Colin Ward's Blog, page 2

Skill Share Sunday

A little help makes a big difference

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The Violin Weeps Freddie Mercury

The Queen Symphony, 3rd Mvt. “Who Wants to Live Forever”

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The Wisdom of Timeless Songs

“Let it Be” by McCartney

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Melodies that Sing Themselves

“The Birds Will Still be Singing” by Jinder

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Jess Silk and the Story in her Music

A Q&A with the artist behind “Break the Bottle”

I have a wide taste in music, ranging from blues, rock, heavy metal, folk and classical. Its fair to say that music will make or break a film for me. I’m not specific to one genre. There are some I just can’t stand: mainly rap, cheesy pop music, and anything that sounds as if someone has merely switched on the demo backing tack for a cheap keyboard.

Break the Bottle Album artwork by Jess Silk

Music is emotional and hugely meaningful. I attach events, memories, and sometimes even colours, in a very mild case of synesthesia. But when it comes to songs, the lyrics are very important to me, and I believe that modern song-writers are losing the art of quality lyricism in their work. It is all too often replaced with insincere ramblings about love, often by children far too young have experienced life, and just like the sound of singing about their baby, baby, baby…

Yes, you know who I mean…

And now it appears that I like punk, too. I’ve recently come across the music of Jess Silk: a talented artist with a great, distinctive voice, terrific guitar playing, and amazing lyrics. She pulls no punches and speaks from the heart, without being preachy or self-righteous in doing so. I had the pleasure of doing a Q&A with Jess about her music, especially in reflection of her album Break the Bottle. This post is all about that chat, and why her album is my go-to album at the moment.

The Q&A with Jess Silk

Colin:
Who is Jess Silk?

Jess in full colour…and a partial smile…

Jess:
Jess Silk is someone who reads a lot, and who probably spends too much time watching stuff on Netflix. I’ve always loved getting lost in a good book, and the stuff I’ve read does tend to influence my songwriting. I’m not very explicit about it; I don’t mention character names or anything that specific, but quite a few of my songs are based directly on stuff that I’ve read or watched. I was talking to someone about this the other day actually, and I really do think that the reason I see the world in the way that I do is because I read so much as a kid. It’s influenced my politics, my views on religion, and in turn my music.

Surprisingly few people have picked up on the Greek mythology reference. I can’t remember whether I first heard the Atlas story in a lesson at primary school or if I’d read about it in a book. Either way, I’d had the lyric knocking about in my head for a while before I wrote the song. If I think something might work in a song I always make sure I write it down or save the link to it because my short term memory is abysmal. There will be more references to mythology in the next album, you’ll be pleased to know!

“Atlas, where’d you go? ’Cause the sky is falling down,
It’s feeling much too close as they cower upon the ground…”

I’ve written a few songs about conflict, generally from the point of view of the victims that get caught up in it all, and often because of stuff I’ve seen on the news. I wouldn’t necessarily say that I’m a pacifist, but when it comes to wars where the only way it’s going to end is if one side wipes out the other or the two sides both sit down and talk about it, why not skip straight to the talking and cut out all the killing in the middle? I don’t know if you’ll have noticed, but I’m somewhat left-leaning when it comes to politics, and that does play a big part in my songwriting, especially of late.

Colin:
What genre of music would you place yourself in, if you had to?

Jess:
I generally say folk/punk; depends which gig/festival I’m applying for! I tend to write songs with a story to them, hence ‘folk’, but I’ve also got things that I want to shout about. I played Rebellion festival this year and when I got asked I remember thinking to myself, “Am I really punk enough to play a punk festival?” Then I read a quote online somewhere that said something along the lines of, “Punk isn’t a genre; it’s a state of mind.” Listening to the acts that played we were writing stuff about the same things, I just have an acoustic guitar rather than a band. Someone said I was ‘Acoustipunk’ once, which is a word that amuses me no end but it does kinda sum me up quite well.

Colin:
Can you describe your song-writing process? Some people start with lyrics, some the melody, some just a chord progressions. Others mix it all up. What’s your approach?

