Mirror mirror on the wall...

It's the New Year and at the risk of being a cliche, time for some reflection.

Twenty-ten was a mixed bag of a year and the highlight, it has to be said, was more a decision than it was an event.

The year kicked off on a non-writing relating milestone (yeah I do have some other stuff going on). I was headlong into my Project Management studies and at the end of January I sat (and thankfully passed) my exams. Only to quickly realise that that there was still no jobs out there, no matter how well qualified I was.

So the decision to be a professional writer was an easy one to make then? Yeah, probably.

It may have looked like I was already being a professional writer since I started writing 'Burning Matches' in 2008, but I quickly realised that one cannot make a career out of just writing novels, even published ones. Not at the start anyway. So certain priorities had to change and actions taken.....and more about that when I have something definitive to report. (But thanks to a certain TV producer - you know who you are - for getting the ball rolling).

The same producer was also very generous in writing me a letter of recommendation on the back of my other pride-and-joy, the TV Drama Series 'Square One'. That went through a bit of a face-lift during 2010 and is now sitting on the desks of a literary agent and a production company (with recommendation letter attached), hopefully with representation and a commission on the horizon.

There were, needless to say, other moments of stress as well, most of them in relation to the aforementioned novel. A chance meeting with another agent brought about a frenetic flurry of a rewrite during the summer. But, if I do say so myself, the book is much better for having gone through it. (Even if the agent wasn't keen and ultimately said 'No Thanks').
I'm confident that it was worthy of the Poolbeg 'Write A Bestseller' competition in which it was entered last week. Which leads me on to the other subject of high stress....that damn synopsis. Two weeks to write one page! One word of advice, people...write the synopsis before you write the book!

So 2010 might be summed up as the 'no-more-messin-around' year. 2011...the 'Rich-and-Famous' year, perhaps? Actually, I'll just settle for 'Rich'...

Nothing wrong with a bit of healthy (Writing) Competition... (Part 2).

As I'm sure you're well aware, the deadline for the Poolbeg / TV3 'Write A Bestseller' competition was last Friday...

And 'Burning Matches' is in!

Yes indeed, the 'masterpiece' was handed in on Thursday after a 10-day nightmare of trying to perfect....the synopsis. Yes indeed, having written and rewritten 460-ish pages of the novel over the last two years or so, I haven't had so much heartache as I had trying to write a 'simple' one-page synopsis. To say I finally nailed it...would be a slight exageration - still not happy with it but, suffice to say, it is definitely better than it was a week and half ago.

Anyway, look, it's done and more importantly, is sitting, with the novel, on the desk of the fabulous, gifted and sexy decision-maker at Poolbeg Publishing (who might be reading this) ...with the 200 or so other novels that I'm reliably informed have also entered. I guess it'll make all the sweeter when I win...

By the way, huuuuge thanks to Margaret, Hugh and Ger for all their help with the previously mentioned synopsis...cheers guys.

Tweet!

Yes, it's true, I'm tweeting. So between Facebook, the website, the blog and now Twitter, I pretty much don't need to speak to a living soul ever again. I'm going to become one of those really annoying people who, when asked any question, gives the same answer.
'Hi Paul, how are you?' 'How am I? Haven't you seen my tweet?'

Okay folks, this isn't funny anymore.

Yes, this is a writing blog but I do occasionally pause to, well, talk about the weather. And to reference the person who is best at defining the funny/not funny status of any situation (Dad), this week's 'cold snap' crossed that line at 2.35 this afternoon.

So, when I was stuck in, what in normal conditions would be an average pothole, I stopped being smug and got down the basic goal of survival. I managed to free myself of the chasm (how much does a new clutch for a Honda Prelude cost, I wonder?) only to be faced with the thought 'How am going to get up the hill into Parkwest?' Half an hour (that's how long it took to travel a quarter of a mile) of considering my options - Do I sleep in my car or battle the elements? Is it really okay to drink your own urine? How long before I resort to cannibalism? - I found myself.....well, at home, to be honest. So much for all that paranoia.

But that's it though, I am not leaving the warm and food-enhanced sanctuary of my apartment until the weather stops being so mean. I wonder how long I can make that half-pint of milk last.

Thanks for lunch Catherine, by the way.

Life's a Pitch...

That's the problem with blogging - at least with me - when there's loads going on and, therefore, loads to blog about, is when I don't have time to do it.

