David L. Atkinson's Blog, page 103

Poetry Thursday 132 - Obscurity and symbolism

Writing poetry is an undoubted pleasure for me; whether it is for my readers is a different matter, and an intensely personal matter also. 
When I write anything I concern myself too much about the opinions of others.
The offerings this week are an experiment in obscure thinking and symbolism some of which I may explain later.
First up is a peak into the realm of love. Personally speaking this has been a painful part of my life for a variety of reasons, so if the poem seems somewhat cynical .....

One on One
The need to be loved is catholic,a position few truly attain.Conditions of individuality wanein striving for what is cosmic.
We are in our own consciousnessconstructing an existence illusory,believing in an ego imaginary,in its unlikely perfectness.
Why do humans feel the need to dominatewhen that is a categorising factor,given to obfuscation and scatter,more likely to bring about a demarcate?© David L Atkinson October 2014


Okay, perhaps not the most cheerful offering so onward.

An activity which I indulge in almost daily is swimming, it brings 
me pleasure, a higher level of fitness and some social interactions.

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Swimming
Water addresses the dermis flowing overand around every inch like moleskin,discernible - only just – so neither hardnor soft,sometimes blood warm, occasionally chilled.
Pressure over every cell but not irresistibly so,awareness of its presence,but able to push it away so that you canfeel the flow.
Kindly, passively supporting your masseven as it drifts over and beneathyour smooth, quiet progress.
Allows all groups of muscles to work antagonistically,massaging the heart,imposing no stress,but caressing the whole body.
Till you reach the end feeling the man-made roughness of tile beneath dimpled fingers,when you can turn,begin again, breath unreliable air,and gaze at the expanse of pleasure before you.© David L Atkinson October 2014
I came to swimming in my late teens and rather like a born again Christian was quite obsessive in my younger years. As age and weight added to the destruction of self-esteem, being seen wearing only budgie smugglers turned my head away from what I loved doing.
Age is a funny phenomenon in that it alters the owners perception of what is important and so I recently bought myself swimming shorts and returned to the pool which makes me happy.
I've never been a great one for analyzing writing. I think I was put off by a literature lecturer (say that when you're drunk) who criticized my view of a piece of prose, which disagreed with her view. She increased my grade when I argued that both our views were equally valid as they were personally held. Still it left its mark.
When writing Swimming I was imagining the touch, power and temperature on my skin (dermis) and at the end I refer to unreliable air which is an oblique reference to the germ ridden firmament that surrounds our planet.
If you have questions or criticisms please contact me. If I'm not offended I may reply!
God Bless

Writing - Do you like your lead character?

I like to share where my inspirations come from because it may actually be of value to someone out there. Today's blog comes from a reminder I received about Agatha Christie and her opinion of the character she created - Hercule Poirot.
[image error]Poirot played by David Suchet
Poirot is one of Christie's longest lived characters appearing in 33 novels, 1 play (Black Coffee) and 50 short stories published between 1920 and 1975. Yet she was heard to describe him as an 'insufferable little man' and would never allow images of Poirot to appear on her book covers. She also wrote in 1938, while they had their difficulties, 
'We are friends and partners, and I am beholden to him financially. On the other hand he owes his very existence to me.'
That last statement may seem as though the author has become detached from reality but in fact, and as I and other writing friends have reiterated in the past, creating a character is giving birth to a person who has all the characteristics of a living and thinking human being. If you have done a good job the character will take hold and set off in their own directions.
So do you like the characters that you have created? In fact when you create your hero the personality is what you want it to be but the more you use the character in stories the greater the likelihood that there will be issues that arise which are not handled as you expected. You may dislike the response your created person displays. 
What should you do? Should you change your lead character to fit into what you expected? I would argue that if you tried that you would fail. Your character is who they are, if you start to tinker with how that person works they will become unrecognisable and writing stories round them may be too problematic to continue.Of course if you are unhappy with the way things are going you can always kill the character off. 
Do I like Steele? As I'm reaching the end of the seventh Steele story I would say that yes I'm ok with his performance and reactions. There are subtle changes occurring but up to present they aren't causing me any difficulties. As the stories develop the question of Steele's mortality does crop up in my mind and even if I write as many books as Ms Christie they probably won't all be around Patrick A Steele. 
Whatever you feel about your hero/heroine I would advise that you remain open minded and receptive to the idea of changes in them. If you are a new writer worrying about the creation of a central character I would caution you to be careful as in some degree you are playing God! Whichever is the case enjoy the experience.
God Bless

Tuesday Recipe - Sausage and bean casserole

A tried and tested favourite that is easy to produce and allows various accompaniments.

