David's Musings on Writing

Writing - Making your excuses but whatever - READ

2013-06-18T20:47:00.000+01:00

Below are some of the genuine excuses people tried to use to avoid paying their TV licences

"Apparently my dog, which is a corgi, is related to the Queen's dog so I didn't think I needed a TV Licence," is one of the real-life excuses given to TV Licensing last year in an effort to evade payment.

With over 400,000 people caught without a valid TV Licence over the last twelve months it is perhaps not surprising that some explanations were beyond the realms of probability.

"I could not pay as I only have two pairs of pants and they were both in the wash," was the reason given by a viewer in Slough. Meanwhile, television set owner in Scotland claimed he only used his as a lamp. "If you switch it on it gives a good glow which allows me to read my book,"

When watching the dvd of Roald Dahl's Matilda I was amused to hear one line spoken by Danny deVito,

"What can you get from a book that you can't get from a book faster?"

Interesting question for people who write to consider.

It was answered in part by a young girl, Megan aged 10 who read 275 books in the two months of the Booktrust competition which works out at something like 4.5 books each day. The schools have been involved and time provided for reading during the day. As long as I have been in teaching there have been strategies for getting children to read, to the extent that I'm coming round to the viewpoint that reading is influenced by conditioning. In short if there is a history of reading in the family then children will read.

Quite a lot is written about boys and reading but my answer is the same. If they come from reading families they will read. There is a concern about the amount of time spent viewing screens of one type or another but if there is a history of reading the flickering one eyed god in the corner of the room will never supplant the written word and I think it is down to TIME. Reading gives you time to use your imagination the development of which is an essential part of every human's make-up. I can best illustrate this by referring back to the time when my little girl, well she was little then, read the Harry Potter books and then learned of the forthcoming film version which we went to see together. On leaving the multiplex cinema she was both disappointed and annoyed. The film had not stuck close enough to the story and the characters had not lived up to her imagination. In a sense it's rather like comparing an imitation plastic box to a hand crafted wooden version. The former is quick and easy to produce but lacks the depth of quality and workmanship that the wooden box has to offer.

When we write there is a part of ourselves that is intertwined through the words and all that that means. Our culture, generation, history, attitudes and experiences are all in there in some measure and usually in the voice that we are speaking with when writing our works. We write from experience even if we are producing SF, Fantasy Historical or poetic works. None of these things can you derive from a cinematic precis.

God Bless

A Tuesday Recipe - Teriyaki Chicken with warm potato salad

2013-06-17T20:12:00.000+01:00

This dish is easy and very tasty. But in some ways it is a bit of a cheat because I used Blue Dragon Teriyaki Marinade.

I used this short cut because it contains, soy sauce, mirin, and honey. The only additional item that needed popping in was a drop of sake although I prefer to drink it warm on its own and without any adulteration. I also marinated the chicken for the minimum of half an hour and it still did the job.

The teriyaki chicken I served with warm spicy potato salad and tomato. The recipe for the potato salad is on last week's recipe on the Recipe Tab above as is the Teriyaki recipe.

I served this dish as above but it would go equally well with rice or noodles and green vegetables would suit also.

This is also quite a cheap meal. The marinade would also go with pork or beef and is suitable for stir fry, grilling or barbecue. In fact you could use it with stir fry vegetables or vegetarian protein substitutes such as tofu.

The Blue Dragon cost £1.59 and will cover three more meals and the main reason for using it for me is because of the difficulty in obtaining the mirin. Mirin is a type of sake with lower alcohol levels and higher amounts of carbohydrate which is not derived from sugar.

God Bless

Writing - Fathers' Day

2013-06-16T20:16:00.000+01:00

Father's Day is a celebration honouring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. Many countries celebrate it on the third Sunday of June, but it is also celebrated widely on other days. Father's Day was created to complement Mother's Day, a celebration that honours mothers and motherhood.

My Father

1919 - 1993

He's never far away!

My daughter' father!

If you take away the 'w' from wrapper the sign over my face takes on a whole new meaning! This photo was taken in front of the Trevi Fountain in Rome this year.

Just a bit of fun! It made me laugh and my daughter is still chuckling.

-------------------------------------------------

Fathers

Beginning from a position of weakness

His day created to balance Mothers'

Paternity leave available but not taken

Always has the remotes

Leaves the toilet seat up

Forgets birthdays and anniversaries

Uses the last of the milk and leaves empty bottles in the fridge

Snores all night long

Hogs the duvet

Watches sport on TV and sighs at soaps

Drinks beer with consequences

Hates going shopping and forgets things

Not a leg to stand on - well he's

MALE!

Has a pair of broad shoulders to cry on

Hands that provide strong support

Walks the nights away nursing children

A story telling fool making listeners laugh

A sports coach who develops skills

A chauffeur to all who needs him

Protects the family unit like a lion

Works all hours that God sends

Tends the garden and runs the car

well he's a DAD!

©David L Atkinson June 2013

God Bless

Writing - Mental pictures and imagination.

2013-06-15T21:09:00.000+01:00

I've been writing this morning, I don't often on a Saturday because I'm usually busy cooking but not today. I'm being taken out for lunch tomorrow as it is Father's Day so no need to create. I had time so I continued Chapter 9 of Cessation. The story is developing to my satisfaction but it struck me that what I was doing while writing was picturing the scene as it unfolded before me. I think that is why errors creep into my work. I see what is happening and need to write quickly to get down what I'm looking at. (As John Milton once said 'The mind is its own place')
I've been 'Stumbling' recently and have come across a number of pages that give out advice about being a writer. The advice is free and much of it excellent but there is one thing that crops up frequently and that is the suggestion to keep a notebook handy at all times. Really that reflects back on me trying to rapidly describe my mental pictures as I'm writing my books. There is no telling when such pictures will explode into your mind and so having a notebook handy is explainable. Another thing that works for me is poetry. Oh I know many people would say that writing and reading poetry is not 'fashionable' but one thing it does do is encourage you to focus on words. I have found that the more poetry I write the more aware I am of the sound of what I'm writing in my novels - the voice if you like.
Voice is a huge term that probably means different things to different writers. For me the way my work 'sounds' is the atmosphere I perceive when reading my words. I am aware that it is not such a good idea to define an abstract concept with another fairly abstract term but 'voice' is so much more than the audible sound of the words. It includes the feel of the situation as well so as I'm writing I am partially aware of the voice as well as the mental picture that I'm writing from at the time. It's all good fun.

