8 Hours of Sleep: The Lasting Legacy of Coffee?

I have just found this really fascinating article on the BBC about the way we sleep.  I’ve been a poor sleeper all my life, suffering from quite bad insomnia up until the age of 18 (I would regularly have 4 hours of sleep, sometimes less and it would take me 3 hours or more to get to sleep), so I was instantly drawn to the title: The Myth of the Eight-Hour Sleep.

I’m just going to outline the bits I found interesting in the article, so do go and read it for a fuller account, together with interesting quotes from proper historians!

It seems that the natural pattern of sleep for humans is to sleep for around 4 hours, then be awake for an hour or two, before sleeping again for around 4 hours.

This apparently ancient pattern, old enough to be mentioned by Homer, began to change in the late 17th century (my second favourite century!) with the advent of open-all-hours coffee houses and the new acceptability of being up and about all night.  Prior to the 17th century, the article tells us, the night was a time for, well, ladies of the night and other figures of ill repute.  However with coffee shops and better lighting at home and on the streets (in 1667 Paris became the first city to light its streets), it would seem that ‘partying all night’ became fashionable, but left little time for a two-stage sleep, so we began to sleep all in one chunk.  

The change also appears to be linked to The Industrial Revolution’s new interest in efficiency, with the double-sleep taking up too much time that could be spent in productivity!

So, if, like me, you’ve suffered from insomnia, it might well have its roots in this change … I would find it very interesting to try out this sleeping pattern.  The article even mentions that traditionally people often spent their gap between sleep visiting neighbours, getting steamy(!) or writing, so perhaps it’s a way of making time to write without feeling harried and tired by doing it after a long day at work or feeling tired by doing it before work.  It even sounds as if this time between sleeps is a relaxing, peaceful period where you feel awake and invigorated… All very interesting stuff.

If I work out a way to try this out, I’ll let you know!

The Night Circus – Not a Review

So it’s been a while since I asked who had been to The Night Circus and I’ve taken some time to think about it.

On the surface this book appears to be a fairly straightforward romance in a magical 19th century.  But once you plunge into the circus, you find that you’ve inadvertently fallen in love with a piece of (and I whisper this) postmodernism.  Very sneaky, Ms Morgenstern.

I bloody hate postmodernist fiction.  Or at least I thought I did.  All that wink and nod to the reader, the arched eyebrow of the author’s self-conscious highlighting of the fact that the reader is, in fact, reading.  Woo-flipping-hoo.  I won’t rant on about it, but it’s just never floated my achingly ironic (or should that be post-ironic?) boat.

But that tricksy Ms Morgenstern … her creation flew in right under my postmodernism radar.  It charmed me with its premise (a mysterious circus, a magical battle and a dangerous love, all wrapped up in a delightful late Victorian setting) and it was only after I was already sucked in that I realised this novel wasn’t so much about entertaining me with a dramatic narrative and intricate characters … it was about drawing me into its world, making me feel that I was there, that I was reading true accounts of a circus full of beautifully impossible exhibits (such as bottled scents that tell stories).

The author uses present tense and, at times, the second person (and thus breaks all those rules about ‘how to get published’ that some espouse) to remind the reader that they are, in fact, reading a work of fiction … or truth … or does it even matter what is truth or what is a fiction, a dream?  She invites us to consider the very nature of imagination.

So while some have criticised her novel for not providing enough narrative satisfaction, I would suggest that that isn’t the focus of this work.  The writer’s interest lies in crafting exquisite tableaux that invigorate the reader’s senses and inviting that reader into her world … and even to expand it – the subject implicitly invites us to invent our own tents within the circus and the author explicitly invites us to play in her world (through a game and by emailing one of the characters).

And I, for one, am quite delighted by the invitation.

Character Flaws

A de-motivational poster, but it could be a motivation for your character.

I love a good bit of synchronicity …  I’ve been reading Robin Hobb’s Farseer trilogy recently, having already read and loved The Liveship Traders.  One of the things I love most about her work is how damn real the characters are.  They make the wrong, slightly illogical choices because of their emotions; they hurt others because of their own flaws; they don’t have an easy time because they know what they want, but they don’t always know what they need.  Robin Hobb doesn’t let them off easily.

So I’ve been thinking about character flaws, when what should appear on my blog feed, but a short’n'sweet article by Rachelle Garner on Why Your Novel Characters Need Real Flaws.

