MY PERFECT NOTEBOOK by Penny Dolan

 Last night I finished a notebook. Today, the first of July, I will start a new one. The empty pages will be a kind of invitation, but how will this new book and I get along?

 

Notebooks meet a variety of needs. They work as a home for ideas and inspiration on the run, for the safe storage for facts and research notes, as canvas to fill with 'morning pages' thoughts, as a creative space for collecting words, memories and images,or simply as lodging for ephemeral everyday needs. 

Many books have lined or - worse - narrow lined pages, which, while being useful, must carry a feeling of restriction for anyone with big handwriting. Some newer designs have squares, like French notebooks, or dots or hearts as markers instead. Plain pages are, to me, a whole other writing experience.

Notebooks also come in different shapes and sizes.  I've used all sorts in my time: cheap school exercise books; hard covers rigid with efficiency; indulgent 'travellers' notebooks with back pockets for tickets & stubs; annoyingly tiny notebooks for tinier fingers; huge wire-bound books, sectioned for subjects;  a couple of those richly embossed notebooks with magnetic closures - and less than rich paper inside, imo - and many other models alongside and inbetween.   

None have brought me the joy of my current model of notebook. The first was a gift from my daughter. The paper was of a pleasing weight and feel, the pages a quiet white in tone and unlined. This was, to me and many, definitely a luxury notebook. What a great gift!

 

Reader, I have to tell you that original notebook lay on the shelf unused for more a year. Though I loved the feel of the unlined blank pages, the pale cover felt intimidating. The thing seemed destined for another kind of life altogether, a clean elegant kind of usage, not one destined for fingers haunted by ghostly inkstains or writing too often like a cat scratching with a stick. 

 

For a long time, I felt this perfect notebook did not fit me and would probably not fit my sort of words and thoughts either. All of these were Illogical feelings, I knew, and I had been given the thing, hadn't I? And I was way way more than grown-up.  

But the book stayed shut. And I felt sad.

                                                                                                                                  

Then, one day, I remembered that artist's 'trick' when facing a blank surface: sweeping across the emptiness with a dull wash to break the stare of the canvas. So I used that trick myself. 

 

I opened the cover, and drew a quick loose scribble across the first page: a wandering unplanned line that took away the fear of that scary page. Then, across that first double spread, I wrote a fast friendly greeting, welcoming myself there.  Those early scribbles also told me that any handwriting inside did not have to be perfect, neither in the making or in the thinking. The page was for me now, not for some other perfect dream. With each small action, my feelings lightened.  Yes, I broke the stare of that notebook.

 

Today's notebook will be the fourth of its kind, all bought during sale periods. Those familiar, kindly pages suit and encourage me, and there are plenty of pages to fill. I can't write in it everyday but I have stopped letting the gaps grieve or shame me. I pick it up when and where I can. 

 

I try to write legibly and well but I don't worry if, writing while squashed awkwardly on a  pillow,my penwork isn't as beautiful as it could be. I've even become care-less in my use of the pages, drawing a curving squiggle down from the end of an entry to the foot of the page, filling the gap, so I can start with a clear, fresh page in front of me next time. 

 

This new - but similar - notebook and I will get along fine. Although I can write with keyboards and create typed and spoken notes on various devices, I still find writing by hand a great pleasure, and my notebook a necessary luxury.

 

How is it with yours? 

 

 

Onwards! 

 

Penny Dolan 

 

 

Chocolate Nation - Sue Purkiss

 Belgium is well-known for a number of things: beautiful old cities, waffles, moules et frites, the European Commission, Tintin - and, of course, chocolate. So when earlier this week my grandson Casper suggested visiting a chocolate museum in Antwerp (my son and his family live in Brussels, and I was visiting them), I certainly wasn't going to say no.

We went by train to Antwerp - whose station, incidentally, is quite incredible: immensely tall, with a beautifully decorated ceiling and an extraordinarily ornate clock. The museum, which is only a few years old, is just a couple of minutes'walk from the station, and if you're a chocolate lover, it's a must. (If you're not, then probably best stay away.)

It's an extraordinary piece of design and technology. You're only allowed in a very few people at a time: the doors to each of the first four rooms open to let you in, then swing closed behind you. And these four rooms take you on the journey of the cocoa pod, from the trees where it grows in South America to its eventual transformation in Belgium into delicious chocolate. The whole experience is really clever: light and sound and heaven knows what else combine to show you each stage of the process. It's beautiful, but it's also very informative: you learn without realising you're learning. 