-------------------------------------------------------

Another chapter of 'The 51st State' is available at Venture Galleries (see below)

http://venturegalleries.com/serial-title/the-51st-state/

THE 51ST STATE

Patrick A Steele is principally an Englishman. He finds the influence that the USA enjoys within his country to be abhorrent and decides that he should research into the possibility of doing something about the ‘special relationship’ to which the two nations profess.
Patrick Steele is an accountant with training in a variety of physical skills. He has made himself a self-styled Robin Hood available to right the wrongs of society using his skills as an accountant and a man of violence.
The Gurentai, a more benevolent sub-group of the Japanese Yakuza, set Steele up with a Swiss bank account with sufficient remuneration to purchase an empty factory unit and set it up as a training facility and garage.
After persuading his Japanese companion, Takuo Sumisu and Naomi Kobayashi, to become involved, he also elicits assistance from the German and French secret services. There then ensues a variety of actions that take Patrick and his Japanese allies across Europe and eventually to the US before returning to the UK. Will the efforts of Patrick and his cronies be enough to drive a rift between the USA and the UK? Discover the outcome in ‘The 51ST State’

- See more at: http://venturegalleries.com/serial-title/the-51st-state/#sthash.wGYAy7jF.dpuf

God Bless

Writing - Skeuomorphism?

2013-06-14T21:19:00.000+01:00

What is skeuomorphism?

A skeuomorph is a physical ornament or design on an object made to resemble another material or technique. Examples include pottery embellished with imitation rivets reminiscent of similar pots made of metal, or a software calendar that imitates the appearance of a paper desk calendar.

Other examples are the recycle bin on your desktop, the envelope symbol for email and the scissors for cut and paste function. Skeuomorphs are not strictly something that can be designed they occur unintentionally when aesthetic styles are inherited without thinking.

The reason I include this strange word and its meaning is that there seems to be something of a row going on between the supertechies in their ivory towers about whether skeuomorphisms should continue or whether 'proper' icons should be designed for desktop symbols and those being used on smartphones and tablets.

The purpose of using skeuomorphs was to keep things simple for new users and it concerns me that someone thinks that it is no longer necessary. Are there no new users any more?

This word coincided with an interview on an unrelated matter and that was the desire of utility companies to have users move to online statements as opposed to paper statements. Some plausible young man sat in the BBC Breakfast studio and claimed that customers were asking for their statements to be available online. I'm sure some customers are, as I'm equally sure that those customers are possibly not from the 'baby boomer' generation and definitely not older. The point about using hard copy statements as ID was brought up and he naively suggested that people would have to use passports and driving licences. I didn't exactly scream at the screen 'What about those who don't drive and have no wish to travel abroad?' My mum was one of those.

It comes back to the lack of consideration by young of those who were not brought up with the computer. To place some chronology on this argument please consider my experience of personal computers:-

1980 - saw my first desk top computer at a library in Ilkley College, Yorkshire. It was a Commodore Pet!

1982 - 1 desk top computer was given to every secondary school in the UK.

1984 - I acquired my first home computer.

1988 - My daughter was born. She is the youngest of my three children and although all three are computer literate she was the one who was totally attuned to the machines from the earliest age.

My point is that I was the science teacher and it was either that member of staff or the Maths teacher in schools that unpacked and learned how to use the blessed things, and I was dead keen on understanding their use. If we round the date to 1990 then we can say that home computers have only been in common usage for about 23 years. The sector of the population most familiar with them will be those aged between 3 and 49 approximately but only if they were interested. I would suggest that there is a sector of society aged 50 or older who may have never used or wanted to use a computer. Anyone who'd left school by 1990 would have had no experience of using the machines. They were a luxury in the beginning not a necessity.

I just wish that these bright young things who make pronouncements would remember that they are not talking to the whole of society. Governments should also legislate for those not computer literate and who have no desire to be so.

'A book is a friend that does what no friend can do - stay quiet when you want to think!'

The above reminded me of my book 'Cessation' and the reason for the 'stop' which sparked the original idea in my mind. Take away the electricity!

SF poetry

SF Sonnet

What will happen when the lights do go out?

The fragile establishment will crumble.

Warning signs were there for us all to flout

those left behind have no cause to grumble.

Life for the remainder will be rougher.

The electronic revolution died.

Self-reliance for food makes things tougher.

To change your behaviour - you must decide.

Small is more beautiful in collectives,

life skills rather than pounds are currency.

Days free from useless top down directives,

purer forms of relative decency.

When the rug is swept from beneath your feet

catch the music with a different beat.

©David L Atkinson February 2013

God Bless

Writing - Poetry on YouTube

2013-06-13T22:44:00.000+01:00

I wrote my usual poetry blog yesterday and shared the results of a 'how to write poetry' exercise. These I am going to have as the subject of my YouTube blog today.

http://youtu.be/36xf8kwkW-c

My aim of uploading these poems is to become more comfortable but so far that doesn't seem to be working I feel that I still look like a frightened rabbit in the car headlights! However, the content is interesting I hope to more than just myself.

'A book is a friend that does what no friend can do - stay quiet when you want to think!'

The newest project of mine 'Cessation' has surpassed 20k words. It is a slightly different take on post-apocalyptic Britain. I can hear you groaning 'Oh No! Not another one.' but I believe that it is a different take in that I'm consecrating on relationships, reasons for the apocalypse happening and a different take on group dynamics. As this is a departure from the Steele novels I half thought it may be a bit of a struggle but I think there is a momentum to an exciting new work that carries you forward. I was discussing this with my daughter, who is writing in her spare time, and she has admitted to 'first chapter syndrome'. She talked a great deal of what Caleb Pirtle III featured in a recent blog and that was 'voice'. I'm sure that she will get over it but she did say that when she re-reads her first chapter it doesn't come across as she wants it to. I suggested that she writes a second chapter before re-reading, which may work for her. Whatever she will find a way.