As writers, we love our characters, even the villains, but especially the heroes.  Which means it’s hard, sometimes, to give them a hard time or to let them hurt each other.  In particular, it’s difficult to find that balance between the likeability of the character and the realism of giving them actual flaws that have a negative effect on those around them – their friends, families, lovers …

Rachelle briefly discusses the difference between the real flaw and the cosmetic flaw … but fear not if you suddenly realise your characters have cosmetic flaws, because often the cosmetic flaw is but a watered down, victimless version of the real flaw and all we need to do is look at the darker side of their perfectionism or insecurity and how it makes victims of others.

Check out her article, and I’d love to know if you have any other tips or articles!

Absence & Illness

I feel as though half my posts on both my blogs are apologising for not posting in a while!  Recently I’ve been suffering with medication for my illness, because it’s been too effective.

I have Graves Disease, which makes me have an overactive thyroid.  I’ve reacted so strongly to my medication (much to the surprise of my consultant!) that it’s swung the other way and is now underactive.  As you can imagine, it’s hard to keep up with these constant changes in my physical and mental states.  I’ve, rather boringly, been doing a lot of eating and sleeping – not exactly blog-worthy!  Have been really enjoying reading Robin Hobb, too – I have author-envy!

Before I had it, I had no idea how much of an effect that little butterfly-shaped bugger in the throat could have on the body.

So, yes, I am still around, just not all there.

Who’s been to The Night Circus?

I spotted this pretty book during one of my forays into a book shop just before Yule.  I stopped in my tracks, stared and then had a look at the blurb.  But it’s a bad idea to buy things for yourself in the run up to Yule, so I had to walk on by.  After a incredibly unsubtle hint to my gentleman, it magically appeared in my Yule stocking!

Has anyone else chanced upon this book?  I’ve already finished reading it and I’m still thinking about what I think about it, if that makes sense!

Looking Backwards & Forwards

First off – happy Yule to you all!  I hope you each had a wonderful time with plenty of food and drink, cheer and laughter and a huge amount of love.

Rather like a lot of other bloggers at the moment, I’m saying goodbye to 2011 and hello shiny new 2012.  And like Janus, who presides over gateways, I’m looking back over 2011 and forward to 2012.

2011 was a turbulent year, with a lot of hard work towards a teacher training course, the messy business of finding a job (which, thankfully, I managed to do), doing two jobs for a while and then falling ill.  

It’s strange, but I keep thinking that I didn’t achieve anything this year, because I did little to no writing on my novel-in-progress and hardly any sewing, at all.  I kind of forget that I didn’t just scrape by on the bare minimum teaching qualification, I actually challenged myself to study for a higher level than the one I needed (I did a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education with some modules at Master’s level, rather than the slightly lower level Professional Graduate Certificate in Education) and I didn’t just do enough to pass, I bloody passed with flying colours (if I do say so myself).  I worked really hard and that seems to have paid off, with getting a teaching job, despite cuts in funding, and receiving lots of glowing feedback on my teaching.  So to think I didn’t achieve anything is, I suppose, being rather harsh on myself!

Let’s gloss over the whole sorry business of being ill, because I feel that I’ve gone on about that more than enough.  I’ll just say that, again, I have to be a bit more gentle on myself because of this horrible bump in the road that has definitely affected my productivity.

As for 2012 … Well, we never really know what the future will hold, but I have plans for my sewing and writing, which should hopefully come to fruition.

I had such great intentions for writing over December and January, but then I came to and realised that I’ve (and this is very embarrassing) forgotten bits of my story!  How shameful!  But I suppose it’s to be expected, when I haven’t worked on it for a very.  Long.  Time.  Indeed.  So, first, I need to read back over the first 50,000 words of A Thief and a Gentlewoman and The Plan and get myself re-acquainted with Quin and her world.  That is the first order of the year, and after that, it’s write, write, WRITE!

Well, I have a lot to do, but first I’ve got some New Year’s Eve celebrating coming my way.

Wishing you all a fabulous and joyous New Year – love Clare. x

Write Write WRITE!

As we wave goodbye to another November, we also wish adieu to Bonfire Night (a celebration of seeing people hung, drawn and quartered or a chance to channel V for Vendetta, depending on how you look at it), the dregs of Halloween, my birthday (complete with a most civilised tea party) and NaNoWriMo.

As you’ve probably guessed from my radio silence, I was far too busy this year to take part, despite planning to earlier in the year.  However, I do also have half a novel staring at me accusingly whenever I switch on my computer or go in my little workroom.

So, in a moment of what can only be described as absolute insanity (if you saw the pile of marking I’ve got to do over Yule, you’d think me bonkers, too), I’ve decided to have a go at my own NotAWriMo. 

