BOOKS

Enough of dogs with unsavoury fetishes, and on to matters more laudable... I have been reading REAL books again and have started The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Missionary family, who move in 1959 ,from the States to a village in the Belgian Congo. The story is narrated by the five women of the family. The essence of post colonial Africa is captured beautifully as the back drop to the novel.

How I love this book, it has one of the most wonderfully descriptive opening chapters I have ever read. In a slightly muted way I feel great empathy with the characters in the book. Whilst our life here, has none of the privations that the Price girls are subjected to, it describes beautifully the feeling of being disengaged from all that you hold dear.

The anchor these women have is an unswerving faith in God, in each other, and an increasing fear of their arrogant bible bashing father/husband.

Definitely worth putting on the reading list if you haven't already found it.

RED KITE: A virtual slap across the knuckles

Talking of books, whilst we were in UK, David managed to repair the external hard drive that had captured all the photos and documents from the lap top that crashed a week before we departed last September.

Whilst trying to upload the photos onto my new computer, I came across the beginnings of a novel for children's book that I had started to write about three years ago.

Having read the 8 or so chapters I had already written, I decided to crack on with it. Part I[200 pages], Is now written.

Bereft of any forums for critical analysis here in the desert, I resorted to a Google search, and came across a site funded by the British arts council.

Once registered as a member, you can upload your first 5 or so chapters, and another member is asked to provide a critical review of your work. You are then asked to review someone else's work. The more crits that you provide the wider the circulation of your own work, and consequently you receive more critiques on your own work.

So..Feeling deeply impressed with myself, I gaily enrolled myself, uploaded the first 25 pages of my book. Busying myself in the meantime, by criting 7 or so pieces written by other members. Some of it absolute tosh..But some very good.

The site offering very specific advice about preparing a critical analysis to another writer. There is ALWAYS something positive that one can find in any piece of work, and to focus upon this at least in equal proportion to the negative, no matter how much you may dislike the piece you are criting.

I have just had a response to my work from "Red Kite" [who I have decided, must be an unpublished English teacher]. I have had the most severe slap across the knuckles for my: "appalling sentence construction. Use of punctuation. Lack of use of speech comas, and SPELLING"!!! [I was immediately sent spinning back to 4C at Cranford House!]

Not content with this :Red Kite, inflicted another wound for presenting a "First Draft"..Apparently this is just "NOT DONE". Every piece that is uploaded should be edited and proof read as if it were about to hit the presses.

Red Kite does think the story line is rather fascinating ...Thanks!!!!!!!

Do I assume that this is the one "Positive" comment that Red Kite could trawl from the 25 pages? ,or do I read through the thinly disguised observations and read "DITCH Part I and go back to the drawing board",even more terminal "forget the drawing board as well!"

25 pages

I have not yet to come to any conclusions on this. But have returned to the 25 pages, with a more critical eye, and Yes there are glaring errors in the text.

I realize that writing a book is not just having a good idea/story, its as much about the nuts and bolts of writing: presentation, editing. Proofing. So I am taking a page from my Mum`s book...You are NEVER to old to learn and I am now trying to learn how to write.

Its disgustingly hard work..Indeed the first 25 pages have taken me another week of laborious scouring, and I still have another 150 pages to go before I dare return to the "Upload "button and the likes of Red Kite.

Will keep you posted.I fear that there may only be charred remains to discuss when next I post.

Art: I started to sketch some pictures of Ankole cattle [they are very striking!] and because of my position in the hallway, just couldn't bear any more comments from Uncle Tom Cobbly and all..So have temporarily stopped, how I yearn for a private space in which to hurl some paint around!