I've started to read C.S. Lewis's classic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to my seven-year-old daughter. She's past the stage of having to look at pictures on every page of a book. She can now sit still, eyes wide and settled on the middle-distance, listening to the story and letting it come to life…
Flowers
This, for better or for worse, is the "crap but short" story I referred to in yesterday's post. I just sat down and wrote the first thing that came into my head. What emerged was an unintentional mini-meditation on the issues preoccupying me at the moment: love and sadness, regrets and hopes, the dream state,…
I've recently finished Stephen King's On Writing. I loved it. I originally downloaded it on my Kindle, but after finishing it I immediately ordered it online so I could have a hard copy to scribble over and highlight. I would like to share a few of those highlights with you. Firstly, a reality check: When…
Be The One Who Stops
My precious cat Lucy was hit and killed by a car yesterday. I had just let her out of the garage, where she sleeps at night. Uncharacteristically, she ran down our long driveway towards the busy road. People drive far too fast along this road, despite the fact that there are three primary schools in…
A Festival-Goer Field Guide #2
It's that time again. The leaves are turning to flame and falling. Darkness is suddenly flicking the switch at 5.30pm like a grumpy boarding school matron. Beaches sigh, wistful but resigned, as we pack up our picnics and head indoors. And across New Zealand, book lovers are dusting off their lanyards and jotter pads and…
The Story Thief
My six-year-old daughter made up a story for me before going to bed tonight. Here it is, as close to her exact words as I can remember: The Story Thief [NB - not to be confused with Markus Zusak's The Book Thief - although possibly just as riveting.] Once upon a time, before the dinosaurs…
Commas, can be useful
If you read the title of this post without cringing and sucking in a mortified gasp of air, you may want to stop reading. If, on the other hand, the above photo makes you want to scream and immediately scramble for your red correction pen (and a shotgun), please read on. As part of the Proofreading and…
The Luminaries: Art or Heart?
*Don't worry, this review contains no spoilers. Yes, I have actually read it. I ploughed my way through during a two-week break at the beach over Christmas / New Year. For those of you who have been leading a hermit-like existence recently (and the hermit reference, as those of you who have read the book will know,…
Back to School
This arrived by courier this morning: It's my "So you Want to be a Student Again Starter Pack". (Where's the scarf and cheap booze?) Actually, it's my textbooks and first two tutorials for the year-long correspondence course I have enrolled in - Proofreading and Editing. The massive grey folder at the bottom will gradually fill…
God Rest Ye Merry Bloggers
As I scrolled through the WordPress Reader this morning I felt a mixture of admiration and despair. So many bloggers are sharing beautifully polished posts about Christmas literature and legends and other festive wonderments. I imagine them tucked away in their little Dickens-like hamlets, snow softly falling on their windows which are beautifully lit by a dancing fire…
Patricia Bell, Author 