Write-Place

Writers Talkback One Word Challenge - "Scarlet" Akram is jostled in the crowd, struggling to push his head up between the knees and elbows that are digging into his small body. He is almost deafened by the sounds of angry voices chanting and car horns signalling their discontent. He grasps the hand of his older brother, desperately clinging on. He knows he must not let go. The crowd surges and Akram's five year old feet are lifted off the ground as they move forward, nearer to the group with the white peaked caps. Akram's brother will be in deep trouble with Mama if she finds out he is here. In the past few months since the troubles got worse she has forbidden them to go to Friday prayers at the Ummayad Mosque in the city and they  have stayed indoors much more than usual. But she won't find out - not yet. Tricolours of scarlet, whiter and black with two green stars in the centre, wave above the heads of the people as shots are fired. Akram's limp, now li...

Watched  The Grumpy Guide to Christmas  last night - amusing, if not predictable. All those so called celebs telling us how much they hate Christmas, but obviously revelling in the revenue that moaning about it brings by talking about it on TV. As Ozzy Osbourne said "When I was a practising alcoholic it was the best time of the year, but when you don't drink it's just another day". They also talked about sending (or not sending) cards at Christmas and how you always get one from someone who you have never heard of. Me, cynical as ever, thought - that never really happens, it's just you have forgotten or something. But, another one of those coincidences that aren't  really coincidences happened this morning.   I received a Christmas card through the post this morning... from someone I've never heard of.                                              ...

In case anyone missed it on Tuesday 29th November via almost every social networking site available  - I   won a competition . At risk of being repeatetive, the competition involved Vintage Inns, Sir Andrew Motion as judge, and one line of poetry. I have graciously accepted and enjoyed the dining out part of the prize (at  the Boat Inn , Sprotbrough) and am now waiting for the other parts - a framed copy of the poem and a signed copy of Andrew Motion's latest collection of poems "The Cinder Path". Now, I have to admit that apart from knowing he was poet laureate at some time in the past, that was about all I knew of Andrew Motion. My main studying time of poetry was, of  course, before the days of Google at the sweep of a thumb and the click of a button. That's my excuse anyway, but I did feel obliged to read up a bit about the man responsible for my latest 'literary prize'. As coincidence/luck/fate or whatever would have it, a few days after the compe...

It did cross my mind not to write a blog about Christmas - before, during or after the event. Which ever way I talk about it I know that I will appear either 'holier than thou' or scrooge- like. I will certainly seem hypocritical.  However, I have buckled under the weight of my thoughts - which apparently are not so dis-similar to those of many others at this time.  There's nothing new in feeling a bit pressured at this time of year. Most of us want our family and friends to have the best possible...  everything.  Best tree. best decorations, best lights, best food and drink, best time together and most of all best presents. Whether this 'best' is  for ourselves or for what others think of us is something that's a bit too uncomfortable to think of. I hold my hands up here - I reckon I'm a pretty good contender for the top prize in this game. I want my family and friends to have THE BEST, be it mince pie, cracker or party, while talking about peace an...

Only six hours left to make an entry in the  Writers Online  monthly One Word Challenge and I am struggling to produce a poem based around the word 'putrid'. The 200 word story was difficult enough but this seems to be beyond me. ( I have less than 6 hours left really, because I won't be able to stay awake till anywhere near the deadline of midnight tonight) But then I just happen across the headline in today's news that Alastair Campbell has used the word today at the Leveson inquiry. Then, by luck, fate, chance or coincidence, my wandering mind also rests on the website of   Newspaper Blackout .  Problem solved. Wonder what anyone makes of it. (ironically this is the perfect time to use the highlighted text which I have been trying to lose for the past few posts !) | Newspaper Blackout Poem Take one newspaper, article, marker. Cross out words.  Leave only those you like, and soon you’ll have a poem, they said. Created from running puddles of text...

Well, I've told everyone and anyone that I can think of about this so I ought to write it here as well.  I HAVE WON a   competition   BY WRITING ONE LINE ! I've never quite had the opportunity to say "less is more" but I think in this case I can. Here's part of the "press release" (yeah, you did read that correctly ... ! ) "Brenda co-authored an eight-line poem inspired by Sir Andrew’s work on Vintage Inns’ latest press campaign, which honours the Great British rural pub. He has been judging the best line submitted each week, so they can be added to gradually complete the verse. When Brenda entered, the competition stood at six lines completed: The muted brilliance of autumn leaves The wind’s deep voice soft-tickling the trees. The parting notes of swallows’ cresting calls As dappled sunlight fades and evening falls. The bonfires’ tongues call to the dying sun Bright harvest moon ascends, her reign begun. And Brenda’s suggestion for the...

