It’s been a while…

So now I’m back, from outer space… (sing along if you know the words)

If I’m honest, that’s not actually too far from the truth. Of course I haven’t actually been to outer space, but I am back from putting into place what I think may be the last edits on my novel (finally)… which is set in outer space. And, yes, I’m back; back to the blog.

Why such a huge gap from my previous post? Well, lack of motivation I guess is the answer. It’s hard to keep writing when there’s not that much of interest to say. Naturally, I think that everything I say is interesting, but I’m not so naive to believe that everyone else finds my mutterings entertaining. In that case then, I hear you ask, why am I coming back to blog?

Well I guess I’d love to say it’s down to a new-found injection of motivation, which would be partly true, but it’s also down to necessity. I need to get myself writing again. I’m not very ‘writing fit’ at the moment, which is a horrible feeling because a few years ago – and in an analogy to ‘running fit’ (which I actually am) – I could run out a few thousand words in one sitting, and yet now, after just a longish paragraph I feel the need to rest, down an energy gel (in the form of a cup of coffee) and walk for a little ways (in the form of sitting down to watch something on Netflix).

Enough!

Time to strap on my speedy fingertips, engage my sluggish brain and, as the very first action in my new fitness regime, get back to regular blogging. Not simply to write again, but additionally to give myself a goal once again; that small nagging demand in the back of my Netflix-addicted brain that pulls me in the direction I need to go.

So that’s it for now. All this writing; I’m knackered.

I will explain where I intended to take my new writing fitness in the next post, but right now… back to Netflix.

Just kidding; I’m actually going for a run.

Thanks for reading.

(And thanks NASA, for the image)

So I’m going to be in a book…

… not me personally, but one of my stories will be.

You may remember a while ago that I was shouting about being on the shortlist to have a horror story published (along with 49 others) in Twisted50: a compilation of 50 short horror stories brought about by the Create50 team.

Naturally I’m over-the-moon at this news, and having my story reach this stage means I now get to attend the the gala launch and awards ceremony in London at some point in the near future, where the final awards will be handed out.

The writing in this completion was very strong and I’m really surprised to have made it this far. And like the photo says, I do feel like a winner as getting into the book was always my goal. And did I mention that this is not going be a self-pub, but a real book with a real agent (Blake Friedman) and everything?

I’m starting to wonder if I could go on to be awarded one of the additional awards too? I mean I’m now begining to believe that anything is possible.

Furthermore, the organisers felt so many amazing stories were submitted that they have come up with a companion book called Twisted’s Little Sister, which is 50 of the best stories that didn’t make the final cut. And guess what? I’ve got a story in there too. It’s all a bit much to comprehend really.

That aside, I think one of the most exciting aspects to this is that Clive Barker (Candyman, Hellraiser) is one of the judges, which means he is going to read one of my stories…  one of my stories. Imagine, Clive Barker sitting down and reading something written by little ‘ole me.

So there we are. Just an update of what’s happening in my writing life. I’ll be in touch after the launch party.

I love saying that.

Thanks for reading.

The death of a true legend…

So as a big (and admittedly late-blooming) fan of the Beatles, I was saddened to hear of the passing of George Martin today. He was often referred to as the ‘fifth Beatle’ and rightly so in my option. Without him we would not have that ground-breaking sound we still enjoy to this day from the fab four. Not only was he instrumental in producing their records, but he – I believe – was very much responsible for putting their character and charm into the grooves of their records too; something I believe we love almost as much as the music itself.

If you are a fan of the Beatles (and if you are a fan of music then you most certainly should be, at least on some level) then you will know that George composed much of the orchestrated parts of their songs; the strings in All You Need is Love, for example. The legendary producer was intrinsic to the growth of this band from Liverpool who came to dominate the world of pop, and then went on to produce music that pushed the boundaries in all directions.

Just because George Martin didn’t play on stage with the group and get screamed at by frenzied fans, doesn’t mean that he wasn’t a huge part — well twenty-percent, at least — of this huge band.

You will be missed.

Thanks for reading.

Are school days really the best of your life?

I saw a photo on Facebook the other day. It was one that caught me off-guard and rendered me surprisingly emotional:

It’s a picture of my old primary school during a summer sports day sometime in the early to mid 1980’s. I know that girl who’s about to win the race, she was in my class (and was always good at athletics). I know that field and I know those houses in the background. Hell, I can even know those dry, muddy tracks in the grass and remember driving my toy cars through them.

So on seeing this photo, the overriding fuzz in my head was one of fluffy nostalgia. It imparted such a feeling of sentimentality that thoughts invariably drifted toward my own children and their current time in primary school.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my life at the moment: I have an amazing wife, two wonderful daughters, I live in a cool house in very cool city. I even have a pretty good job. But those primary school sports days? All carefree and sunny? They were amazing. As was the childhood life I led at the time (and yes, I’m acutely aware how lucky I am to say that).

