Myrtle's Blog on WriteWords
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A Cubby of One's OwnPosted on 17/03/2009 by  Myrtle In February I attended a local writers' festival called Writers At The Convent. I generally avoid anything that has the possibility of involving nuns (with all due respect to the hundreds of nuns I'm sure read this blog - I am of course genuflecting as I type), but this was well worth the risk. Read Full Post
I Thought I Thaw A Book CoverPosted on 03/03/2009 by Myrtle The cover proofs for my novel arrived yesterday. I stuck one onto a copy of Meg Rosoff's How I Live Now (hoping that some of the bestsellerliness would rub off, perhaps, but mainly because the spine width was about right...sorry, Meg Rosoff, I shall restore your book to it's full glory when I've had my fun)... Read Full Post
Behold! a miraclePosted on 23/02/2009 by Myrtle How do I get thee to sleep? Let me count the ways... Over the years I have tried a variety of methods with the pair of them: rocking, breastfeeding, rocking while breastfeeding, womb music, lavender baby bubble bath, singing the same damn song every night, wearing a cuddly toy down my bra all day and then putting it in the cot at bedtime, pushchair, car, sling, eliminating certain foods, loading them up with soporific dinners, chasing them around the garden for two hours, blackmail, bribery, and tearful pleading... Read Full Post
Auntie EmPosted on 09/02/2009 by Myrtle Like any writer who is supposed to be working on her novel, I spend a lot of time analysing my blog stats (this activity comes under the General Procrastination category, along with cake-baking, deciding to sew a button on something you haven't worn in months, having to dash out to the bookshop for more "research", and staring out the window).
During the course of my analysis it has come to my notice that not everyone comes here to read my mundane ramblings. Some of you actually want advice on stuff. My stats reveal that folk have come here looking for words of wisdom on:
First date nerves
Viakal side effects
"What Not To Wear" (with particular reference to Ugg Boots)
Pineapple health risks
Because I'm a guilt-ridden ex-Catholic / first-born, I feel responsible and have therefore decided to impart ALL my wisdom in one handy post. For ONE DAY ONLY, consider me your agony aunt... Read Full Post
Natural Born WorriersPosted on 06/02/2009 by Myrtle This week I did my first ever reading (at my daughter's kinder...that's Australian for nursery school), of my pre-school version of The Billy Goats' Gruff, published by Ladybird a couple of years ago.
My pre-reading worries included:
What if the children get up and return to the Lego after the first page?
What if they yawn dramatically?
What if the teacher stops me halfway through because I'm mumbling and stuttering so appallingly that no one can make out a word?
What if I accidentally utter a swear word?
What if I have something funny on my face / up my nose and that's all the children can focus on?
And they start pointing and laughing and I don't know what's funny?
What if something in the story makes one of them cry? And then they all start crying?
So, you know, I was feeling pretty calm about it all... Read Full Post
How To Be The EntouragePosted on 01/02/2009 by Myrtle
While You Were Scribbling...Posted on 13/01/2009 by Myrtle Anyone who has tried to fit writing around full-time parenting of pre-schoolers will know that feeling of craving 'just five more minutes' to finish a sentence, or to seal the deal on a new plot twist you've been mind-coddling while grilling the fish fingers. It's all very well to suggest that writing comes post-bedtime, but after a full-on day of tidying up tiny bits of Lego, changing nappies, making nutritious meals for fuss-pots, explaining Evolution in terms a four-year-old can grasp, shouting "Don't do that to your brother!" thirty-three times...etcetera, it's not uncommon to find that The Muse has put on its pyjamas and turned in as well... Read Full Post
A Kind of Christmas TreePosted on 16/12/2008 by Myrtle We got into the car and went in search of a Real Christmas Tree. It had been raining for three days solid. We didn't know what to expect. The Australian had warned me not to get my hopes up. The Boy was articulating his extreme displeasure at being in the car by screaming. The Girl was shouting over him that she wanted THE BIGGEST TREE EVER IN THE WORLD. I just wanted to feel Christmassy, that's all... Read Full Post
Merry Christmas to my readersPosted on 11/12/2008 by Myrtle
Faking ItPosted on 08/12/2008 by Myrtle It promises to be a very different Christmas for us this year. As usual I am syphoning out the doom and gloom of the situation and gargling with it. Read Full Post
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