Storytime

We went recently to see the show Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (great show, not only for kids!). We took Little Miss (who I'm afraid will be Little Miss forever in my eyes ), daughter, other half and myself. There were dumplings before hand, much walking from car park to said dumplings then to the theatre. We found our seats fifteen minutes before the show started when Little Miss said 'I'm bored, entertain me.' She was told, politely, to suck it up. That the show would start soon and surely she could entertain herself for (by now, ten minutes). She shook her head. 'I need internet or something,' glancing hopefully to my handbag. Not a chance. Her aunt got her to look around the theatre to find out who the youngest person was (baby of about three months)....then she began to count seconds. Very very fast seconds. It is an interesting phenomena that we don't allow people to be bored. Boredom is necessary. Especially for child...

I recently read a 'debut' author. Not their FANTASTIC BEST SELLING  novel, but their collection of short stories that also were given rave reviews, great write ups and WOW blurbs. Frankly I read them, and if you asked me the next day what any of those ten short stories were about, I would not be able to tell you. A setting to remember, characters that stood out, even a theme to tie them all in would have been delightful...but no. Themes are almost a forgotten art. They shouldn't be. They really help to know what to wear if a friend decides to have a Charlie Chaplin themed birthday.... Or when another friend, had a Harry Potter themed party. All those little details made it work. And added a spark of fun to the festivities. There were HP foods, decorations and games. Not to mention a team of wizards and a few assorted muggles. Theme - 'an idea that recurs in or pervades a work of art or literature- really helps. If , such as in the case of the...

A friend, and fellow writer, recently was talking about one of the pieces she was working on. She talked about word count, getting back into it..then she said...'trouble is I'm finding it boring to write.' Alarm bells went off. I have the sneaky suspicion if you are finding it boring to write, anyone reading it will find it just as boring. I'm not saying everything you write has to be on-the-seat-of-your-pants action packed. There doesn't have to be adventure and suspense in every chapter (unless of course, you are writing a book packed with adventure and suspense)...but I do think you have to enjoy the writing part. It's like everyday can't be a holiday. (but wouldn't it be lovely if it was!) And of course there are boring bits to writing. I find the editing the most mind numbing sleep inducing horrid stuff...mind you writing the synopsis is my most hated...but that's not boring. That is just difficult. Editing, going back over and ove...

On the weekend, hubby and I did a cheese making course. A beginners one. On the day we made some Greek style yoghurt, mascarpone and feta. It was interesting learning about this art...or is it a craft? Which ever it is, there is definitely a talent involved. And sometimes, a lot of luck. You begin with the same ingredient...milk. That is the one integral ingredient. Then you add some bacteria, some culture and rennet. Add some heat, or a lot of heat. Before you know it you have curds and whey. And no matter how strictly you follow the instructions the end product will vary. Sometimes only a little, sometimes a lot. It all depends on the day you make your cheese...too hot, too cold. Too moist and damp, too humid? Did another type of bacteria enter during the process? Were you too active in cutting the curds (yes that was a term used)? And of course it all depends on the season when the cows were milked ...too much grass, too little. I never knew that so much could affect ...