The Enid Blyton Society

Robert Houghton wrote:have you ever tried looking at census returns for the house? These can tell you quite a lot - who worked and lived there etc. Sometimes they can give quite an insight into a building

Thanks. I've looked at the 1901 census as per the house which wasn't that illuminating. I shall have to look at earlier ones. Not sure if they are available free on line or if you have to subscribe to a site?

FreeCEN is a site that's free to use, as the name suggests, but not every entry is on there. Most seem to be, though. You can look at census's from 1851 - 1891 free of charge.

Thanks! Be good to try to get clues as to whom the statues depict if nothing else!

The EB story by Bob Mullins quotes the following satire by Joyce Grenfell in 1954 on this topic:

" Hullo, boys and girls. I was so pleased when you asked me to come along and tell you how I write my books for children. Well, of course, the answer is - I don't. No, my books write themselves for me...
Well as you know, children, I write lots and lots of books for you and this is how I set about it. First of all I go upstairs to my Hidey Hole - well, this is really just a great big upstairs workroom but I like to call it my Hidey Hole. I pin a notice on the door and it says: 'Gone to Make Believe Land.' This is just my way of saying: 'Please don't come and bother me because a book is writing itself for me and we mustn't disturb it, must we?'
Then I put a clean white sheet of paper in my typewriter and I sit down in front of it and I close my eyes. And what do I see? I see a rambling old house in Cornwall. And I hear seagulls - and I see children - one -two - three children scrambling up the cliffs because they are very nearly late for tea, and their names are Jennifer-Ann, and Robin-John, and the little one is called Midge - because he is the littlest one. (Oh yes, he has a proper name. It's Anthony Timothy Jeremy Michael and he doesn't like porridge - but, we won't tell anyone, will we?) "

I don't think I can add anything to what has already been said, and discussed, but I will say this, that Enid's writing flows wonderfully, there's never an occastion missed where she doesn't use something to liven up that "Moment in time".

Most of my inspiration comes from Enid's writing. I'm a bit un creative in a way, I see other ideas and think "How could I work this from a different angle?" Some of my creations come from my life, everyday things, little trival things that occur without me really noticing.

I suppose it's difficult to really see what sort of talent she had? It's the whole Psycological point of view I suppose; Did she write because she was Talented Or Did she have to work at it?

You could link it in with escapism; it was her way of blocking out the things that were wrong in her life, like her father leaving, and parts of her Married life with Hugh.
Or an outlet?

I know that my writing brings me joy, and I would like to share it with the world, but on the other hand if I don't then it's not really a problem. Some of it, I've never shown to anyone, some I share publicly

Sorry I've rambled long enough!

Pippa-Stef wrote: I know that my writing brings me joy, and I would like to share it with the world, but on the other hand if I don't then it's not really a problem. Some of it, I've never shown to anyone, some I share publicly

If you'd really like to share some of your writing why not post some on here? Or try writing an article for the journal?

Many authors seem to use, or claim to use this "cinema screen" method. I read an interview with Julia Donaldsen once and she said much the same thing.

Lucky Star wrote:

Pippa-Stef wrote: I know that my writing brings me joy, and I would like to share it with the world, but on the other hand if I don't then it's not really a problem. Some of it, I've never shown to anyone, some I share publicly

If you'd really like to share some of your writing why not post some on here? Or try writing an article for the journal?

I'll have a bit of a think about that!

I do have a poem I don't mind sharing though, thats if people want to see it. I don't like "Shoving" things into people's faces!

Pippa-Stef wrote:
I do have a poem I don't mind sharing though, thats if people want to see it. I don't like "Shoving" things into people's faces!

Here I am.

Pippa-Stef wrote: I do have a poem I don't mind sharing though, thats if people want to see it. I don't like "Shoving" things into people's faces!

Shove away, old thing; shove away!

Lucky Star wrote: Many authors seem to use, or claim to use this "cinema screen" method. I read an interview with Julia Donaldsen once and she said much the same thing.

This is the way I tend to write when doing anything creative. To me it's the only way to imagine things. Characters and situations just spring up in my mind, rather like a cinema screen, and as you write you can see them 'acting out' the scenes you write: where things are positioned, the colours and settings etc.

I've split this thread from the point at which Pippa-Stef posted her poem, as people have expressed an interest in posting/reading more poems written by Forumites. The new thread for people's own poems is called "Poetry Corner" and is to be found in General Natter:

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/foru ... &sk=t&sd=a" target="_blank

Anita

Good idea! Thanks Anita.

Sounds interesting. Many thanks Anita.

It just occured to me if Enid ever edited what she wrote or cast a critical eye over the end product after her 'cinema screen' had closed down?

I would think that you could write something poor or overblown at times if you used this method? To my mind all she wrote was consistently good and vivid with some poorer work at the end of her life when her mind was failing. Surely you'd expect more than a few books that were very weak if you were using a subconcious method to write?

It probably accounts for the repetition of the various themes within the books, secret passages, caves, treasure etc.

Belly wrote:It just occured to me if Enid ever edited what she wrote or cast a critical eye over the end product after her 'cinema screen' had closed down?

I would think that you could write something poor or overblown at times if you used this method? To my mind all she wrote was consistently good and vivid with some poorer work at the end of her life when her mind was failing. Surely you'd expect more than a few books that were very weak if you were using a subconcious method to write?

It probably accounts for the repetition of the various themes within the books, secret passages, caves, treasure etc.

I'd always thought Enid wrote her stories on the type-writer and didnt alter them at all between initial typing and publication, but then, seeing the manuscripts on display at the Enid Blyton Day this year I realised she actually did make quite big changes to what she had typed: the manuscripts were littered with her hand-written add-ins and edits. So it appears she did go back through what she had typed and made changes where she thought it appropriate.