Now I can hear you moaning that this is something I've included on a previous occasion but please be patient. I am finding that with practice my combinations are improving. It is true that I've had the odd disaster, I made the strangest tasting potato casserole last week, but this was a winner for me.I served it with crushed new potatoes, 



and also rice.

It worked with both alternatives and I reckon would also be okay with pasta.
The reason for my sinful pride about this dish is that there is an Italian style tomato sauce, or pasata, and a hint of chilli which went well with the beans.
The full recipe is on the TAB at the top of this page.
God Bless

Writing - Richard II - champion of the people

When you write there is a tendency to allow that art to take over your life. It's rather like music. My singing coach always used to say that he had never known anyone involved in music who wasn't very busy all of the time. I would replace 'music' with creativity. However, the other aspect of writing is reading and we shouldn't neglect the value of reading to writing.This historical story below is as much an interpretation of facts as a piece of fiction but has links to present day life.
[image error]Richard II (1376 - 1400)
Edward III's son, the Black Prince, died in 1376. The king's grandson, Richard II, succeeded to the throne aged 10, on Edward's death. The boy king was supported by a royal council but in 1381 at the age of 14 proved that he was not simply a child. It must be remembered that at this time the country was in the hands of the landed gentry who jealously guarded their property, wealth and serfs. Ordinary people were not free and local areas and towns were often managed to the benefit of the landowner by corrupt officials who ensured that once you were a serf always a serf. They even ensured that the surplus grown by the serfs could only be sold in the squires own markets. In 1381 matters became volatile and peasants and serfs from Kent and Essex came up to London to protest at their lot. The royal councillors were so worried about the size of the protest that they arranged a meeting between the young king and the leaders of the protest at Rotherhithe. Richard II was boarded on a river boat and proceeded along the river Thames, but as the entourage approached the protesters the size and noise of the crowd made the councillors nervous and they turned the boat and returned to the Tower of London.
[image error]Tower of London
The retreat had the effect of incensing the crowd and they marched into the city, burning and pillaging en route. When the crowd arrived at the Tower a stand off occurred with the crowd demanding to see and speak to the young king. Eventually Richard agreed to meet the leaders of the peasants at Mile End and during that meeting agreed to many of the peasants demands. The main concession being the abolishment of serfdom, both personal and tenorial. Henceforth every man, woman and child would be free to live, travel and work where they chose and own what they earned or acquired outright without being subject to their lords' dues and demands.Richard II's councillors were furious because of course they were part of the 'system' directly affected by the new freedoms given to the people. The meeting had taken place on Friday 14th June 1381. As the king was as yet a minor the council had the last say and eventually repealed the freedoms given to the people.
At this point it is important that time scales are considered. If the council had their own way they would have waited until the peasants had gone home and rescinded what the young king had agreed. However, it was 18 days later that the king's actions were overturned which suggests that the boy argued against his actions being changed. In the interim period the king's clerks began issuing new charters sealed with the Great Seal and for almost three weeks the changes were put into effect. When the changes were repealed those who had imprisoned corrupt local officials and sequestered their ill-gotten gains were branded as traitors and there were many trials and executions. If the council had intended to deny the king his changes the time to have done it would have been the day after they'd been made as it would have saved lives and considerable embarrassment. The fact that Richard's concessions would have transformed the very structures upon which medieval English society was built was probably its undoing. The establishment then as it is now was an entrenched pattern of behaviours accepted by almost everyone - some things never change.
[image error]Peasant's Revolt 1381

God Bless

Writing - 10 things we didn't know last week

A fine collection of facts from this weeks treasure chest including obesity, sexy mice and a Presidential request!