I'm not one for quoting statistics, mainly because my memory is so bad I forget the figures in between reading them and writing them down. But I thought a few numbers might wake me up a bit this morning, so sit up and pay attention ! Today is "Mega Monday"  according to the media  and estimates are that there will 3,300 purchases a minute online. High street shops are struggling with sales down by 2.1% 25% of all our  Christmas shopping  will be online up 16% from last year 12% of online sales will be made on a smartphone 1 in 3, that's 11 million will use the computer at work to online shop. Does this mean we prefer shopping online to going to the shops ? Not really, is the apparent response - it depends who we are and where we are and what mood we are in that day. This sounds about right to me. I went shopping on Saturday and am still feeling that if the only shop I walk into again is our corner shop, then that's fine by me. I'll probably feel di...

This is probably old news to many people, but it's new to me, very interesting, amazing, almost unbelievable and more than a little disturbing.  Scientists have developed a prototype contact lens which can generate  info-vision – the ability to stream information across a person’s field of vision.  "Do what ?"  I hear you asking. I said the same to myself. Soon we could be sending and receiving texts and emails, catching up with the latest news and generally social networking without even logging on to a computer or phone. Images and messages will just appear in front of your eyes. It will one day be able to show directions and TV programmes.  Yes, honestly. Just imagine, you might never need that old fashioned Sat Nav ever again and you could watch Corrie and Enders while you are driving too. Get rid of that ancient Sky HD recording thingy that you just got installed.  After blogging about my new  phone  just the other day, it seems a littl...

  Stars flickered in a sky not yet diminished by electric light. The USA was twelve years old and ended at the Mississippi River. The camp, near the town now called Salmon, was fragrant with cedar needles smouldering on a fire when I was born into the Agaidika tribe.   They named me Sacajawea and taught me to hunt and trap in the forests and fish in the streams. I skinned deer to make soft leather for clothing. I painted the partings in my hair with red clay, a symbol of peace. I learned early and worked hard for survival. Captured by horsemen trading with the white men, I was taken from my tribe. Sold, I became the wife of Charbonneau and the mother of Jean Baptiste. More men came, with strange looking boats and wearing uniforms. They built a place they called Fort Mandan. I was useful for the skills I had learned from my tribe, so I went with them to what they thought was unexplored territory and reached my homeland where my family was killed five years before.  I died...

I've done it now.  After being the owner of a variety of mobile phones over the years, which have met their demise by being stolen, lost, put in the washing machine, dropped in the bath and down the toilet, I was sure I was perfectly happy with the basic one that I've been using this past year.  It has the basics - phone calls (why else would I need a phone ?) texts and even has a reasonable camera. But I've got a camera for taking photos, a camcorder for video, a notebook computer  which does everything I can think of that a computer does, and a laptop for when I need a bigger screen and keyboard.  Why would I need a  Samsung Galaxy  ? Aren't I just being too materialistic, something that I am quite averse to - usually ? Well, I think this situation is a bit like when I had a twin tub washing machine years ago when my children were babies. I could do whole loads of washing (including towelling nappies !) in that twin tub, in a couple of hours. What wa...

A colleague at  Writers Online Talkback  has set a challenge for those of us who need a bit of a push sometimes, to get on with the task in hand and also to give other bloggers the promotion they deserve. Always up for a challenge (!!??) I have decided to take part. I am of course, later than I intended in posting this, so don't worry dear reader, this post is going to be short. So ... Thanks to   Patsy Collins for the idea and the challenge. I am sure we will all rise to the challenge, and some of us may even complete it. Next post coming up soon. In the meantime, take a look at  The Blogathon Challenge  in action.

Well, seems I have well and truly messed up with the background colours and goodness knows what on the layout of this blog. Unintentionally and unknowingly of course. This is therefore a test (similar to the numerous pieces of paper I have with TEST printed on them when trying to sort out the printer) to see if I have managed to put it back to what it was. Many thanks to all on Writers Talkback  for your advice - gratefully received. Not sure whether I have interpreted it correctly though. So, I'll now press the button ... ...

