Persistent mist kept me in all week. So my entry for the #2018picoftheweek comes from the previous week’s country crawl. It’s one of my favourite wayside flowers. But too often by the time my camera finds it, the birds have beaten me. Hay-la! I found me an untouched patch.
Can’t you just smell these violets! Though I’m sure it’s their colour that makes them so pretty. Photo: 5th April 2018
#2018picoftheweek Challenge: It’s Pretty
Of course, we all know mistletoe was sacred to Druids. But if, like me, you’re thinking of that green stuff we hang in strategic places at Yuletide, you might be mistaken. I came across this on Thursday (5th April)
MIstletoe growing on hawthorn, caught in the sun, Easter Week! (5th April 2018)
Amazing, that one ‘moon-berry’ left. But more so the golden branches.
I cropped that photo close, to make sure that berry was prime of place. But to take a longer shot: here the golden plant looks like the sun caught in the thorn’s tangle-top.
Mistletoe held high in the leafless branches of a thorn. Photo 5th April 2018
A poetic title for my photo in this week’s 2018picoftheweek
This woodland pool has recently been cleared of its dense foliage fringe. And Thursday (the day of the photo) was blissfully breeze-less. A novelty of late. Photo 5th April 2018
#2018picoftheweek Challenge
For my fellow Plot Bunnies at Camp NaNoWriMo
Picture by Johannes Plenio, Pixabay
Inspiration called today.
You were not here,
You’d gone away,
Gone away to distant isles
Where inspiration hangs on trees
And you can pluck it from the breeze.
Inspiration called today
You were not here,
It did not stay
A somewhat ambiguous message, intended in the positive sense
First posted December 2012
End of the month, time for an update. And, oh, what a lot I’ve learned this month. Prime of which is that this project is going to take an aeon longer than first I’d thought. But, to work through this update from lesser to greater …
As I’d said (was that in the first update?) this year I wanted to take another step into social media, extend my ‘platform’. I chose Twitter, cos Twitter’s about words and I like to write. Also, I thought the restriction on tweet length would be good discipline for me.
Humph, what can I say? I am not impressed.
First to face me was who to follow. As a writer, I thought following my favourite authors would prove interesting. Wrong. My favourite authors, as with most tweeters, mostly retweet other folks’ tweets. How disappointing, nothing original—until they start the promotional phase of a new publication. Then, yes, it is worth noting how they do it.
So, I unfollowed those and looked elsewhere. I found a handful of interesting people. Oddly (or not) they all had a focus on history. And I’ve picked up some followers. Of those, straight off, were tweeters who had something they thought they could sell me. Yea, well, the same thing happens here on WP. (I’m nothing if not cyncial of social media)
After the first couple of weeks, I became so busy elsewhere, I only tweeted my photos. But I keep the account open cos, sooner or later, I will have my own publications to promote.
The next ‘platform’ I joined was Goodreads. An essential for any would-be-published writer. I mean, where better to promote your book and profile than on a site devoted to readers. But since that’s still far into the future, I’m developing my skill at book reviews. Starting from no skill at all, I’ve progressed to ‘poor’. But, as they say, practice makes perfect.
My opinion of Goodreads? I found it difficult to find my way around the site. It’s not intuitive; more a matter of trial and error. A bit like threading a maze with many wrong turnings. But worth the learning.
The process is taking longer than I’d thought. To date, two readers have returned all five parts, one of whom (Joy Pixley, of Tales of Eneana) has undertaken the mammoth task of a full, in-depth, critique. I fall at her feet to offer up thanks. I expect another return of Part Five any day soon. Meanwhile, there’s only one readers still munching a way through Part One, though in fairness, she was late in joining the project.
And talking of critiques, I am now in my third week of membership at Criiters.
To quote from the site:
“The site began life as Critters, an on-line workshop/critique group for serious Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror writers, then grew up into a set of workshops for every other kind of artistic endeavor.”
Basically, Critters provides a place for writers to find other writers of the same genre to critique their work.
But before you can submit your own writing for others to critique, first you must critique the submissions of others. It works on a credit system which requires you to critique on average one manuscript per week (these critiques must be returned within the week). According to Critters, most pieces get 15-20 critiques. Anything from a short poem to several chapters of a novel may be submitted, but no more than 20,000 words.
The administrative processes are automated. With the volume of submissions, it would be impossible otherwise for there are no fees, so no employees. In consequence, the rules of submission can seem rigid and endless. To me, certain aspects seemed old fashioned. But then, do we all have the latest issue software? No, we do not. And if you don’t conform to these rules? Mavericks are not allowed; your submission is automatically rejected. No offence, mate.
