Home Thoughts Weekly

Well, that’s it . A few days of absolutely no peeping so that I can spot any mistakes when I sit down for a final read-through, then it’s print it in triplicate and send if off to the OU. My End of Course Assessment, the culmination of two years of hard work towards my Diploma in Literature and Creative Writing. Sheesh! I’ve worked hard for this, much harder than when I went through the sausage-machine of university the first time – just goes to show what you’re prepared to do when you really want something as opposed to thinking you want something. It’s going to be very strange not always having the next Tutor Marked Assignment ahead of me, but there’s lots to look forwards to on the writing front. I’m going to really enjoy concentrating on the current novel, but I’m also hoping to find time to write and submit more poetry too. The photo is a summary of two years work. My trusty knitted monkey sits on my printer – goodness knows I’m not a soft toy person, and my preferred tea is Earl ...

Writing Sheesh! There is nothing like announcing in the national press that you intend to complete the first draft of your current novel by the middle of October to guarantee coming a cropper. Ok, so the plans were scuppered by the arrival of the Big Project and whilst I’m still staying in touch with ‘Make, Do and Mend’, I’ve got to admit that its future is a bit dependent on whether the Big Project gets a thumbs up or a thumbs down (nooooo!). Following the completion of the BP, I’ve also taken some time out to catch up with family, which is no bad thing, and on Saturday A363 Advanced Creative Writing, my next OU course, officially begins. A215 was great for encouraging me to send more work out and try different genres (still flushed with success here after my runner-up place in the ‘Ode to a Llama’ competition - eat your heart out, Ted Hughes. And I even got ‘banana’ in, as a rhyme) so I’m looking forwards to seeing what A363 brings. Various Plots Available Oh great! The berludy...