Write-Place

11th November. Commemorated as Armistice Day and marked with 2 minutes silence while people pay their respects to those who died during the First World War. Yesterday, Sunday, wreaths were laid at the Cenotaph in Whitehall and at hundreds of others across the country. Today across the world, memorial services will be held and thousands will quietly reflect on the enormity and consequences of that war. We also remember other wars and battles that have taken place where so many lives have been lost and so many families broken. WW2, the Cold War, the Gulf War, the Korean War,Vietnam, Falklands, Iraq, Afghanistan and many wars in the Middle East and Africa that continue to rage today and destroy people. It is easy to be sanctimonious and say that all wars should stop now or naieve and believe that there will ever be world peace. Sometimes it seems that if there ever was peace on this earth, then we would go further afield and declare war on other planets. I am not clever enough or ...

Today, 11th September 2013 is the 12th anniversary of the attacks on USA that killed almost 3,000. I would not dream of making a comment on how the family and friends of those people felt then or feel now. No words could ever justifiably describe the horror and devastation. We remember that awful event swearing that we will never allow anything like that to happen again. Hundreds of  human beings obliterated forever and hundreds more injured and maimed. We usually recall specific major terrible events by noting what we were doing at the time that we heard the announcement. For my generation that is often when President Kennedy was killed, when John Lennon was killed, when Diana (then Princess) was killed.   My parents generation remember the announcement of the start of WW2 and also the ending. All these events involved the unnecessary deaths of ordinary people - yes of course, even the ending of a war, where we in Britain rejoiced, while others died in the most ter...

Ok, so the article I thought I had shared to my Facebook, didn't actually share and the very intelligent comment that I'd posted to go with it looks less than intelligent without it. And yes, the smart comments of others are I suppose, deserved. It was such a good article too, but the most annoying thing is that I can't find it again, and I don't remember who the author was. In my attempts to find it, however, though not finding the actual one I have found a number of others on a similar theme. If I ever find the one that I read in the first place, I promise to reference it and the author properly and thank him/her now for the thoughts. It was about writer's not being thought of as doing a real "job" and so many times are expected to write, talk about their writing, give opinions and views on theirs and other people's writing ... for free, ie without proper payment. The article writer in question cited a time when they were asked to speak about the...

 There is something about a real book that is unique and gives such pleasure to reader and author alike. By real book here, I mean one made of paper that you can hold in your hands, feel the pages, smell the newness of and watch grow older and change as you do. Of course, the benefits - and drawbacks - of ebooks and digital technology is constantly discussed and the 'which is better' debate I think, will always be with us. Most of us have our views on which is 'better' but also most of us these days appreciate that all formats of written words have their place and deciding which is appropriate for which occasion is a personal preference. The One Word Anthology by Talkback Writers  was published as an ebook in  November 2012 by Alfie Dog Ltd  and is available there. It can also be purchased at  Kobo Books  and at  Amazon The authors, editors and publishers of the One Word Anthology are now very happy to announce the publishing of the real Pa...

Make me whole Just what are you seeing when you close your eyes? Is the sun always shining in perfect blue skies? Do your thoughts float through fluffy white clouds in your dreams? Or do you ever think this is not as it seems? When I sleep I still feel I have your hand in mine And I’m not alone and all things should be fine  for you’re there to protect me from all that I fear when the darkness comes closer and nightmares are here. Yet I’m lost in a world that’s not real but seems true Searching always for someone, and always it’s you Though I think you’re beside me as I feel your touch I’m still scared of these feelings that overrule much. So if you see sunshine and perfect blue skies When you lay down beside her and you close your eyes will you push past my dark clouds and look deep in my soul for the love that we once had and so make me whole.

He first went there with his school, long ago.  The teachers had told the classes that the stone work was from Roman times; remnants from hundreds of years back.  It turned out that it wasn’t Roman at all.   It was an old mill first used for smelting lead in the late 1600s and then between around 1760 and 1850 fine paper was produced there to wrap the products of the nearby iron and steel industry - often cutlery and probably the pins, needles and wire made in the local area. All that remained today was the pond which had provided power by supplying a water wheel  and some and some ruinous buildings.  Romantic maybe – but not Roman. When they had met years later, he could not wait to take her to this place, high up on the hillside in the depths of the forest with the stream trickling, then rushing down from the tops. Tawny, hazel, mustard and coral tainted leaves and ferns painted the background for the scene. And she had loved it too.      ...