1. It is almost impossible to take a German-registered car into Japan.

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2. Popping a criminal's phone in a microwave and closing the door (but not switching it on) stops said criminal wiping it remotely.


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3. When manager of Sunderland, Roy Keane opted not to sign Robbie Savage because of his voicemail greeting which went went "Hi, it's Robbie - whazzup!"


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4. Being obese has the same effect on Swedish men's earnings as having no undergraduate degree.


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5. The sexual behaviour of mice is determined by a small number of neurons that respond to the hormone oxytocin.


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6. President Obama asked the makers of Homeland to "be gentle on Carrie" in the show's fourth series.


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7. Norwich is the Y-fronts capital of Britain.


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8. In China goat hair is sneaked into hair extensions.


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9. More Americans speak Arabic at home than Italian or Polish.


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10. When climbing steep dunes, sidewinder rattlesnakes flatten themselves to increase contact with the sand.


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God Bless

Writing - Sub-cultures and Steelian access

As writers can never turn off the writing gene we collect information and sources of inspiration from wherever we are.
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I eat in a supermarket cafe on occasions, usually around the same time on a Friday. Breakfast time! One thing that I've noticed is that there is almost a sub-culture that meets and interacts on that day and at that time. Only around half a dozen people make up this little group but they are fascinating.As a writer pieces of information find their way into my books and those pieces are from real life. The 'cast' consists of a couple of men aged around sixty years, one of them is 63, a couple of younger ladies one who works at the supermarket, there is the grandson of one of these people and another supermarket employee with Down's syndrome. All of the information I have gleaned has been from snippets of conversation heard from a few tables away. It is amazing how much information can be gleaned just from overhearing others talking.As yet I've not used any of these characters but it just intrigued me as to how relationships develop and the diversity of people involved. When out and about spend time listening to people it could enrich your writing.

Portfolio



Steele   My hero was created post recession and so has no concept of how 'good' things were pre-2008. In 'I Have To Get It Right' when he began to flex his muscles he was working in an accountant's office. Then after the Gurentai took him under their wing and removed all of his financial worries, it was justice that was his major concern. He did become involved in international relations in 'The 51st State' but it was for the maintenance of a respectful distance between countries, rather than economic reasons. His trips into the USA had repercussions which can be read about in 'The Biter Bit' but then by the time things began to change in 2011 and the recession was really biting, Steele was trying to make sense of the state of the nation in 'A Changed Reality' and coming up against some really nasty people taking advantage of the shortage of money. By the time the USA are out of their recession Steele's steps are still being dogged by an unknown enemy from the same country. In 'Inceptus' we also find out more about what makes the man tick. The most recent Steele book 'Castled' Steele is once again at risk from unseen enemies. It would seem that he has become quite recession proof!
All books are available in paperback or ebook through Amazon, Smashwords and all good book shop websites.


Cessation This is a dystopian story that hinges directly on the state of the nation as a result of fiscal mismanagement. Having said that it is more a story of human relations, privations, love and loss.

God Bless

Writing - Rules for writing and life

When I was loading yesterday's blog to StumbleUpon I was presented with another page purporting to have all the rules necessary for writing a novel. I reckon you could collect enough examples of such pages to create a whole book of advice.

Sources of inspiration are interesting. This blog is a result of listening to a Leonard Cohen CD whilst driving yesterday and Bob Dylan the day before. The singers had their own way of regarding the world. It took me back in time to my time at college training to be a teacher. During the down time, weekends and the early hours of the morning many students spent time chewing over the world, the meaning of life (42), and other such minor matters. It was a privilege to have the time for such self-indulgences and great fun to explore terms such as anarchy and revolution. Obviously, when training was over, I took my expected place in society and 'toed the party line' right up until retirement. Once again I have the time to indulge myself in thoughts of freedom, fairness and creativity. 
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So seeing writers produce 'rules' seems such a waste when they have seen nirvana, a state of enlightenment in which they can set aside the cares and worries of the world and enjoy the freedom of their minds.
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Dylan's music speaks of revolution whereas Cohen is almost anarchical in his presentation of ideas. Wednesday I featured some of the lyrics of Bob Dylan but try these Cohen words from a song called 'One of us cannot be wrong'
An Eskimo showed me a movie he'd recently taken of you 
The poor man could hardly stop shivering, his lips and his fingers were blue
I suppose that he froze when the wind took your clothes 
And I guess he just never got warm, but you stand there so nice in your blizzard of ice 
Oh please let me come into the storm
http://youtu.be/iels3GLw-zs - the whole song.
The above is the final verse and speaks to me of a man desiring the unobtainable woman but what an amazing metaphor Cohen uses to present that concept.
So why have writing rules and people who feel that they know them all and are compelled to share them with the rest of us mortals? Be brave and just write then when fire of the the creative urge has died, think about presentation and order but respect your first thoughts.
God Bless

