Greece in the 1960s

Do cobblers sell shoes?

/ Susan Barrett / Leave a comment

The Garden of The Grandfather, Life in Greece in the 1960s is now available, ahead of the local launch in September.   Click on the book’s title on the menu, or this link

http://susanbarrettwriter.com/pencross-books

Some people are natrurally good at business, making sales, engaging in public relations and publicity.  Others are not so good.  Generally speaking, artists and writers loathe the business of selling their work.

At least, with the internet, I needn’t stand behind a stall shouting Book!  Book! Come and buy lovely book!

Proof checking fever

/ Susan Barrett / 2 Comments

It’s almost like an illness, the state you can get into checking proofs. Is there anyone out there who doesn’t get feverishly anxious about the commas that have been missed or over-added, the mistypes and mis-spellings? Yesterday I fell into a dither over the inclusion or omission of an e in Acknowledgements. There’s a town nearby which I’ve learnt to spell Bridgwater without an e although I always want to spell it Bridgewater, like the surname of a childhood friend. In our latest book together, I had Acknowledgments without an e until this was queried. This led to panicked googling and more questions and indecision: whether to be old-fashioned or up-to-the-minute, Anglicised or Americanised, and — confusion growing by the minute — which spelling belonged to which option.
In the end, the Acknowledgements on the last page of ‘The Garden of the Grandfather, Life in Greece in the 1960s” has an e, and the whole thing, warts and all, is in the hands of the printers. Any errors still remaining are necessary oblations to the gods in acknowledgment or acknowledgEment that there is no perfection this side of paradise.

How do writers maintain morale?

/ Susan Barrett / Leave a comment

A good level of morale is essential, I find, for writing.   It’s like petrol in an engine.  It fuels the hope, if not belief, that what I write will be read by more people than just my husband (he has to) and a few friends (depending on their good will).  When morale drops, I sink into a “what’s the point?”  attitude.  Then I have to re-fuel with memories of previous successes.

A car we’d bought secondhand in Stuttgart in 1962 had no fuel gauge.  When the tank was empty, you could flick a switch on the floor of the car to get petrol to flow from a reserve tank.  That would, if you were lucky, get you to the next garage.

In my writing life, I’ve frequently had recourse to my reserve supply of morale.  This morning I’m hovering near that floorboard switch.  Will our second book on Greece ever see light of day?  Will I get a positive reply from one of the many agents and publishers I’m approaching?   Fifty years after my career began, I am back where I started – without an agent.

If I link this post to LinkedIn, will it be read by a literary agent?  There must be one or two out there who would like to be involved with “Life in Greece in the 1960s”.

 

  

 

A creative hot-spot

/ Susan Barrett / Leave a comment

The Garden of The Grandfather

I’ve never delved deeply into ley lines.  Today I’m wondering how people with creative energy might kick off extra creativity in themselves and others at particular points in the compass; that is, over and above the usual energy that’s generated between creative people when they meet.   This thought comes from a recent coming-together of three people – Yiannis Angelopoulos, Peter and myself – in Lourdata, Cefallonia.  The conjunction of the three of us on one particular spot set something exciting in train.  Here’s the triangulation.   Peter found something he wanted to sketch.  Yiannis video’d Peter sketching.  I was hooked by the sign on the gate of the garden Peter was sketching.

The sign gave me the title for the book I’m working on: The Garden of the Grandfather.  This will be a picture of Greece in the 1960s, a narrative of our life there illustrated by black and white photographs.   Conversations with Yiannis have expanded our ideas to include colour – Peter’s work in oils, ink, and watercolour.   Yiannis’ video is now on youtube.   Something good to share publicly must surely come out of this triangle of ideas.

p.s. I have now added a page on the site for the first 10,000 words of the book.

http://www.youtube.comwatchtime_continue=2&v=awD0DGJEAcs