Well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. I've actually had some paid design work going on which has, admittedly, been taking up most of my time and concentration. But the last few weeks have also been somewhat eventful in my life as a trying-to-be-professional-writer. And, as so often is the case, with the good came the bad.

The 'bad' (let's get out the way first, shall we?) was that, heart-break of heart-breaks, the novel Burning Matches was rejected by the previously-eluded-to literary agent. To say that I had my hopes very much pinned to this possibility is an understatement and so I was...well, gutted .
Yes I know rejection is a part of any creative process blah blah blah but hey, it still hurts when it happens.

And now I'm going to stop talking about it now before I get depressed all over again.

And now the 'good' ...I finally gave myself a 'this-problem-isn't-going-to-fix-itself' talking-to and went and learned how to pitch. Pitching was the one area of my life as a writer in which I had little confidence. Don't get me wrong, I really have no issue with speaking in public. And, of course, I like to think that I know my projects fairly intimately at this stage....but bringing these two together to essentially be able to sell my writing (and essentially myself) to producers / commissioners / agents etc was, to be honest, evading me.

Until I met Sibylle Kurz. With over 20 years experience of being a pitcher, a 'pitchee' and now a tutor, she pretty much knows all the skills, tricks, psychology and pitfalls of standing up in front of a room full of frowning people and convincing them to believe in you, or at least, invest in you.

The 2-day course was very interactive - I had to stand up and pitch to the rest of the group my project (I went for my TV drama Square One). A somewhat terrifying experience, but the reaction I got from Sibylle and from the others was excellent. This, of course, led me to believe that my pitch was 'perfect', which needless to say, in my one-to-one with Sibylle afterwards, I found that it wasn't. But thankfully, she was able to guide me as to where I went wrong and what to do to fix it. Most importantly, I gained the confidence to now be able to face those frowning faces.

Good evening Dragons....

Sometimes it's okay to meet your hero.

Okay, I admit, I didn't realise that Tony Jordan was my hero before I attended his seminar at the London Screenwriters' Festival at the weekend, but I know now. Apart from creating one of favourite shows 'Hustle' (no Paddy, Hustle is not 'shit') as well as 'Life on Mars', he is completely pragmatic, funny, down-to-earth and hardworking. And, crucially, he realises how hard it is for new writers to break into the industry and acts on this realisation, running The Red Planet Prize for new writers through his production company Red Planet Productions.

Anyway, enough gushing. As I said, I was at the LSF at the weekend and it was fabulous (okay, maybe a bit more gushing). A brilliantly-organised and -executed three-day event in the picturesque setting of Regent's Park (Regent's College to be precise). As with all good conferences, there were so many events I wanted to attend that I had to make some sacrifices. But the seminars I did get to were excellent, loads of advice, insight into the various sides of the film and TV industries and, most importantly, encouragement to a) keep writing and b) be bold when it comes to trying to get work produced .

One excellent feature of the festival was the 'Scriptchat' events, at which the speakers at the seminars were available for a 'round-table' casual chat, which were nearly as informative as the seminars themselves.

I did have one scare when, attending the 'Getting an Agent and beyond' event, Katie Williams from Julian Friedmann's agency announced that they would really only consider representing writers located in the UK. Oh no! But, thankfully, at the 'scriptchat' later on, she did concede that this was for purely practical reasons (attending meetings at short notice etc.) and that Irish writers would definitely be considered. Phew!

Speaking of Irish writers, it was disappointing to see the lack of attendance from here (I only met one other Irish person all weekend and you know how we attract each other). Such an event is a crucial opportunity to meet fellow writers and industry professional and to do what all writers love to do...talk about writing! So many doors are slamming shut for us these days (depletion of funding etc.) that we need to take advantage of evvvvery opportunity that comes up.

Right, I'll get off my soapbox now. Damn, I should have put a handrail on this thing.

Sometimes 'Creative Differences' isn't a euphemism.

The entry for the Storyland competition was submitted to RTE yesterday after a very interesting few weeks of development. After abandoning the first concept (an okay idea but not at all suitable for this), we went with a parody of a dating show. The submission will now be considered by RTE and hopefully will be commissioned for the first 6-minute episode to be filmed in the new year.

However, I have decided that, due to significant creative differences between myself and the director, I will no longer be involved with the project.

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish Ann Marie and her cast and crew the best of luck with the competition.

Have Rich Teas got weaker?

