Posted on August 23, 2008 - by MG

WOW 366 – the National Year of Reading

Yay, the WOW 366 book is out! It’s a collection of 366 stories, each exactly 366 words long. And the profits of the book sales will go to charity.

Perfect bedtime reading for busy parents…

Like many authors (including Roddy Doyle, Susan Cooper, Eva Ibbotson, Jeremy Strong, Georgia Byng, Ian Whybrow, Charlie Higson and Sally Nicholls) I was asked to contribute a story. I finally wrote down a little ghost story that I’ve been telling since I was a teenager, and more recently to my kids.

It did get a little stripped down for the 366-word format. My little daughter listened to me reading the written version (as opposed to the making-up-up-as-I-go-along version while she is in bed) and then glowered at me. “That’s not how it goes,” she said. “What about this and what about that…”

That’s the problem with oral story-telling. You add all these bits in the heat of the moment and you forget them right away. I’m still trying to remember a story I once told my older daughter, about a mouse, a lollipop-making kit and a magic chemistry set.

But it’s no use. It’ll never be as good again…

Oooh, guess what – (my story) Ghost Story, True Story is this week’s featured free WOW 366 story.

Meanwhile little daughter and I are reading Empty Quarter by Julia Golding. Cracking teen-girl spy adventure!

Related posts:

1. I am becoming an airhead with the attention span of a five-year old
2. Harry Potter 7 got me reading again
3. In the Oriental Reading Room, Editing