The Writing Industry - Is this where woman can regularly break through the 'glass ceiling'?

 

What I will write about today may promote some comments, and I would love it if it did. First, let me say that this piece is written not to be detrimental or discriminatory to anyone. It's a pleasing observation of what I am finding and experiencing in the writing community.

Hopefully, we've got that out of the way and can continue.

I have delivered every month, two leading writing magazines. I diligently read the from the front to the back cover and thoroughly enjoy their contents...even the poetry!

The one thing I notice each month in both is the number of female contributors that outweighs the number of male contributors. That is, the writers of the articles and the letters submitted to the editors.

Likewise, I'm the only man in the 'Novel in a Year' workshop I started last Saturday.

Undoubtedly, there has been a significant number of highly talented female authors. Author of Handmaid's Tail, Margaret Attwood, is a great proponent of women writers. The late Hillary Mantel, a local writer here in East Devon, had outstanding success with her 2009 novel Wolf Hall, a massive hit on Television. Seeing that they are getting the recognition they deserve is pleasing.

Let's look at the Television too. One of the greatest shows in recent years, Fleabag, written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and with Sharon Horgan and Emma Thompson, represent some of the best screenwriters in this country and globally. 

In the film industry, some of the biggest blockbusters have female writers. Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh were responsible for Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Linda Woolverton is a resident writer for Disney with past credits for The Lion King and Tim Burton's adaptation of Alice in Wonderland.

On Twitter, I follow many female writers, editors, agents and publishers, and there is no doubt that there is a fabulous female presence in the writing industry.

Is this one of the industries where women have been able to break through the 'glass ceiling'? I sincerely hope so.

So, where are all the men writers, then? I hear you ask.

Well, they are about. Harlen Coben was on BBC Breakfast on Thursday morning promoting his latest book, I will find you. Celebrity writer Richard Osman has a series of crime novels starting with the Thursday Murder Club. No matter what you may think of celebrity writers, each of Richard's three books has hit the top of the bestsellers immediately after publication. He must be doing something right! Let's not forget some of my favourite writers, John Le Carré, Thomas Hardy and Ken Follett. International bestsellers include John Grisham, Neville Shute, Ian Rankin and Lee Childs. All are fantastic writers in their genre.

So there may be a chance for me yet, I'll keep plodding along with my bits of writing here and there, and I will finish my blockbuster novel sometime this year. You never know. I might appear on Television as a new talent promoting my writing one day.

Fruit Cake?

 Fruit Cake is unfairly maligned - That's the statement.

First up, Full disclosure, Fruit cake is my utmost favourite.  

An often asked question. What did the Romans ever do for us? Fruit Cake, the Romans, gave us Fruit Cake.

That is likely not the answer you were expecting.

The earliest recipes for Fruit Cakes are traced back to ancient Rome. Ingredients then included were pomegranate seeds, pine nuts and raisins mixed into a barley mash. Later on, in the middle ages, honey and preserved fruits were added.  

Fruit cake recipes proliferated throughout Europe. The recipes varied significantly by country, depending on the ingredients available. Church regulations over the observance of fasting forbade the use of butter; however, Pope Innocent VIII (1442 - 1492) granted its use in his Butterbrief of 1490. It permitted Saxony to use butter and milk in Stollen fruit cakes.

In 17th century England, fruit cake was yeast-based and used Rum and dried fruits, which extended the shelf life.

Pianoforte

 In Italy, Panoforte (meaning strong bread) is a dense, chewy cake,   heavily flavoured with spices, dating back to the 13th Century Sienna in Tuscany. Also, there is Panatone, filled with dried and candied fruits with a bread loaf consistency. It's now well known across Europe and this country, especially in shops like Lidl and upmarket places such as Fortnum and Mason in London.

In England, rich dark fruit cake is traditional fare at Christmas. They were also traditional for wedding cakes, where the top tier was preserved and saved for the christening of the firstborn child. This tradition has fallen foul of the influences of our American cousins. Sponge and heavily creamed cakes seem more in favour.