Jess:
It varies, but usually I’ll come up with a lyric or an idea of what I want the song to be about and then go from there. I am definitely more lyric-focused; the guitar is really just an accompaniment. I don’t like to use barre chords very often because I’m double jointed and my fingers lock, so I tend to just play most things in G and move the capo about. I wouldn’t say that there’s a definitive way to go about it, but there are quite a few songs I’ve done where I’ve had the lyrics almost written before I’ve even looked at the guitar.

“…But I need something that articulates a message to me,
Something that makes me feel the beating in my chest…”

Colin:
How long have you been singing and playing guitar? Have you always written your own songs?

Jess:
I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember, but it wasn’t until I was about fourteen that I started really trying to improve my voice. I was never a good singer as a kid but I was always surrounded by music, so I was always singing.

Jess Silk…singing and playing guitar. Just like in the question…

I first picked up a guitar when I was eight and I wrote my first song when I was eleven, which is something we don’t talk about. I first properly started writing when I was around fourteen, and most of those songs make me cringe if ever I come across the lyrics. ‘Is This Poetry?’ is probably the oldest song I’ve got that I still play; I wrote that when I was about fifteen after watching a particularly terrible episode of the X-Factor. I don’t think I’ve watched it since.

Colin:
I have some thoughts on what your answer might be, but I have to ask this: who are your inspirations as a musician, a songwriter, and as an artist/lyricist etc.

Jess:
I sincerely don’t know if I’d be doing this if I’d never come across Frank Turner one evening while listening to Kerrang! on the radio. I remember listening to ‘I Still Believe’ for the first time and I loved it because he was actually singing about something, and I could tell that he meant it because of the way he sang it. I wanted to write songs like that. Songs that I could put my heart and soul into because I believed in what I was saying. I wrote ‘Is This Poetry?’ quite soon after discovering Frank and, judging by the amount of people who’d come up to me after I’d played it asking me if I’d heard his music, I think it showed. I think he’s quite heavily influenced my guitar playing style as well, though I’m not sure that’s ever been a conscious thing.

(Colin listens to the Frank Turner song and nods…)

A lot of people ask me if I listen to Billy Bragg, but until fairly recently I hadn’t. I knew he was there and I’d heard a couple of his songs, but I wouldn’t say he’s ever influenced me that heavily. It’s only in the past few years that I’ve consciously chosen to listen to his stuff, and I’d say that he’s influenced the subject of my songs rather than anything else. A lot of his songs are about very specific events, and I think I’ve picked up on that way of writing about things that are current and specific.

Grace Petrie is another one people ask me about quite often, and again I was a bit late to the party in finding out about her. I think it was three or four years ago when I saw her live for the first time and she was brilliant. I love Grace’s songs and lyrics and she’s great live, but I think the one thing that really stood out for me was the fact that, in this male dominated genre, here was another woman doing what I was trying to do, and being successful with it.

Colin:
It seems you have a style that has mastered the solo musician — guitar, voice, great songs. But do you also play with accompaniment? Do you think you’d join/front a band if the opportunity arose?

Jess:
I used to be in a band through secondary school and college, but once everyone had gone off to uni we couldn’t really continue with that. If I’m honest, I wasn’t really that disappointed when we stopped; I was doing my solo thing anyway, and the stuff the rest of the guys wanted to play wasn’t really the kind of stuff I wanted to be writing: they were about the music, I’ve always been about they lyrics.

I have thought about putting a band together. Now that I’ve got a set of gigged songs that go down well when I do them solo, it’d be interesting to see how they work with some other musicians involved. I do enjoy playing with a band but it’s not something I’m overly fussed about at the moment. There are quite a few solo artists, such as Gaz Brookfield or Nick Parker, who do gig with bands occasionally and it works really well, so that might be something to look at in the future.

Colin:
What’s next? More albums? More gigs?

Jess:
Always more gigs! I realise that I’m constantly complaining about how knackered I am, but there is nothing I enjoy more than getting on that stage and playing for people. I’m constantly on the lookout for more gigs/festivals to play, so I always tell people to get in touch if they have any suggestions.