Critters also has a process to handle pieces in excess of the 20,000 wordcount, e.g. a full-length novel. The writer can submit this as a “Request for Dedicated Readers.” With this, the reader liaises directly with the writer. And when the critique is complete the reader receives a ‘generous credit’ (1 credit per 5000 words of ms). Obviously, with five of these monsters to be critiqued, this interests me.
To date, I have critiqued five pieces, but have only 4 credits because two of those pieces had wordcounts of less than 1500 and earned me only a half-credit each. Still, I am ahead of the criteria for submission and could, if I wanted, submit a sample chapter, or even the novel in its entirety. But for now, I hold back. I have yet to incorporate the results of the beta read, plus Joy’s horrific but much-needed critique. And I’ve promised myself not to touch Asaric Lies in this coming month of April. Why? Next segue …
I’m a Brit; camps are not really our thing. So when I was invited to join a ‘private cabin’ I resisted. But when it was rephrased as a virtual writers’ retreat …ha! That has more appeal. Ironically, in view of that opening line, our cabin hosts three English writers.
For those, like me till a month ago, who are unfamiliar with the NaNoWriMo concept, it is a public commitment to write x-number of words in the given time (a month). The Camp differs from NaNoWriMo (held in November) by allowing the writer to choose the terms: how many words, or lines, or pages, and it needn’t be new work, revisions are allowed. And so …
My commitment for the entire month of April is 100 hours of revision on Asaric Axis (Book 2 Asaric Tales). Which ought to stay my focus at a time when I’m tempted to start the next revision of Asaric Lies. It also allows me a month of deep thought regarding those much-needed amendments.
I am to share my virtual cabin with six fellow bloggers, so I get to met new friends, too:
Tales of Eneana
Sammi Cox
Word Shamble
A Dalectable Life
Invisible World
Flights of Fancy
Hopefully, all beta readers’ returns will be in. Then I have to face the next stage of revision. For I know there are tweaks and major overhauls needed before Asaric Lies is ready for the next stage of preparation.
And the next stage? To submit it to Critters for another critique. Will the process never end? And in moments of doubt, I repeat my mantra: I can do this. I can do this. I can.
As I said, the main thing I’ve learned this month is that this project is going to take two ages longer than I’d first thought.
Next update? Next month.
Norfolk is famous for its flint-built churches, and for the flush-work that spreads patterns across the church walls. Here it adds interest to the porch of Blickling parish church.
Porch of Blickling parish church showing stone and flint flush-work: Photo 24th March 2018
The ornamentation of this church predates the Boleyn family residence at Blickling; we can look to the wool merchants for its funding. Blickling lies adjacent to Aylsham, the one-time capital of the wool industry in Norfolk.
#2018picoftheweek : Negative Space
Around her, a myriad of glowing orbs blink into being. Thousands. Millions. Unimaginable numbers. A sphere for every living being: every bird, every person, all beasts, all fish, every individual tortoise, every scorpion and blood-sucking leech, all bats, all beetles, all lice and trees, all herbs, all grasses, every individual plant. The life-light of every living being here connected according to contact and association, and each formed to a web. The grasses to deer, the deer to the hunters, the hunters to wives, the wives to the herbs and the berries they gather, the herbs and the berries to the clans for sharing. Unimaginable, the numbers of webs within webs within this Otherworld Web. But familiar, for many times she has entered there.
Above her aches Sky Man’s domain. Through its glittering ceiling, she glimpses a higher dimension, that of the divines. She sees them—she swears that she does—traversing the night sky, sees them as colours ever changing, sees them as untrammelled light. Intense, as fierce as the sun. Soft as the whisper of wind-stirred grasses. Strident as the high glare of summer. Delicate as rippling waters. She has no names for these colours; colours she never has seen beyond this Web.
And the sound of them! Songs without voices—beyond the lark, beyond the spring-warbler, beyond the night-triller: carolling choruses exalting their being. Beyond sweet, beyond melodic.
‘The truth of them?’ she said to the brothers whose hide-and-bone dome she shared. ‘Beyond our imagining: ethereal colours, joyous singing.’
An excerpt from Asaric Axis (Book 2 Asaric Tales) prompted by Weekend Writing Prompt #48 (See Sammi Cox)
The weather being fair on Saturday, I hauled on the walking shoes and hopped on a bus, then on another bus. The intention was a circular walk, from Aylsham—the one-time centre of the Norfolk wool industry, now a quiet market town—and back, via Silvergate. Blickling and Ingworth. Six miles. Ish.