So while I will not harp-on to my little girls that, “school days are the best of your life“, I certainly acknowledge that sentiment has a ring of truth about it. And with this in mind, I will certainly observe my daughters’ current adventures and experiences with the hope and understanding that what they are undertaking right now may just trigger something similar to my recent emotion at some point in their future. That feels good.

What I do find – thankfully – is that I don’t catch myself looking back on the past with melancholic nostalgia. That would be unhealthy. I appreciate I’m getting older, but I also appreciate there will come many more days for me to relish in the future. And with the recognition that at some point in the future I’ll look back on where I am now in life with the same warm and fuzzy feeling as came with the above photo, well, that gives me the confidence to continue on the journey we call life with my eyes comfortably on the road, and not in the rear view mirror

Thanks for reading.

You’d know what I mean, and a quick word of thanks…

So how’s this for a sentence?

You’d know what I mean, if you knew what I meant, if you know what I mean.

Cool, eh?

Now, before you go thinking I’m some upstart young writer bragging about some sensational sentence I’ve just written – you’d be wrong…

I’m not young.

But, as well as that, this is not a sentence I wrote. This is a sentence I spoke. And – importantly – when I did so it was very much in context and made complete and utter sense to those who heard me say it – admittedly with some visual aid in the form of body language. It was actually concerning a belt loop on my trousers.

All the numbers are lining up, which means what exactly…?

So this week it seemed that all the numbers on my blog lined up. In fact, it all happened on the very same day:

First I celebrated my one-year anniversary of How Do You Pronounce Eynon; then I bagged my 200th follower; then I posted my 70th post. Those babies all seem nice and tidy to me, and none of it was planned.

Is this portentous? Maybe; maybe not. All I know for sure is that it made me smile, and that’s always a good thing.

So, while I am in this realm of getting all my ducks in a row, perhaps a lottery win wouldn’t go amiss.. all I need to do now is go and buy a ticket.

Thanks for reading… I mean it.

A beach awaits…

I know that the subject of air shows is a little touchy at the moment, but I had an experience at the Bournemouth Air show last week that I just had to share. And, no, thankfully nothing crashed.

I’ve been to a few air shows in my time, and seeing a crowd of spectators looking into the sky at some crazy pilot pulling off a spectacular manoeuvre is nothing new to me.

But this was…

Well done Disney!

Ok, so it’s an incredibly rare occurrence that makes me utter, “Well done Disney,” but in this case I think it’s valid.

Why?

Because I saw this today…

 

Oh yes.

And the pat-on-the-back goes out to Disney (and J.J.Abrams) for not only making these films in a manner that’s honest to the original trilogy, but also for keeping alive Lucas’s vision of the Empire as Nazis. I mean, just look at that screen shot. It could have been taken in Germany circa. 1940. I think they’ve made a bold decision by including such a political assertion in an age of such political correctness.

So like I said.

Well done.

P.S. Only 129 days to go…

Thank goodness our digital kids still enjoy the simple things…

I had a real eye-opener yesterday as to the way technology – much like fashion – can go full-circle, jump through a digital hoop and land straight back in our laps… Literally in this case.

Let me explain:

I was out on a day trip with my daughter’s choir, which is a group of children aged between 6 and 11. During lunch, one of them pulled out an Etch-a-Sketch – you remember, the classic 1970’s toy on which the manufacturers claimed you could draw the Mona Lisa, but in reality all any mere mortal could achieve was a set of uninspiring straight lines and perhaps a squiggly tree if you were exceptionally talented.

Nevertheless (and putting bitter Etch-a-Sketch memories aside), I was amazed to see the rest of the choir crowding around a girl who was playing with this very same toy. A toy unchanged for over 40 years. This little red box, with only two knobs to control it and possessing the ability to draw just basic pictures in black and silver was causing quite a stir.

But why was I amazed…?

Well, if you imagine she was holding an iPad: a piece of hardware that can play movies, FaceTime friends, do a weekly shop, store and play an entire music collection, plus search the web for pretty much the sum total of knowledge that the Human race has managed to compile… well if she were playing with that, most of the other kids wouldn’t have paid it the slightest bit of attention.

The Etch-a-Sketch, however, which by most standards cannot come even close to an iPad, seemed to fascinate the children who all wanted to have a go.

And so, as someone who was born in the 70’s, who owned one of these simple toys and is concerned about the next generation’s thirst for louder-faster-higher, I took great comfort in that.

Can anyone else think of simple old toys that are making a comeback in this super-fast digital age we live in?

Thanks for reading.

What are you revealing online? Much more than you think

Very interesting this one. Thanks, Ted, for the original.