I’d written most of the second album before I’d even sorted the release date for ‘Break the Bottle’, and I’m in the process of recording a version of that with my little studio setup at home. Whether or not that’s gonna be the version I actually release remains to be seen, but I’m aiming to release it in some form or another at some point next year.

I did put out a single not too long ago called ‘Stranger on the Tube’. I hadn’t planned to release anything; it just kind of happened. There may be more odd releases before the album, I haven’t decided yet.

“Stranger on the Tube” by Jess Silk

Colin:
I’m moving down south to Dorset, to a great town for arts and music…any chance I can drag you down there for a gig?

Jess:
Don’t think I’ve ever been to Dorset before, but I’m up for gigging anywhere, as long as the trains are working!

The Lost Truth in Lyrics

I don’t want to say anything mushy and pathetic such as how Jess’ lyrics really speak to me…but Jess’ lyrics really speak to me. I love how forthright they are, not holding back on that “beating in her chest.” Of course, everything is down to perception, and I don’t know Jess personally, but in just one album it really feels like she opens up true experiences and thoughts and shares them.

I share her dislike and disdain with the creative vacuum that is the X-Factor and similar shows that have sucked the life out of music. The problem is the dishonesty for what lyrics are saying, and who is saying it. So much modern pop music is sickeningly insincere and the aim seems more to be about whether a “song” will be picked up by a dance “artist” and sampled into a hideous monster for night clubs.

“Cause there are monsters in this world and some are not swayed by the light,
But you’re still watching over me from the moon in the sky at night…”

Jess a singer, songwriter, musician and, yes…a poet. There are great flickers of humour and satire here and there, and plenty of wordplay that avoid forced rhymes with no meaning. Recurring themes pop up, such as the sea, night, war and a slightly pacifist tone. She also seems to clearly give oppression and the political debates a good kicking, without coming across as an irritating activist. The sing “Stranger on the Tube” is brilliantly composed, and definitely “punk”, with its social comment and relevance.

Jess: I wouldn’t necessarily say that I’m a pacifist, but when it comes to wars where the only way it’s going to end is if one side wipes out the other or the two sides both sit down and talk about it, why not skip straight to the talking and cut out all the killing in the middle?

But let’s not misinterpret the music — it’s not all all angry chord thrashing and screaming at all. Her vocals are superbly clear despite rattling of some very fast lines. There are many moments of tenderness and “Sky at Night” is a great example of this. I don’t know for certain what the inspiration was for the song, but having attached my own meaning — as the dialogue between artist and audience should be — there is a powerful story in there.

The Power of the Story

As an author, my whole world exists in story. It does so for everyone, I believe, but due to what I do with all my time, I have to be more conscious of how it works. Humans communicate by stories, and have done so for thousands of years. What Jess Silk and artists like her do is condense a short story into just a few lines, accompanied with music, and open up a little world for listeners to step into. Storytelling lyrics are more overt in folk music, which is why Jess holds a commanding seat in that genre. In a way, her work remands of the likes of Bob Dylan, and even the Manic Street Preachers — who interesting have an album called This is My Story, Now Tell Me Yours.

I am sure from this blog you have gathered that I highly recommend Jess’ music and her album “Break the Bottle” — named after the title song. Listen to the whole album on Band Camp, and download it, or order the CD. Most importantly, share this blog and the link to the album. Great music is greater by the more people who listen to it.

I genuinely hope there is a great future for Jess and her music, and look forward to the new albums…and when I can get to gigs or festivals to hear her live. For now, knowing that there is a least one more artist who can write great songs, stand up the mic with a guitar in her hands, and need nothing else, is reassuring enough that music has not died a slow death.

You can also find Jess Silk on Facebook and Twitter.

Find out more about my own writing work on my Website and on Facebook & Twitter.

Jess Silk and the Story in her Music was originally published in In As Many Words on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

A la carte Self-Publishing

A Q&A with Lakeside Press

I’ve been chatting to Laura from Lakeside Press about their company and self-publishing authors.

Lakeside Press

Colin — Your company offers loads of services. Tell us a bit about what your company loves the most about supporting self-publishing authors.