After these four rooms, you go first into a sort of virtual restaurant, where you sit down in front of a plate and watch as tiny people zoom around in front of you - to be honest, I'm not quite sure what they were doing, but it was all very pretty and entertaining.

And then you go into a room with a slightly more conventional layout, where you learn about the history of chocolate making in Belgium, and the people involved. I was intigued to learn about Guylian - those chocolate seashells that are in every supermarket. They were developed in 1958, by a young couple named Guy and Liliane. Guy was a passionate chocolate maker. He spotted a gap in the market. Chocolate tended to be more of a winter thing - but what if you could create something that evoked summer? On holiday at the Belgian seaside, the couple hit on the idea of creating chocolate seashells filled with praline. Guy's responsibility was creating the chocolate and praline, and Liliane's job was the all-important design. Guylian was born, and now their chocolates are sold all over the world.

Innovation continues. A few years ago, someone discovered that if you combined certain types of cocoa beans, the chocolate that emerged was pink, with a taste that's creamy, but also fruity - and completely natural.

By this time, I was beginning to wonder if we were going to get to actually taste some of this deliciousness. The next room concerned the people who actually grow the trees and harvest the pods, and the initiatives which have been created to help them succeed and imrove their conditions and outcomes. Then, passing this beautiful castle, made entirely, of course, out of chocolate, we finally came to the tasting room, where we judiciously sampled around ten different strengths of liquid chocolate - "Hm, not sure whether I prefer this one or the one back at the beginning - maybe better have another taste, just to be sure..."

And of course, there was a shop.

It's a fascinating museum - not just because of the pervading chocolatiness, but also because of the innovative ways in which it tells its stories. Very well worth a visit - and Antwerp too is lovely, though we only had time for a quick hike round to the old town and the river.

Out of my Comfort Zone -- and Having Fun by Sheena Wilkinson

My helpers 

I don't really 'do' small children. Never having had any children of my own, or any nieces or nephews, I've had little to do with them. When I do primary school visits, I insist that the minimum age I'll work with is nine. Which makes sense -- I've written books for middle grade, teen, young adult and adult, but nothing for smaller kids. 

But this post comes to you after a full day of reading to Very Small Children Indeed, including babies in prams. Reader, I am shattered! But what fun it was, and I've decided to tell you about it, partly because those of you who are writers might also find you're asked to do something you didn't think you could, and end up rather enjoying. And in the current financial and intellectual climate, we could all do with maximising our chance to earn money. 

One of my main roles over the last ten years has been as a Royal Literary Fund Fellow. The RLF is the world's oldest literary charity, founded in 1790 with a remit to support writers. Their ethos is simple: writers matter because writing matters. And they put their money where their mouth is in various ways: giving grants to writers in need, but also giving writers work in a wide range of educational and community settings. I like to see them as a matchmaker: matching up the writers' skills with people who would benefit from them. I started off in 2015 as a Writing Fellow in a university, helping students with their essays, and since then have delivered various kinds of workshops in universities, schools, workplaces, mental healthcare settings and more. 

What has this to do with reading 'Piglet Meets a Heffalump' to Very Small Children Indeed?

Well, the RLF derives most of its income from authors' estates (mine won't be worth much, but I'm going to make sure I give them something) and one of their most high-profile donors was A.A. Milne, most famous, of course, as the writer of Winnie-the-Pooh. Next year is the centenary of the publication of the first WTP book, and  there will be celebrations in lots of places, starting off in my very own Northern Ireland. 

Disney, Historic Royal Palaces and the Royal Literary Fund have got together to transform part of the grounds of Hillsborough Castle in County Down into a storybook wonderland: Winnie-the-Pooh's Hunny Hunt. Every Saturday a different RLF author will bring the world of Winnie-the-Pooh’s Hundred Acre Wood to life. My remit -- being local I was the first of the authors to give it a go -- was to read from WTP as well as from my own work. 

I was well looked after by everyone -- by the RLF (as always!) and by representatives of Disney and the staff at Hillsborough, but the biggest thanks must go to my own old toys, pictured at the top. I wasn't sure who would turn up to Owl's Storytelling Corner, but I was pretty sure they would be Too Young for my own books. And so it proved. The children ranged from eleven-ish down to nought-ish, with the average being about four. They had never heard of me or my books; they just wanted a story. Luckily I had chosen 'Piglet Meets a Heffalump' which is a Very Satisfying Story Indeed. 

