My new Dordogne newspaper

It has been ages since I last blogged. Can't really put my finger on why it has been quite so long but I do always seem to be busy.... Much of my time has been taken up with finishing my novel (I say finished, it still needs proof reading but it is v.exciting nonetheless) and writing for newspapers.
The biggest excitement on the journalistic front is that, together with Richard, we've created a new on-line newspaper. It is called Dordogne Today and gives me a chance to write about all the things that are going on in the Dordogne that don't get covered by the English Language newspapers that I write for. It is nice to have the freedom to write what I want and because I can update it everyday, I can cover the news as and when it happens - unlike a monthly newspaper....
Take a look here:  http://www.dordognetoday.com/

The world needs people like Heather

How many of us would put ourselves out for a cause? I care deeply about a lot of things and sometimes I do more than just talk about them. My husband and I took part in two Stop the war marches in the hope of preventing the invasion of Iraq, I sign petitions to try to end world debt and prevent global warming. I click daily on the Hunger Site. I write articles which I hope alert people to the truth. But I know it's not enough. My voice alone won't change things. But, like everyone, I balance my desire in wanting to stop wars, end world hunger, save the planet and unearth unpalatable truths with a desire to live a happy balanced life.

So when I watched 'On Expenses' the other night, a dramatisation of the expenses scandal in the House of Commons, I was bowled over by the actions of Heather Brooke. Heather, a U.S born journalist, spent five years relentlessly applying for the release of politician's expenses claims under the freedom of information act. She didn't stop although her quest clearly put a strain on her relationships and dominated her life. The results of her actions are now well documented and will have far reaching effects. She is not alone. Not quite. A minority of people will relentlessly pursue causes, whether it is uncovering M.P's expenses or speaking out about being tortured or falsely imprisoned. And the world needs people like them for it is their actions that ultimately improve the lives of every one of us and I take my hat off to them.

Today I phoned somebody to ask for an interview. It was the fourth time I'd phoned. I'd been fobbed off on the previous occasions. After a little arm twisting/persuasion, my interviewee agreed to meet me. He called me tenacious; which made me smile, I guess he has never encountered a Heather........

Ever lost for words?

Apparently there are more words in the English language than in any other. So how come you sometimes find yourself struggling to find a word to explain exactly how a character feels? I suppose the answer is in part because the English language has so many nuances; there are so many words to choose from to describe a feeling that when we can't find one that fits exactly, we're surprised. In French, where there are far fewer words, writers do not expect to be able summarise complex feelings with one word and construct whole sentences to get their point across.

Here's an example of what I mean. A while ago, I wrote a story in which one of my characters (a giant boy) discovers he is short sighted. When he looks at the letters on his eye test chart, they are all fuzzly. Not a 'real' word according to the OED but one that perfectly expressed to me, another myopia sufferer, how text appears from a distance when I haven't got my specs on.

So, imagine my delight to discover that I'm not alone in the pursuit of word creation and that alongside the standard British dictionary are a number of on-line dictionaries of words that people have made up to fill the gaps that they've found in the English language. One in particular caught my eye. It's called Pseudo dictionary and is full of hilarious and useful words. Here is the link: http://www.pseudodictionary.com/ . If you're struggling to find a word you might just find it here.

Meanwhile, I'm using fuzzly as often as I can in the hope that it might catch on and one day find it's way into the Oxford English Dictionary. If you'd like to use it too then feel free, have a word on me...............

Facebook and social networking

I recently joined Facebook. I'd avoided joining for ages, sensing that it would probably result in me wasting a lot of time but eventually I succumbed. It is great to be able to find all those people you've long forgotten and at times a bit surreal; sometimes I feel I've awoken from a very long coma as I discover that friends have new partners and new children. Collecting friends becomes addictive too, like collecting top trumps and as predicted, I do have to stop myself spending too much time on the site.

When you work for yourself, every second counts. Whilst I take plenty of time out to relax in the evening away from my desk, when I'm on the computer, I have two aims; to write to pay the bills and to get my novel finished. Incidentally, it's getting there..............

