An Essay, An Almost Meme and Me Babbling On

There’s an excellent essay here by Neil Gaiman on where he gets his ideas from. As well as being a terrific essay and well worth a read, it contains these words:

writers are asked where we get our ideas from. In the beginning, I used to tell people the not very funny answers, the flip ones: ‘From the Idea-of-the-Month Club,’ I’d say, or ‘From a little ideas shop in Bognor Regis,’ “.

Which is all well and good. But, while my beloved was in the East End of London yesterday (attending her sister’s graduation – go Sediment Girl, and congratulations!) she spotted, and diligently snapped, this. Maybe this fabled Idea Store is not, in fact, in Bognor Regis. Or maybe it’s moved.

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And how chuffed have I been with responses to my Almost Meme? Rather chuffed I can tell you. What’s really cool, I think, is that everyone seems to be doing something slightly different with it.
So take a look. There’s Sarah Salway’s, Jenn Ashworth’s and Lane’s. And hopefully more to come. Come on folks, share your shelves!
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And while I’m thinking about Jenn, I think what Jo Bell said about her was fab. I just wish I could have been there, and that my foot hadn’t had other ideas.
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And it feels like I’m finally getting my head back into work mode. I managed a whole day of editing yesterday and even managed to get some submissions done. Here’s hoping something good comes of them.
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And here’s wishing Tania a Very Happy Birthday.

Soundtrack

I got this from one of my favourite blogs, Lane’s Write; it’s a rather fun meme.

If Your Life Were a Movie…What Would the Soundtrack Be?

So, here’s how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that’s playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool…because you’re not!
7. Stick the soundtrack on your mp3 player and listen away during the day.

Opening Credits – Cornflake Girl, Tori Amos
Waking Up – Hitsville UK, The Clash
First Day at School – Mountain Dew, Dubliners/Pogues
Falling in Love – The Boy With The Thorn In His Side (live), The Smiths
Fight Song – Tony Adams, Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros
Breaking Up – Lilac Wine, Jeff Buckley
Prom/Dance/Ball – Song To The Siren, Chemical Brothers
Life’s OK – Oh Well, Fleetwood Mac
Mental Breakdown – Sunday Morning Coming Down, Johnny Cash
Flashback – Spark, Tori Amos
Getting Back Together – Corner Soul, The Clash
Birth of Child – Turkish Song of the Damned, The Pogues
Wedding – Safe European Home, The Clash
Final Battle – John Fields’ Nocturne, No. 1 in E Flat
Funeral Song – Close To Me, The Cure
End Credits – About You Now, Sugababes

I especially love Hitsville UK as a waking up song, but I would worry a little about the birth of the child one, despite it being an excellent song.

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Award winning Flash Fiction writer and lovely lady Oonah V Joslin has recently entered the blogosphere – click here to have a look.