Our wedding cake was four-tiered. The bottom two tiers, made by myself, included nearly a litre and a half of Rum, dark brown sugar, butter, eggs (from the farmer in the village), Black treacle and flour. The bottom tier was 20 inches and took nearly five hours to cook. The top two tiers were vanilla and chocolate sponge cakes.

Throughout the 90s, whilst serving with the Royal Marines Band at BRNC Dartmouth, I had a little side hustle making christening cakes for band members. There were quite a few young families in the band at that time.

My Mother used to make Grandfather, her father, a Dundee Cake each Christmas. Dundee Cake is a traditional Scottish fruit cake flavoured with Whisky and decorated with almonds. Being a proud Yorkshireman, my Grandfather always had his piece of cake with cheese. I am trying to remember which cheese he had. He had a favourite Danish blue cheese, but I think that was that one. I, too, like to have cheese with my fruit cake, a lovely mature cheddar is my favourite, and I go a little further and have an apple.

In answer to the question, is Fruit cake unfairly maligned - probably yes, but plenty of people enjoy it.

Now, what am I going to have for afternoon tea?

Weird Writing Prompt Happenings and the First Writing Tip of the Week - It's all happening here!!

 I've written, more than once, that I subscribe to two monthly writing magazines. I have succeeded in both getting letters published, and I have entered several competitions in them.

I look forward, each month, to when they arrive through the door at home. They are two slightly different publications, both doing the same thing, encouraging us to write and assist with all the 'technical' stuff while writing stories and poems.

Both magazines regularly have a couple of pages of writing prompts. These are brilliant ways of waking the writing muscle daily and can lead to something else, as did the one I tried on Tuesday. 

It was rather weird. As we approached where we were going, I spied someone on the roof of a bungalow. The man was removing roof tiles and stacking them up. Fair enough, but the Health and Safety Officer in me sparked my 'spider' senses. He wasn't wearing a safety harness and had no scaffolding or safety surround. If he slipped or fell, he would be in real trouble.

Getting back to the writing prompt, what do you think it was? Here is the prompt;

Create a scenario starting from the question: Why is that person on the roof?

Who is telling the story?

Why and how have they observed the person on a neighbouring rooftop?

What is going through the observer's mind?

What might happen?

Write a new piece of prose or poetry stemming from watching the person on the roof and wondering what they're doing.

After about an hour of writing, I came up with a story which I think that with a bit of editing and reworking, could be the next story for my entries to the Bath Flash Fiction awards,

I seek further writing prompts to stir the story writer in me. I am enjoying entering these competitions. You never know; I might win one someday! 

Tip of the week - always email your work to yourself. You'll have a copy saved, and it will prove your copyright.

Morning! What's Your Routine?

 Morning routine, what's your morning routine?

Rise at about 0500, shower quickly and shave before dressing and opening up the Day One app on the MacBook.

Free writing for about an hour, about a thousand words. Nothing that's going to be published, but writing to free up the synapses for the rest of the day ahead.

Walk the dog. Get some fresh air and clear your head.

A spot of breakfast, fruit and freshly ground coffee made in a Chemex. Enough coffee for two servings. There's always time for a coffee break with biscuits later in the morning.

Once more, open up the MacBook, sit at the desk looking out over the garden and write.

Not quite

But you might know that's my dream. The reality is 0700 up, walk the dog, shower, breakfast and then I might get 20 to 30 minutes writing and then off to work for eight hours. That's a late shift. If I'm on an early, it's 0630 up, shower, breakfast and out the door.

Not that I'm complaining. I get plenty of annual leave and non-working days when working this weekend. Like I am this week, I am taking some quiet time to write this. However, the dog is at my feet, waiting for his morning walk. 

That is the struggle for an amateur 'professional' writer. Organising time in between everything else in life, finding time to write. I take every advantage where I can write so that you may spot me in the weirdest places, just sat writing, Coffee shops, riverside seats, train carriages, I've tried them all.

What prompted this week's blog? I was reading a blog about this subject, and it linked

 to a site where famous 'celebrities' from authors to retired boxer George Foreman write about their morning routines.

I have been re-watching the Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy, the ITV series from the 1970s. The series and book by John Le Carré are among my all-time favourites. I have also spotted a possible future project. I believe it could be a runner.