However, I recently came across a social networking forum that I can legitimately claim is helpful to my writing career and hence I don't feel quite so guilty about spending time there! In fact I'd recommend it to other aspiring or published children's authors. Access the forum via their website,Wordpool (http://www.wordpool.co.uk/). It is the brainchild of established author Diana Kimpton and her husband. The site is packed with loads of useful information on authors, books and publishers and the other forum members are a mine of useful information. Enjoy.

Enid Blyton - living with her was no picnic.

Last night I watched a programme recounting the life and times of Enid Blyton. The programme, produced by the BBC with Helena Bonham-Carter in the lead role, was beautifully put together. However, in a funny sort of way, I wish I hadn't seen it. You see, Enid Blyton was a part of my childhood; whilst I never really got into the Famous Five, I loved her school based books, especially The Naughtiest girl in the school series. I also had a friend who must have made present buying for her relatives a doddle as she collected the entire Famous Five then the Secret Seven series. I know my mum grew up adoring the Noddy books. As an adult, I've re-read some of her books and have winced at just how middle class and snobby some of them seem but still, her books hold a place in my heart.

So, there I was last night, half expecting that the details of Enid's life would reveal someone rather snobby  but eccentric and likeable. Talk about illusions being shattered. Enid's parents split up when she was a child. You sensed this would colour her future but I wasn't prepared to find out that she turned out to be a rather hateful figure; all she cared about was writing and her many young fans, she ignored her own children, her family and sent her husband packing (in favour of a married man). She then denied him contact with the children and successfully managed to ruin his career.

In most cases, I'm a great believer in searching out the truth about people but, fascinating as the programme was, it breaks my heart to think that those books that brought happiness to my childhood resulted in the neglect and misery of her own children, not to mention her husband, who, incidentally had commissioned her first book..............

Wot no crime?

I love English language newspapers. They fulfill an important niche for ex-pats, telling us all we need to know about what can, at times, seem like a baffling nation. Writing and researching my articles has given me a fascinating insight into how France and particularly the Dordogne ticks.
However, if I were to have one teensy niggle about the English language national papers, it would be this - they rarely report on crime, particularly violent crime. Now, I'm not suggesting that these monthly papers should become gruesome crime digests but it does frustrate me that almost every ex-pat I speak to believes that France is far safer than Britain; a view gleaned in large part from the English language papers. I think it is easy when you write the news to forget that for many of your readers this is their only source of information. Their readership don't, by and large, watch the French news or read French papers.
Round here, where most of us live in the serene Dordogne countryside, it is pretty crime free but still, and I'm sorry if this bursts your bubble, murders do happen, bodies are found in lakes, petrol stations are robbed and youths do still stab each other.
In fact, whilst most crime does occur in the cities, France has pretty much the same crime figures as other European nations (such as the U.K ) though more women (160) are killed each year by their husbands and violent robberies in the cities are rising fast..............

Spell-checkers - are they really good for us?

Until I started teaching again, I hadn't realized just how dependant I've become on my spell-checker. I gave my eldest pupil a 'tricky words' list and told her to note down any words she habitually had trouble spelling. Following an old adage that you should never ask a child to do anything you wouldn't be prepared to do yourself, I printed out a sheet for me and kept it by my desk as I typed. So far, there are five words on it but I anticipate more. What is of even greater significance is that many of these are not difficult words - address is one of them - they're just words that I have let the spell-checker spell for me so often that my brain has forgotten how to spell them unaided........
But does it really matter? Outside of teaching literacy skills, do we really need to know how to spell when everything is done on computer?
I was talking to someone recently about calculators and how children can't really use them until they have a firm understanding of numbers because they need to be able to discern whether the calculator has come up with a plausible answer. Now I'm beginning to think the spell-checker fulfills a similar niche in the literacy world; of course you need to know basic spelling rules and be able to read competently but that's about it.
Pretty soon, I reckon students will sit exams on computers. Then, just as when I was at school and adults were horrified that we were allowed to take calculators into Maths exams, I bet that spell-checkers will be permissible in English exams. The need for perfect spelling will become a thing of the past. But will that really be such a bad thing??????