I just bought: 'Broom's Odyssey' by Jo VonBargen

This Texan author and poet produces vivid and compelling work. I just bought the above book for my Kindle.

God Bless

Poetry Thursday 66 - How to write poetry.

2013-06-12T20:37:00.000+01:00

How to write poetry

There are loads of different exercises and by typing in the above heading or variations of it you can obtain loads of examples. I chose to expand on two of them.

1. The poem below came from an exercise I found on Google. It was simply to write a fairly mundane sentence about anything at all and then develop it and expand. The sentence I wrote was 'The sky is blue in the evening sun.' I brainstormed alternatives for sun and blue including shades, times of day and seasons See belowthen I started writing phrases until I came up with whole group that I liked and started to put them down in an order I was happy with.

Blue Sky Thinking

The late evening early summer orb

spills its dying rays across the

black velvet of the universe

and polluted earth’s atmosphere,

creating a steely blue vista flecked

with occasional white.

The culmination of a summer’s day

that began somewhat grey

but reached a crescendo of blue evening light.

With the potential of another day that may just

fulfil the season’s promise.

As the sun withdraws to rest itself and us

from its vapour sapping power.

It teases out expectation of more of the same

But is it falsifying the evidence and leading us on

to misplaced hope rather like a reluctant virgin?

©David L Atkinson June 2013

2. Grand Theft Poetry

The idea behind this is to 'borrow' lines from existing poems. Choose 10 or 12 poems, select a line from each and write them down. Don't look for the best or those with links just a rapid selection. Once you have made your choice shuffle them into what you feel is a poetic order that suits.

Grand Theft Poetry

I cannot think the creature died

because he is of the tribe of tigers.

Everyone believed there was one cat too many

but who rides the tiger can never dismount.

Perhaps he'll wind up another night of sluggish trade.

There may be a scrap of paper in the hall or on the stairs.

He goes in to see what they're at.

Its dark but through the window I see no star

even when they throw down their spears.

He stooped and drank a little more

and at last and sidelong he returned.

©David L Atkinson June 2013

I am not sure that this example suits me. I have said many times that I believe poetry to be an emotional response to a situation and mechanically selecting lines in this way goes against my feelings.

Sometimes writing poetry can simply begin by writing a word or phrase list about a theme. It may be you just start writing and see what comes out with a polishing process later. Which ever method you choose will feel right to you and I wish you luck in your search.

Remember a poet is someone who has dared to pull back the veil of reality and look at real life.

God Bless

Story telling - Agit8 - protesting.

2013-06-11T20:29:00.000+01:00

Since I was a boy there have been protests. A number of current singers and songwriters are getting together to nudge the delegates at the next G8 Conference. Their campaign is called agit8.

This was an early protest.

Another was the Tolpuddle Martyrs who were a group of 19th century Dorset agricultural labourers who were arrested for and convicted of swearing a secret oath as members of the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers. The rules of the society show it was clearly structured as a friendly society and operated as a trade-specific benefit society. But at the time, friendly societies had strong elements of what are now considered to be the predominant role of trade unions. The Tolpuddle Martyrs were subsequently sentenced to transportation to Australia.

The Luddites were 19th-century English textile artisans who protested against newly developed labour-saving machinery from 1811 to 1817. The stocking frames, spinning frames and power looms introduced during the Industrial Revolution threatened to replace the artisans with less-skilled, low-wage labourers, leaving them without work.

The Jarrow Crusade.

The 207 marchers travelled from the town of Jarrow to the Palace of Westminster in London, a distance of almost 300 miles (480 km), to lobby Parliament. Their MP, Ellen Wilkinson, known as 'Red Ellen', walked with them. When the marchers completed their feat, very little was done for them. The town's shipbuilding industry remained closed, with the marchers given £1 each for the train fare back from London.

All of the above, and many other protest situations have one thing in common. They are all about the ordinary people fighting the establishment for better conditions for a variety of reasons and yes we are getting back there again. agit8 is a collection of musicians who have got together for a week of protest singing in an effort to awaken some level of public consciousness in the G8 delegates.

In anticipation of the G8 summit next week, the rocker's advocacy organization, the ONE, kicks off agit8, a week-long music campaign designed to put pressure on policymakers to take action against extreme poverty. Agit8 recruited the help of at least 50 artists, ranging from U2 and Sting to Mumford & Sons and Ed Sheeran, to release music videos of themselves doing covers of protest songs.

This takes me back to my teen years and the Ban the Bomb protests that were sparked by the Cuban Missile crisis in the early 1960s. It was quite a frightening time as I recall and a number of artists produced protest songs but the one who stands out for me was Bob Dylan and some of his music is being repeated this next week.

Bob Dylan

Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly reluctant figurehead of social unrest. A number of Dylan's early songs, such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'", became anthems for the US civil rights and anti-war movements.

My point today is - what has changed? Whatever, protesting does have an effect. You just have to look at the women's suffrage movement and the eventual success they had. BUT why should this be necessary in a supposed democratic society where people are elected to represent people?

The music of Bob Dylan is available on YouTube.

God Bless

A Tuesday Recipe - A sausage sarnie! + a simple pizza base

2013-06-10T20:40:00.000+01:00

This is not a lite bite!

The above sandwich was an amalgamation of left overs. I had a small onion, an egg 2 low fat sausages, a few new potatoes and a wholemeal bread bun plus some bits and pieces in my cupboard to enhance flavours.

The potato salad is spicy and the sausages were cooked with onions and mushrooms. It was very tasty!

The full recipe is on the appropriate TAB above.

As an experiment I have been 'playing with' pizza bases. While my daughter and I were in Rome at the end of April we had pizza for one of our evening meals, no surprise there you may say, but the base was exquisite and very thin. It allowed the taste of the topping to come through. That was the inspiration for this morning of experimentation. I love pizza but never buy deep pan or stuffed crust any more because they are not Italian and detract from the flavours on the top! I'll let you know how I go on.

