A good sort out!

It happens from time to time that I’m overwhelmed by stuff! Much as I don’t like to throw things away, there really is a limit to how much an ordinary house can contain… and why hang on to things which I no longer need, want or have any interest in? I am not I hasten to add throwing anything into the bin! I have a huge heap of books for the Oxfam bookshop, and the paper recycling box is just about full.

I have also actually thrown away an old novel which I haven’t got on a CD… I wrote it when I was in my twenties, and I think I must have been very immature at the time because honestly, the plot is just tripe, the characters are totally unbelievable and two-dimensional stereotypes, although I have to say, some of the actual writing was quite good… looking at it some of my use of language was really imaginative, original and almost impressive (almost!) However, there was nothing worth keeping in it, the feeble plot line is still in my head if I should ever want to use strands of it, so it has gone in the recycling.

I have also thrown out all the letters of rejection I had received over the years for my stories… as some of the letters had spelling mistakes and grammatical errors in perhaps it’s just as well that the agents and publishers didn’t take me up… They are now in the waste paper, although I salvaged the paper-clips.

I came across a couple of chapters of my unfinished novel ‘Lucky Portbradden’, and glanced through it, and half an hour later I was still sitting reading it… so there are some things which I am saving. At the moment my study, landing, and floors of the bedrooms look as if there has been an eruption in a book shop… piles of stuff everywhere!

I’ll tell you how ruthless I’m being, I’m even chucking out some cookery books!