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- Going back to the beginning and setting the first milestone
- Resuming
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Author Archives: Hilary
1924 Going on Safari
In 1924, newly-married Emilie May accompanied her husband Fred on a Tax collecting drive in the Native Reserve and on Squatters on farms near Machakos. Fred went on these Safaris at least once a month for around two weeks. She … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized, Writing blog
Tagged 1924, ADC, Colonial Service, Government Colonial Service, Hut Tax, Kenya, Squatter tax, Tax collecting Safaris
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Jumping in Time within a novel and avoiding clichés
I seek out books that are set in different times and the story moves forwards and backwards between those times. I want to know how the author has handled both the passage of time and signals that time has moved … Continue reading
How we view the world, then and now
I’ve reached the bit in my book where Emilie May has arrived in Nairobi to get married. It took her exactly one month to the day from setting off from Reading Station to arrive in Nairobi. I flew to Nairobi … Continue reading
The challenges of writing Narrative Non-Fiction
It’s been five weeks since I had my first meeting and my first milestone was set: a strapline, a story arc and 20,000 words, much of it already written, so meeting the deadline six weeks away in mid-July should have … Continue reading
Grappling with straplines/loglines and tag lines
Straplines first (that’s the UK term, the American’s call them loglines). Use only 25 – 30 words in no more than two sentences. The descriptor needs three components: the protagonist, the antagonist and the goal. Don’t use names, use adjectives … Continue reading
Going back to the beginning and setting the first milestone
Both books share the same problems as I have, that the source material is mainly in letter, diary and photographic form with a general theme of fragility of memory. It’s a universal problem in this genre. Stories need dialogue to … Continue reading
Posted in Writing blog
Tagged fragility of memory, mentoring, writing, writing creative non-fiction
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Resuming
Day one, and a commitment (to myself) to complete The Seedsman’s Daughter, my Memoir of Emilie May, my grandmother, within a year. While on that journey I hope to find others who are on a similar journey, share a similar … Continue reading
Posted in Writing blog
Tagged Memoir, mentoring, New blog, problem solving IT problems, writing creative non-fiction
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April blog
Ok, my first blog. My intention is that these are at least monthly as part of my strategy to write this novel by setting goals and deadlines, but if you find it useful or interesting too then this is also good. This … Continue reading
Trans Nzoia Settlers and Roses
The further we go up this road, the more the poverty. Martin is shocked that Kenyans still live like this – women and children collecting water in Mutumgi (jerrycans) beside cattle drinking the same water. Primary school children are playing … Continue reading
Posted in Kenya Blog: Kitale & KK
Tagged Kenya, Kenyan Rose Industry, Robert Akele Andersen, Trans Nzoia
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Gertrude Mary Kuhn
Today I went to pay my respects to Gertrude Mary Kuhn – an Edinburgh lass and nanny to my mother and her two sisters – who is buried in the old cemetery in Kitale. She died on 18th September 1929 … Continue reading