Greetings!
Well, here we are again. I had a bit of a break over the hols, and now, as James Brown once sang, I’m back. But enough of this persiflage! On with the newsletter.
Terry
The 60 Minute Writer course
In just over a week’s time I’ll be teaching a course called The 60 Minute Writer. The title always makes me smile because it sounds like I teach people how to be a writer in an hour. It reminds me of a joke by, I think, Frank Carson:
We had a leak in our bathroom, so I looked in Yellow Pages and found an advert for someone headed “24 hour plumber”. So I called him in and instead of fixing the leak he caused a flood. I said to him, “How long have you been a plumber?”. He said, “24 hours.”
Each week I’ll be introducing a different writing technique, which people can spend some time trying out. There are 11 sessions, and in most of them I’ll be starting with a reading of an excerpt of an article, book or poem. I’ll also be recommending books for people to buy or borrow. I think it will be quite a good course, the more so because at the time of writing this there are only two places left, out of a maximum of 18. I’m quite excited by it, because I think (I hope) discussions will be vibrant.
Feedback
Thinking about the 60 Minute course led me, of course, to drawing up instructions for giving feedback. I mean, telling people to not give up the day job is unlikely to be seen as enormously constructive. But people are often bad at receiving feedback too, so my instructions cover that as well.
While we’re on the subject of teaching, I enrolled on a creative writing course a few years ago, and I thought the tutor was utterly useless. She presented us with Raymond Carver’s What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, and went on about how wonderful it was and how marvellous a writer Carver was. Well, I hadn’t read any Carver at that point so I asked her what made him and his work so great. It was a genuine question. Her response? “Well you don’t have to like it, it’s a free country.”
Eh?
A much better answer has come in the form of an article by
on ’s newsletter:
Tom also wrote a great article in which he mentioned status. I was going to respond but I can’t find it now. Perhaps I’ll write about that in the future.
Prizewinner
In December I wrote an ‘experiment in style’ called A Merry Dance, in which I’d hidden quite a few dance terms. I invited readers to tell me if they could identify them. The best response was that by
, who writes the lovely newsletter. She didn’t have all the ones I’d written, but came up with some I hadn’t, so those two things cancelled each other out as far as I’m concerned. Elizabeth wins a year’s complementary subscription to this esteemed publication. The list of dances featured in the post is as follows:Big apple * Black bottom * blues * boomerang * bounce(d) * bump * dance * footwork * hitchhike * jaywalk * jerk * jive * mashed potato * monkey * mule * popcorn * popping * salsa * shake * spank * swing * tutting * dance (generic term)
For those of you with a burning desire to learn how to dance the hitchhike, fret no longer:
My recent articles
I seem to have the knack of writing stuff that makes people cry. And laugh. Often in the same article. It all started with a letter I wrote to a teacher:
Blast from the past: Dear Mr Dale
I published this here back in March 2022. I thought I’d republish it in the hope that more people will enjoy it (if that’s the right word), as I have more subscribers now. This post is part of a series about people who have influenced me, like teachers, writers, musicians and so on. I hope some of them will prove useful to you too.
More recently, I wrote two articles that may make you laugh-cry. If you need a good weepfest after the festivities of the past couple of weeks, these should do the job:
Other people’s articles
Here are two great articles by
, who I came across via a Note by:Author Spotlight: Jim Wilsky Writes About World War II and Friendship, which is in
’s newsletter, which is about historical fiction, and which I need to explore.By the way, if you like fiction of a more general nature, especially poignant and dark stuff, check out the newsletters of Jim Cummings, as mentioned above, and
.For beautfully written, poignant and ethereal fiction, like the written equivalent of Enya or Clannad (see below), I recommend the work of
. Check out Unsent Letters #30 and The Darkroom part 1. And while you’re floating, have a look at ’s newsletter too. I find his words sort of glide and cascade over me. I sometimes don’t understand what he’s talking about, but that matters not: I often don’t know what I’m talking about myself.Videos you might like
That’s all folks…
I must away. My partner-in-crime as far as letters are concerned,
, wrote to me in December and I must find something erudite and chortlesome with which to reply, by Wednesday <Gulp!>. Have a look at her newsletter, which features great writing and lovely artwork:
I hope you have enjoyed this newsletter. In the unlikely event that you haven’t, all I can say is, in the wise words of that great blues woman Bessie Smith, if you don’t like my potatoes, why did you dig so deep? (Sorry, what was that I said about knowing how to receive feedback?)
I'd like to thank my husband, my parents, my agent, my banker, my librarian, my high-school best friend, my long-dead hamster, and Mr. Barnes Dance School for all the support, and of course, you, Terry, for the opportunity.
Lots to enjoy in this release. I tried the dance and ended up having to wave on four different drivers who all generously offered rides. 🤪
As for the two cellos - wow! Talented and energetic. Do you suppose they travel with a masseuse/masseur for neck pain?
Here's to 2025!
Got back to the videos. I know all about Clannad and Enya of course, but had to see what version of Acadaca’s Highway to Hell was on offer, and what a beauty. Great fun. Thanks so much.