A Thought for August:

The month of August gets its name in honour of August Caesar. Its origins date back to the Roman calendar. August’s flower is the gladioli. The birthstones are the peridot and the sardonyx. The days of August are often referred to as the ‘dog days of summer’ when most of the schools, colleges, and universities in the northern hemisphere are closed for the summer holidays.

In the year 1762, on the 6^th of August, to be precise, the sandwich was invented, given the name after the Earl of Sandwich. While gambling, he requested some meat to be placed between two slices of bread during the middle of a game.

During the month of August, authors Danielle Steele (over 190 books – so far, including Safe Harbour), Ann M. Martin (Baby-sitters Club series), and Walter D. Myers (Fallen Angels) were born.

While thinking about August with schools, colleges, and universities now in summer recess, have you ever thought about writing instead of (or as well as) reading? Is this not the golden opportunity to write a short story? I have often heard it said: there is a book in every one of us. Not all of us can be budding authors, but I’m sure we all have a story to tell. We just don’t realise it! It may not sound interesting to you, but to others, it may well be ‘a breath of fresh air’. For anyone keen to give it a try, there is a bundle of help on the internet. Everything from creating a cracking first line or paragraph to helping find the right name for your characters, self-editing, cover design, and much more. So, should you try, I wish you every success.

Happy reading – or writing.                                                         

B.W.  

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