Monthly Archives: April 2010

Laurence Binyon, "Ypres"

Posted on April 10, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

Ypres She was a city of patience; of proud name, Dimmed by neglecting Time; of beauty and loss; Of acquiescence in the creeping moss. But on a sudden fierce destruction came Tigerishly pouncing: thunderbolt and flame Showered on her streets, … Continue reading →

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Researching the 1970s – Gwynne Garfinkle Guest Post

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

Please welcome my guest, Gwynne Garfinkle! # Researching the Jo Book I recently completed the second draft of a novel about a soap opera actress in mid-1970s New York City who’s haunted by the ghost of her best friend who … Continue reading →

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WWI slang

Posted on April 8, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

Speaking Freely: A Guided Tour Of American English From Plymouth Rock To Silicon Valley. Stuart Berg Flexner and Anne H. Soukhanov, Oxford University Press, 1997. p. 82 “The use of obscenity and scatology…increased greatly during World War I and became … Continue reading →

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Making Time

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

“I have to find time to write.” I don’t think that’s true. You don’t find time. You make time. You take it. You take it for yourself. If you want to write, you have to choose time during which you … Continue reading →

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Writing Marathons

Posted on April 6, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

I’ve learned three things from writing marathons: 1. I can trust my basic prose level to sound okay on first draft, without me paying too much attention to it as it flows out. I need to save my concentration for … Continue reading →

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Contraception in World War One

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

A History of Contraception: From Antiquity to the Present Day. Angus McLaren. Basil Blackwell Ltd., 1990. p. 183-184 “Bentham declared in 1797 that population could be controlled not by a ‘prohibitory act’ or a ‘dead letter’ but by ‘a sponge’, … Continue reading →

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e.e. cummings, "the bigness of cannon "

Posted on April 4, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

the bigness of cannon is skilful, but i have seen death’s clever enormous voice which hides in a fragility of poppies…. i say that sometimes on these long talkative animals are laid fists of huger silence. I have seen all … Continue reading →

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Siegfried Sassoon, "The Hawthorn Tree"

Posted on April 3, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

The Hawthorn Tree Not much to me is yonder lane Where I go every day; But when there’s been a shower of rainAnd hedge-birds whistle gay,I know my lad that’s out in FranceWith fearsome things to see Would give his … Continue reading →

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Saskia Walker – Guest Post

Posted on April 2, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

Please welcome my guest, Saskia Walker! # When I started out on my writing journey I used to fret about how the fantasy or paranormal elements of a story would mesh with the more everyday aspects. As writers we want … Continue reading →

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Romance Series-Itis

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

Series-itis: there’s entirely too much wordcount devoted to reminding us what happened to the hero when he was a minor character in a previous book, and setting up various other characters for their roles in future books, not to mention … Continue reading →

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