I only ask because I pride myself in knowing the magic dunking time for most biscuits. But (and it's doing terrible things for my self-esteem), twice in as many days have I lost a signficant portion of a rich tea into my cup of hot brown. Granted these are the Spar own-brand variety as opposed to the Rich Tea standard that is McVities, but I assumed that, like computers, shampoo and cars, they're all pretty much made in the same factory anyway.

So the question is, have the universal Rich Tea manufacturer (lets call him God) changed the recipe so that the O.D.T. (Optimal Dunking Time) has been radically altered?

Or could the fact that thes ones I have are half-chocolate-covered and that's what's making the difference? Damn, that's a whole new calculation.

And to prove that I'm not the only one worrying about this life-changing issue...

Nothing wrong with a bit of healthy (Writing) Competition...

Yes, an actual opportunity to get your novel on the shelves (so now you've absolutely no excuse).

Poolbeg Press are running a competition with the TV3 Morning Show, the prize being a 1-book publishing deal. They are looking for fiction or non-fiction books and full manuscripts must be submitted with, yes, you guessed it...a Synopsis.

Those of you who have been following my fledging career will know that the synopsis is the one aspect of writing I have struggled with since forever. The synopsis for Burning Matches has been re-written a few dozen times over the last two years and was scrapped-and-restarted at least twice in that time.

The most recent one, I will admit, is good...it would want to be, it was recently submitted to a literary agent but, it being me, I'm looking at it now and saying 'That could sooooo be better'.

Aaaanyway, back to the competition, you can find all the details on The Morning Show's website and you can watch the interview with Poolbeg Press's Paula Campbell (about 25 minutes into the show).
The deadline for submission is 17 December so if you have even the slimmest chance of getting a novel (and synopsis) finished in the next few months, this should be the push you need to really get cracking! Opportunities like this come up so rarely, especially these days when the publishers are taking on fewer new writers than ever.

3 months and 4 days to deadline...get writing!

P.S. Thanks to my fabulous friend Y-And-Bump for bringing this to my attention.

CV or not CV, that is the question.

Yes indeed, another procrastination conquered.

I finally wrote my writing CV and, surprise surprise, it doesn't look that bad. I had this terrible fear that it would be half a page of sparce commentary and would include mentions of essays that I wrote in Sixth-Year English.
But it is, in fact, two pages (yes, two WHOLE pages, my dears...well they might be double-spaced) and it includes...well, the usual stuff you see on a CV - experience, achievements (there have been some), on-going projects and even an academic accolade or two.

Right, I must give it another re-read now to see if any of it is actually...yeh know...true.

A long time ago, in the Land of Story...

I am delighted to announce that , in collaboration with film director Ann Marie Brennan, I will be submitting an entry to Storyland III, RTE's internet-based drama series competition.

The show will be in the form of four 6-minutes episodes (I refuse to call them 'webisodes') and after each episode airs, the public vote on whether the show should continue on to the next episode and vote on who wins the competition of the entries who are left at the end.

As we are in the verrrry early stages of development, I won't go into to detail as to what the show is about. Suffice to say it will be fabulous.

Lots more details to follow...

The importance of a title? (Part 2)

So does a blog where I tell you that I have nothing to blog about count as a blog? No, not really. If I'm honest, I am actually working on something at the moment which, as much as I'd love to be going on about it, I'm sworn to secrecy...for the time being anyway.

Not to worry, if and when it all becomes official, you'll be sick of me talking about it.

On a completely different subject (I can't even think how to segway to it), I might actually go and see 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid'. I'm sure it's brutal, but it's a great title.

I'm a criminal!

..or a pathological blunderer at least.

Writers' Digest has just shared with us the '8 Basic Writing Blunders' and, yes, over the course of the novel, I have pretty much committed them all. Most, thankfully, have been washed out in the course of re-writing but I can still see one or two sitting in there, getting nice and comfortable within the non-cliched chapters. But hey, I think I've managed to make them work.

But however paradoxical my book might be, at least my blog is gaining in popularity. It's even got an honorable mention from my fellow blogger and all-round-fabulous-person Eva (www.writeinberlin.com) . What can I say, I'm blushing over here. Thank you daaahling!

Well where would I find such a man? Why am I asking you?

(That, by the way, is a quote from Blazing Saddles, not my subtle and original way of coming out of the closet.)

What it does refer to is one of the many sanity-retaining exercises I adopted during the last few weeks when I was holed up in my apartment and cabin-fever was setting in - and that is...Talking To Myself In The Mirror (or any reflective surface).