The best of yesterday's attempts!

then!!!!!!!

this.

I feel quite pleased!

The recipe is very simple.

Ingredients

5oz plain flour

2tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp baking powder

5 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 tsp sea salt

cold water to bind.

Method

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and add the water carefully until you have a workable dough that isn't too sticky. Knead the dough for a minute or two then roll into a circle. Using a frying or crepe pan and a little olive oil brown the pizza base on both sides then place on a baking tray. Apply the topping then place in a moderate to hot oven for about twenty minutes. Voila!

God Bless

Story writing - telling stories.

2013-06-09T20:07:00.000+01:00

'I want to tell you a story'

I had another Bart Simpson moment this morning - Duh!

When thinking about writing stories I had quite forgotten the influence of story telling both by others to me and by me to others.

The above book was the first I can remember having had read to me by the headteacher of my infant school. It was often the case that headteachers gave class teachers some time out by holding one of these reading activities sessions. At the junior school I attended we had a similar experience when the headmaster read:-

Sadly, once I reached the age of 11 I transferred to grammar school and the story telling stopped. Having always been a reader it didn't mean my experience of stories stopped but it was self-driven and my mum guided me to the local library. It wasn't until 4th and 5th form, when we had to study writings as part of the examination curriculum, that teachers became involved once again.

After leaving school, training to be a teacher and working in secondary school, another sabbatical from story telling occurred until my sons were born. Then again when my daughter was born.

In amongst the family changes there were also work changes and I began to read stories to the under 11s that were in my class in the school in which I was employed. There were two stories that stood out as being popular with the children:-

and both of which were extremely popular with boys and girls alike.

Now I believe that one of the reasons for the popularity was my attempts at voice characterisation. I'm not saying that I was any good but I tried and the classes I read to seemed to appreciate the effort.

Jackanory was a daily BBC short which involved someone reading a story on TV. These people were often well-known personalities but even Prince Charles became involved.

My feeling is that story telling activities are an important factor in child development. I believe that there is a basic human need to allow the mind to 'escape' reality for brief periods of time. Why else would people want to make up stories? Of course this all leads on to the necessity for people to be able to decode written symbols which they've been doing for millennia. It is all inter-linked and points to the need for people like writers to provide the fuel for hungry imaginations. So if you are a story writer or teller - KEEP GOING!

R.I.P. Iain Banks

Author Iain Banks has died aged 59, two months after announcing he had terminal cancer, his family has said.

The Scottish writer revealed in April he was suffering from terminal gall bladder cancer and was unlikely to live for more than a year.

He was best known for his novels The Wasp Factory, The Crow Road and Complicity.

God Bless

Writing - Strong characters

2013-06-08T20:30:00.000+01:00

Prince Phillip (92) Nelson Mandela (94)

The strength of characters in our stories is of prime importance if the readers are to engage with them and want to read more about their adventures. I was reminded of the importance of this with the news of two extremely strong men who, both of great age and immense personality, are unwell. It goes without saying that I wish them well but there is the significant factor of age in both cases. God bless them both.

My lead character, Patrick A Steele, is built. Does that sound arrogant? I hope not because what I mean is that with the most recent story, Inceptus, there is more detail of his early life which completes the picture. I had always intended to provide him with some history and when I began the latest story it was in my mind to stop writing Steele novels but I was unsure as to whether to kill off my hero or to leave him with options at the end. Read the book to find out what happens. The links are at the side of this blog.

As an aside the book is now available through Amazon, WH Smith, Waterstones and Barnes and Noble. It can be bought as an ebook or paperback on both sides of the pond.

Back to the characters. Strong characters are not just big fast and invulnerable, in fact although Steele has acquired an impressive skill set he is not exceptionally tall or strong. The strength I have strived to develop is within his personality and for a fully rounded character there should also be a modicum of vulnerability. The latter trait could not be so significant that he couldn't work but needed to be there for realities sake. Like the two great men at the top of this page Steele is human and so has his frailties.

Then there is the love element of Steele. He is not an island and nor is he a Casanova but he likes women and has 'dabbled' at various times. In fact the romantic element has grown over the last four stories. Want to no more? Read it!

I read a colleagues blog about design of the same and have removed the pop-ups from this blog so I hope that it is more user friendly than before.

God Bless

Writing - What goes around comes around!

2013-06-07T22:44:00.000+01:00

Ex-troops without degrees to train as teachers

Former armed forces personnel without degrees will be fast-tracked into teaching in England under a new government programme.

The Troops to Teachers scheme will help "highly skilled" former military personnel become teachers within two years.
Education Minister David Laws said ex-members of "our inspiring armed forces" could make great teachers.
Teaching unions doubted whether two years' training would be enough.
According to the Department for Education (DfE), service leavers without degrees "will be the only people able to start training as a teacher without a degree and be qualified within two years".

This article struck me today as a flashback to the baby boomer years. I remember discussions between my parents in the late fifties about ex-soldiers from the 2nd World War going into schools to teach and how effective they would be. When I reached grammar school in the sixties there was one member of staff who stood out from the rest for a variety of reasons but he was an ex-soldier. He was actually the most 'human' of the older guard on the staff. Yet here we are again fifty years on, talking about transferring our troops to the classroom with some kind of 'quick fix' training regime.
I have no objection to ex soldiers becoming teachers if that is their motivation but the government can't force a vocation on someone because there are shortages. The most important footnote I suppose is that Michael Gove, the secretary of state for education, has expressed a desire for teachers to have a Masters Degree to be able to teach. How does he square the corners on that one? Good luck to all those soldiers who take up teaching because they have the drive to do so.

I remember an elderly relative who often repeated the saying 'there's nothing new under the sun' and if she were still here I'm sure she would trot out the same mantra at the above situation. It is similar in writing stories. The number of plot lines is limited, some say to as few as seven, but the variations within those possible plots there are infinite variations. So you have the links between 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'West Side Story' and 'Pygmalion' and 'My Fair Lady' although it's questionable whether the original writers would recognise their work in different guises.

