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27 May 2011
Merton   Hall

I've discovered a very interesting site called Oldpoetry. It's for the discussion of - well, old poetry. By which I think they mean non-contemporary poetry. Or possibly poems by authors who are now dead. Actually, I'm not quite sure!

But they have a clerihew about Lewis Carroll which I have never heard before. It's not true of course. Here it is.

Lewis Carroll
Bought sumptuous apparel
And built an enormous palace
Out of the profits of Alice.

I've been inspired to read a little about Bentley. I had no idea his son was Nicholas Bentley, and hadn't realised he was alive until the 1950s. I've also found out he went to Merton College Oxford. This picture shows its handsome Hall.



18 May 2011
It has to be done, and sometimes it can be fun. The excellent Rachel Cotterill has started a blog about book marketing. Read it here. I've subscribed.

Rachel's a polymath who not only writes books but studies linguistics, travels all over the place and creates delicious recipes.
05 May 2011
A blaze

This week one of my favourite writing sites, Essential Writers has showcased an unusual site. It is about unfinished novels.

Myunfinishednovels.com is asking people to submit their unfinished novels and say why they abandoned them. The site owner, Steve Wilson, describes himself as a "six-times failed novelist".

I don't like the word "failed. " Because although he thinks it's shameful to have unfinished novels about the place, I don't. My abandoned story fragments often play a useful role. They may not make sense, but they always remind me of something that's inspired me in the past. And, like a box of matches, waiting to be struck, I like to think that they carry the potential for a blaze.