Penny Legg, December 2009

Crumbs it has been a long time since the last post! My new year resolution will have to be to blog more. I wish there were a few extra hours in the day though. That would be handy.

Well, what have I been up to?

Working really. I wish I could say it was something more exotic!

Finishing the editing, proofreading and printing of my book, Folklore of Hampshire, so it can go off to the publisher, took quite a long time. I am just sorting out the final photographs for the book and then off it will go and I will move on to completing the next book, Southampton Past and Present.

The next edition of The Woman Writer has to be with the sub-editor soon, so I have been busy with that too. This is always time consuming, particularly when dates or venues for future events change at the last moment. The increase in size of the magazine, from 24 to 32 pages, means I have a lot more to do. The next edition, out in January, will be the first of five 100th Anniversary editions published in 2010 to celebrate the centenary of the magazine.

I have started tutoring on another course for The Writers Bureau. This is interesting. Proofreading and copy editing are useful skills and the new course from The Writers Bureau covers everything you need to know about the subject, with lots of hands on practice. As a tutor it is interesting to gain an insight into my students' minds. Sometimes their logic takes me unawares and I have to really stop and think! Great fun. If any of my Writers Bureau students are reading this, I have to say, it is a joy to read your work, whether it be non-fiction assignments or proofreading. You might want to look at the Writers Bureau blog pages too, I have been asked to be a guest blogger and my first blog should be up on the site soon.

I now have a copy of The Woman Writer, the history of the Society of Women Writers and Journalists by Sylvia Kent. This has been written to commemorate the centenary of

the birth of Joyce Grenfell, the Society's President of 22 years, and covers the SWWJ in all its glory. For those

interested check out page 34, where I am mentioned.

I have been sent a review copy of Courting the Bull, an anthology of expatriate literature in Spain, which features a short story by my writing buddy, Rob Innis. This book is a mixture of the best of the fiction, verse and memoir written by expats in Spain and reflects their efforts to come to terms with the new culture they have entered. It's a super read.

My story, on the Veterans events in the summer, complete with numerous photos, are in the Winter edition of This England magazine. Another story, on the Living Collection of WW2 memorabilia in Cornwall, will be published in January's edition of Cornwall Today soon.

I have also been recently to see that great country tradition, the Mummers Play. Otterbourne

Mummers perform their play on one day a year and this year they braved the snow and ice to bring this traditional entertainment to the considerable crowd who had braved the freezing

temperatures. We watched as King George and the Turkish Knight battled it out with swords and I felt very sorry for the Knight when he had to lay on the ice in the road for some time until the doctor arrived with his magic potion to bring him to life once more. Great fun and it is wonderful that this centuries old tradition is alive and well and residing in Hampshire.

I do not know if I will have time to blog again before Christmas and so wish all my readers a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

Penny Legg - back again!

It has been much too long since I last blogged, so I am going to make up for lost time now.

What have I been up to? Well, working really. I am the editor of The Woman Writer, the almost 100 year old magazine published by the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. I have spent time working on that and it was published once again this month. I was pleased to see that it was in the December edition of Writers' News, along with a piece written by my colleague, Sylvia Kent, about the history of the Society. She kindly mentioned me as the magazine editor, which was good of her and I, who luckily had just finished the front cover when the magazine called for the article, supplied the image.

Sylvia has just launched her latest baby on the world. A complete history of the Society of Women Writers and Journalists, The Woman Writer, published by The History Press, features a super shot of Joyce Grenfell, our President for many years, on the front cover. This book is so new I have not seen a copy yet. I am reliably informed that I have a small place in it. I will get a copy from Sylvia shortly, so will then see for myself.

Last Wednesday I gave a talk at the Southampton Writer's Circle on the history of the Society. I stood in for Jean Morris, the Society's chair, who could not make the date at the last moment. As I am a Circle member, I was asked to give the talk and to present the prizes for the Greensleeves competition, which Jean had adjudicated. I was very pleased to present the trophy to Elizabeth Streatfield, a worthy winner.

I am coming to the end of my work for my book, Folklore of Hampshire, which needs to be with the publisher soon. This has been a major labour and, although I think I will miss researching some of the interesting facts for the book, it will be nice to move on to finish work on my next publication, Southampton Past and Present, which has to be ready by March 2010.

In the meantime, I am kept on my toes by my students! I mark scripts for the non-fiction section of the Writers Bureau Comprehensive Writing Course and great fun it is too. The students are from all walks of life, different ages and from many countries of the world. They are all united in a will to write, that drives them on to create prose which is, sometimes, a real joy to read. This is a new venture for me, having started tutoring for the Writers Bureau only in August and it is a thrill to watch my students develop and blossom.

If you are listening to the radio tomorrow, Wednesday 18th November, at 7 pm UK time, you might want to tune in to Express FM and listen to the Write On programme hosted by Rob Richardson. Readers of this blog may remember that I devoted a piece to Express FM a short while ago, when the programme was temporarily taken off the air. I am pleased to say that it is now back on again and I am the guest tomorrow. It is the first time I have been interviewed on radio, so apologies now for any nervousness you might hear on air!

Looking slightly further into the future, on Friday 20th November, Peter Lovesey, the charming crime writer and Daggar Award winner, will be a guest at my group for writers, Writing Buddies. If you fancy a cuppa and a chat, you will find the Writing Buddies in Borders, Southampton, from 2pm onwards. It is free, just pull up a chair and join in.