This weekend in Bradford, West Yorkshire and televised on BBC 3 on Sunday at 9.00pm there is another first of sorts.

Bollywood style

Bizet is probably spinning but I'm sure that it will be a wonderfully colourful and exciting event.

God Bless

Writing - YouTube a 2nd attempt - the meaning of words.

2013-06-06T22:16:00.000+01:00

Yes I am having another go at YouTube. Wise? I don't know! People of my generation and background don't go round broadcasting themselves. The poem is better and the reading slightly less wooden. I suppose that as in all things 'practice makes perfect' then I will get better at this and lose the lack of confidence that is tangible at the moment.

Xanthous

http://youtu.be/SYrQjdcpsP0

The meaning of words.

The poem featured in the blog yesterday and in the above YouTube link is called Xanthous, with a 'u'. I was looking for something a little more mysterious than 'Yellow' for the title of the poem and chose Xanthous from a thesaurus. Since then I've come across a number of alternatives for the same word or name.

Xanthus of Lydia was a native Lydian historian and logographer who, during the mid-fifth century BC, wrote texts on the history of Lydia

Xanthus and Balius are the two immortal horses that Poseidon gave to Peleus as a wedding present.

Xanthus King, Jeremiah

King Jeremiah is a Dark Spirit who invades you in the Painted World of Ariamis. It says in the item description that King Jeremiah was exiled to the Painted World along with other exiled people/abominations.

Finally the definition of Xanthous (and sometimes Xanthus) :

relating to, or designating races with yellowish hair and a light complexion.
So nothing is ever cast in tablets of stone. In fact the context is of prime importance to ascertain true meanings at times. I remember many years ago being party to a conversation concerning the cleverest person in the world. A scenario between a boy and a man taking a walk in a forest was described where the child repeatedly asked for the name of trees, animals and other objects. The supposedly intelligent man admonished the child for worrying about the names and insisted that it was function and relation to others that was more important. This was supposedly a sign of intelligence. If you consider for a while someone with a good memory can regurgitate lists of names which is a stop or two short of understanding the function of the objects in the list.

When we write we choose our words to generate ideas and pictures in the minds of the reader and so the choices we make are essential. They are our basic and probably most important tools.

God Bless

Poetry Thursday 65 - Xanthous

2013-06-05T20:38:00.000+01:00

This one came to me last night and surprised me. It is not about me and I'm not sure where the inspiration came from. I know I was thinking about description and atmosphere in connection with 'Cessation' my latest novel and I'd also been watching part of 'Abraham Lincoln Vampire Slayer'. I think the colour came from the film.
In many respects this poem is about where inspiration comes from and as such is an example of the drive to write coming from different places. The form rather like the characters in my books fit what was in my mind and provided the vehicle I was looking for on this occasion.

Xanthous

Yellow light of a jaundiced, fly-spotted bulb

in a sickly, warm, damp room.

The solitary wooden chair of a lonely existence

and an old newspaper crisply, stiffly open on a table

not trumpeting its lies for anyone to take notice of.

The unshaven, unkempt, unknown form on the bed

dead, asleep, comatose perhaps, in a twilight life.

Who knows the history that built it

and is now demolishing the same?

Not a sound to break the xanthous spell

perhaps a suggested inspiration from it.

No traffic sound or distantly peeling bell

just ominous, blanketing, cloying, muteness.

The silence as golden as the ambient light

the kernel of life disturbed nothing.

What would break the sepulchral atmosphere?

Not even a stray rodent searching for sustenance

broke the all-encompassing thrall.

Would it rise tomorrow to face another one,

to battle through to night once more?

Then to seek blessed relief in solitude

or will it just blend into the yellowness?

The ambient aromas of staleness and ordure

generated from the supine entity

do not alone indicate vigour.

Yet there is an inner glow.

The faint spark may be dim but retains power

even in ITS sickly, inadequate condition.

It will go on and find a rosier glow

against the adversity of yellow mediocrity.

©David L Atkinson June 2013

God Bless

Writing - Use of words and English

2013-06-04T20:46:00.001+01:00

Now I am not a great fan of Reality TV shows but every now and again a gem is thrown up. If you have three minutes please have a look at this comedian.

Jack Carroll

http://youtu.be/uNHRcC1Fke0

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Use of English

I was inspired to write about the use of our language as a result of listening to Jack Carroll (14). He is a schoolboy with cerebral palsy who seems to be totally uninhibited and is genuinely funny. He uses puns, pokes fun at his own situation and has superb timing, as well as being very intelligent. One of the 'jokes he told was,

'I have to tell you I can't stand.....

I need to re-emphasise.

I have to tell you I can't stand'

Now I know you will have read that and be thinking David has finally lost it, but try saying the first and third lines with different emphasis and you will see what I mean. The audience thought it hilarious.

So back to the Use of English. When I was in the fifth form at school, the year we took our GCE examinations, we all took English Language and if we failed it we took it again and again. However, if it was realised that a child would never pass, the powers that be had an alternative and it was Use of English. I have no idea what the course work was like or what the examination entailed as I was fortunate to have passed my GCE English Language, but a good friend of mine didn't and took the alternative.

Now this friend of mine had a very strong mackem accent and a keen and very able mathematical mind but he couldn't get to grips with English, a criticism levelled at many natives of Mackem land! The problem being for him that Use of English wasn't recognised by UK universities. He ended in the University of Perth, Western Australia and became an air traffic controller and then worked for a computer firm. Seems rather a shame that a system can be so inflexible that a talented and able person can be disadvantaged to the point that they have to emigrate.

Then there are fun mistakes

My children seemed to have inherited a keen sense of what is right and wrong in written English. My eldest pointed out a sign which we had to pass on the way into Headingley Cricket Ground a couple of weeks ago. It said amongst other things:-

'Please don't bring dangerous weapons into the ground!'

Are there any other sort?

The youngest works at a bank checking, along with other stuff, the quality of letters being sent out to customers and often says that people like Yoda they are writing. The verb at the end of the sentence they are placing. Whatever happened to subject - verb - object?

And just for fun

Dog for sale: Eats anything; especially fond of children.