On more than one occasion, I found myself with a plot-hole to fill, an unrealistic piece of dialogue that needed fixing, or even an entire chapter which was possibly not needed at all. (I was looking at myself in the under-side of a biscuit-tin lid for that one - and yes, I ended up deleting the chapter.)

I'm not quite sure what the moral of this blog is...maybe that it's okay, on occasion, to go off the deep end. As long as no-one else sees it, you have completely regained all sanity by the time you leave the house and you don't end up as crazy and dysfunctional as the characters you have created.

And now back to swatting imaginary flies.

One hundred and four thousand, eight hundred and twenty five.

Those of you who know me on a certain social networking website will understand the significance of that number. Yes indeed, after eight weeks of what can only be called a marathon, 'the buke' is finally finished, printed and delivered to the aforementioned lit agent. And now we play the waiting game...

A big thanks to MSD for all her help/emotional support/ferrero-rocher, definitely getting top billings in the acknowledgements!

And now I'm off to Tipperary to drink champagne...or beer...or whatever alcoholic beverage I can get my hands on basically. Gotta love christenings.

Can't talk now, I've got a book to write!

Okay yes, I admit, I have been milking it a little bit the last few weeks, the whole 'Yeah-I-suppose-I-can-meet-you-for-a-coffee-but-only-a-quick-one-I-really-should-get-back-to-the-book' thing. But, hey, what's the point of being a struggling writer if you can't rub your hands together in angst and give out about your unobtainable deadline.

And on that note....two weeks? two weeks! i can't possible do it in two weeks, have you any idea how many lunches in Avoca I'd have to miss to achieve that?

Into the groove...

Yes, I have to admit, I actually find myself enjoying the rewriting process at the moment. Don't get me wrong, it's slow (daaaamn slow) and I wonder how I'm going to have the first 35 chapters done by Saturday as promised, but from a Oh-my-god-is-it-any-good? point of view, I would have to say that yes, yes it is.

And what are you doing writing the blog at prime-chapter-writing-time? I hear you ask...Okay, I'm going, I'm going!

Remember when this used to be a writing blog?

It will be again soon enough, i suppose. I'm enjoying my last day in France faffin about the promenade in Nice...hard to believe I'll be back in rainy Dublin in about 9 hours!

the aftermath...(this is fast becoming a Travel Blog)

As any of you who watch the news will now be aware, the 'bit of rain' on Tuesday ended up being the worst flooding the Var region of France has had in forty years or something.

Did it impact us? Just a bit...a quick drive down to the local town for dinner (after our power went out, I hasten to add) ended up being a salad in an also-powerless restaurant, followed by a military-style operation, in which one half of the 'unit' ended up driving around looking for a hotel til 2.30in the morning. This was after the road back to the house was deemed impassable and closed. From a personal point of view, I was in the other car and we were 'lucky' enough to get a hotel after just an hour. A fairly stressful hour it was though, not knowing where we were going, not being able to see where we were going due to continuous downpour...none of your Irish 'spittin' rain, this was proper monsoon stuff.

But in fairness, we did get off light, we all survived (28 people in the region were not so lucky), the house didn't wash away and when we got back the next day, the power was even back on. Three days later, sunny skies....

and just in case you don't believe me...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5-iX_aCk24

Raining cats and dogs...

...yes, a terrible cliche and, as writer I should be castigated for using it, but as I am in the South of France in the middle of June and it is, in fact, RCAD, I should be forgiven.

I can, thankfully, report that the change of location, if nothing else, is re-invigorating my creative juices and the 'Burning Matches' rewrite is coming along nicely. I even managed to write a new prologue in about an hour the other day. Is it any good? Ah no, but it's written!

A change is as good as...

...well you know the rest.

By which I mean I am currently visiting my friends C&R down in ooh-aaar-Devon en-route to a couple of interviews in the Big Smoke. But Devon isn't en-route to London from Dublin, you all exclaim in angry letters to the Times. Well I may have taken the slightly more scenic route, and, at the risk of sounding like a valley-girl - Oh. My. God. Devon is fabulous, villages plucked straight out of The Shire (apologies to the 2 people in the world who haven't seen Lord Of the Rings), pubs serving cider with bits of twig floating in it and people stopping you in the middle of the street to ask who you are...okay, that didn't happen to me but I gather it does.

