February 14, 2018
When was the last time Shrove Tuesday, otherwise known as Pancake Day, was followed by St Valentine's Day? I can't remember if it's happened before. It probably isn't a problem for pancake lovers–sweet or savoury, they're free to indulge themselves, but for sweethearts it could mean some difficult choices. That's because the day after Shrove Tuesday is also Ash Wednesday i.e. the first day of Lent. If your loved one is giving up chocolate, cake or alcohol, what are you going to give them to show how much they mean to you? You could say it with flowers, or you could try your hand at writing a love poem.
Lovers have written verses to their beloved since time out of mind. During the age of chivalry it was almost obligatory for any gentleman to dedicate love poetry to some unattainable lady, and this continued to be part of courtly love until the end of the Renaissance. It follows that much love poetry was more concerned with style and cleverness than any real feeling, written only as a matter of form. Once chivalry gave way to a more modern outlook, writing love poetry began to loosen its hold and love letters became more popular. In letters, it's easier to be yourself.
The best love poems are those that were written for a specific person and somehow contain the essence or an aspect of the relationship. Unfortunately, not many of us can write sonnets like Shakespeare, and with so much love poetry around it can seem impossible to say anything that isn't clichéd. It's all too easy to sound ridiculous, when you were aiming for romance. Perhaps that's why, traditionally, the only message on a Valentines' card should be BMV–Be My Valentine.
If anyone out there is feeling downhearted, either because they have no one to send a Valentine to, or because they didn't receive any, take comfort from this: Valentines' cards can cause a whole lot of trouble! Remember Farmer Boldwood and Bathsheba Everdene in Thomas Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd?
Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
February 8, 2018
Those who were born before the millennium might remember a time before computers adorned every desk, even word processors were a rarity, and electric typewriters were the serious writer's best friend. Actually, that's wrong–Tippex was a writer's best friend. More than three mistakes on a page–tippexed or not–and you were advised to start again. Worse still, because you couldn't save your files in umpteen different places or print off a pristine copy whenever you needed it, you had to ma...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
February 1, 2018
My apologies to everyone who downloaded Discord's Child from Smashwords since the Christmas sale, expecting to find a code at the end for a free copy of Discord's Apprentice. I stuffed up! I wondered why it hadn't been used, despite my banging on about it for the past month. I was beginning to think that no-one loved me. Now, I know why, and I wouldn't blame anyone for being angry–I'm angry with myself. It was only when I reopened the file for the novel to remove the code, as it was no long...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
January 29, 2018
Contest closing dates and submission deadlines can creep up on you all too quickly, even if you start working on your entry/submission in 'plenty of time', and don't suffer from procrastination or writers' block. Life has a habit of flinging banana skins in your path.
I know all too well how it can happen. Two diabetic dogs, one of whom is reluctant to eat anything else, have been gobbling up my time and mental stamina lately. One day, Sophie's jumping up the kitchen cupboards, because you...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
January 22, 2018
Wow! We're already three weeks into 2018. Time for a round-up of a few free contests.
Playwrights can enter the Drip Action Theatre Trail 2018 for plays of 30-40 minutes. There's £250 first prize, plus £150 for another seven plays chosen for performance. The closing date is 31st January with entry by post. Check
http://www.dripaction.co.uk for details. Papatango is looking for full length plays for its contest, closing on 28th February. In addition to production and a share of the box o...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Competitions
January 7, 2018
I know it sounds rude, but all my readers can BOGOF this month! If you buy
Discord's Child from
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ksdearsley you'll find a code number to get
Discord's Apprentice FREE, valid until 31st January. In other words, you can Buy One and Get One Free.
Actually, there's a growing trend that makes me feel like adding an 'F' and telling some publishers to bog off. I find it very disturbing that more and more publications are charging writers to submit work to th...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
January 1, 2018
Happy 2018! This is a time when many of us try to say 'good-bye' to our old selves, and make ourselves all kinds of promises about who we're going to be in future. From now on we're going to be non-smokers and/or vegan, exercise daily, go on a diet, learn a new language etc. etc. A fair few of us will already have broken at least one New Year's resolution–ah well, a bank holiday after a night of celebration probably isn't the best time for fresh starts, especially if it's cold and dark outs...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
December 21, 2017
You might think that my middle initial, 'S', stands for Scrooge, as I don't generally give Christmas presents (note: that's 'give', not 'gift'). I like going around the shops looking for ideas, I'm happy to wrap even awkward-shaped items, and I love to see a heap of presents under the tree, but the problem with presents is that they're often bought out of desperation to find something–anything! Even when the recipients like them, they often have no use for them. Instead of giving people thi...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Coming Soon
November 12, 2017
Reading can be depressing. The reason? I recently read Natasha Pulley's
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street and now I feel like throwing my pencil away.
The novel is the author's first, and it's a triumph. The characters are unusual but real, the historical setting is intriguing, the story complex, yet the reader is never lost or jolted out of the world of the novel by any blip in the narrative.
As if that wasn't enough, I've just finished reading
Strange Beasties, Third Flatiron Antholog...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
November 12, 2017
The clever editors at Third Flatiron Anthologies have hunted down a batch of stories and released them in
Strange Beasties. Each tale features some wild creatures that will roam through your imagination. Some will make you shiver with dread, but not all of them are monsters–in fact, you could end up taking another look at society and wondering who's more dangerous–them or us?
From the story that opens the anthology, the excellent 'In the Days of Mister Cuddles' by Bruce Arthurs, which ...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Reviews