Not been on here for over a whole 2 months but seem to be in writing action mode past couple of days so am making the most of it. A discussion on  Writers Talkback  about a member's 10yr old daughter writing some very perceptive thoughts on existance, has made me remember my Big Plan for The Environment. This must surely be a case of the time being right for it to see daylight and be brought to the attention of those that ought to know. So here it is. My plan is to have one large motorway type co nstruction running length ways through the whole of the country north/south and another couple going east/west. The road itself will be a conveyor belt system which cars get onto and park until t hey get to the point where they can drive off onto the other conveyor belt and park till they are nearer their destination. A bit like a ring road only not necessarily a ring and a moveable belt as opposed to the cars themselves moving. The belt would be powered by waste cooking oil or w...

I am the place where light can not reach. Obstructed by opaqueness  I occupy all of the space behind. A reverse projection  A cross section A two dimensional silhouette At certain times, at certain heights I appear to change and grow, though appearances can be misconstrued. I am human – visible. And in the right conditions Venus I employ, to join the sun and moon in casting my creation. Yet no one says who or what else sees me.  Unattended I am ghostlike, a representation of a presence, unnerving the sciophobe.

Another birthday. So far, I have resisted the urge to look at what I posted on here this time last year. Not for any other reason except that I'm hoping it was not maudlin thoughts about getting older or being too thankful for what I have that it sounds pretentious (of course just using the word 'pretentious' sounds pretentious anyway ) Have had good wishes from all the people who are most important in my life and however it sounds, that is the most important thing to me. (Am making no excuses for repetition of words today - it's an age thing.) The dogs had to be told, but they are definately excused as, if I remember correctly, I only wished them both happy birthday after the event ) So Happy Birthday to me and anyone else who's birthday it is today and a 'happy day' wherever possible to everyone else.  Little food for thought courtesy of my mother this morning : Add the last 2 digits of your birth year to the age you are this year . The answer ...

As the House of Commons debates the phone hacking scandal and the conduct of newspapers, July’s issue of MaltbyNews is in circulation.(I hesitate to say “delivered to every house in Maltby as it proclaims, as it’s rather a hit and miss affair). Amidst the national discussion on the reliability of the press and the infringement of liberties of the public, Maltby News’ editor Kevin Hall has chosen again to disregard his so called policy of giving the”right to reply’. Rather than respond in his ‘newspaper’ to the libellous comments and untruths that he has previously published he has produced an issue with neither “Letters to the Editor”, an  editorial comment nor the name(s) of the journalists’ who have written the copy. The ‘Events Calendar’ notes the Local Development Framework  Public Consultation dates for Bramley and Wickersley but omits Maltby. Two Maltby Town Council News Pages (at a cost of £300) have a competition entry form with last year’s date on. If it wasn’t for th...

Write-Place Blog Spot: A change is as good as a blog post : "Time for a change of picture of me on here. Surprised myself today by realising that it's 2 years, 11 months and 2 weeks since that last one..."

Time for a change of picture of me on here. Surprised myself today by realising that it's 2 years, 11 months and 2 weeks since that last one was taken (yes, well spotted - my birthday in 2 weeks time) How time flies by these days. Over a month since I posted here though I have been blogging at maltbyblogger  and at Rotherham Politics  so haven't really been silent at all ! The idea was that I write the political type stuff under a separate name and keep Write-Place blogspot for literary/writing  related things . It hasn't quite worked like that though and the 'unpolitical writing' side of things have been neglected.  So lucky reader, I am now back at the right place at the write-place and this blog may even get a blast of updating of political thinking too.  Bet you can't wait.

There's been much in the media recently of injunctions and privacy laws. The PM has said the law should be reviewed to " catch up with how people consume media today" and that   it's unfair that newspapers couldn't name individuals whose identity was being widely circulated on the internet. Twitter and Facebook, emailing and blogging is a major part of daily life fo r most of us - well, you wouldn't be reading this now if that wasn't the case.   I know from personal experience that views and perspectives that the public take from the media are not always the full story. Newspaper reports are often taken as ‘gospel’ and our local newspapers in particular have a duty to represent all views and rectify false accusations. Once something is written it becomes fact for some people and no amount of further evidence will change their views. Over the past 18 months there have been many instances of defamation and libel against me and my friend on the letters page...

Typical isn't it ... I had a post for this blog all composed in my head and then when I set down to write I got a "Blogger is not in use at the moment" message. By the time that I had browsed every other Google blog that I follow - and some that I don't - to see if it was a problem unique to me or if it was affecting others, I had sort of forgotten what I intended posting. However, as I have recently read about easily distracted people having too much brain   http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20453-easily-distracted-people-may-have-too-much-brain.html I am not too concerned about my memory lapses, at the moment. So, back to The New Scientist. Maybe some further insights into the fact that I have recently gained weight -it's not fat at or big bones at all, it's the extra grey matter.