And has it inspired me to write (re-write?) chapter after chapter of The Tome? Lets just say some forward-progress has been made and leave it at that, shall we? Basically, I'm going through the structure and writing a synopsis of each chapter in as few words as possible. This is facilitating the simplifing and streamlining of the story so I don't get bogged down in over-telling when I get down to writing the actual chapters.

This probably sounds like I'm taking procrastination to a whole new level by doing anything to avoid actually writing the book. Let me assure you, for the purpose of my own sanity and the ultimate quality of the writing, it is soooo necessary.

And on that note...back to looking at the lambs gamboling in the shire.

Slap on the wrist for Paul...

Well I did deserve it, in fairness.

I started the re-write of Burning Matches last week and, in my usual over-criticism of myself, I pretty much rewrote the entire first chapter....from scratch.

Bold, Paul, bold!

As was pointed out to me at my writers' meeting on Thursday, the chapter was perfectly good as it was (the ever-honest M even thought it was better) before I tore it apart and rebuilt it, and the only required improvements were those suggested by my two learned readers last year. This, in fact applies to the book in general, so you will be delighted to know that I've given myself a good talking to over the weekend (while I was a few hundred miles away from the ms) and I am, as from today, adopting a much more sensible and realistic approach to the rewrite project.

Step one, put the kettle on.

The rewrite starts in earnest...again.

This time I mean it. No, really.

Well I do have certain incentive now that Literary-Agent-Extraordinaire has agreed to read the book. I told her it would be done in six weeks - that seems aaaaages away but experience tells me that will fly by (especially as two of those weeks I'll be holidaying in France...what better place to write than on a sun-kissed patio in the south of France?).

Right, enough writing about writing, it's time to get writing.

God's representative on earth.

Well that's how Claudia Carroll refers to her and, shur, who am I to argue.

I am, of course, referring to the Literary-Agent-Extraordinaire, who I was fortunate to meet the other night at the launch-party of Claudia's new book 'Personally, I Blame My Fairy Godmother' (yes, shameless plug there Claudia, payment for making the aforementioned introduction).
I'm delighted to report that said agent has offered to read 'Burning Matches' when it's finished.
Right so, no more procrastination, and all other projects on hold (sorry Thomas...and Claire...and Ann-Marie), time to get this book done-and-dusted once and for all.

Thirty minutes, starting...now!

Rob Richardson in Portsmouth England has come up with a novel new approach to the writing competition. It's basically an 'open-mic' style in which a writer has half an hour to write and submit a piece.

The competitions take place on his website write-invite.com every Saturday night between 5.30 and 6pm. I haven't tried it yet but will give it a go at the weekend and let you know how I get on!

You've been a wonderful audience, folks!

I'm cross-blogginating!

http://irishscriptwritersguild.blogspot.com/2010/04/dublin-scriptwriters-group.html

Another day, another project...

Yes, now I've finally admitted to myself that 'Last Train' didn't win that magazine short story competition (although I am yet to confirm by actually reading said magazine), I've decided to write it as a Short Film.

I know, I know, once again I have been enslaved by my number one demon...I call him Procrastinatimort.

The importance of a title?

Yes, on much reflection, I have decided to change the title of my novel to 'Harry Potter and the De Vinci Sudoku Bible'. Anything to maximise sales, right? Thank you Viz for the suggestion.

The world tour is over

In case you think this is me just bangin' on about why I haven't done any writing this week...well you might be right. Basically I've spent the last four days visiting various and increasingly interesting corners of the country (over 1000 miles, 200 quid on petrol) for various and increasingly interesting reasons...but as this is a blog about writing , I'm forbidden to tell you what they are.

But now, as the tour closes, I'm back to unbridled creativity, right? Wroooong. Delighted to report that I actually have paid work going on up in this bad boy. Awe....(wait for it)....some!

Back to my proper penniless-artist job reeeeeal soon.

I'm too honest for my own good!

...if such a thing is possible.

Just had a call from RTE in relation to a possible writing job on their popular long-running drama. Of course, the first question that I was asked was if I regularly watched the show. Did I just shoot myself in the foot by being 'too honest' and saying that I only watch it occasionally?

Well , something tells me I would have been quickly found out if I had said 'Oh yeah, watch it every night, never miss it, sometimes I watch it twice in case I missed something the first time!'....probably the first time I went to a writers' meeting and called Carrigstown 'Carrot-town' or McCoy's 'McKay's'.

