Childhood favourites, or how to get your good mood back
A quick post today, as am feeling harried and distracted - not a good combination! - by sundry other projects, and frustrated by not being able to knuckle down to the book, which is otherwise coming along surprisingly easily. Still, it's early days, and I'm nowhere near Chapter 7 - am bracing myself for the crisis then!
Unusually, this book has a title already - The Secret Princess - as it's linked to the previous one, which is apparently going to be called Ordinary Girl in a Tiara (no comment). I don't mind The Secret Princess, except it sounds like a story by Frances Hodgson Burnett - so much so that I've just had to go onto Amazon to check ... No, she wrote A Little Princess and The Secret Garden - but you can see where I got the idea from! I loved both books when I was little, but especially A Little Princess.
Isn't it amazing how favourite childhood books stay with you forever? I've still got my very first books: The Kittie-Poosies, which to my delight a friend found for my 50th birthday (I must have spent a long time boring him about it!); the Ladybird Cinderella (oh, that dress!) and my absolute favourite, Joan G. Robinson's Teddy Robinson stories. I used to insist on getting these from the library van every week when I was four, and my parents would read them to me while I fell about on the bed laughing. These were more books that were found for me years later. Embarrassingly, I found I laughed at exactly the same places, which probably goes to show how mature my sense of humour is.
Well, there you go ... having gone up to the attic to find these books to scan, I've been looking through them nostalgically and laughing and suddenly I'm in good humour again! Who says displacement activity doesn't work?
Unusually, this book has a title already - The Secret Princess - as it's linked to the previous one, which is apparently going to be called Ordinary Girl in a Tiara (no comment). I don't mind The Secret Princess, except it sounds like a story by Frances Hodgson Burnett - so much so that I've just had to go onto Amazon to check ... No, she wrote A Little Princess and The Secret Garden - but you can see where I got the idea from! I loved both books when I was little, but especially A Little Princess. 
I love diving into my old books! I keep them around just for the purpose of putting me in good humour - it never fails.
ReplyDeleteHeaps of good luck to Team Jessica for Monday's announcement!
Thanks, Lacey. My fingers are so tightly crossed for Monday that it's no wonder progress on the writing front has slowed ... it's hard to type with two fingers on each hand out of action!
ReplyDeleteJessica - love the regular blog! Fab to read up on your thoughts. Keep it up and hope you are well!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your help! (Although I fear my recent first chapter must have been way off the mark for M&B requirements – didn’t even get onto ‘follow up’ list!
Debs
x
ps am working thru 'oh so sensible' next, having read several Julie cohen's for recent course - all good stuff! Writing QVC blog is my displacement activity - and going online! Now, back to my own novel...! What do you call it when the first three chapters are on draft 30, but the rest of the book is still at SFD? SPartialFD?
At 30 drafts, I think I'd call it time to consider a new story, Debbie! Seriously, have you thought about putting this one aside (don't throw it away, as you'll be able to rewrite it later) and starting afresh? Sometimes we get so bound up in a story we just can't look at it objectively any more. And I should know ... been there, done that.
ReplyDeleteAlso rather miffed that none of the Posara ladies got through in New Voices, I must admit. But there were so many entries, not getting on the list doesn't mean you don't have what it takes, so don't give up!