Dinner special - Chicken or Beef $2.25; Turkey $2.35; Children $2.00

For sale: Antique desk suitable for lady with thick legs and large drawers.

Wanted: Girl to assist magician in cutting off head illusion. Salary and Blue Cross.

Tired of cleaning yourself? Let me do it!

And finally, for those who are or have been married this quote from an insurance claim form:-

'I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law and headed over the embankment!'

God Bless

A Tuesday Recipe - Fusilli with sausage

2013-06-03T20:40:00.000+01:00

Fusilli with sausages

It could be that you are getting fed up with cheap and cheerful recipes well to misquote Rowan Atkinson in 'Keeping Mum' - 'live with it folks' - for now anyway. A very funny film that also has Maggie Smith and a slightly sleazy Patrick Swayze therein.

This meal is also quite low in calories given that it contains sausage. They are supermarket own brand and low fat - 75 calories each - nevertheless tasty. The style is obviously Italian but it is also quite spicy as it contains chilli and paprika. So, in my opinion, more of a change than it first appears. It is also very simple and quick to prepare.

As always the full recipe is on the TAB above.

I've been experimenting with word clouds to use as a bit of an advertising tool. However, I am unable to find such clouds on Microsoft and the online offerings like to advertise their own sites (see bottom right corner) - any better examples? Please leave a comment with your suggestions.

Poetry

http://open.spotify.com/track/0yR8rV9AylY6F1yBHFcOg7

Some more Leonard Cohen poetry. There is only one word to describe this one and that is - weird - but I like it without really being able to say why. I think that is ok too. Quite often we are asked to justify all sorts of choices we make, whether it be food, music, books and art, but sometimes we just like something because it's there!

God Bless

Writing - 'How to' books and writing exercises.

2013-06-02T20:52:00.000+01:00

I have recently re-visited Stumbleupon and have looked at hundreds of sites about writing and how to write and I must admit to feeling a little concerned. Am I doing it right? I've sold more books recently and have continued to write daily blogs. I am putting time in on my latest book and continuing with a daily diary. The poetry has slowed down but not dried up and I've introduced a YouTube event. The things is if you followed everyone else's advice it would be necessary to apply for an extension to the day from twenty four to thirty six hours.

I appreciate all the advice that is flying around but the bottom line is you have to choose what feels right for you. When writing I try to produce work that is from where I am at the time and that includes attitudes as well as emotions. But a big thank you to all those who have shared their ideas. Here are some exercises that I have come across recently.

Exercises

Music
Writers feel their work, and when you can quite describe what you’re feeling on paper, it can be frustrating. Get out your ipod or computer, put on your earphones and find some songs that appeal to you and the scene or piece you’re working on. Grooveshark.com and Pandora.com are two websites that offer free, instant music streaming to get those juices flowing.

Use Writing Prompts

A writing prompt is simply a topic around which you start jotting down ideas. The prompt could be a single word, a short phrase, a complete paragraph or even a picture, with the idea being to give you something to focus upon as you write. egs

(a) He hadn't seen her since high school.

(b) It was the first snow of the winter.

Pick ten people you know and write a one-sentence description for each of them. Focus on what makes each person unique and noteworthy.

Try to identify your earliest childhood memory. Write down everything you can remember about it. Rewrite it as a scene. You may choose to do this from your current perspective or from the perspective you had at that age.

For poetry

Persona: Actors speak as someone other than who they are all the time. Writers need to be able to do this as well. Try the following, doing so once for the purpose of satire and once for the purpose of empathizing.

Write in the persona of someone of the opposite sex.
Write in the persona of someone twenty years older than you.
Write in the persona of someone ten years younger than you.
Write in the persona of someone who is less well educated than you.
Write in the persona of someone who is more educated than you.
Write in the persona of someone who is blind or deaf or mute.
Write in the persona of someone who holds different religious or political or social opinions than you.

Making Similes

Look through a book of poems you like, and find a few similes to use as inspiration. Go out and observe people and try and create similes about what you see.

eg.

'He slumps like the very meaning of surrender'
'Ivy creeping like silent footsteps'

Making Metaphors

As above read and see what you can find and then using your senses observe and create.

'The empty outlet of anxiety'
'The withered doghouse of grief'
'The empty medicine of hope'

As in all of your writing having a notebook and experimenting with ideas is essential. I can't claim to always to use a notebook but I have one!

God Bless

Writing - Stretching your imagination.

2013-06-01T20:28:00.000+01:00

See the face?

People have long seen faces in the Moon, in oddly-shaped vegetables and even burnt toast, but a Berlin-based group is scouring the planet via satellite imagery for human-like features. What's behind our desire to see faces in our surroundings.

Most people have never heard of pareidolia. But nearly everyone has experienced it.
Anyone who has looked at the Moon and spotted two eyes, a nose and a mouth has felt the pull of pareidolia.
It's "the imagined perception of a pattern or meaning where it does not actually exist", according to the World English Dictionary. It's picking a face out of a knotted tree trunk or finding zoo animals in the clouds.

When we write our stories is it possible that all we write is encapsulated in that one phrase:-

"the imagined perception of a pattern or meaning where it does not actually exist"

Of course it is easier to write than appreciate the full meaning or carry out everything the statement means. Writing is about 'imagined perceptions' and for the most part they don't actually 'exist'. The patterns and meanings are down to us. In many cases the outcomes are derived from stretches of the imagination and the tendrils of the imaginings we decide to follow. With me it is quite political and so Steele is righting the wrongs in society that I perceive. The new book 'Cessation' is about what society is doing to itself and one of the possible outcomes of continued human folly.

The above photo is the summer version of one of my favourite views. It is part of a path I walk on a regular basis and looks amazing dressed for summer. It reminded me of Monty Wildhorn (Morgan Freeman) teaching Finnegan O'Neil about imagination in 'The Magic of Belle Isle'. He asked the child what she didn't see along the path. A searching question or an opportunity?

Is it a path to somewhere?

An opening or a closing?

A threat?

An ending?

A way to salvation or perdition?

All sorts of possibilities. The point is it is an opportunity for imagination to soar.

