This week brought good news about the sale of another story to People's Friend magazine. It's always exciting to see how they present it on the page, and I know they will have a lovely illustration to go with it when it is published. In the meantime, I would like to show you the picture that inspired me to write it.
I bought this print in an antique shop a few months ago. The minute I saw it I thought that this would be my dream house, with the overflowing garden and the sea in the background. I also knew that if I looked at it for long enough I would find a story to set there. I will use the money I earned from the story towards seeing new places in the summer. Those are sure to provide me with more stories too. Don't they say you must speculate to accumulate? Oh well, any excuse to spend money, really.
26 comments:
Oh, Jo, it's beautiful! I love those 1930's prints (or is it 20's?) and collect postcards like that myself. Talk about roses round the door! No wonder you felt inspired. How large is the picture and is it framed? x
Congratulations on the PF story :-) That is an absolutely lovely picture and it would be my idea of heaven to live somewhere like that.
And yes of course you must use the money to visit new places - it's research :-) x
Hi Biddy. To me, both the print and the frame are 1930s in appearance, although it could possibly be later. The print itself is a bit bigger than A4 size, and there is quite a wide cream mount around it. The frame is dark wood, nothing special, but it suits the picture very well.
Teresa - isn't it nice that when you write you are allowed to do practically anything in the name of research!
Gorgeous picture, Joanne - I'd love to read the story. Well done on another sale. I love visiting new places and find it so inspirational - so there's definitely an element of reserach about it!
Thank you Rosemary. I do love looking at it.
Well done on the story, Joanne! As for the new blogger thing, it keeps appearing and won't work properly, so I get rid of it again (with help, I'm ashamed to say).
A nice picture!
As for the new blogger, I find it definitely slower to respond both on y desktop and my phone, but better when it comes to blog design. I dislike the look of it very much but hope I will get used to it.
Everyone else commented on your pretty picture that inspires you.
I will comment on the new blogger dashboard...I don't like it. What was wrong with the way it was? That seems to be my lament about a lot of things...
Thanks Frances. How interesting that you can get rid of it - I haven't figured that bit out yet!
Jenny, that picture always puts me in a good mood! I haven't tinkered with blog design lately, I'm too much of a wuss.
Kay, I do agree! Often things are changed for what seems like no good reason. Luckily we humans are adaptable! I guess I'll learn my way round the new layout when I've used it a bit more.
Have a good week everyone. x
Beautiful Joanne!! Wonderful news - well done you! And what an amazing inspirational pic!! Awwwww - a dream cottage! I try to make my pots overflow with such blooms but alas - I think I've deaded more plants than I care to admit! Ahem!! I blame new blogger! LOL!
Oh I detest this new blogger interface!! Make it go away, someone please!
Enjoy your travels and HUGE CONGRATULATIONS again!! Yay! Take care
x
Hi Joanne
I own a painting a bit like this: bought it decades ago with money from my first job, and I kept wondering about the people living in the building in the picture (in my case a water mill). So I can see how it might be the inspiration for a story. I would love to read yours.
P.S. from Bronwen the collie: I find my escape routes from the garden keep getting blocked so I have opened my own Twitter account in a bid to state my case. Please pass this message to Harvey.
I love this image - can see why you found it inspiring. I hate the new blogger dashboard - very annoying!!
Joanne, congrats on selling your story to People's Friend. I hope I get to read it. Isn't it wonderful how an image can create a story in our minds?
You can revert to the old look blogger you know. I have. In the new one I can never find how to edit previous posts. I'm hoping they'll let me keep the old look like they still allow people to use the old superseded templates. I'm hanging in there anyway!
Denise
Old Kitty, I have seen your pots on your blog and they have been very flowery! You may yet have roses around the door.
Scribble Spud, your watermill sounds lovely. Perhaps you should write the story about the people who might live there. (I daren't give Harvey ideas about Twitter or I'll never get him off the ocmputer!)
Vikki, the new Blogger dashboard is obviously not going down too well with many bloggers.
Denise, I think I will persist a bit longer and see if I can get the hang of it. When it came to previewing and posting, it actually went more smoothly than usual. The main problem is always how to get back to the dashboard when I've left it. I need to play about with it some more yet. Nice to see you popping in again.
Scribble Spud, I should of course have spelt that 'computer'! I am also having trouble previewing comments before publishing.
Joanne, this is a beautiful picture and I can imagine how beautifully it inspired you to write. I should use pictures more often to trigger stories.
Congratulations on the sale. That's brilliant news. I shall look out for the story in People's Friend and be interested to see how they illustrate it too.
Congratulations on your sale to People's Friend, Jo. The picture that inspired it is lovely.
I'm finding the new blogger much easier than the old. I post interviews on the RNA blog as well as my own, and use lots of pics. I used to get in terrible muddles if I moved the pics around as it messed up all the text. The new version is much more user friendly. So far anyway.
Joanna, I keep a scrapbook of pictures I like, in case I need some inspiration. I collect postcards from everywhere I go for the same purpose, and also love taking photos (as you can tell from my blog!)
Kate you are absolutely right about the pics. Before, I used to have to edit in html to space the post out correctly, as when I did it in 'compose' mode I would have huge gaps everywhere. So that is a big advantage, even if the new dashboard is confusing me somewhat.
The cottage is almost too good to be true. I think that should be part of your story.
Perhaps it really is a dream house that vanishes when you approach it?!
The Blog looks very nice but, for me, the picture looks like something from the recently-deceased Thomas Kinkade.
I recently posted about how I loathe his work and the next week he died.
I have that kind of power, you know.
Click here for Bazza’s Blog ‘To Discover Ice’
Oh Bazza, mine is much nicer than that! I didn't know he had died, actually. He can't have been a big age. Just do me a favour and don't blog about me any time soon - scary!
I'll look forward to reading your PF story, Joanne. Congratulations.
Cheers Keith.
Just popping along to say hello! I see you are succeeding in getting your stories accepted by the women's magazines. Well done. I am still trying (sent another off yesterday). I shall keep at it, and I WILL succeed with the help of all you inspirational bloggers.
Thank you Maggie. Keep going! You will get there. x
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