Glittering Prizes and Fourteen Good Things

Apart from various exam awards, the Coty Compact I won for dancing, and the Collected Poems of John Keats that I won as a school prize – still use it !- my life has not been littered with prizes.

So I’m very excited that the clever Al has passed on to me the Kreativ Blogger Award for which I thank him very much. (Look him up – he’s interesting…)

How lovely to be labelled creative with a K!

Apparently my task now is to name seven things about myself that people might find interesting. To be honest I think I am mostly uninteresting except that I write novels, but here goes;

1. I see ghosts and sense time warps. ( I am trying to explore this in the novel I am writing at present…)
2. I knew I’d be a writer when I was eight, although I had never met a writer, and had barely even met a white collar worker.
3. I taught for nearly twenty years before I became a full time writer. During this time in schools and higher education I also wrote a weekly newspaper column and published four young adult novels. I loved teaching (and still do…) but always felt like a writer who happened to teach, rather than a teacher who wrote on the side. I think perhaps I wasn’t a conventional teacher.
4. I draft all my novels with an ink pen in ledgers before I transcribe them onto the computer.
5. I used to paint and pot.In fact I once taught art in secondary schools. I think I am a better writer than painter but I think there are interesting parallels in the two artistic processes.
6. I’ve experienced two bouts as writer in residence in a woman’s prison which I found both chastening and inspiring. A life-changing experience.
7. My disability is that although I love intense conversations I am woefully lacking in small talk. So I’d never make a twitterer.

And now I have to nominate seven blogs to whom I am to pass on this award. So!

My Nominations For the Kreativ Blogger Award

1. - Avril Joy at Writing Junkie for her poetic take on writing and her emotional honesty
2. Kathleen Jones on A Writer’s Life for vivid, inspiring posts that do indeed reflect the intricacy of a writer’s life.
3. Debora at Love and a Licked Spoon for showing that great writing and great cooking can be sisters in arms. Nepotistically speaking, she is my own Elizabeth David
4. Bookpusher at the The Genteel Arsenal for her delight in the world of children’s reading which is where it all starts. Also for a fun. fizzy site that is full of youthful energy
5. Check out http//: http://www.60goingon16.typepad.com/ for this wonderful woman of bohemian inclinations, particularly for her ironic tone, her joie de vivre, her social commitment and her wonderful photographs. These are a revelation.
6. Pinkpackrat for her political commitment and inspiring anger. And for her wit and knowingness.
7. And I have just stumbled on the wonderful Norman Geras’ prizewinning blog at http://normblog.typepad.com/. (Someone sent me a link following one of my own posts about Easington) I love the range, breadth and depth of his posts which may variously focus on the writing world, the political world, the world world. His posts are long, (which I like) , very readable, entertaining and thought provoking. A man of letters. As such a literate man I hope he might be amused to be labelled Kreativ with a K.

I recommend them all to you.

Happy reading, happy blogging!

Wxx

NOTE : According to Al if you want to pass on this award to some favourite blog., this is what you do! (Isn’t this quite democratic?)
1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.(Don’t need to tell you this, I’m sure…
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

- Check
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.

4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting. –Check

5. Nominate 7 of your favourite Kreativ Bloggers. - Check
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate. - Check
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated. – Check

this was fun to do -even for someone with no small talk wx