I had brought Betjeman Bear, Blue and Scottish Toby along simply to look cute, along with a 'hunny' jar but very soon I pressed them into service to act it all out. After all, long before Disney, the original Pooh characters were based on real toys owned by Milne's son Christopher, so perhaps it was fitting that my scruffy old toys* played their part. Betjeman made a dignified Christopher Robin; Blue, who has sat on my bed for 56 years, did not deserve to have his head jammed into a hunny pot for the entertainment of small children, but he has survived worse over the years, and Scottish Toby made a surprisingly convincing Piglet. 

I learned a lot today. I learned that if you let one child hold one bear, you have to let her tiny sister hold the other one, even if the latter's nose is dripping snot which she is cheerfully rubbing with the same hands she is holding out for the bear. I learned that small children love being asked to give 'a loud roar of sadness and despair' in Heffalumpish style, even if they do not know what all the words mean. And I learned that sometimes, doing something outside your comfort zone can be Jolly Good Fun.

*Betjeman Bear requests that I point out that he is neither old nor scruffy, but is in fact a beautiful handmade bear sewn by my friend Elizabeth and is no more than twenty years old and therefore Very Young Indeed. 

Memory and writing by Claire Fayers

 Casting about for a topic for this month's post, I happened to hear the latest episode of Curious Cases  on BBC Sounds. It's a lightweight science show where listeners send in their questions. This week's was on the subject of memory, specifically could it ever be possible to take a memory from one person's head and transplant it into another person's.

There's already a way to do that, I wanted to say. It's called writing. It's not quite the same thing, but as a way of storing and transferring memories, it's pretty efficient.

The discussion led to a lot of interesting questions about the relationship between memory and imagination and the way we remember the gist of an event and fill in the details with created details. Which seems to be exactly what happens when someone reads.

Anyway, it's an interesting programme and well worth a listen. Enjoy the sunshine while it lasts!

Claire

 

The Bixby Letter

If you start digging into the history of this letter – written by Abraham Lincoln to the mother of five sons who had all been killed in the Civil War - all sorts of bumps and complications bubble up. It later turned out that only two of her sons had died. Mrs Bixby herself was thought to have harboured Confederate sympathies. There’s even a suggestion that one of Lincoln’s private secretaries, John Hay, actually wrote it. 

But put all that aside – as well, perhaps, as the idea of dying gloriously in battle - and you have what is one of my favourite pieces of writing; as pure writing. It’s one I turn to regularly, just to admire the choice of words and the graceful fluency of its prose. 

Executive Mansion,

Washington, Nov. 21, 1864.

Dear Madam,--

I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle.

I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.

I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,

A. Lincoln

Do other readers have examples they treasure as much as I do this one?

Creating Talismans for Writing Success - by Lu Hersey

Looking for something specific on my bookshelves earlier this week, I got totally distracted by a book on charms and talismans, some of which were 'certain' to help bring writing success. OK, I had a few doubts (actually quite a lot) - but writing success is something we all crave, right? So I decided I may as well share a few relevant talismans with you.

The following info all comes from The Book of Charms and Talismans, published in 1924, written by a man who went by the pen name of Sepharial. Investigating Sepharial further (meaning a quick google), I discovered his real name was Waltar Gorn Old, and apart from his many writings on esoteric subjects, he was a founder member of the Theosophical Society. According to Wikipedia, he was a prolific but 'slapdash' writer, otherwise he might have gained more posthumous success. Slapdash or not, I figured Sepharial had a keen interest in Enochian magic and talismans, and on these subjects it might be worth giving him the benefit of the doubt. 

So which Talismans did Sepharial reckon would bring you writing success? Firstly he tells us that A Talisman to Secure Eloquence (above) is very useful for public speakers, and should be worn by clergymen, auctioneers and politicians as well as writers. Apparently it's important to make this Talisman on a Wednesday, though he doesn't bother to explain why (probably because of the slapdash thing), but I happen to know it's because Wednesday is the day associated with Mercury and successful communications. 

More importantly, it's best to use the Talisman to Secure Eloquence alongside The Seal of Eloquence (below) to ensure success. Or in Separial speak, you'll 'find great benefit from the use of these in combination.'

He assures us that 'this Talisman will assist all those who are desirous of becoming writers, authors, journalists, orators and who may wish to develop ability for radio, stage or screen activities...' and that 'concentration upon this Talisman will intensify the natural inspiration and hence assist in the writing of books and plays, poetry or short stories'. 