God Bless

Writing - If TIME wasn't a constant

2013-05-31T23:17:00.000+01:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDVfR35vckw&feature=youtu.be

The link above is to my very first poetry reading. It lasts 58 seconds and I look wooden! Never have liked watching myself or having photographs taken. Listen to the words please?

The reason behind the Daliesque clock is because of my own impatience. For example, I published 'Inceptus', the 5th Steele novel, last week and it is available on Kindle and from CompletelyNovel.com but will take up to six weeks to be available in the main high street stores! What is that about in these days of electronic communication? However, while I was preparing the poem to read on youtube, I tried reading the first few pages of my latest effort aloud. I found a mistake within a couple of minutes and that is after I'd read through twice previously and two editors had missed the error. It is not catastrophic but it niggles!
Going back to the above link, as I said it takes less than one minute to read, but it took considerably longer than that to write. Is that not time demonstrating a level of elasticity - perhaps I'm just being a little fanciful!

Haiku

April Jones RIP

Little April Jones Sent to God's mercy early Frozen out of life

This child's family have a lifetime of sorrow to face that will stretch out interminably before them. There won't be a day goes by when they will wonder if it was their fault or if they could have done things differently. The punishment for Bridger the paedophile murderer - questionable as to whether there is a fitting punishment. I am not an advocate of capital punishment or an 'eye for an eye' because nothing you can do to that man will bring April back. He shouldn't be allowed to access other people ever again.

Cricket

Another example of stretchy time. In my blogs last week I featured a daily update on the 5 day test match. Today the one day series begins. For the uninitiated test last up to 5 days and the current tournament 50 overs - 1 day. Still 11 men each side but the limit is in the number of balls bowled to each team. 50 sets of 6 balls and the winning team scores as many runs as possible. For the players the skills are different in that they haven't a lot of time to settle themselves and the ball has to be hit further and harder. Some would argue that this shortened form is more interesting than 5 day tests but the clue is in the name. A test match requires greater fortitude, stamina and concentration.

'A book is a friend that does what no friend can do - stay quiet when you want to think!'

Time and writing depends on your reason for writing. I read a quote from an author the other day that was along the lines of 'I'm aiming to write four books this year'. Personally, I am relieved that I'm not in the position of having to write under pressure of deadlines whether externally or personally imposed. In fact if I was put under pressure to complete a book within a given time I would probably stop writing longer stories. On average it takes me about 4 months from start to finish to complete a story. My latest project 'Cessation' is likely to take longer as it is a new venture in a number of different ways.

When writing and in full flow I can produce between 1000 and 2000 words in the day. I suppose if I really pushed myself I could double that but once again it would feel less enjoyable. I'm lucky!

Whatever, to me writing is an art form and as such is not produced to a time limit.

God Bless

Writing - YouTube upload - 'Living Alone'

2013-05-30T22:22:00.000+01:00

For those who live alone

You awake to silence when you’re on your own.

The winding road of day stretches ahead.

It’s your choice if you wish to stay alone

or seek the company of those you dread.

TV chatters at you with inane noise-

an entertainment that’s questionable.

Surround yourself with electronic toys

but passage of time is still palpable.

With quietness creativity rules-

joyful release of imaginations.

Millions of words are favourite tools

Carriers of the mind seen situations.

Having no one to interrupt the muse

a blessing the writer can then abuse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDVfR35vckw&feature=youtu.be

The link is to my YouTube reading of the poem. It is something I am experimenting with as it is another marketing tool. As you will see the performance is far from polished but please listen to the words. It is not intended as another wallow in self-pity but in fact a partial solution for those inclined to write.

What follows is a prayer for those who live alone.

I Live Alone

I live alone dear Lord,

stay by my side.

In all my daily needs

be Thou my guide.

Grant me good health

for that I pray

to carry on my work

from day to day.

Keep close my heart

my every deed

let me be caring in my

neighbours' need.

I live alone dear Lord

yet have no fear

as I feel your presence

ever near.

This is NOT written by myself.

God Bless

Poetry Thursday 64 - minor character - Ethan Small

2013-05-29T20:12:00.002+01:00

I have referred to minor characters in books many times before and this is an extension of that chat. Ethan Small first appears in the third Steele novel, 'The Biter Bit' and I introduced him to Patrick Steele's team as a late teen, rather disaffected and related to one of Patrick's existing support team. I had a purpose for introducing the lad and he more than fulfilled that purpose but then he refused to go and as a result appeared in the following two Steele stories. I just couldn't get rid of him! So here is an ode to the lad.

An Ode to Ethan Small

There to take a bullet

for the male lead.

Crippled for life and intended to go

he came back!

His predicament tweaked a conscience

so he stayed.

Guilt drove the part building

partially – more guilt.

He found a niche, a foothold because

he came back.

The niche was widened significantly

so he stayed.

Tables began to turn and he recovered

partially – more guilt.

Essential to the teamwork because

he came back.

A relationship developed because

he stayed.

He had recovered as far as he could

partially – guilt assuaged.

As a writer of stories I try to use a variety of ways of getting my work 'out there' and taking a character, minor or otherwise, and featuring them on a blog is one idea. The fact that I've used poetry is my own choice but it could have been a short story, a character thumbnail sketch or an extract from the book. I hope these ideas are helpful.

God Bless

Writing - Beautiful world +Cricket Day 5

2013-05-28T20:26:00.001+01:00

Frost Flowers

There is a scientific explanation of course but sometimes perhaps we should just accept the beauty for what it is.

Haiku

Frosty flowers

The frozen tendrils

cascade their icy beauty

warm will melt away.

I just couldn't resist including this today. There are lots examples of beauty in nature and these frost flowers take a variety of shapes but melt so quickly at a touch, almost as if they don't really exist.

Sea Foam

Sea foam engulfs Footdee in Aberdeenshire 25/09/12.

This stuff is created by the over agitation of seawater that contains high levels of plankton.

There are pictures of surfers in Australia burrowing their way through sea form in their home country. It is not that clean as the colour and froth is caused by the destruction of the bodies of the plankton that can sometimes contain toxins that good give a serious stomach upset if injested.

