty good given we were in a rather overheated seminar room. And as always, them as put most into it will have got most out of it. And the local librarians were friendly, keen and throughly proficient with the audio-visual stuff which always makes life that little bit easier.
Gratifying feedback thus far - also, some amusement, since it's been noted as one of their quieter teen events. Possibly on account of me mentioning my black belt which got the lads' attention? Possibly on account of me fixing Queen Bee blonde lass with a steely gaze early on, and inviting her to pay attention to what I was saying rather than whispering with her friend? Which she did, I'm pleased to say, going on to make some useful contributions through the morning.
I've never been to Oakham before, Rutland's county town. It's charming. The castle is now earthworks and the Great Hall, which is authentically 12th century-as-used-through- the-centuries-for-other-stuff, including the county court (and still is!). The county museum is very well laid out and curated, with that mix of the usual and the unexpected that makes such places always worth visiting when the opportunity arises. Did you know zeppelins bombed Rutland in WWI? And they still have their county gallows - a truly fearsome bit of kit. Dunno if that will find its way into a book, but something from the notes I made will, you may rest assured.
I found a nice independent cafe for a most satisfactory sandwich lunch. There was no sign of a Starbucks or Costa or Cafe Nero or such. In fact, apart from the banks and a branch of Boots, the high street and market place were remarkably free of chain stores, offering instead a range of indie shops looking reassuringly prosperous. It's a very friendly place too, judging by the service I got in all the places I visited. Reminiscent of the Cotswolds in many ways, that's to say, the non-touristy bits. Worth a stop if you find yourself going up or down the Great North Road.
The only major work obligation I have this month is The Write Fantastic's gig at Stretford Library, Manchester on 17th December. Plus guests. The line up is now myself, Chaz Brenchley and Stan Nicholls, with Paul Magrs and Nicholas Royle. We'll be talking about reading and writing SF&F, from 7 pm, so if you're around, do come and join the fun.
Workwise, November was busy. Not just with delivering Blood in the Water but TWF's gigs in Wokingham and Bexley, and also last Friday's teaching gig in Rutland. Where I had 30 teenagers learning about creative writing. Mostly paying attention, most of them, most of the time. Which is actually pretty good given we were in a rather overheated seminar room. And as always, them as put most into it will have got most out of it. And the local librarians were friendly, keen and throughly proficient with the audio-visual stuff which always makes life that little bit easier.
Gratifying feedback thus far - also, some amusement, since it's been noted as one of their quieter teen events. Possibly on account of me mentioning my black belt which got the lads' attention? Possibly on account of me fixing Queen Bee blonde lass with a steely gaze early on, and inviting her to pay attention to what I was saying rather than whispering with her friend? Which she did, I'm pleased to say, going on to make some useful contributions through the morning.
I've never been to Oakham before, Rutland's county town. It's charming. The castle is now earthworks and the Great Hall, which is authentically 12th century-as-used-through- the-centuries-for-other-stuff, including the county court (and still is!). The county museum is very well laid out and curated, with that mix of the usual and the unexpected that makes such places always worth visiting when the opportunity arises. Did you know zeppelins bombed Rutland in WWI? And they still have their county gallows - a truly fearsome bit of kit. Dunno if that will find its way into a book, but something from the notes I made will, you may rest assured.
I found a nice independent cafe for a most satisfactory sandwich lunch. There was no sign of a Starbucks or Costa or Cafe Nero or such. In fact, apart from the banks and a branch of Boots, the high street and market place were remarkably free of chain stores, offering instead a range of indie shops looking reassuringly prosperous. It's a very friendly place too, judging by the service I got in all the places I visited. Reminiscent of the Cotswolds in many ways, that's to say, the non-touristy bits. Worth a stop if you find yourself going up or down the Great North Road.
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