Blickling Hall, home of Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn, provided the highlight of the walk.
Blickling Hall: Photo 24th March 2018
Sir Geffrey Boleyn, Lord Mayor of the City of London, bought the Blickling estate ca.1450 from Sir John Fastolf (or his heirs) and made it his country seat. This didn’t represent much of a move, for Sir Geffrey Boleyn was a scion of the Bullens of Salle, just 5 miles from Blickling, as the crow flies, where the family had held land at least since 1283.
Anne Boleyn, courtesy of Wikipeadia
Anne Boleyn, gt.granddaughter of Sir Geffrey, was the daughter of Sir Thomas Boleyn, first & last Earl of Wiltshire, and Elizabeth Howard (daughter of Duke of Norfolk). Born at Blickling, she married King Henry VIII January 1533 and gave birth to Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth I) in September 1533. In May 1536, Anne was beheaded on a charge of treason.
Anne Boleyn was born at Blickling Hall. Technically true. The hall as it stands today was built—though renovated seems more likely—more than a century after Anne’s birth, in the 1620s.
The dated door at Blickling Hall: Photo 24th March 2018
To explain:
Anne Boleyn’s grandfather, Sir William Boleyn, was the father of one Alice Boleyn, who married Sir John Clere, a wealthy landowner at Ormesby, near Great Yarmouth.
And it came to pass (for lack of male heirs) that in 1556 Sir Edward Clere, High Sheriff of Norfolk, a descendant of said Alice Boleyn and Sir John, inherited Blickling and made it his residence.
Meanwhile, the Hobart family from Essex was busy extending its property portfolio, first into Suffolk, then to Norfolk where they settled at Plumstead, near Norwich. There, Sir James begot Myles who begot Thomas (d.1560) who begot Henry Hobart (d.1625). In 1603 James I knighted both Henry Hobart and his son John. Henry became MP for Norwich.
In his History of Norfolk, Francis Blomefield (who doesn’t always get it right), says James Hobart bought Blickling off Sir Edward Clere. This seems highly improbable due to the wide-apart date; he goes on to say that John Hobart, son of James built the present hall upon his father’s death in 1625. You don’t need a calculator to know that can’t be right.
The corrected version reads: Henry Hobart bought Blickling Hall off Sir Edward Clere, which his son, Sir John Hobart, then renovated in 1620s.
Dutch influence on this row of cottages at Blickling Hall: Photo 24th March 2018
What we see today is a Jacobean hall, heavily influenced by the Netherlanders who at the time were flooding into Norfolk as religious refugees. They brought with a tradition of building in brick; superior techniques in weaving (a much-needed shot in the arm for the Norfolk wool industry) as well as hatters and glovers; improved methods of agriculture; and market gardening;
The Bullen’s bull is everywhere!
Sir John Hobart paid homage to his Boleyn (Bullen) antecessor. Blickling
Once upon a time, a train line ran from Norwich, westward through many a Norfolk village. Laid in 1882 by the Midland and Great North-Western Railway, M&GNW was better known to the locals as the Muddle and Go Nowhere Line.
Bricks (baked ca.1880) form a pleasing Pattern on the former southern platform at the Hellesdon & Costessey Station . . . next stop, Norwich-Heigham; Photo 6th March 2018
My entry, as Pattern, for this week’s #2018picoftheweek Challenge
The line was active until 1985. These days, joined with the disused Great Eastern Railway from Aylsham to Cawston, it is better known as Marriotts Way: 26 miles of traffic-free track from Norwich, looping around Reepham and on to Aylsham, popular with walkers and cyclists … and me.
Marriotts Way at New Costessey as it passed the one-time station between Costessy and Norwich-Heigham;: Photo 6th March 2018
The platform is newly revealed. I knew it was there, but until the clearance, it was just hints of bricks.
I’m not sure whether to enter this as ‘It’s Spring’, or ‘Close-Up’: my offering for this week’s #2018picoftheweek Challenge.
Pussy Willow: Photo 13th March 2018
There are several species of willow in the Uk with the alias of Pussy Willow, but only two grow in East Anglia: the Goat Willow, and the Grey Willow, both aka Sallow. So which is this?
The Goat Willow grows to be a small tree. The Grey Willow remains ever a bush. Since the photo is a close-up of the long-shot below, I’d say it qualifies for tree status.
The underpass on the Norwich Southern Bypass at Whitlingham. Photo 13th March 2018
See #2018picoftheweek for list of categories and further details