So I guess it might be worth a shot. Sepharial stresses again that you make your Seal of Eloquence on a Wednesday, also suggesting you make it using either silver, platinum or aluminium, in either the first, eighth, fifteenth or twenty-second hour of the day (which is all to do with Mercury again. And no, he doesn't explain that either).

If you don't happen to have any silver, platinum or aluminium handy, he says you can cut the Talismans you need out of his book if you prefer, and place them in a silk bag to wear on your person. I reckon on that basis, it should also work if you print out this post and cut out the talismans instead. Though where you get the silk bag from is up to you, and you probably need at least one pocket in whatever you're wearing to keep them on your person. Also, on a practical note, remember to take them out before washing your clothes. (He doesn't tell you any of that, obvs)

If I haven't already lost you at the silk bag bit, and you can be bothered to follow all his instructions, you might also want to include Prosperity (with a capital P) in your collection of talismans. After all, what's the point of all that eloquence if you don't earn anything?

The Seal of Great Prosperity is best made on a Sunday, and Sepharial suggests we make it in gold (gold is associated with the sun, and Sunday is the sun's day...& no, of course he doesn't explain this). Fortunately you can save yourself a lot of effort and money by cutting the page out of his book (or from a print-out of this post) so long as it's in the first, eighth, fifteenth or twenty-second hour of the chosen Sunday. Sepharial was a keen numerologist, so the hour numbers probably hold significance. Oh, and remember that silken bag to put your Seal of Great Prosperity in, and keep it on your person. The benefits are not only wealth, but also finding "the right contacts, and to say and do things at the right time in order to lift you from mediocrity to relative eminence."

So there you go. A simple matter of making your talismans (on the right day, at the right time) and putting them in that silken bag you happen to have, so you can wear them on your person - and writing success will be yours. Probably.

Got to admit I haven't tried any of this out so far, but doutless Sepharial would say that's why I'm neither rich nor successful...

Yet :)

Lu Hersey

Patreon: Writing the Magic

Substack: An Old Hag's Snippets of Folklore, Myth and Magic

Adventures in Youtubeland By Steve Way

 

As children’s writers we often aim to create new worlds and new dimensions. I’ve been wondering lately if a utopian land, that I’m certainly not a resident of, called Youtubeland exists.

Recently a friend of ours very kindly gave us a smart TV that she was no longer using.* As her various streaming accounts, such as Netflix etc. were still linked to the TV, I turned to Youtube to find out how to return it to its factory settings, so that we could erase her accounts and start anew using ours.

Sure enough, it didn’t take long to discover videos explaining how to do this. The instructions were along the lines of; ‘Click on this option, this page will appear, click here, this second page will appear, click here… and so on a few times and then Hey Presto, factory settings will be restored!’

I don’t know if you’ve had the same experiences as me, perhaps you unconsciously own passports to Youtubeland and all works for you as on the videos. In my case, as on previous similar occasions, when I tried this in real life, it didn’t quite work out that way. I carried out the first instruction, I clicked on the named option but even though I’d seen the page in the video appear on the same model TV as ours, a completely different page appeared instead. Not for the first time I fell at the first hurdle.

What I fail to understand is why based on the same action, one screen appears on the TV in Youtubeland replaced by a totally different one in what appears to me to be reality (we’re getting philosophical here.) It’s the same with the ‘watch how we make something complicated appear really easy’ videos. For me these activities remain complicated and fraught with various frustrations and difficulties, accentuated since it appears they don’t exist in this parallel reality.

I suppose when it comes down to it, we’re exposed to many odd apparent ‘other’ worlds, starting with the inappropriately named ‘reality’ shows where participants are thrown into largely unreal environments. There’s also Cooking Competition Land where food has to be prepared that no longer looks like food and is manhandled onto the plate by hand. (I don’t know about you, I don’t care how posh the food is, I wouldn’t want anyone fiddling about with it by hand before serving it.) Also, House Renovation Land where, no matter how badly things seem to be going at some stage, without fail the house always ends up looking like a five star show home. Meanwhile out here in what I perceive as reality (here I go again) the vast majority of renovations are fraught with far more problems and often end up incomplete or imperfect.

So maybe sometimes when we’re thinking of creating imaginary worlds different from our own, perhaps they could be closer than we think.

By the way we did get the TV sorted out in the end, mainly with the help of our teenage grandchildren.

*We’re very lucky when it comes to friends – see last month’s piece about tea bag deliveries!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Despite my trials and tribulations, I have ventured into Youtubeland in my own ways. You might enjoy this poem about flat shapes;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Koo5U4eLDss

Or possibly my silliest poem…

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7eci8Bc98U0