The Enid Blyton Society

Just out of complete interest, how do you get articles for the journal? Do people suggest a topic? Do you have a panel of writers or can anyone write something for approval? How do you decide on subject matters?

I think you're addressing Tony really, Manzy, but I started writing for the Journal back in 2002, when Tony asked me if I'd do a write-up of that year's Enid Blyton Day (it was the first EB Day I had attended). After that I sent in other pieces which I felt might be of interest. Anyone can submit an article, which will be printed subject to approval. I write about whatever happens to be of interest to me at the time, though I check with Tony first to see whether he knows if anyone else is already working on an article on that topic. It's always great to hear from people who can write about something unique - e.g. they met or corresponded with Enid Blyton, they have an interesting story about their collection, they've used Blyton books in education or worked on a Blyton-related project, etc. Articles about the books or other ephemera are popular too, though they are usually fairly in-depth and more than just a straightforward review. They don't necessarily have to be long though - e.g. someone might decide to take a fresh look at one aspect of a story or character.

Anita

Anita has really said it all for me, anything that takes your fancy (but not My Little Pony! ). Don't think about the next Journal though, I am already in the position one gets in with a suitcase that has too much in it. I have sat hard on the lid and just about managed to squeeze it in to 84 pages, but there isn't even room left for a spare toothbrush!

Thanks Honestly, I wasn't thinking of writing for the Journal I really was wondering how you went about it all!

So anyone can write articles for Journals?

Yes, but writers need to be familiar with the kinds of articles published.

...So could I?

You could certainly try, Poppy. I have to be honest and say that most writers for the Journal are older. However, your forums posts show that your writing style is fluent and accurate. Tony doesn't publish everything that's submitted to him but if you feel passionately about something, for example a certain character in one of Enid Blyton's books, why not have a go at organising your thoughts and jotting down your observations in a way that would be interesting for others to read?

Occasionally people have remarked that there aren't many shorter articles or little snippets of information in the Journal, so it would be good to have more of those. It's interesting to read about Blyton-related experiences people have had (e.g. they might have an unusual story to tell about how they acquired something in their collection, or they might have given a talk on Blyton at school or performed in one of her plays or visited a place associated with Enid or her books). Or they may have a comment about a newspaper article or TV programme they've seen, which mentioned Enid Blyton (in that case it would help if they were able to quote a few relevant bits from the article or programme). Sometimes if you're writing for a publication for the first time, it's easier to start with something fairly short.

Thanks Anita!
Is there an email/address to send these articles to?
You can send me a PM if you like with the details.

The information might be useful to others too so I'll put it here. Contributors send submissions to Tony's email address, which can be found under "Contact Us". Articles are usually sent as Word documents attached to the email. As I said, not everything Tony receives will be published and it helps to know what has already appeared in recent issues of the Journal.

I was thinking about the kinds of things I'd like to hear about from young Blyton fans. For example I'd like to know whether they buy mainly modern editions or secondhand copies, and which they like best. Are they aware that the language in modern editions is updated, and what do they think about that? What is their opinion of continuation books by other authors like Pamela Cox, who has written additional titles for the Malory Towers and St. Clare's series? Do they find the books reasonably priced? Do they tend to buy the books or borrow them from friends or from the library? Why did they start reading Enid Blyton? What are their favourite titles, and why? Which illustrators do they like? What do their friends and teachers think about Enid Blyton? An article about growing up with Blyton in the 21st century could be rather interesting to read - though of course I'm not saying anyone has to write about that. It's just one idea.

OK thanks Anita.
I thought an article about Whitley Bay being linked to the books would be good and all about going there and that. I've actually already written it and got some photos printed out. Shall I try and email those to? I'll try and email it to him tonight.
Thanks again!

Anita Bensoussane wrote:Articles are usually sent as Word documents attached to the email.

     Must it be as a Word document? Not everyone uses this program.
     Not sure if my knowledge of Blyton's work is deep enough to write an article myself; but if I did (and I might consider it one day if I think of a Blyton topic I think I do know thoroughly enough which someone else hasn't already covered), I would not be able to send it in this format. I would be able to send as plain text, or in H.T.M.L. format - would these be acceptable?

Regards, Michael.

OpenOffice is a great alternative to Microsoft Word, and is compatible, so I imagine this is an acceptable format. And, it's free!

     If it's compatible with Word, then it's very likely I would not like its format, even if it's free. And I wouldn't be wanting to clutter up my computer with a program I'm not going to like using, and wouldn't want to consume large amounts of time learning a program I didn't like.

Regards, Michael.

I assume as long as whatever you sent could be opened properly in Word then it would be acceptable.