nolanparker

Phil: In my job, I thrive at exhibitions. Being on a stand talking to people brings me alive, so why shouldn’t this work just as well for plugging our books?

Spotting an advert for a Book Extravaganza taking place in Coventry, and promising local authors, I hopped on a train (driving in Coventry scares me) and headed that direction.

Inside, there were a couple of rooms full of authors with piles of books in front of them, a few second-hand books stalls, and some book-related merchandise. Plenty to see, and free to get in. As a book lover, how can you go wrong?

I’ll be honest, I got there a few minutes after the doors opened, and the atmosphere was a little strained. Like some sort of dating event, people were a little awkward. Browsing a pile of books on a table, with the author sitting behind them, is a little difficult. You are making a judgment on their hard work! But, you can’t (or at least I can’t) buy all of them just to cover your awkwardness.

Now, I’m not into fantasy books, or crime dramas, so they were easy to discount. Mind you, I enjoyed a long chat with someone about to release crime novels set in Coventry. It’s important not to use real places, just nearly real places. Likewise, I’m not the market for “adult lady fiction”, and there’s no way I want any books with a bloke bursting out of his royal robes in my rucksack, never mind on my shelves!

Obviously, you can’t come to a book event, and not buy books, so I settled on:

Emett the Empathy Man by Lindsay Woodward – which won me over with the cover design. Looking on the back, we are in the world of comic books. Being a little nerdy (stop rolling your eyes Candice) myself, I can relate to that.

Laughs in space edited by Donna Scott – I like a bit of sci-fi, and you don’t get much funny stuff. As an anthology, there should be something to like.

Like our printed books, both appear to have come from the Amazon print works, but that’s fine. These are independent authors selling their work. It’s nicely printed, and feels like a book. What more does anyone need?

What there wasn’t, was much chick-lit, unless you count the grown-up stuff for ladies. Is this a good, or bad, thing for us? Also, the authors will change depending on the location of the event. Would a couple of fresh-faced authors do any good? And what counts as good? Sales, obviously, but also having a fun day I’d say. Lots of chat, perhaps a few connections along the way. Networking and sales combined.

Anyway, I can’t be left near a second-hand bookshop.

Warwick and Leamington by George Morley jumped out at me thanks to the beautiful cover. It’s once of those books that finds it’s way on to the shelf because it looks so lovely. Written in 1913, it describes where I live, and is illustrated with colour plates of paintings by Ernest Haslehurst. The text is very much of it’s time, and fascinating because of this. Obviously it describes a world long gone, but the illustrations show a world not changed that much. And every one is a joy.

From the same stand, there was a lucky dip. A quid a book, with every one wrapped in brown paper. I have no idea what Titanic..And the strange case of Great Uncle Bertie is like, but it will be fun to find out. The reviews on Amazon sound promising, and even though I’m not a Titanic aficionado (there was room on that door Rose), it’s good to read outside your normal areas of interest. Not to “bloke bursting out of his royal robes” though. There are limits.

Finally, a bit more vintage.

Some real pulp fiction! Now, I’ve heard of Sexton Blake, but never read any. Well for no money, I have the chance. I don’t expect works of art, just satisfying my curiosity.

All-in-all, a fun visit. If you fancy looking into one of these events, check out the website. I’ll certainly be back.

Phil: The first exercise we were set, was to write for 10 minutes. No warning, just turn off your inner critic, and write something. I was a proper rabbit in the headlights – a serious case of writers block, and a room full of people scribbling away. In that situation, I needed to get stuck in. So after nine-word false start, this is what I came up with.

I have no idea. No idea what to write at all.

The trouble with ideas, is that they are like clouds. They float around, and it’s very difficult to catch one.

Perhaps what I need, is a sort of fishing net. Not one to catch clouds. That wouldn’t be much use, as the steam would go through the holes in the net. Pehaps a saucepan would be more usefu, but then running around waving a suacepan, trying to catch clouds, would likely attract the attentions of the police. Especially a saucepan with a long enough handle to reach clouds. I think we are talking at least 500 feet – unless I’m on top of a mountain or very high hill. That’s a very long handle, probably far too difficult to control.

Even if I caught a cloud, what would I do with it? I’m need a keep net. Perhaps a thermos flask, or water bottle.

No, I need an ideas net. I think something like a butterfly net. Light, and easy to wave around.

The problem with ideas though, is that they are invisible. Catching them in a net involves running around waving the thing, again, probably attracting the attention of the police, who will want me to explain what I’m trying to do. “Catching ideas” isn’t likely to impress a copper. And how do I know I caught one? Do they have weight? Are some ideas heavier than others? Are heavier ideas bigger? Will the lighter, and funnier ideas escape through the holes in the net?

What do I do with the ideas if I catch them? Ideas live in your head, so do I stuff them in my ear? They also live on the pages of my notebook, so perhaps I can tip them in, and slam it shut, pressing the idea like a flower. Forever encased in the pages.

OK, it’s rubbish, but you know what? Once I started, the words flowed out of my pen. The lesson being, I suppose, that if you get started, and aren’t too self-critical, the “getting it down on paper” part, isn’t as hard work as it seems. Mind you, this is the longest session of hand-writing I’ve done for many years, and I could feel it in my wrisit!

Phil: Yes, after more than a year of life getting in the way of our writing, we will be trying to find a way back into the literary world.

The first stage involved a day with author Mike Gayle, and his session “Getting started with your novel”.

A few hours of talks, and exercises later, and some rather fabulous cake to discuss it all over, the big takeaway is:

You just need to turn up and write. Even 10 minutes a day will see your first draft completed in a year. Turn off your inner critic, and just write.

So, that’s what we plan to do.