A few weeks ago I saw a competition on Jane Wenham-Jones’ blog, in celebration of the launch of her extremely funny (and slightly daft) book 100 Ways to Fight the Flab. The book is the perfect antidote for that well-known freelancer’s problem, Writer’s Bottom, and the competition was to write a frivolous diet tip in no more than 250 words.
I saw the competition on the morning of the closing date, when I was sitting in the garden on one of those rare sunny days we had last month, trying to write a column and dropping biscuit crumbs in my keyboard. It was the perfect procrastination opportunity, and I spent a happy hour finding things to rhyme with Chekhov. As poetry has never been My Thing, I was forced to eat more biscuits while I found The Muse.
However, I’m delighted to report that I won the competition, and will be jetting off in September to Chez Castillon, in the South of France, for a six-night writing course with Jane. I will be starting book two round about that time, so it couldn’t be more perfect. You can read my winning entry, and the very funny runners-up, here.