Laura — Our favourite part about supporting self-publishers is handing them their first printed copy of their book. They have poured their heart and soul into their book and get to give it to them in a physical form.

Colin — What do you think are the biggest challenges facing self-publishers, and how does your company them?

Laura — Authors getting caught in a publishing package deal where they pay for services that do not meet their needs. At Lakeside Press we care about our authors and offer a la carte services so they can pick, choose and pay for only those services they need.

Colin — Your website shares 3 of the most common errors made by self pubs (great advice, by the way). If you had any other nuggets of advice, what would they be?

Laura — To hire an illustrator who has previously and successfully illustrated a children’s book. No matter how great your story is, amateurish illustrations will kill your sales.

Colin — You see a LOT of books in your line of work. From your point of view, how is the self-publishing market changing over the years?

Laura — It’s definitely growing because of new production and marketing avenues.

Colin — What are the benefits of working with a smaller company?

Laura — Personal service, high quality, and more product options.

Many thanks to Laura for our little chat. There so much you can learn from companies like Lakeside . This time last year I was preparing my first book, To Die For, and had next to no idea what I was doing. Thankfully, I scraped through with help from some fellow writers. However, I have no doubt that if I’d found a smaller, customer focused company like Lakeside (in the UK) that would have been a great way to get me going.

A year on and I have now self-published four of my own books and support other writers in their work. However, there are still many parts of the self-publishing journey I can offer, which is where companies like Lakeside are great.

A la carte Self-Publishing was originally published in In As Many Words on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

False Allegations — the Lasting Effect

A Q&A with the Anonymity Movement

I had a great opportunity to have a quick chat with Ben Rist, the man behind the “Anonymity Movement.” Discussing false allegations can be a mixed bag. On the one hand it is very difficult to go over the events again, on the other hand, knowing you’re talking to someone who really understands what it feels like to go through it can be reassuring. Here’s our chat.

Anonymity Movement

Colin — “Tell us about the Anonymity Movement, what it’s about, and why it matters.”

Ben — “Currently, everybody who accuses someone of sexual assault or domestic violence gets anonymity, however those who are accused currently don’t have any anonymity. The press have reported names of those falsely accused so many times, and these are accusations that can have serious consequences for the accused.”

Colin — “What can you tell us about your personal experiences?”

Ben — “I was falsely accused of ‘sexual assault by penetration’ in May 2017. I was arrested and spent twelve hours in custody, not knowing who, what, where, when... The anxiety jetting through my body was real. When the officer told me, knowing I was innocent, the emotion turned to anger. Four months of my life on hold because of it, until I received my ‘No Further Action” call.”

Colin — “Can you describe the lasting effects of the experience?”

Ben — “I have had mental health issues for years, even before the allegation, but it has taken it’s toll and had a major impact on my mental health. My anxiety over Christmas 2017 went through the roof, to a point where I wouldn’t go out. There were new voices affecting my psychosis, and it’s only now that I’m getting help and started to deal properly with the scars left.

Colin — “Was anyone else also a victim of this allegation?”

Ben — “Yes. My family, my friends: especially my friends as I’m around them more. My friends fortunately knew me better than to believe the accusation, but some of my friends are like family and got angry — almost as angry as me. I had one friend leave but that was for almost a month, and not because she believed it. Her boyfriend at the time was my false accuser’s sister’s best friend. She was threatened by his mum that if she talked to me, she couldn’t talk to him. A month later, she broke up with him and admitted to me that her worst mistake was choosing him over me. People don’t seem to realise the effect that ‘believing all allegations without question’ actually causes.”

Colin — “I’m interested by your point about believing all allegations. What do you mean? Surely you can’t think every accuser is lying?”

Ben — “I don’t think every accuser is lying. I do, however, know false allegations happens through personal experience and how they can impact on someone. The lasting effect is real and damaging.”

Colin — “Thank you for the chat, Ben.”

Ben and the Anonymity Movement can be found on Facebook and on Twitter as well as following #MeTooFalselyAccused

Links to other Blog posts

You might also be interested to read a little more on my blog about the promotion week “Independents Day” where I explain the importance of the 4th of July to me: No Smoke and the 4th of July.

