Irritations and what to do with them:

This prompt asks for one message, I shall limit myself to three letters. I have the irritating habit, like getting a stone in my shoe; that aggravates until I write a letter. In recent times I have written to a football club suggesting singing lessons would be to their advantage.            Of course there was no response to this letter, nor any change to their bellowing, discordant theme song at the end of each game.

Another niggle prompted a letter to the Pope. After writing to Cardinal Pell asking him to renounce his Order Of Australia, I received a wad of papers in response, ignoring my question. The next step a letter to Rome was in order. This letter to the Pope, both complimented him on his fresh approach to his new position, and included a complaint about Cardinal Pell. The latter figure was in a position of power when paedophile priests were destroying children’s lives. The priests kept their jobs, only being transferred to other areas to wreck other lives. I asked that Cardinal Pell should lose his position as head of the R.C. Church in Australia, as he lacked the responsibility to protect his parishioners.

Soon after, Cardinal Pell was transferred to Rome. (Now I thought the Mafia might take things in their own hands). Although I didn’t get a response from the Pope, this transfer prompted me to write and thank the Pope, saying: actions speak louder than words! During none of this correspondence did I mention that I was not a member of their religious community, but a concerned citizen.

Writing letters helps me get things off my chest, much as a blog does. It is therapy, so thank you for being my therapist and listening/ reading my ravings.

You’ve been given the opportunity to send one message to one person you wouldn’t normally have access to….  Who is the person you choose, and what’s the message?       Ben Huberman

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/make-it-count/

 

 

Writing thoughts

My last post was hastily put up after we’d had the grand children to stay for their holiday. Soon afterwards, I re-read some of Fran’s report that she’d sent, and I realized that I hadn’t taken any of her advice, so shall re-post the first chapter after a little consideration. It seems an endless task re-editing as it could be seen as a life-long task! I hope not.  I seem to tell rather than show!

Yesterday I received a photo- copy of a letter from my cousin Helen, written by my paternal grandmother dated 3^rd October 1945, and she died three weeks later on October 16^th. This was four months before I was born, so of course, there’s a reason I couldn’t remember her!  So the first post needs altering too.

Responses to my letters:

The Railways, Myki, polite but totally useless.

From the Australian Honours and Awards Secretariat, thanking me for my letter and saying    that it will be brought to the attention of the Council for the Order of Australia.  A copy of the Constitution of the Order of Australia which also contains the Terminations and Cancellations Ordinance can be found on the Governor General’s website www.gg.gov.au

Nothing from the football club!

My poems about ‘Hats’ amused the children whilst they were staying and I took many photos in the hope that a children’s book may eventuate.  Here is a photo to brighten the page.

Mackenzie and Jack

A snippet from Fran Macdonald’s report may be of interest to some of you:

Under: General tips for writing

Show don’t tell

This is the big one, and has many components, as follows:

• Describe what’s going on rather than stating it. For instance,

‘He stamped out’, rather than ‘He walked out angrily’.

• Learn to use dialogue. For instance, ‘Get out at once,’ he said, rather than ‘He told them to leave.’
• Let the facts speak for themselves rather than give your judgment on them. For instance, ‘Mrs. Bunting chopped a slab of steak for Snookles, which he tried to grab off the bench before she’d finished’, rather than ‘The dog was spoilt.’
• Watch over use of adjectives and, especially, adverbs. Stephen King, the best –selling author, advises writers to take out every adverb in a novel. On the other hand, Dylan Thomas used adjectives and adverbs prodigiously. That said, it is a pretty sure sign that you’re ‘telling rather than ‘showing’ if you tend to use adverbs. Make sure your adjectives and adverbs are really the best words you need.

Re-reading this makes me realize how far there is to go and that just letting the writing flow, isn’t enough.  That’s just the beginning.