So I took myself and the book bag to the BBB last Sunday. After an aggravating start (one train cancelled, the next one delayed, only enough credit to send one text to announce lateness) I settled down to enjoy the actual trip. Though I generally loathe early starts, being a total night animal, I do get a certain amount of enjoyment from setting off at sparrowfart if it’s a selling trip or other interesting event.
The other thing I sometimes get from travelling (I don’t drive, so I go everywhere on trains or coaches) is inspiration: a concept for a story or two. I’ve been contemplating a current live call for subs which has no particular theme, so it’s been a matter of ‘what do I want to write about? Well, let’s see if I can have an idea on the train.’ As it turned out, Sunday was a snowy day for at least part of the country, and I do seem to have a bit of a thing about snow. Stories with a seasonal twist are nothing new but snow, particularly, seems to get my author brain going.
I’d been thinking vaguely along the lines of a title: Dog People (having been irritated, for a variety of reasons, by the fuss over Cat Person): something about puppy play, maybe. Staring out of the window gave me the makings of an opening line, and by the time the train pulled in to New Street I could see the characters in my head and I knew what they meant to one another and what they would do during a walk through the woods on a snowy day…
The BBB itself suffered a little from the rotten weather in terms of shopper presence (I do realise that not everyone is as robust as I am when it comes to going outside in the cold and rain) but it was still a fun afternoon. Of all the fetish markets and fairs, this is the longest-lived in terms of continuous running, so hats off to the team and it was great to be back and see some familiar faces.
I’m hoping to make it back next month, with even more stock, though there are some exciting things you will all just have to wait for…