Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules for Writing

• Never open a book with weather.
• Avoid prologues.
• Never use a verb other than 'said' to carry dialogue.
• Never use an adverb to modify the verb 'said'.....he admonished gravely.
• Keep your exclamation points under control.  You are allowed no more than 2 or 3 per 100,000 words of prose.
• Never use the words 'suddenly' or 'all hell broke loose.'
• Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly.
• Avoid detailed descriptions of characters.  (keep the characters talking and the reader will discover what they look like)
• Don't go into great details describing places and things.
• Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.

Reproduced in Writing Magazine: June 2014  www.writers-online.co.uk

Homework...

Jamie brought some homework home this week and I thought it would be a great writing exercise.

We are going to be working towards creating a class rainbow poem (the letter says).

They are working with colours and linking colours to senses and feelings. 

For homework the children were asked to think about the following with regards to their favourite colour:

• What would your colour taste like?
• What would your colour smell like?
• What would your colour look like?
• What would your colour feel like?
• What would your colour sound like?
• Is there anything in the world around you reminds you of your colour?

Jamie's answers - for the colour Blue - were:

• Tastes like: Blueberries
• Smells: Nice and fresh and clean
• Looks like: Bright and Shiny
• Sounds like: A swishing sound
• What reminds you of your colour: Blue sign, Blue Sky, Blue Sea.

Now, your turn......

Award Ceremony

Had a lovely weekend.  It was my sister in laws birthday and so her and her hubby and niece Lucy came to see us.  The sun was out and we spent Saturday in the garden enjoying the sunshine and just chillaxing! 

Sunday was the award ceremony at the Natural World Centre www.naturalworldcentre.co.uk/ and so the two cousins had a fab few hours playing in the sandpit before cheering me as I received my certificate. 

Dale thought it would be a good shot to photograph the photographer!!  I will let you decide. 

Cover Shot Confirmed

 

It says:          Cover Shot     Will appear on the cover of the Natural World Centre's 2015 Calendar.

Cover Star!!

Just had a phone call to say that my photograph has been chosen to be on the cover of the 2015 Natural World Calendar!! 

And there is a presentation to all the winners on Sunday!!

Check me out!!

www.naturalworldcentre.co.uk/

Feel like I should have got a bigger frame....

Went to see the exhibition of all the entries in the Whisby photographic competition.

www.naturalworldcentre.co.uk/whats-on/upper-gallery-exhibition/

There were three walls of photographs and this is 'my' wall:

 

Although the competition rules state that each photo will NOT be judged on the frame, having a frame certainly changes the impact.

 

Next year I am getting a bigger frame.......mine is the woodland shot in the middle.