Obsessed with the lives of imaginary people. #Reader. #Writer. Marcher Lass.
Genderqueer. she/her/they
Far too analogue to fit in any of your binaries.
was @SLindseyWales on Twitter
Love how the number of trees we planted in our garden means we can now go sit outside in the sunshine without actually having to deal with direct sunlight.
Seems very appropriate for public toilets to be built on a bog!
(I don't actually know how widespread that term is but if you're baffled, bog is slang for toilet, at least in the primary school I attended in the 1980s.)
#AskFedi
Way back in my dim & distant youth, the computers I knew & used were Acorn A3000s. These came bundled with a vector drawing software package called "Draw".
Is it possible to get a version of this software which runs on Windows 10/11? (I can learn to use an emulator if need be).
Please note! I'm not asking for vector graphics software recs. I've used many different things over the last 25 years & none of them are as easy & intuitive as Draw.
#WordWeavers Jan 14th
What's the most satisfying relationship (not necessarily romantic) you've ever written?
Two come to mind.
From my fanfic days: Sparrington. So much snark, so much hidden vulnerability, so much longing & deeply visceral connection they both fought against. And I learned a lot about writing through that community.
Original fic: Teddy & Sylvia from Under Leaden Skies, building a relationship on fragile foundations whilst living through a war. Surviving against the odds.
#WordWeavers Jan 11th
Did you realise what writing would be like when you started?
I'm one of those tiresome people who've been writing stories ever since a teacher first told me to write about what is happening in a picture. So no, I didn't realise aged 5 how it would be as an adult!
My knowledge & understanding of the craft has grown with me. I think the one thing I didn't anticipate was how much a dayjob would drain my energy & work against my writing.
#WordWeavers Jan 7th
Excluding common most used words, which word do you use too much in your writing? Why?
I always have to do an editing pass to reduce the amount of sighing, smiling, glancing, & touching/brushing my characters do. They're common actions but the words get repetitive very quickly so there's often a lot of rewriting to give the characters better progression of communication etc.
#WordWeavers Jan 6th
MC POV: What would you ask a genie if you weren't sure how they'd interpret your words & believed they might trick you?
Harford: Ooh, good question. We used to debate this kind of thing at school & Cambridge.
Peter: Same at Oxford. Did you ever reach a definite conclusion?
Sarah (cutting in): It's not difficult to give full instructions, you know. I do it all the time when discussing the children's clothes with my dressmaker & tailor. In fact, that's what I'd ask for. (1/2)
#WordWeavers Jan 5th
What characters in your story are obstacles but not antagonists?
As per usual, I don't have antagonists.
There is a definite villain in the series: the older Duke of Harford (he dies partway through the series). He's got no redeeming features: wealthy, powerful, entitled, & an out & out bully of the worst kind.
Molly is an obstacle to Joshua & Jacob finding happiness together, but if Jacob had spoken up instead of just leaving, they might have found a different path.
I currently have an older, not horrendously precious or expensive, loco going round the track on the floor to test that I've not missed any fishplates. Both cats are watching its progress.
I'm a little concerned that they'll be more interested in my shiny new (& more precious & expensive) loco which is approximately mouse sized :-/
Today being Boxing Day, & it being just the two of us at home, we're doing the traditional running in of new model locos.
Which for me meant going up into the loft to find a train set so I have some track - which in turns means I've rediscovered an entire trainset I forgot I owned!
Had a notification from DPD that a parcel on its way to me is delayed due to an "unexpected issue". I figured that just meant they're short of drivers & didn't load it, but clicking through to the tracking info I see the problem is a little more fundamental than that... Can you spot it?
Christmas shopping is done, except for prezzies for husband. And except for notebooks & pens for Write Club friends, none of it was from Spamazon.
Most things were even bought offline & we have a pile of parcels for Postie to collect from us today...
...a bit different to our usual 20th December rush!
Yesterday we did Christmas shopping.
Today I wrapped up all the presents we've bought so far.
Then I did the traditional annual message to younger brother-in-law to check he's not moved house without telling us...
This year I treated myself to a Lakrids by Bülow advent calendar (https://lakridsbybulow.co.uk/)
Most days there is a little packet with 2 of their chocolate coated liquorice treats. Today's treat was an unadorned stick of their liquorice.
I am now having a lie-down because it really is swoon-worthy deliciousness & I et it all.
Today I finished reading my very first Georgette Heyer novel.
I know! How can I possibly write Regency Romance without having inhaled all her works years ago...
...tbh, they always sounded a bit too het for me, is why I've not read until now.
But anyway! I really enjoyed it - The Corinthian - so if anyone would like to recommend me their fave #GeorgetteHeyer novel to read next, please do!
Lots of people have given very sensible answers to this already today, so instead of answering properly I'm going to share with you a secret of how to make me stop scrolling / walking & read the blurb of your book:
have either a cowboy hat or an aeroplane on the cover
I mean, don't do either if it doesn't fit with your story, but - well, it amuses me that I'm so predictable when it comes to pretties.
#WritersCoffeeClub Nov 19th.
Describe the funniest moment you've written lately. Share an excerpt.
Haven't written anything recently story-wise, & certainly not anything I'd say was particularly funny.
Though I did have a few private giggles earlier this week, pondering a menage short story, & trying to figure out if what I wanted the characters to do would actually be physically possible. I'll leave it to your imaginations what the details of that scene were 😁
#WritersCoffeeClub Nov 16th.
What ancillary writing apps do you find the most useful?
Confession time: I had to go look up what "ancillary" means before I could answer this 😆
So... I mostly draft in Scrivener, edit in Word, use a web browser (as well as books!) for research, and there's a conversion app on my phone I use for checking I've got measurements right (I tend to talk/write in imperial but can visualise si units easier - typical topsy-turvy Brit here!)
