December 2003 Month in the Life:<br> Andrea Muir (2)

Last night, Andrew Greig and Linda Anderson, the other tutor, told us what we would be doing for the rest of the week. Apparently, we are going to do workshops to ‘get our work to become the best it can be.’ We’re not allowed to ‘defend’ our work. We ‘must let others have their say’. We are to ‘gather in the comments and sift them later’. We’ll need ‘emotional toughness’ but, apparently, we will ‘surreptitiously get inspiration.’

I’d been hoping for lots of writing exercises and writerly chatter. What’s wrong with free-spirited creativity? What’s wrong with having lots of excuses for drivel written, after all ‘it’s only an exercise’? No such luck. I am about to go to the dining room to sit around the huge oak table with eighteen people I don’t know, including two people who have their names on the covers of critically acclaimed novels, and they are going to spend 45 minutes ‘having their say’ so that I can exercise my ‘emotional toughness.’ Not happy.

6.20pm Mm. After the grilling (which was really very useful) had a ‘one to one’ with Andrew. He was very kind.

Washing up after dinner tonight.

5 November 2003

Decided I’m STOOPID! This is not self-deprecation. Just simple truth. Woke up this morning not with door slamming but brain slamming the words -‘DECONSTRUCTING DOESTCHEVSKY’ around my head. (I can’t spell it or say it). Hours and hours it went on. Also discovered yesterday that I can’t say ‘juxtaposition’.

2pm Decided to stop panicking. I’m cooking tonight so that’ll be okay. Lambs chops, roasted vegetables and cous cous followed by flambéed bananas. Ian has promised to do the honours with the brandy because he’s got a lighter.

LATER: Food whent welll – such loverly people here! Cooked with Pat AND Lane and Rosemary! Ha! Lamsb chups nd Rosiemarny!!!! ShE ‘S LOVrely too.
Bannnoas were graeta. Guest readr heere – very fujnny lttlen man. \I LOVe Bieng a Wirter!!!!

6 November 2003

9.40am Class starts in ten minutes – just woken up - write later.

1.30pm Starting to feel a bit better with the aid of gallons of Coke, orange juice, coffee and Paracetamol, handed freely around the table by the lovely, kind, life-saving Fiona, who in the real world is an A&E doctor. Sarah The Amazingly Angry shared my pain.

On my arrival at class I was greeted with applause. Seems I made an ‘enlightening’ comment to the guest reader last night. Oh dear. Me and my big mouth. Hold my head in shame...

6.00pm To pay penance for my misdemeanour, for which I am incidentally still receiving much back-slapping, I have written all afternoon. Taken on board what people have said about my work and listened to what they are saying about others work and you know, I think I’ve got it! Having literally lost the plot of my book – it has returned and brought some friends. HOORAY!

Been over to the Barn (the sort of social meeting place – lovely – high ceilings, enormous red sofas, beams and giant hanging Calor gas heaters) and been singing with Pat and Andrew. They’re both guitar men. Only trouble was I couldn’t remember the words to anything. Never mind. ‘Twas fun. Got to get ready now - there’s an agent (SCARY MAN, BIG TEETH, BIG ROUND EYES AND A FIN) coming to speak to us tonight.

9.30pm What a nice man and everybody looks really smart this evening. I hadn’t realised how very pretty some of us can be.

3am jaso;kdjhnbafffffffffff ;’.,#>,,m ,,

Next Page | Previous Page Page 1 | 2 | 3