Another blog of interest, which touches on the correct uses of the terms “victim” and “allegation” or “accusation: When is a “Victim” not a “Victim”?

False Allegations — the Lasting Effect was originally published in In As Many Words on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Write It and They Will Come?

A blog by Indipenned

This blog is an easy one for us to write…because it’s already been written by one of our new partners. It’s a fascinating account and perspective of Indie writing…

Indipenned

Over the years I have had numerous ideas for novels. I thought the only things that stood in my way were my ability to eke seventy or eighty thousand words from those ideas and having no experience whatsoever as writer of fiction. If I could circumnavigate those minor hurdles, then I would have a bestseller on my hands. Following that, the likelihood was that scores of Hollywood producers would be ringing my phone off the hook. Easy!

A few years ago, yet another idea struck. As I lay slumped on my settee with the familiar companion of a glass of Hardy’s Crest (other Australian red wines are available) I had a thought. My televisual delectation that particular evening was the CBS show Elementary starring Jonny Lee Millar as Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as Doctor Joan Watson. I liked it. At least, I liked the idea of it. They’d taken the original work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and moved it somewhere else. My overriding thought was that they could have gone further with it.

By Melvyn Small, Indipenned

As it transpired, this idea for a literary masterpiece was different from all those that proceeded it. It was peculiar in that I actually got on with it and wrote the book. Actually, two books. Given I was uncertain if I could turn an idea into seventy thousand words, there is a little irony in that I managed to find one hundred and sixty thousand across the two volumes. In the interests of full disclosure, I should point that I cheated a little by writing a series of short stories. That said, I’m told the books read very much like a novel, as there is a story arc running across the piece. One reviewer described the books as an “episodic novel”. Which, in hindsight, makes sense.

If I park the reserve of my Englishness for a moment, I can tell you that these books are actually bloody good. I’m not aware of anyone who has read it and said differently. Apart from my brother who read the first page and objected to my prose. Hey-ho.

The tale that tells the story from red wine-lipped idea to paperback is a little longer than that. The story of conversations in pubs and bizarre synchronicity is well documented elsewhere, and I will therefore spare you. Suffice to say, I hooked up with an independent publishing company who helped me turn my manuscripts into very professional-looking ebooks and paperbacks.

“The question therefore is: Should I have explored a more traditional route to publishing? The answer is: I don’t think so. I’m quite confident that I would have spent a lot of time sending out manuscripts and received a disproportionately small number of rejection letters.”

By Melvyn Small, Indipenned

The independently published route was very good. It got a paperback with my name on into my hand pretty rapidly. It also gave me complete freedom with respect to what I did with my books. I had a copy of the ebook to send to reviewers and a box full of paperbacks to tout around the local bookshops and send off to movers and shakers in the world of film and television. The success of the latter is still a bit of a TBC. What this freedom and independence also means is you are on your own. It means you don’t have the backing of a marketing department and the advantages of the connections of a large publishing company. The world is awash with books, some good, some not so. Therefore, it is very difficult to get the word out about a new book. It would be nice to think that if a book was good enough then the rest would be easy. I’m pretty sure that isn’t the case.

The question therefore is: Should I have explored a more traditional route to publishing? The answer is: I don’t think so. I’m quite confident that I would have spent a lot of time sending out manuscripts and received a disproportionately small number of rejection letters. The Holmes books are a cult thing. People really like them. Whether the marketing machine of a large publishing company could scale that popularity is debateable. Although the books have received good feedback from around the world, the popularity they have achieved does tend to focus around the Northeast of England. This is from where I originate and is where the stories are set.

Personally, my honest assessment is that they could gain popularity across a wider audience. I’ve seen the reviews… several times. Whether I could convince a London-based publishing company that, I will probably never know. I somehow imagine a working-class Sherlock Holmes from Middlesbrough might not be their thing.