Chile is home to the rugged mountain terrain of the Andes and the severe weather extremes at different altitudes make for some stunning ice formations. The above remarkable ice field looks like daggers, but one brave climber makes his way through the Ojos del Salado.

The ice daggers are purely natural. As are the formations in the other pictures and it is such things that perhaps we should share with our children to attract them to the magnificence and precious nature of the world we live in.

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Cricket Day 5

England needed 4 wickets to win but the forecast was for a wash out. Pundits and fans alike were totally floored by some of the bizarre decisions made by England. They managed to get on the pitch for 45 minutes this morning and took 2 wickets before the rain came again. Back on again this afternoon about 15:00. England won at 15:37.

God Bless

Writing - S.A.D. +Cricket Day 4

2013-05-27T20:42:00.000+01:00

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that typically occurs each year during fall (autumn) and winter.

It is inevitable as an Englishman and a cricket fan (see below), that I talk about the weather. However, it also triggered something in my mind regarding the affect of weather on the psychology of people. It even crops up in a small way in my latest book 'Cessation' in that without electricity people would be more heavily reliant on the weather, daylight and the seasons. I have doubts about the whole S.A.D. thing and can say that as someone who has had a brush with clinical depression. I am not saying people don't feel miserable on a grey, drizzly, cold day but is it a real condition? I have my doubts. I think some people who have depression may feel worse in certain weather conditions which is not the same thing as depression directly attributable to the conditions outside.
The people in Oklahoma that suffered the tornado the other day have a real reason to be depressed and my heart goes out to those who have lost relatives, homes and livelihood. As a resident of the British Isles we rarely have such extremes of weather and when we do have flooding, drought or gales we moan interminably. Personally, I enjoy extreme weather conditions (that is the UK version of extreme) but it is all relative.
There is a corollary to S.A.D. see below:-

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Cricket Day 4

The game is finely poised at the beginning of day 4 but there is a villain lurking in the back ground - the weather. In short England have probably only today to bowl out the New Zealanders as the likelihood is that tomorrow will be washed out.

A few more clouds around this morning but still a lovely warm start to the day.

For the uninitiated there is a tradition on the Headingley Western Terrace of dressing up. The group pictured were Power Rangers.

God Bless

Writing - Instant gratification + Cricket Day 3

2013-05-26T20:27:00.001+01:00

A great day for Yorkshiremen playing for England yesterday. Joe Root (22) scored a maiden test century, 104 runs in the end, on home soil. Jonny Bairstow hit a very entertaining 64.

There is some interesting language in that description - maiden test century - for example. Simple enough really. Maiden - the first time. Century - 100 runs. Test - a game of cricket between two countries, in this case England versus New Zealand, over a period of five days. Quite an undertaking for the crowd buying tickets for four of the five days, the fifth day is free if you have purchased tickets for the first four.

I was a little disappointed at the size of the crowd in the cricket ground. It's five years since my last visit when the ground was sold out everyday. This year only 70 percent of tickets had been pre-sold. It had me wondering why?

As in many situations there is never one simple answer but rather a number of changes in logistics and attitudes. For me the shifting advantages between the teams can be intriguing and the game demands longer spans of concentration and effort from the players which is why this form of cricket is aptly named 'Tests'. However, there is a much shorter form called T20 that lasts for no longer than an evening and attracts huge crowds because of its rapid scoring and quick resolution. Another aspect of human nature that has developed over my lifetime is the perceived need for instant gratification and that I believe is mitigating against the longer forms of cricket.

There are similarities between the demise of the long form of my favourite game and the ebook v hardback/paperback book. Fortunately, for us writers who produce work for the Kindle or other e-readers, we are benefiting to a degree from this more convenient form of producing our work. It is quicker and cheaper to produce and therefore more immediately available. I produce both types of book which costs me but I still like the feel of a paperback. As with all change it is necessary for people involved to be adaptable and inventive.

Back to the cricket - I have noticed other more positive changes at the cricket ground. There is much more sponsorship, the attitude of the stewards is very much more openly friendly, and, there are lots of 'side shows' which are free. When we are marketing our wares we need to think about extras that may tempt our readers. I am not going into detail at this point because we all have our own methods but being adaptable to change is important for all of us.

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Test Match Day 3

Another beautiful day with plenty going on.

God Bless

Writing - when you can't! Day 2 of the test match.

2013-05-25T20:23:00.000+01:00

Writers' block

If you have it then you are writing the wrong stuff! I interrupted a friend in church a couple of weeks ago who was sat in a pew with the pen poised over the page in his notebook. I asked him if he was ok and he said that he had writer's block and showed me the word he'd written:-

'The'

It could be the beginning of anything. I told him my feelings on writers' block. As a story teller, if you get stuck, you are following the wrong path. Perhaps you are writing to a formula that you believe will sell more books, but if that is not natural to you the storyteller then you will become mired in ignorance and will stop writing. If you are writing to fulfil a target then it is harder than writing as you feel you want to and are more likely to get stuck.

What I'm trying to say is if you want to write and be happy with the outcome, then write what feels right. If you are writing well and are happy with the outcome then there will be a market for the end product. Writing is an art form and doesn't react well to prescriptive direction. Try telling CS Lowry to paint a landscape and he'll make more money than with his industrial scenes.

by C S Lowry

If you want to write for money then I believe that is hard, but if you want to write for the love of it you might just make money and it will be easier!

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Test Match Day 2

Two days couldn't have been more different. Yesterday was dull wet and boring with no cricket and today was sunny, warm and exciting. The game got under way and had a magnificent momentum that left the spectators almost breathless by the end of play.

One of the many activities on the western terrace is making beer glass (plastic really) snakes. It is of course banned by the ground authorities but as you can see below still happens. There are lots of traditions on this terrace at Headingley fuelled by beer and a sense of fun. In all the years I've been going there has never been any violent or aggressive behaviour and the crowd do their best to engage with the players. The professional sportsmen have a job to do but if they have a moment to sign autographs they do so. An altogether pleasant and enjoyable experience.

God Bless