Recently read Julian Baggini's "The Ego Trick".  A brilliant book which looks at the nature of self in an entertaining and comprehensive, easily understandable way. http://julianbaggini.blogspot.com/2011/03/ego-trick.html Definately recommended for anyone interested in exploring what it means to be 'you'. Read and enjoy below, then buy the book. Has inspired the following from me (200 words or less and short poem on theme of 'glass'. Thought Experiment Imagine yourself as created all at once, yet perfect and whole. But your sight has been veiled from the external. Do your feelings then come from the soul? As you fall without any resistance through the void. Each body part separate, untouched. Then reflect in the glass of experience and affirm the existence of self. Ref: “Floating Man” – Avicenna  cited in "The Ego Trick" Julian Baggini Diving for Pearls What you see is what you get. That’s what I used to tell people, but lately that’s not ...

With May 5th rapidly approaching, it's difficult to know where to start in debating the issues that Maltby Town Council have had over the past four years since the elections in 2007. To keep up to date via blogging became an almost 24/7 task, especially during 2008/2009 (Read here  http://wwwrite-place.blogspot.com  ) so I hope that now looking at things in retrospect, we can gain a better understanding of what we can expect from our elected members in the future. So, Maltby's candidates for Rotherham Borough Council, 2011 :   Michael Burke (BNP), Michael Conlon,  Christine Beaumont (Labour), Derek Johnson (Conservative), John Kirk (Independent).   Michael Burke was in 2010 hoping to follow fellow BNP member Will Blair, who was elected to RMBC in 2008. Last year he said he'd been getting a good reaction from people and had been asked for more leaflets. In The Dinnington Guardian he says that "People everywhere are concerned about immigration"...

A short stay in hospital last week made me “Media Free” for a few days – physically and mentally as well as practically – so I feel like I am on catch up with life. I have no chance (or need) of being completely up to date with International or national events, though I try, to a certain extent. Things are happening, both natural and man-made, around us and across the world that are having and will have a major impact on our lives and on our children’s lives an it is not alarmist to be aware of this. I have read that there is no more “bad news” than there ever was, in proportion with the population. There aren’t any more murders, rapes and robberies than in times gone by and it only appears to be so because of our access to so much information, instantly. Earthquakes, tsunamis, wars and unrest have been going on since time began but now we document so much evidence, as it is happening. We watch unfolding events thousands of miles away from us, without moving an inch from the arm...

May I  introduce to readers of this blog ...    The Creative Cafe Project                            the idea of Gill James, children's writer and university lecturer. The Creative Cafe is a network of cafés where artists,  writers and musicians are welcome and where ordinary coffee lovers know that they will be able to experience something a little different as they sip their brew. It is already happening  in a number of towns and aims to   create and expand Creative Cafés nationally. A perfect way to develop arts in the community, no matter how big or small the venture becomes. Please take a look  here   http://www.creativecafeproject.co.uk    and also at  http://creativecafeproject.co.uk/Dreaming.aspx          I challenge anyone who enjoys music, poetry, literature and art NOT to be inspired by this "vision".  Is there a Cr...

Most books are written in first person I, or third person he/she/it. I have read that only the most creative and experimental write in second person - the "you" point of view.  So with this in mind (she says ) I am reworking a story into second person as I also understand that it is the least used point of view in fiction, and there's nothing like experimental to get the brain cells moving. Second person requires the reader not only to step into the head of the protagonist, but into his very shoes.   The writer has to become at one with the reader and convince the reader that the events are happening to him personally and that he is seeing and experiencing these events through his own eyes.   writing-in-second-person-point-of-view It's also said that 2nd person writing can become annoying for the reader. Good writers shouldn't have a problem with this, should they ? Here's a couple of "off the cuff " paragraphs written this morning. I will p...

When Mr Ed Miliband produced a document of blank pages called a Fresh Ideas Pamphlet for Labour supporters to suggest new policy proposals, it seemed like a good way to get views across. Now the two Eds, Miliband and Balls, have come up with another form to fill in before shadow ministers do or say anything in public. This involves getting specific approval on the precise words they intend using, especially ones about money. 'The public has a right to expect us to adopt a responsible and thorough approach. We hope this process will support rather than hinder your work in developing a clear and ambitious agenda for a future Labour Government’, they say. This is all well and good. There has to be a consensus of opinion in these matters so that the party are all singing from the same proverbially hymn sheet and everything is open, transparent and not misleading.Yet there is something disturbing about having all your words and actions vetted before they are put to the public. It seem...