Well, I think that is all for now. More in my next blog!

Penny Legg in Manchester

Manchester has changed a bit in the nine or so years since I was last there. It was not cold for a start as it was the last time I was there, although I had been led to believe it would be and had packed accordingly. There were a lot more people in the streets than I remembered, the tram lines are slowly inching across the city and there is a smart, and very comfortable, new hotel, The City Inn, just a stones throw from the railway station.

Why was I there? Well, it was conference time at The Writers Bureau and I joined several of my tutor colleagues in a pilgrimage 'up north' to the company's city centre offices. I flew up on Flybe from Southampton, which I have to say, was a great way to get from A to B. No stress, no hassle and a much shorter travelling time than if I had gone by train.

I have been tutoring for The Writers Bureau since August, so am a new face on the scene. I was curious about the set up and there was a lot for me to take in. The meeting covered all kinds of things, from the latest happenings in the company to problems caused by the postal disruption. Some of my colleagues were busy filming for a forthcoming YouTube short, and had tales of multiple takes, caused by buses outside in the street going past just at the wrong moment!

Later, after the business of the day, we met up in the hotel restaurant for an excellent meal and a good gossip. Perfect!

It was great to put faces to names, to learn about the company in more depth, to network and to feel I 'belonged'. My profile will shortly be going on to the tutor listing on The Writers Bureau website. I am sure that my students will like this. It is always reassuring to know that the person teaching them actually knows a bit about the job!

Simon Whaley has posted a photo of us on his blog. If you peer really hard, you will see me!

Penny Legg at the Bournemouth Literary Festival

The 5th Bournemouth Literary Festival has seen another successful series of events, with workshops, discussions and book signings galore to keep everyone happy.

At the Wessex Hotel last night a panel, David Hay, Pam Fudge and Janine Pulford, discussed aspects of getting into print for a capacity audience. I chaired the discussion and I was delighted with the dedication to the evening shown by the panellists and by the interest of those who turned out to hear what the panellists had to say.

David Hay published his novel, The Fundamentalist, through Authorhouse. He told the audience that this was a bit like going to the 'Specsavers' of publishing. He paid a lot of money for his book to be published, the publisher set the price and he was left to market his book himself.

Pam Fudge has been published by mainstream publishers but still has to do a lot of her own marketing. She does not have to pay to be published and receives an advance on sales.

Janine Pulford had to set up her own publishing company to bring her novel, Aggracore, to the the reading public, after it was rejected by mainstream publishers.

The discussion ranged over the topics of editing manuscripts and the importance of proof reading, the question of marketing (all the writers had been shocked on discovering how much of the marketing of their books was left to themselves to do) and how to go about it, the financial side of publication with its costs and potential earnings, publishing outside the print media on blogs and e-zines, a brief look at copyright and finished with tips for those in the audience who were aspiring to write a book.

'Keep writing and submitting. If you do not, you will not get published,' said Pam.

'Spend a lot of time on the blurb for the cover,' said David.

'Join a creative writing group and accept constructive criticism on your work,' said Janine.

Questions from the audience asked David about his overall experience with Authorhouse, asked Pam what the average word length for a first novel should be and asked the panel if a newspaper advertisement was a cost effective way of marketing. The value of joining writing associations and societies, such as The Society of Authors, The Romantic Novelists Association or The Society of Women Writers and Journalists, came up. It was felt that these groups lent credibility to the writer, in addition to the practical benefits membership offered.

In all, it was an interesting evening, which I hope was of use to those who attended.

Look, It's Penny Legg!

Yes, there I am, on the front of the 'Members' News' pages in Writers' News!

The details are not quite right but it is nice to be featured. My first book, Folklore of Hampshire, is due out in July of 2010, and was not published in July this year, but I suppose you cannot get everything right all the time!

Writers' News is the subscription magazine which accompanies Writing Magazine. It is full of insider information, tips and news. If you buy Writing Magazine but do not get it on subscription, you are short changing yourself as Writers' News is a gem for any writer.

Penny Legg, Book Review 'Cocktails and Camels' by Jacqueline Carol

I notice that the review I wrote for The Woman Writer magazine, of Jacqueline Cooper's book, Cocktails and Camels, written under the pen name of Jacqueline Carol, has been printed on the Arab World Books website.

I do wish that Jacqueline would write a sequel as I was charmed by this story of her youth growing up in Egypt. The climbing lessons in the basement of her convent school, travelling in style with her parents and the gorgeous governess, Mrs James, with her tales of being adrift in the Caribbean ocean in a trunk, all combined to form a page turner I could not put down. I am delighted that my review was thought worthy enough of further publication to be reproduced on the web. If anyone would like to read more of Jacqueline Cooper, or my review of her book, click here.

Rob Innis - Courting the Bull

Readers of this blog will have noticed the name Rob Innis popping up now and again. He is a freelance writer and editor who lives in Spain and he is my writing buddy. An anthology of work written by expats, Courting the Bull, has just been published by Innoword Media, and it features some of Rob's work.

The other day Rob went to Madrid to meet the publisher and he has just blogged on the trip. To read about this, or to order the book, click here.

Many congratulations, my friend.