Dagger Awards
In response to Yvonne, below, after a shockingly long time: most awards restrict entry like this, the Booker, the Whitbread the Orange in the UK; the Edgars in the US.
Any book that is published for the first time in the UK is eligible for the Dagger Awards. For the Duncan Lawrie Dagger, books must be written originally in English. Translations are entered for the Duncan Lawrie International Dagger. If we opened the entry up and invited books that were not (yet) published in the UK, the judges would be overwhelmed with entries.
One day, it would be good to have an international Dagger for books published outside the UK - but we'd need a sponsor to fund it.
Danuta Reah on Saturday, September 2nd 2006 @ 03:30 PM GMT [link]
Falling Down the Gap
As a non-driver, I have spent more of my time than most on the train. Since I became a writer and started doing events, I sometimes wonder if I should sell the house, take my laptop, my phone and a sleeping bag and move into the neat and bijou accommodation offered by Midland Mainline, Virgin Trains, GNER and all those other mysterious organisations that suddenly appeared when John Major had a brainstorm and inflicted competition on the railways. So here is some advice from a seasoned rail traveller for those who only venture infrequently into the looking-glass land that was once British Rail.
You’ve been on the platform for 40 minutes, your train is not only delayed, it appears to be non-existent. The waiting room is locked. The PA System tells you periodically that bing bong we value your custom schzzz bzzzt bing bong. You are cold, wet and tired. Congratulations. You have been entered for the great train game. To help you out, here are some of the more popular events and the rules to help you survive:
1. Hunt the Train. This is when the traveller stands at platform 3a. The departures screen says that the 0815 to Retford is here, at this platform. The PA system announces bing bong The train now standing at platform 3a is the 0815 to Retford bing bong There is, however, no train. There is a rather ramshackle affair about twenty yards away at platform 3b that no one seems to own. The destination on the front of this train is ‘Sheffield’. As this is Sheffield station, this seems logical. A walk to the back of the train tells you that this end is going to Sheffield too, because this train is playing:
2. Passengers’ bluff. This is an easy one, and simply involves concealing the destination of the train from would-be travellers for as long as possible. A variation of this is Platform Jump. This involves parking a train that is heading to, say, Ashby-de-la-Zouche, next to a screen that says: 0815 to Retford. 30 seconds before lift off, the on-train team welcome the passengers aboard the 0813 to Ashby-de-la-Zouche. Points are scored for the number of passengers trapped by the closing doors as they scramble to exit.
3. Slow Attrition. For quiet days. This is usually played in combination with Hunt the train. When the Hunt the Train players are lined up on the platform and on their marks, the PA system announces: bing bong We are sorry that the 0815 to Retford is delayed by approximately 10 minutes bing bong. This is announced at 8.28. The announcement is repeated, adding increments of five minutes to the delay, at seven minute intervals. After about 40 minutes, the game switches to:
4. Musical Platforms. This game is played after several rounds of Slow Attrition. When the passengers have achieved full zombie mode on platform 3, the game can start. The PA system announces: Bing bong The train about to depart from platform 22 is the delayed 0815 to Retford bing bong. This is best played in stations with a lot of stairs and bridges, and long distances between platforms. It works best if not all the stairs and bridges lead to all platforms, or if repairs are underway and the crucial staircase is blocked off at the last possible exit point: We are sorry for the inconvenience. Passengers for platform 22 are advised to cross the bridge and use the stairway from the far end of platform 1.
5. Two Trains for the Price of One. One train – two destinations! Half way through the journey, the train splits. One half goes to – for example – Hastings and the other half goes to – again for example – Littlehampton. Passengers are told, at the start of the game, that the front of the train will go to Hastings. All train operatives then hide. The passengers have to guess whether the front of the train is the end that came into the station first or the end that will leave the station first. As the train is also playing Commuters Bluff, consulting either end of the train will not help. NB to players: it is not advisable to stand in the middle with one foot in one end of the train, the other foot in the other and your possession clutched in your arms. You may find yourself involved in a game of snap.
6. Now you see me, now you don’t. Usually played after a round of Slow Attrition and a few rounds of Musical Platforms. The PA system announces: bing bong We are sorry that the 0815 to Retford has been cancelled bing bong. This is repeated until three train loads of passengers who have had a good morning honing their games skills are queuing in the station. The game then switches to a popular variation on Two Trains for the Price of One, aka:
7. One Train for the Price of Three. It’s usually six carriages long. Now it’s two. There are three train-loads of people waiting to catch it. Which leaves everyone ideally placed for a game of
8. Squash.
The important rule to remember is this: you’re the passenger. You can’t win.
Bing bong.
Danuta Reah on Saturday, September 2nd 2006 @ 03:22 PM GMT [link]