Let’s be realistic. A publishing company isn’t going to publish a book that they don’t think will sell in large numbers. Why would they? They are a business and in they are in the business of selling books. The problem is what they think might sell is largely down to their experience of what they have already sold. They work within the world as the perceive it. You can’t blame them. We all have bills to pay. No one wants to hang their hat on a flop. However, literature is an art and art is about taking chances and stressing the boundaries of what’s gone before.

“This may all seem very anti the traditional publishing route. It’s not meant to be. They fulfil a need. There’s as much a place for fast food as there is gourmet restaurants. Things can happily coexist.”

The traditional publishing route is harder than that for someone with an original idea. Many publishing companies, large and small, have stopped taking submissions from new authors. Consequently, to get your masterpiece onto the desk of a publishing company you must first convince a literary agent, with bills to pay, to see outside the established norm. This shift in how things work has resulted in literary agents facing a deluge of manuscripts to wade through. As a result of this, the agents have found a new way of working and are now looking for new authors from within the ranks of those enrolled on creative writing courses. The point here is that there are a few hurdles to cross and those involved in this process don’t appear to have an interest in expanding the artform.

This may all seem very anti the traditional publishing route. It’s not meant to be. They fulfil a need. There’s as much a place for fast food as there is gourmet restaurants. Things can happily coexist. I’ll leave it to you to decide which part of that analogy is working with the big five and which is independent publishing. If somebody starts their writing career as an indie author before getting snapped up by one of the big boys, then good on them. Let’s just hope they don’t forget us indie renegades when they do. Personally, I’d be more than happy to kick around the idea of a six-figure advance. I’m also not too adverse to moving a few things around to talk about a TV or film deal.

Failing that, I think there is a massive opportunity for both indie authors and book lovers to band together and extol the virtues of some of the great literature being created outside the mainstream. To that ends, I created Indipenned, a corner of the internet exclusive to independent literature. At the core of this is that thought the most effective form of promotion is word of mouth. If we can get enough authors, poets, small presses, book reviewers and independent bookshops to start extolling the virtues of independently-written literature, we can give indie authors a real chance. The plan is to make books more about merit and less about marketing budgets. We want to lend a hand to those working outside the world of the big corporations.

Indipenned is still in its first year. This initial period has been all about getting some of the great indie authors that are out there to join us. We’re really happy with how this has gone. Although we are still looking for authors, the focus has now shifted to letting book lovers to know about us. One of the ways in which we are doing this is by publishing a brand-new Holmes novella in the short stories section of the Indipenned website. This story has just completed a blog tour, which included some of the web’s leading book reviewers. The reviews have been brilliant.

“An interesting and enjoyable take on one of my favourite classics.”

“I giggled from start to finish with the dry humour that rolled off of each page.”

“The best novella I have ever read.”

The Darlington Substitution by Melvyn Small is published by Indipenned. It can be read for free now on the Indipenned website or via the Indipenned Facebook page.

Mel Small

You might also be interested in our own blog post How to Support Independent Writers .

Write It and They Will Come? was originally published in In As Many Words on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

No Smoke & the 4th July

The story behind Independents Day***Minor SPOILER ALERT***

If you haven’t yet seen or read No Smoke and would prefer not to read any spoilers you might wish to look away now . There aren’t any major spoilers of the whole plot, but some hints might give parts of the story away.

I originally started the research and writing process for my biggest play to date, No Smoke, back in early 2012 and it took nearly two and a half years to research, write, develop and stage the first development production of it. So, although this is the first time I have published it, the play isn’t really “new” and it has been developed and road-tested already. Publishing it was the natural remaining step with a hope that it can attract new opportunities to see the stage again. But the play is what it is for a reason. When it was staged in 2014 audience feedback was extremely positive, including from experienced detectives and police officers, experts in fields related to the issues it raises, and people who have been personally affected by the issues it raises.

Where the play came from

In 2008 I was still a Drama teacher working in a school in Coventry when I was subjected to two colliding factors that made up for what must be one of the worst times in my life. There’s no melodrama in that — I learnt the hard way just how amoral, despicable, and abhorrent some people truly are. They tried to end my career in a way that would have marred my entire future.

