head · 7 hours ago
Ah lads, me head is WRECKED with these rewrites. I keep hitting a brick wall – well, actually, different walls but fairly constant. And it can be just the smallest thing that sets me off into a tail spin. For instance, today, I ran out of paper to write on and you’d think it was the end of the world that had happened. SO, instead of crumbling, which would be truly ridiculous, I am going to simply walk to the shop and buy myself a copybook – see? simple solution, so panic be GONE. I will be glad to see the end of this phase of the writing and hope that the sense of achievement I assume I’ll feel will bring a bit of The Happy. Also, bet I’ve been here before with you all on every book, but each seems to ratchet up a notch and the whole process gets that bit harder…which is as it should be…but bleddy hell a break would be a good thing…it cannot come soon enough.
Off to Waterford now so I hope the countryside will shine and wave to me and lift the old spirits (and if not, it could be time for spirits!)
crocuses · 1 day ago
Has Spring VERY suddenly sprung??? Everywhere I went today crocuses had appeared, and lovely miniature daffodils around some random municipal trees in the Irish capital. Really lovely to see. But not a sausage nor, more to the point, a jonquil at all (at all) in the McLynn garden – strange. Perhaps they’re still on strike after the builders pounding the place to shit last year…for the whole year (and then some…) I’d love them to make their presence felt as yellow flowers are the greatest, particularly after the dark winterness just past.
I’ll be speaking at the Sean Dunne Festival in Waterford on Saturday – a solo breakfast session and later an afternoon gig with some other lovelies…for those of you in the area.
judgement · 2 days ago
re: the future
I hear from Dave in Canada that a US preachers says Judgement Day is May 21st and the world will end in October…just so you all know. Seems my attempts to fix the future could not come at a better time.
Although it was Paddy’s Day today I had nary’s the one green thing, not even a sprig of broccoli. I didn’t even put green dye in my white wine this evening. I was reminded however of a St Patrick’s Day when I was a student that was spent in Belfast and we put dye in our pints and all resultant wee was green when it came out the ‘other end’…which is probably sharing too much but, hey, there’s stuff in the world you should all be aware of – forewarned and forearmed and all that…
future · 3 days ago
The new novel takes place in one spot throughout a year…but different years…and part of it is set in the 22nd century. This is where I have started on the rewrites as both Clare and Himself had various issues with it. And so I have to tell you there is a problem with the future. But, also, I want you all to know that as of now I am FIXING the future, so please don’t panic. By the time you get there, to the Future, all will be well.
In the meantime a little bit of my past is beginning to unravel. I have had a lovely, cotton, blue and white striped duvet cover since I was a student. That makes it some 30 years old. I remember when I bought it, at a sale in Laura Ashley, I had fallen in love with the thing but couldn’t really afford it. This morning (early) lying in bed and sipping the lovely mug of tea I have trained Himself to bring me, I noticed that it is beginning to fray. I refuse to let it go gently and am resolved to mending said frays and letting it stay a while longer with me. And I’ll tell you what – it doesn’t owe me a red rex of what I spent on it all those years ago and, in fact, was and is probably the best value item ever.
notes · 4 days ago
As you may know, The Husband has taken an interest in the novels I write, though given a choice he’s more of a history book man. Anyhow, he’s one of the people who reads the first draft and gives notes and they are usually very good and very helpful. It is That Time with the latest novel as I begin rewrites on this very day. I had 2 great sessions with Clare, my editor, last week in London. And, last night I ‘got my notes’ from Richard. And very insightful they were and are too. The good thing is that he really likes the book, as does Clare. I am so close to it now that I can’t tell the shape, heft or worth of it, though I expect the next 2 weeks to bring it into my heart properly again. And for once I didn’t really get the ‘you’re better than this’ note so the material is up a notch. But it is not without its moments…and when he reads those moments out loud (usually phrases I don’t particularly like myself and put in so I could move on BUT also, sadly, moments I thought quite poetic and a little beautiful) the cringe factor is massive. But I must admit, it can also be very VERY funny. His low, crisp voice can take a thing apart without any effort at all!
