Author-ity

Feline muse

This week I ’ave been mainly writing magazine articles.  I’ve a couple of articles appearing in a French gardening magazine in May and that involves some correction of my hesitant attempts at written French by some friends.

Gabrielle and I have come to understand is that, never mind that French grammar is difficult for us Angles, it stretches the capabilities of the most educated of Frenchies.  I had Bruno and Mélanie (both educated to university level) at each shoulder, advising different things: “there’s an 's' there”, “no there isn’t”.  “It agrees with the subject”, “no, it agrees with the indirect object”. “So, there’s an 's'!” “No!” And so it goes on.

There’s also the problem of the person-correcting rising to the occasion a bit too much and starting to impose their own style.  It needs me to discern what’s grammatically important and then—waiting ’till they’ve left the building—change a few things back to how they were.

My second article passed, via Bruno and Mél, to Julie (friend and assistant editor of an eco-building magazine) and then (having rescued a bit of my own style) to the editor of the gardening magazine.  There was a rare old tug-o’-war over the fruits of my quill but it just about remains recognisably what I’d originally penned and they’re actually paying me, whatever they actually print.  Enough for a new, carbon-fibre fly-fishing rod: Thanks!

I’ve updated this blog, moving my magazine articles to their own page, from the menu on the right to a tab at the top.  Click on “Magazine Articles” to be taken to a new page.  When you click on the article title, the articles will open or download (depending how you’ve configured your ’pooter) as a PDF file. If you click on the magazine cover picture, it'll take you to the magazine's own website.

I’ve added my latest successes, an article about the fun we had putting duck eggs under a broody hen, and the first of a two part story on how we treat our sewage—Bonne lecture !