Writing diaries and other things

I never could stick to a daily diary. My first diary was often filled in after the event, with me consulting my school timetable and inserting, items such as ‘French in the afternoon.’ ‘PE in the morning and it was freezing. I started writing a proper diary when I bought a plain lined book with hard covers and filled it out only when I was in the mood. Sometimes there was nothing to say and at other times, I would recall events from weeks before and write from memory. Diary writing was very therapeutic and helped me through many bad times. It also meant that after many years, I found it very easy to describe my feelings. Probably when I first started writing in it, it was rather self-conscious, but I grew out of that. I stopped keeping a diary when I got married but I still have them, stashed away in the corner of a cupboard.. Probably, my children will find them one day and throw them out.

I’ve just come back from Barclays Bank, where we Goldenford girls did readings of our work for their Christmas party. It was quite a successful event – and enjoyable too. We joined in the party spirit and had drinks and nibbles and received boxes of chocolates too, at the end of the evening. Irene and I also had a table selling Goldenford books at a craft fair last Sunday.

Unfortunately, my article on Goldenford books was rejected by Writers’ Forum, who have in the past published six of my articles. The editor once took the trouble to return a couple of articles to me with suggestions all over them on tightening them up and reducing them to one article, which they eventually accepted. It is sad that this latest rejection was completely impersonal. Is there a regime change, I wonder?

I got an order for The Fruit of the Tree this morning, from Gardners, via Bookdata. This was so out of the blue that I wonder if it was triggered off by my recent talk at Sutton Writers.

I still have a story to send off, but haven’t thought of a title for it yet. And I must conjure something up for next Tuesday – Guildford Writers.