Now to fix the thing…
pajamas · 5 days ago
My mate , Ger, is visiting – great as I haven’t seen her in AGES. We’ve been friends since we were 12 and we just pick up wherever we left off. We hated one another on sight all that time ago but then settled into being bezzies. She has a daughter who is 25 and another who is 4 – long story but it makes me a tad paranoid at my age as she is forever torturing me with the notion of the ‘post parent dying pre menopause baby’. The Smallie was fascinated to know what we’d be getting up to – basically a slumber party at my house but at least I now know that for that you wear pajamaramers for one of those so it’s good to know the proper term for what I’m wearing. I don;t suppose the Small Girl has been at one where quite so much wine got drunk and nonsense talked but that’s all ahead of her…We obviously were on a rich vein of chat last night because I wrote some phrases down to remind me of various nuggets…only one of which makes any sense to either of us now…
table · 7 days ago
I have just heard on the radio that a high-chair has been invented so that people can have their dog at the table with them at mealtimes (presumably they chow down at the same time as the humans is the idea?). It’s some sort of contraption that hooks onto the table and the dog is strapped into it. That can’t work, surely? Firstly there’s the size of the dog to consider. And no dog I’ve yet met would like being strapped into a mad contraption like that. AND, do you really want the pooch at the table, eating noisily along with the rest of the family/menagerie – can’t see the mutts wanting to observe table etiquette much – hard enough making kids or a husband do that. I’d get into the hygiene argument except that as a former cat ‘owner’ I know that felines have their own ideas about where they can and can’t go re furniture and hygiene might have been an issue but reasoning with her was useless – she did her own thing. The G spent a lot of her life on the table as the view was great from up there, though if we were having dinner, she was put on the floor and kept distracted by her own meal – and she always got served first…
moths · 8 days ago
I NEED ADVICE/HELP. Last year I had a bit of a moth problem in the London flat. They were little fellas and their legacy is with me still. basically they seem to have chewed quite a few clothage items. And yesterday a live lad fluttered by me – actually he got plucky and too close and I caught and did away with him. But I’m a bit worried there might be more snoozing in various nooks and crannies ready to wake up and chew more of the things I like (they have chosen some nice tops and cardis, the little feckers). SO, what can I do to guard against this????
Off to see my editor, the lovely Clare Foss, this afternoon to get my rewrite homework…eeek!…it never ends…kind of excited to be getting to further grips with the book now. And really would love to think it might travel to some sunshine with me soon – wouldn’t it be bliss to be sitting under a brolly in the heat, tweaking the novel* and knowing a lovely treat awaits later in the form of a nice meal of a fruity cocktail – hey, a gal can dream, okay? *‘tweaking the novel’ sounds like a euphemism for something dirty, don’t it?!
brows · 10 days ago
I had a lovely time on UK breakfast television this morning with the amazing Lorraine Kelly. Not least of my pleasures was that the make-up artist (and she was an artist – she made me look, not only human but, vaguely attractive) plucked my eyebrows, a thing I am always afraid to get too jiggy with. She quite rightly identified that the lower, inner parts were a tad heavy and did away with them and OPENED those peepers up. LOVED it. And it was a totally unexpected treat. Normally the way of those shows, of necessity, is that you go in with not a lot of time to spare, get made up quickly (and beautifully, it has to be said, and I am always grateful to the magicians who do that) and the you go on IMMEDIATELY – there is NEVER time for anything else but today she did that AND then curled my hair with one of those conical things that looks like a sex aid (from what I hear, not like I would ever, EVER have seen one of the latter, you understand)
Thanks to you all who were delighted to see Libby back in SHAMELESS – I thought it was a really good episode and am mightily proud of it.
sandra · 11 days ago
There was a time when 2 great friends of mine had a top OSCAR party every year in Dublin. Interested types gathered, voted, bet money on who’d guess most winners, drank and watched the ceremony till dawn. If you won, you got the pot of money BUT ALSO your name was printed on the little plaque on the front of the fake OSCAR held in the house (my name went on one year and I have never experienced anything like that thrill!) HOWEVER those 2 BAGSES (Stephen and Dee – I’ll name them) moved to London to further their careers and the tradition died out, not least because no one else has/had the channel piped in to watch the thing on. So, first thing this morning chez moi the internet was checked for winners and I was truly delighted to see Sandra Bullock there – she is just magnificent and what a nice woman too and GORGEOUS – the frock was a triumph (and there were some unforgivable howlers out on that Los Angeles carpet on the night, n’est pas???). I think she is a really wonderful actress and she has just proved the point that you CAN do comedy and be equally good at the straight stuff – I thank her for pointing it out so brilliantly in her work – that is all…
(well, all except that I’ll wave to ye from the sofa on GMTV in the morning…)