I don’t write about running that often on the blog – though some might argue that this is because I don’t really go running all that often either…
Anyway, on Sunday I was booked in to do a half-marathon here in London, but when I woke up it was lashing down with rain, and I had one of those poundy-temple headaches, so I decided against it.
And by crikey, I’m glad I did; runners are a pretty lot – after all, it’s ultimately their choice to go pounding the ground in all weathers – but it seems I missed a bad ‘un; according to posts from runners on Run To The Beat‘s own webforum, it was a mess from start to finish – transport difficulties getting there and back, a delayed start, bands not lining the route as promised, timing and distance inaccuracies, limited toilet facilities, and even the t-shirt which was supposed to be in the finishers’ goody bags appears to have been absent. Not exactly what you want when you’ve paid thirty (or in the case of some charity runners, fifty) quid to be there, is it?
Sometimes, a little voice at the back of my head tells me that rather than leaving home, I’d be better off staying at home with my lovely wife and drinking lots of cups of tea. It’s not always possible to listen to that little voice (there seems to be some correlation, for example, between me showing up for work and getting paid for it), but on this occasion, I’m very, very glad I did.
… and if you’re wondering how I found these items, well, I was looking for a nice Christmas present to give to you. Oh yes.
As I mentioned a few months ago, the BBC Writersroom are currently running a series of roadshows where you can hear more about what they do, say hello, and even save postage by handing in a script for their perusal.
Well, the latest venue to host the Roadshow is none other than Brighton, a town for which I have a lot of affection (indeed, I was there just over a week ago, dining at English’s Restaurant to celebrate my lovely wife’s birthday). The BBC Writersroom folks will be there on Thursday 4th December, 6.00-7.30pm, at the Sallis Benney Theatre, Faculty of Arts and Agriculture, Grand Parade.
As with all the most exclusive of gatherings, you need to get your name on the guest list to get in, and so you should send an e-mail with your name, and the subject line ‘Brighton Roadshow’ to writersroom@bbc.co.uk.
That’s pretty much all you need to know, but if you want to make sure that I’m not just making this stuff up, then the BBC’s version of the above information is here.
If you do go, please let me know how it went. And could you get me some chocolate-covered honeycomb from the sweetshop on the Pier, while you’re there? Ta.
As you may have heard, The Guardian newspaper here in Blighty is currently giving away free booklets each day on the subject of ‘How To Write’ – each booklet covers a different area.
However, for those of you who aren’t close to a newsagent, and/or don’t want to give money to the Guardian, the booklets are available online. And in the spirit of making sure you can all have a look without having to lash out 80p for a paper which you’ll just lob in the recycling bin, here are the links to the booklets which have been issued so far:
How To Write Plays And Screenplays
Yet to come are booklets on Memoir and Biography, Journalism, and Books for Children. You should be able to find them online in much the same place, just navigate by date at the foot of the left-hand column (‘Recent Editions of How To Write’).
I’ve read the ones on Fiction and Comedy, and whilst seasoned scribblers might justifiably say that they cover well-trodden ground, there are some points in there which bear repeating. Well, they did for me, anyway.
Have a click and see what you think…
I’m not much of a fan of Frank Miller’s over-hard-boiled writing on ‘All-Star Batman and Robin The Boy Wonder’; it’s as if he’s writing Sin City with capes, and given the solid work he’s done on the character twice before, it’s rather disappointing.
I find its over-the-top-ness mildly amusing, though – which is almost a shame, as if I actively disliked it I’d be able to use the phrase ‘Wholly Crap Batman’, but as tempting as that is, I have to be honest and admit to more of a ‘meh’ reaction.
Anyway, it turns out that the latest issue (10) of the book has been pulled and pulped by DC Comics, because it featured Batgirl and some criminals sparring and swearing – with the black bars (in the speech balloons) which were there to obscure the naughty words not being dark enough to actually, um, obscure the naughty words.
Want to see the pages, and see Batgirl saying and being called rude things? Well then, brace for strong language and click here.
It’s mildly amusing, sure, but it does seem to raise some questions about the production process involved – why actually go to the trouble of having someone letter the words into the balloons, just to impose black bars over the top of the letters? Why not just put in a bar of appropriate length? Given that much comic lettering is done on computers anyway now (offhand, I think that this title’s computer-lettered by Comicraft, though I could be wrong), why not just save yourself the potential hassle? It’s all rather strange.
It’s hard to imagine that DC Comics are deliberately trying to stir up the publicity here, as they’re very conservative when it comes to the characters they own, and so I don’t see how this is anything other than a rather silly production error. Still, given that the book stars the comic character who’s this year’s biggest box office draw, you’d think a closer eye would be paid to such things, wouldn’t you?
Sean Connery’s new book, ‘Being A Scot’ there. Critics have suggested it’s disappointing in that it reveals fewer details about his career than they might have hoped.
Speaking purely for my puerile self, I find the subject of it a bit odd, given that he’s lived in the USA for the best part of three decades. And, it seems, I’m far from the most high-profile person to have commented on this.
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