Anyway, my mission, should-I-choose-etc-etc, is to watch it (every night, never miss it, sometimes twice in case I miss something the first time) for the next few months and give them a call in August if I'm still interested.

So no more Simpsons re-runs for me!

Multi-tasking? A man?

Yes, it's true...(well sort of...)

Like any writer concerned with his or her mental stability, I do have a number of projects on the go, at various levels of development, at any given time (I refuse to count them....okay, five).

Basically, a constant companion of any writer trying to break into the world of publishing/production/any-level-of-public-recognition is, of course rejection. Other writers use drink/drugs/exercise as reaction to rejection. I use prolificacy.

I will admit (and this might bolster the popular opinion about the male of the species and multitasking) that I don't, in fact, work on multiple projects on any given day. But I do like to have three on the boil so that, when that inevitable rejection letter pops through the door, it feels reeeeally good to be able to stand on my balcony (yes, I have done it) and yell "To Hell With *Project A*, *Project B* is the masterpiece!!! The pitch I sent to Miss Publisher/Mister Production Company last week- that's the one that's going make me my millions!"

And on that dillusional note, back to Project C. Oh, is that the post arriving?

The Summer is here!

...or did I just jinx it? (oh that I might have that kind of power).

In my defence, it is easy to optimistic when, for the first time in O-Ten (as more and more people are referring to it), I'm drinking an al-fresco coffee - it was very nearly a beer I don't mind telling you - and scribbling furiously (crazy-homeless-loon style) in my notebook.

And what literary masterpiece might materialise ('materialise' spelt with an 's' not a 'z'...stooopid American spell-checker) from this outdoor beverage-sipping experience? Well none, probably - the scribbling is a largely incomprehensible to do list.

To-do item-1 - start next literary masterpiece...

The value of a writing course.

Those of you who know me know that I continuously advocate the existence of creative writing groups. Being a writer can be, by its nature, a fairly solitary existence so being part of a group (or in my case 3) can be invaluable. As well as the companionship, it is also important to have someone (who isn't your mammy) to share your writing with, get (honest!) criticism from and bounce ideas off.

One way of getting into a group is to do one of many creative writing courses that regularly spring up around the country. These are normally organised by the likes of the Arts Council, the Writers Centre or Filmbase and, as well as the obvious educational merits, these courses allow and encourage writers to network with each other, out of which a writers group might be born.

The writers group that I am in in Naas, Co. Kildare, came about as a result of such a course. We have been together now since 2005 and are still going strong.

One other merit to a writing course is that it might get you working on a novel/movie/short story that otherwise would never have even been conceived. I know that as it recently happened to me. But more about that later!

I could tell you...but then I'd have to kill you...

Yes, I am of course referring to my 'top secret' project that I mentioned in a blog last year.

This is, in fact, the premise for an 8-episode TV drama that I developed and was pitched to RTE before Christmas.

Basically, I wrote the show after a drunken conversation with an ex-colleague during which we agreed that a lot of our experiences and the people we we worked with / for over the last few years would make fabulous storylines and characters in a movie or TV show.

So the TV Show 'Square One' was born! In short, it is about a Dublin design practice struggling through the recession.

After spending three months writing a treatment, character biogs and a first-episode script, I sent it (very tongue-in-cheek) to both a TV production company and a director.

Miraculously, both the producer and director were very enthusiastic about it and after I had a meeting with the producer, he pitched it to our national broadcaster. They went away and thought about it over the Christmas but decided, in the new year, to pass on it. Ah well....

I do have a plan to develop it an Internet-TV series at the moment, have been discussing this relatively-new format with a few people-in-the-know and it looks like it might have legs. The format will probably need to change a bit, which I will be looking at over the next few weeks.

Watch this space!

another slap on the wrist for me...

...and from someone else this time!

Yes, E-M, the most vigilant and entertaining blogger I know (www.writeinberlin.com) has given me a well-deserved kick in the ass for not having anything posted since last October. I did try the 'shur-who'd-want-to-be-reading-about-my-opinions-and-experiences' excuses but she wasn't accepting it for a second (rightly so).

So I have committed (mostly due to fear of further castigation) to regularly post from now on. And in a moment of flurried enthusiasm, I installed the blogging app on my (yes I am one of those) Iphone so now I have no excuse.

Right, see you all again in another 6 months!

(I'm joking E-M, I promise. Please don't hurt me...)

and in case Steve Jobs is reading this, I love my Iphone!