I was subjected to a malicious false allegation of sexual assault by one of my pupils. This was bolstered by a whole dossier of deliberately skewed documents and reports about me that my head teacher had spent over 18 months compiling. He was a narcissistic workplace bully with a number of staff as targets.

I shall not bore you with all the details of my case, but suffice to say it did far more damage to me than I realised at the time. It also hurt other people, just as these cases do. Another pupil, who I had named as a witness, spent months worrying what would happen to me because he knew the other child had lied. Lied, and loved it. Lauded it. Even falsely accused another teacher of physically assaulting him.

Few people knew about my case besides one or two close family and friends. Everyone else just saw me become more recluse and unsociable. I lost a lot of friends back them — most, in fact — as bridges were burnt and very few ever bothered to ask what was wrong. I don’t think I have ever truly recovered from that isolation.

Independence Day

My case finally ended on the 4th July 2008 — ten years ago today. Independence Day. The CPS had returned a decision of No Further Action. It’s important to note that this does not mean “we believe that you are innocent” it merely means that they won’t pursue to charge or trial. For all I knew, the fact that I had been investigated would be on my file, on every CRB (now DBS), and could cause prejudice against me. However, I was very lucky in the sense that the two detectives who investigated my case did see through it from the start. As a result, nothing has ever been noted on any of the countless DBS checks I have had in the past decade.

I was extremely, EXTREMELY lucky. But I still didn’t feel it. And never have.

Writing the Play — why it is a fictional piece

I couldn’t touch the issues for nearly fours years after the events. In that time I had changed job, been promoted to a Head of Drama job, and left that one after a little over year. I had begun to leave teaching altogether, in fact.

I was filled with too much hatred and anger, and the feelings were too too raw to begin writing about it straight away. I needed objective distance if I was ever going to write something for an audience, and not just for me.

But finally in 2012 I plucked up the courage to start righting. I was distanced enough from the issue to make a story that was not a biographical one, nor a kind of personal therapy for me. No Smoke is absolutely not my story — it is a fictional play. I am insistent on that in all my writing. I allow the characters to borrow from real life, and there are indeed totally truthful elements in the place, but few people know what these are. What needed to be told was a story that could be held more universal for the themes, tap into anyone’s personal story, and bring focus upon the issues in a natural way. A personal and vengeful rant at the injustices of the world would have been useless.

No Smoke is a story about the dangers of false allegations, and especially the way we handle them as a society. It is about how the police and the media behave, and it’s first developments predate all the Jimmy Saville fiasco, and the changes in the law that saw a massive increase in the number of false, malicious allegations being made. It predates the plights of Sir Cliff Richard.

However, what the play is absolutely not about is denying that abuse happens and that victims need helping. In fact, one of the main themes at the core of the play is how we spend our time seething over the latest media hyperbole, deciding that yet another man is surely guilty just because he’s been accused of a crime that might not have even happened. Meanwhile, there are real victims out there, not getting the help and attention they need.

So, no I am not in the slightest impressed with the vast amount of time, money and resources spent on chasing celebrities over allegations from twenty, thirty or more years ago.

from No Smoke, by Colin Ward

I have been the victim of a false allegation. I have met and spoken to many more — hundreds, in fact. I have counselled many. I know of people wrongfully convicted — even one who is in prison now for an “incident” that was physically and medically impossible. I even know that there is a worrying growing trend to falsely accuse more and more young people of such abhorrent crimes. Yes, there are victims…on both sides. But not once have I ever, or will I ever, deny that there are genuine victims of abuse.

Because I have known them, too. I have seen, as it says in the play:

“Those eyes, that look — saying ‘ help me .’”

It changed me. There are very few people these days that I wholly trust. Sadly, the most important one — my mother — died this year. Even though I knew she was always extremely proud of the play, I know how proud she would have been to hold the published version in her hand. And that’s why this book launch, for me at least, is bitter-sweet.

from No Smoke, by Colin Ward

So here we are. Independents Day — to launch my play in publication for the first time. For me, marking ten years since I was freed from those legal shackles — but not the mental ones.

