Wednesday 25 April 2018

Your perfect dinner party

John and I were discussing this last night - who would comprise your perfect dinner party?
I would have:

 Desmond Tutu (for his wonderful smile, and the fact that he summed up his life thus: "I have laughed and I have loved". Perfect.)

Dame Edna Everidge  (because I think he/she is one of the funniest people on this planet).

Judi Dench (just because she is wonderful).

David Nott (an amazing doctor who has spent much of his time working without pay in some of the worse war zones. That man is a saint).

Who would you have? Still living, if possible, and preferably people you haven't met.(Yes, I should be working, but I'm having a break.)

Monday 23 April 2018

Breaking news - not Princess Alice, then...

...as I thought it would be, but a boy (no name yet). But congratulations to them anyway. I'm delighted for them.

It isn't cool to be a supporter of the royal family, but I think we're incredibly fortunate to have an apolitical head of state, and I am a great fan of the Queen. You only have to see the crowds outside St. Mary's Hospital (where, incidentally, I trained) today  to know how much pleasure the royal family give to so many people. As for those who don't like them, well, they can just ignore them can't they?

Any guesses as to the name of the new prince?

Friday 13 April 2018

Of mathematical limericks

Graham has posted a very clever - far too clever for me - mathematical limerick on his blog. I thought the limerick would be something like this:

A man from the island of Skye
Bad at maths, but determined to try,
Realised all of his fears -
After forty-five years
He still can't tell his log from his pi.

How wrong can you be 😩

Feel free to have a go yourself - either kind will be welcome!

Thursday 12 April 2018

The problem of titles

Do you have problems choosing titles for your books or stories? Or problems remembering the titles of books you've read? I've recently had problems with both. Two of my novels have recently had to have new titles (the old titles were too misleading), and this has proved problematic to say the least, one at least being a compromise. I have just read a brilliant novel,  wonderfully written, and for the life of me I cannot remember its title. It just isn't memorable, and  I can't believe I'm the only reader who's had this problem with this particular title. On the other hand, some titles stay in the mind for ever. Who can forget "The hundred year old man who jumped out of the window and disappeared"? A long title, certainly, but not one that's easily forgotten.

 Choosing short story titles doesn't seem to matter so much as the reader will probably read the story once, and then move on, especially if it's a magazine story. But a novel takes its name on a long journey (you hope!), so it has to be a title that stays in the mind of the reader. Otherwise how can he recommend it to anyone else?

Do you have trouble thinking up or remembering titles? I'd love to know.