The first show he plays goes without incident. But the second night, by request, he closes the show with a Scots traditional called Geordie, about a woman pleading for the life of her husband, who has been sentenced to death for stealing the King's deer. And the result - the eruption into the crowded room of a violent, passionate phantom - is as unexpected as it is terrifying.

Here's a suggestion if you want shorter:

By request, he closes a show with a Scots traditional ballad called Geordie, about a woman pleading for the life of her husband, who had been sentenced to death for stealing the King's deer. The terrifying result: a violent, passionate phantom loosed on the crowded room.

Wouldn't the appearance of a ghost be, almost by definition, unexpected?

t nods

Those both sound fascinating, Deb.

ION, Word spellcheck wants me to make "Shropshire" either "shoeshine" or "trashier." Yeah.

There ought to be a "Name" option on spellcheck, at least. Because mine calls up my own name as a misspelled word, which annoys me on some existential level I'm afraid to poke.

Because mine calls up my own name as a misspelled word

Add it to the dictionary -- it'll help your sanity.

I'm thinking it may be too late on that. But maybe it'll slow the leak...

I've added many, many things to the dictionary. Now including Shropshire. But I always check the alternatives first, for sheer amusement value.

Yep, I had to add my own name to my spellcheck dictionary. Infuriating, but as ita points out, satisfying.

edit: says my agent, "these are geat! I'll get them off to Ruth as a package and follow up next week, to make sure she got them."

(deep breath)

Dude. The ball, she be rolling.

Wish me writing~ma.

I found out about a new website devoted to history-related travel in England (planning to expand to include Scotland and Wales later in the year). They pay, not a lot, but enough to make me willing to try. They already had someone working on a write-up on Bath, so I fired off an email to the editor asking if she'd like mini-features on Avebury, Glastonbury, and/or Wells. She replied, saying someone else was working on Avebury, but she'd love a piece on Glastonbury, and to check back in a few months with a more detailed proposal on Wells, since she thinks it'd be a good choice for one of the longer features she's already well-inventoried in for now.

So now I need to jog my memory WRT Glastonbury and what I thought of it, come up with the right evocative words, and send it off in the next few days. It's a small thing, but I'd really like it to work out--selling on my first query of 2005 would feel like a good omen after my drought in 2004. And if she likes it, I'll be in good shape to sell her the feature about Wells later on, not to mention pieces on places I've traveled in Wales and Scotland once the site expands.

Susan, that's awesome! Let's hope it's something that can become a regular source of income. If anything, it's more to add to your resume (or whatever you call a body of written works, my brain, she be dead this morning.)

um, that's a clipfile. Or some people say "portfolio".