Poetry Thursday 131 - Alan Henning RIP and children

The death of the kindly Alan Henning at the hands of ISL seems to have affected a great number of people and I couldn't help but join with the poem below which I hope expresses the futility of such actions.
Alan Henning
Alan Henning RIP
What happens when a good man dies?When those who killed him live their lies?
How can people be so unawarewhen they take the life of those who care?
Whatever label bad people showtheir behaviours are how we come to know.
The rest of us loved to see the best.One of them, Alan Henning, is at rest.© David L Atkinson October 2014

I am aware of my limitations as a writer but as I've often theorised poetry is an outpouring of emotional side of your soul. In writing the above I didn't want to produce copious amounts of words, I did want to frame the evil that killed Alan Henning, and pay his memory respect.

Children
The joy of childrenWarms the cockles of the heartAnd tears you apart.© David L Atkinson October 2014

Haiku
A reminder of the rules of Haiku writing.1. First line  - 5 syllables2. Second line - 7 syllables3. Third line  - 5 syllables4. A haiku should contain a word which is linked to the seasons (warm).5. A haiku should contain a conflict of ideas as in the above where the love of your children can be heart rending.
I always find the last point the most testing to accommodate within the format.
God Bless

Writing - Making a statement with words and music

I dabble in music but I'm not an instrument player and have never attempted to write a song but I am an avid listener to the words set to music. I have often lauded the skills of the likes of Leonard Cohen for instance but today I was taken by the words of Bob Dylan which seemed particularly relevant in today's tumultuous world.
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The song I was listening to was 'Masters of War' and the link is below:-
http://youtu.be/h2mabTnMHe8 

I'm not selecting the whole song but the verses that I feel particularly apt for 2014.
Come you masters of war
You that build the big guns
You that build the death planes
You that build all the bombsYou that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks

You fasten all the triggers
For the others to fire
And then you sit back and watch
When the death count gets higherAnd you hide in your mansion
All the young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud
Well let me ask you one question
Is your money that good?
Oh will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could?I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul


There are some things that never change which was my first thought as I listened
Good Bless

Tuesday Recipe - Meatball sub casserole

I am torn about my main recipe this week from the aspect of it being akin to junk food. It pretends to be Italian but I believe it to be from across the pond. There is also a bonus dish of Japanese Noodle Broth but more of that later.

Meatball sub Casserole
This recipe is not for the weight loss fraternity as it contains copious amounts of cheese and mayonnaise but it is tasty and probably very adaptable. For the Italian bread I used ciabatta and I did use lite mayonnaise which did no damage to the quality of the meal. It is also a very simple meal to prepare with no great skill required. Well I cooked it so there couldn't be! I did prepare my own Italian tomato sauce rather than buy the same.
The Casserole on the plate
The dish I made would have served for quite easily and it is quite rich so filling.
The full recipe is on the TAB above.
Below is another Japanese meal and very simple to make it is too.
Japanese Noodle Broth
Ingredients
15fl oz of beef stock4oz tofu2 oz rice noodles1 small knob of ginger, julienne1 tbsp sesame oil1 tbsp soy sauce5 spring onions cut diagonally1 tbsp coriander
MethodBring the stock to simmer in a small saucepan.Add the ginger, spring onion, sesame oil and soy sauce and stir.Add the tofu and noodles and half the coriander. Remove from the heat.Leave for five minutes to cook through. To serve, pour into a bowl and sprinkle with the remaining coriander.This is quite filling initially and would do well as a lunch or supper. It is also very straightforward to make.
God Bless