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The Phantom Pen

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Beaujolais Day

A few more words uploaded this morning and I earned my 40,000 word badge.  Only two more to go, the 50,000 ‘winner’ badge and the ‘wordcount uploaded thirty days in a row’ badge.  It is quite exhausting trying to fit…
Del
November 17, 2016
BlogThe Phantom Pen

Comfortably Numb

The novel is coming on apace.  I uploaded another 2,522 words this morning bringing my total to 35,172.  My right hand is feeling comfortably numb because most of those words have been written in fountain pen, as I do most…
Del
November 15, 2016
BlogThe Phantom Pen

Passion

Today has been full of passion.  Passion for books (cataloguing and shelving my new purchases) and seeking passion for the novel. Let’s start with the new books and today’s pick from Paris is LNDN by Jens Masmann.  Even without the…
Del
November 14, 2016
BlogPicturesThe Phantom Pen

Forgotten Sons

Today is Remembrance Sunday and MisterMac and I have resplendent home-made poppies – thanks Cathryn!  Although the UK acknowledges 11/11 as Armistice Day, we still hold our major ceremonies on the nearest Sunday, unlike the French who hold their National…
Del
November 13, 2016
BlogPicturesThe Phantom Pen

Snail

I am a book junkie.  And the book-signings at PP tap into my weakness.  I buy more books than I can reasonably carry, dislocate my arms getting them back to the hotel, vow never to do it again and then,…
Del
November 12, 2016
BlogPicturesThe Phantom Pen

Darktown

Although Paris Photo is an impressive way to see a lot of work in a short space of time, the Grand Palais can be a bit like a zoo, so today was about sampling the edges. I had intended to…
Del
November 11, 2016
BlogPicturesThe Phantom Pen

Down The Dolce Vita

Paris, love and cliches Did I mention I was going to Paris?  The French know how to enjoy a bit of the dolce vita - or la belle vie, as I suppose one should say. They say that Paris is…
Del
November 10, 2016
BlogThe Phantom Pen

Fugazi

My draft girl-power post had to be binned this morning. Today, unusually for me, I am in the a-picture-paints-1000-words camp. In other news, I managed another 1,700 words this morning bringing my #NaNoWriMo2016 total to 23,944, but this pales into…
Del
November 9, 2016
BlogThe Phantom Pen

We Are What We Are

We are what we are.  I am an aspiring novelist (at least for the month of November) and Evelyn Waugh was a great novelist.  There is a world-wide pool of advice that tells the aspiring novelist what to do, but…
Del
November 8, 2016
BlogThe Phantom Pen

Saevis tranquillis in undis

One of the interesting side observations about writing a novel is watching the adverts on Facebook and other websites adapt to my novelling-research surfing habits, which are now intense bursts of activity about the subject matter for the chapter in…
Del
November 7, 2016
BlogSelected PostsThe Phantom Pen

Secret Kingdoms

Does a good novel need good sex?  Some clearly do.  Where would Lady Chatterley’s Lover be sans sex?  Could 50 Shades of Grey work without any fornication?  But for others, I do wonder if the sex has been added as…
Del
November 6, 2016
BlogThe Phantom Pen

Call To Arms

Today was double-up day on NaNo. And I did it! I started the day with 7,093 words and finished with 16,641.   I am totally and utterly exhausted, I have dashed around Paris, fallen in love, eaten too many oysters, done…
Del
November 5, 2016
BlogThe Phantom PenUncategorized

Small Talk

Is it really only day 4 of the novelling adventure? I feel as though I’ve been in this novel for much longer, which, I suppose in my head, I have been. I’m slightly ahead of target as I sailed through the…
Del
November 4, 2016
BlogThe Phantom Pen

Warm Wet Circles

‘The connection between authors, and coffee-houses must be kept up’ to misquote Boswell. Where would Pepys have been without his visits to the coffee-houses and his shagg gowne? The latter having little to do with coffee and much to do…
Del
November 3, 2016
BlogThe Phantom Pen

The Pleasure of Hope

My first day of my first NaNo (#NaNoWriMo2016) and NaBloPoMo and I am utterly and totally exhausted.  I’d like to say it was because the phantom pen has been working a long shift to get a good start to the…
Del
November 1, 2016
BlogThe Phantom PenUncategorized

Namedropping

Fab evening at the Horse Hospital. Organized by Travis Elborough, starring Geoff Nicholson and friends. As I embark on the great novelling escapade, I thought I would pick the brains of the novelists around the table for useful tips on…
Del
October 20, 2016
BlogThe Phantom PenUncategorized

Character Building

Enough messing around with stationery, playlists and excuses ... it’s time to get serious about this if I’m going to start and finish a novel in thirty days.  Tonight I’ll mainly be character building. Despite the picture, this will not…
Del
October 12, 2016
BlogThe Phantom Pen

t minus 23

With twenty-three days to go until the start of The Phantom Pen, today has seen the novelling action move into a higher gear.  I’ve not only done some online shopping (essential books, five reams of paper and a jumbo box…
Del
October 9, 2016
BlogThe Phantom Pen

The Phantom Pen

I’ve pledged to do it … How many times have you read a novel, tossed it aside in disgust and muttered “I could do much better than that”? So why don’t you? Because it’s not as easy as it looks?…
Del
October 7, 2016