For anyone who doesn’t know, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and happens every November.  It’s not about producing the next Booker Prize Winner, it’s about getting words down (even if that means having your characters discuss the finer points of tea-making because you’re out of ideas).  In the space of a month, lunatics participants all over the world write 50,000 words in order to ‘win’.  They’re not after a prestigious prize and nor are they out to ‘beat’ each other: they’re simply working towards being able to say ‘I did it’.  And when you consider that’s an average of 1,667 words per day in the lives of many people who work full-time, have children and/or social lives, being able to say ‘I did it’ is no mean feat.

What, then, you might ask, is NotAWriMo.  Well, it’s going to be about me ‘getting words down’ after a long hiatus from writing during which I’ve worked full-time (sometimes more than full-time), completed a PGCE, fallen ill and begun my first teaching job.  I need to get my head back in that writing zone and I need to get back into my rhythm of writing frequently and consistently, which served me well during my MA (40,000 words+ written and edited to a Master’s standard between April and August).

To that end, I’m planning to do the following:

• Start on 17^th December (the date the college breaks up for Yule).
• Finish a month later on 16^th January.
• Write 20,000 words in that time (an average of around 650 words per day).

20,000 words as a target falls well short of the NaNoWriMo 50k, I know, but I’m more interested in quality, building up a sustainable rhythm that I can continue after 16^th January, still getting my lecturing work done (planning lessons and marking) and – gasp! – socialising with family over Yule and New Year.

I’ll post on here from time-to-time about my progress and, my stitchy friends will be glad to hear that after the holidays, I’ll be working 4 days a week, so hopefully I’ll get some sewing done – huzzah!

Privacy – now off and why it was on

Hello all!

A little apology – I’ve had my blog on invisible lately as I’ve started teaching and I didn’t want my learners to be able to find this blog by googling my name, particularly because of photos of me in my stays, etc.  I’ve spent a while deleting all mention of my surname, so now I should be safe!

More coming soon on my writing life!

Announcing – Changes – My New Sewing Blog: Magpie Makes

Yes!  Those plans I keep mentioning!  Here’s the low-down …

I have been thinking for a while of splitting the blog between my main two interests – sewing/crafting and writing – but I’ve been unsure about it for a number of reasons and with my PGCE, I haven’t had a great deal of time to think about it or implement any decisions I did make.

Until now!

My PGCE course has finished (Wewt!  What a weight has been lifted!) and I

(a) have more time (huzzah!),

(b) have only a part-time income at the moment (boo!), so …

(c) am getting more serious about my sewing/making life,

and

(d) am getting back into writing A Thief and a Gentlewoman!  (Yeah, bet you’d forgotten about that one!  Rest assured, I have been thinking about it, in between the essays on Pedagogy vs Andragogy and Humanism vs Instrumentalism and the like!)

So, in order to do justice to the two areas I blog about, I am dividing the blog.  Jane of All Trades, here, will remain my blog for all things relating to books, writing and research relating to A Thief and a Gentlewoman, and now I am able to actually work on T&Gw, I hope to actually post about such things around once a week (once a fortnight at the very least).

Posts about my sewing-related escapades will now be at my new blog, Magpie Makes.  I really hope you like it there, I spent quite a while wrestling with Illustrator, Photoshop and Blogger to get the layout and design juuuuust right for you all!

I’m really looking forward to being able to get some renewed direction here at Jane of All Trades and seeing all your stitchy-types over at Magpie Makes for more sewing, my attempts at learning to knit (be prepared for laughs at how that goes!) and that apron giveaway I mentioned the other day.

Apples

So apples may not seem like the most interesting topic, but I was just reading this fascinating article on BBC news … Did you know, for instance, that that tasy, refreshing variety, the Granny Smith apple was discovered growing on a rubbish heap in Australia?! It grew completely by chance, and was found and cultivated, rather than thrown away. What a lucky fruit!

Did you also know that all Bramley apples came from one single parent tree that was grown around 1810 in Nottinghamshire by a young woman called Mary Anne Brailsford? Every single Bramley apple pie every made and scoffed owes its existence to that one, humble, Regency seed.

Is it just me, or is that kind of amazing?

Go here if you’d like to read the article for yourself: British to the core.  As for me, I think I’m going to go and eat an apple.  Lush!

PS – I probably shouldn’t admit this, but when I was very little (about 5 years old) I hated the name Clare and wanted to change it to something different every other week.  For quite a long period of time I decided I wanted to be called – wait for it – Rosie Apple.  Yes, that was what I seriously wanted my name to be.  I think I even refused to respond to anything else for a day or so.  Oh dear!