Monday 17 August 2009

Pause Button Time : Penny Dolan

It's been the big Pause Button time for the writing. Yes, the school holidays have hit. Last week included totally enjoyable family visitors visiting. There were meals and more meals, and a trip on a steam train, and a more than exciting time at the new childrens' play area in our local park. This was full of swingy swing things to knock out teeth, and roundabouts that could fling you off, and fantastic wooden structures to climb and get stuck or lost among. And a gigantic paddling pool. Just the place to relax and sit dreaming about aspects of one's plot. Not.

I was also in a tizz about my storytelling & mask making session at Knaresborough's feva festiva. This meant much inner "told story" revising, plus outer collecting of green paper, pens and glue, neither of which were exactly adding words to the page. Then another story for telling popped up into my head for the story time, and my "Green Man" mask idea was so happily adapted by the children. All the masks were so brilliantly different. Sigh of relief! It was a such fun, and I get to do it again (with my assistant the lovely librarian) this coming Friday! In the meantime, there's the small matter of some Rain Forest based stories for a session tomorrow. I think the rain aspects been taken care of already . . .

I'm sure that there's pieces of writing all across the land suspended for similar sorts of summer holiday reasons. All one can do is enjoy the diffeent pace and maybe a few new ideas. This Wednesday, I plan to press PLAY again, and set that novel running again. Hope you manage to find yourself some writing time and space this summer!

3 comments:

Katherine Langrish said...

How well I know this feeling, Penny! Yes, the summer holidays are useless for writing in, and the beginning of term is not much better.
I would love to know how to make a Green Man mask, though!

Dianne Hofmeyr said...

Yes Penny. We need pics of your Green Man masks, please!

Penny Dolan said...

Apologies, Kath & Di. Green Man Mask is safely stored in the library cupboard, ready for his next appearance! So you will have to wait for pics . . .