Performance, poetry and other updates

Carshalton Eco Fair

 I'm just getting over a horrid cold. It's unusual because I haven't even felt like reading. My concentration has been low. Everything has been an effort, but I am over the worst now, so hopefully  things can get back to normal. I always know when I am feeling better because I start planning. When I'm ill I sort of shut down.

However, I did have to keep going on a day when I would rather have stayed home. Bank Holiday Monday was Carshalton Eco Fair and I was reading two poems there. So, dosed up on painkillers I caught the bus. The day was warmer than I expected. Having arrived early I had a chance to look around. I had always wanted to attend this fair, but it would have been nice to have felt well enough to enjoy it.

I'm always drawn by music, so when I heard the sound of a band playing, I headed over to the tent. I've no idea who they were, but they were really loud, and very good. I thought this might be the tent where I would be performing, but no. It was time to search for someone who knew these things. I grabbed a guy with a lanyard and clipboard. He told me it could be one of two places, but bingo, the first venue we tried was the right one. There we were, Sutton Writers, on the board. I thanked the guy and settled into a seat to listen to a lady and guitar.

Things were running late. I'm sure we'd been told we'd be introduced. That didn't happen. The sound team were too busy sorting out amps and plugs for the next artist/group, and our spot was a tiny rectangular stage...er step...in the corner with a microphone. (I was warned not to stand on the edge!) The audience was there to listen to the music, I'm sure, but I decided that having come all this way feeling as lousy as I was, I was going to take control and not have the audience chatting while I was reading.What is it about a microphone that does this to me? 

When it was my turn, I fiddled with the mic (always too high for little me) and made sure people could hear me. To make sure I had their attention, I asked if they were all having a good time. I got a pretty good response. They were listening. I introduced myself and read my two poems slowly, clearly, and made sure to make that all-important eye contact with the audience now and again. It worked. The two poems were apt for the Eco Fair as they were about climate change. I was really proud of myself.

On of our members reading

The tent we shared with musicians

I really didn't feel like hanging around afterwards. Just a quick look around and a chat to a guy about eco coffins (maybe it was the mood I was in, but when it's my time, I want my funeral to be as eco friendly as possible).

Another music stage

The grotto in the park

What other news do I have? Well, the novella that my friend didn't like the ending to, has been revised, and I have written a new ending, which I liked much better, and thankfully she said it was perfect. I will now be looking into submitting this using the Mslexia Indie Press Guide for places that might be suitable. The second novella will be back with me soon and once I have seen what the comments are, I will re-edit and this one will also be going out on submission. It is encouraging that my friend says there is a great improvement from the first draft and it's much clearer. I've worked very hard on this one (the one I thought I might have to abandon), and my lightbulb moment has worked and saved it.

I bumped into a lady yesterday, who I knew from a local arts association (no longer going). She writes poetry and used to be a member of Sutton Writers before I joined. Life got in the way so she let her membership go, but I hope I've persuaded her to come along again. I have to say that for me, being a member has opened other doors for me.

I have decided to give up my membership to The Poetry Society for the second time. It really isn't me, and I don't feel I fit in with them at all. I'm just not on the same wavelength as the poets they feature in their Review. It's an expense I can do without.

I'm waiting on results of submissions, mainly poetry, having managed to get my act together to sort a few things out. I also renewed my billing contract with The People's Friend, which I have to do every year, though I've not submitted anything for in years. However, renewing it last yea,r I received a payment for a poem I didn't realise they'd taken! I have a short story that might fit their strict criteria, but I will need to check it again before I submit it.

Sometimes I feel I am juggling many plates, but this is the way I like it. Having many strings to my bow, I never get bored and can switch to something else. Poetry and flash are nice fillers after spending time on a longer work.

And now here we are in September. Where has the year gone? There is still much to do, but it is nice to see a few projects coming to completion. The hardest part is yet to come.