I am also launching a short story, Stench of Death and of course putting on this promotion with the entirely intentional pun on Independents Day. The promotion runs for an entire week, and I want people to celebrate Indie authors in every way they can. Buy their books, share the books — preferably the links so others can buy them, too.

REVIEW THEM! I’m not saying you have to put 5* star reviews everywhere, but just what you think and a short comment. The more reviews we get the better chance we have of our books just being seen amongst the big shots, let alone competing with them.

And next time you hear that someone has allegedly sexually assaulted, abused or raped a child — or even an adult, of either gender — just take a moment of pause. Remember, the law states innocent until proven guilty.

LINKSIndependents DayNo SmokeStench of Death

No Smoke & the 4th July was originally published in In As Many Words on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Editing — Facing the Red Pen

How to respond to an editor’s work

I am a strong believer in the notion that it is simply not possible to edit your own work. After all, the first picture is an image of just a few paragraphs from my new short story Stench of Death after I let someone edit the hell out of it.

One of the problems with trying to edit your own work is that it is very difficult to spot your own bad habits. It’s also near impossible to judge how your writing “sounds” or “reads reader unless you get someone else to look at it objectively. A lot of writers fear that an editor will squash and smash the life out of their work, but in reality all they do is sharpen it.

Don’t take it personally

Whenever you see a correction it is easy to feel as though the editor is judging you as a person, or in some way commenting you on your ability to write. In reality, most of the time they are merely brush a loose bit of fluff or lint off your expensive tailored suit. They aren’t saying you suit is cheap or rubbish, they just want you to look your best.

You have a choice: either take the edit as a personal, condescending attack, or accept the suggested change as a piece of advice. For example: I tend to write “they had” when “they’d” would be fine. Someone editing my work will point that out. I don’t have to follow their advice, and in fact there are times when I want to keep “they had” — so I do. I’m under no obligation to accept the changes. Another one is “it is” when “it’s” would be fine. Equally, I use the word “just” far too often: “I just don’t understand what you’re saying.” Sure, it sounds fine in my head, but it really isn’t necessary, and an editor pick these things up.

Show, don’t tell

Another common error is to describe situations by spoon-feeding the details to the reader, when what would work better is to demonstrate the details in the way the characters respond to them or speak about them. Sometimes I describe an action and then also have the character show it: an editor will point that out.

What editors don’t do is take over your text and tell you how you should have written something. As a crime fiction writer, one of my main priorities is to have a pacey, tense reads. After I have written, edited, re-written — and so on, do forth — there is no real way to tell if the pace has dropped because I know the story too well. A good editor can flag the parts that are tripping the pace up; suggest even whole phrases or sentences that can be removed; or alert me to when I have slipped into flowery description of the dark alley when what the reader wants is to do is chase the suspect.

A good editor want the story to be its best

Some writers who try to “go it alone” claim they are concerned that an editor is ripping them off, not really adding anything, or at their very worst, might even steal a good story. It is true their are some bad eggs out there. I would copy edit a website, a short story, or an article. If someone asked me to edit their novel I simply wouldn’t take the work. I don’t have the skills to edit a whole novel — it is a highly skilled job. Quite honestly, if you find a copy editor offering to edit your novel for £100 you should be as suspicious as you would be if your mechanic quoted just £25 for a full service.

Just as writers take please in their work, editors take pride in theirs. When they do their work well, your novel becomes that serviced car running a lot better, and having a nice fresh rumble of the engine. Editors don’t want to be known for the writing, they want to be able to say: “you know that novel you love and found really enjoyable to read? I edited that. I contributed to your enjoyment.”

So I implore you, even when working on a low budget, save up and pay for at least one round of professional editing. Personally, I would recommend a pro does a copy edit, and I give a rough guide on where this fits in the process of writing in my blog Writing the F Word. Other writers might differ in their advice, but I know for myself it is that phase which I benefit the most from professional input.

If you think you are confident enough to edit your own writing, then by all means go for it. But as the saying goes: pride comes before a fall.

Upcoming Event to Celebrate Indie Writers and Self-Publishers

#IndependentsDay

Editing — Facing the Red Pen was originally published in In As Many Words on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.