David L. Atkinson's Blog, page 107

Writing - 10 things we didn't know last week

Cheese, sharks and dog poo this week!
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1. You can make vegan cheese out of human DNA.
Isn't that tantamount to cannibalism?
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2. The most common surname for doctors in the UK is Khan.


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3. Lebanon has a craft beer industry.

Is this another contradiction?
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4. Man-eating sharks are nine times more likely to kill men than women.

Why else call them 'maneaters'?
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5. David Hockney's dachshund once defecated on the floor of Dennis Hopper's Frank Gehry-designed home, prompting a furious reaction.

So cute!
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6. Monkeys at the top and bottom of the social pecking order have physically different brains.

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7. Watching action films makes you eat more.

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8. There are £1,500 chickens that are entirely black.

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9. The men's apparel market in India is worth nearly $2 billion (£1.2 billion) more than that of women.

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10. Archer fish adjust for distance when they spit.


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God Bless

Writing - Competitions and access

I received an email this morning about a competition - The Guardian Legend self-published book of the month. Now a truly self-interested writer would hide all such competitions from his competitors but as the books are judged then winners publicised I believe it was only fair to pass the information on.

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The competition is open to UK residents.
To enter the Competition you must submit an original work of fiction, written by you, in English (we will accept works that were originally written in another language but which have been translated into English), containing at least 40,000 words, as well as a synopsis of the work, to the email address self-published@theguardian.com with “Self-Published Book of the Month Submission” in the subject line. Your work must have been self-published after 31 December 2011 and before the date of your entry, and cannot have been published (or agreed to be published) by a third party traditional publisher. Your work must be submitted in Word or PDF format. Your email must contain your name, address and telephone number. No purchase is necessary. If you have any questions about how to enter or otherwise in connection with the Competition, please email us at self-published@theguardian.com with “Guardian Legend Self-Published Book of the Month Query” in the subject line.

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 - Time and motion

Driving home from the pool this morning I had to pull up for a crossing patrol operative. The little lady held up her sign [image error] and I pulled up to allow a family to cross the road. Then I noticed another lady in the compulsory high vis vest holding a tablet computer and it reminded of the 1960s' fetish for time and motion.
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When the unions were flexing their muscles in that decade and later, the bosses response was to introduce the evil 'time and motion' men! The two language terms were 'working to rule' and 'efficiency' but things have changed to a degree. We're all under observation all of the time but it doesn't seem to lessen the resentment and stress that it causes. It seems to be an aspect of the human condition.
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When we write and create characters we need to be aware of the way humans behave in a variety of situations and some of those reactions are actually generated by social behaviours and become a collective response. If your heroes/heroines are in a group then group dynamics come into play and I find that considering these human behaviours makes the job of creating interactions in text more interesting.
God Bless

Poetry Thursday 126 - Some humans use 10% of their brains

I went to see 'Lucy' starring Scarlett Johannson and Morgan Freeman. To cut a long story short it is centred round the fact that we human beings use 10% of the capacity of our brains and then what would happen if we became able to use the whole thing. An interesting idea and some concepts that stretch the imagination but it led to the poem below.


Lucy
If we could use more of the powerof our brains increasingly by the hour,would our lives be any easier,or would existence be a little trickier?
Some would pay to use that much!Their ‘off’ behaviours demonstrate such.Knowing there is more use to be had suggests they’re perhaps not doing too bad.
But then living on Earth are thosewhose brain activity is set at doze,and allowing them to engage with usis risky if not dangerous.
We all go through our lives hopingthat our bustling brains are great at coping,and if we strive to keep them busywe may end up as bright as Lucy.© David L Atkinson September 2014
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Then I opened the bedroom curtains this morning and glanced out on a day of 'no weather'. That comment came from a young child carrying out weather observations for a classroom monitoring chart.
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No Weather
I opened the curtains and looked at the skyhoping for sun to gladden the eye.Imagine the sight creating dismayof an ocean of bland, unrelieved grey.
I opened the curtains and looked at the treessearching each twig for sign of a breeze.Imagine the sight of everything stillno movement discernible the promise of ill.
I opened the curtains and gazed at the groundlooking for signs of rain splashing down.Imagine the sight of everything dryno splashes to signal life from the sky.
I’ll open the curtains tomorrow againand search for sun, wind and rain.Imagine the sights that’ll make me smileif the weather has changed its ‘no’ profile.© David L Atkinson September 2014

God Bless

Writing - Hand and headcrafted artefacts

I love the English language, delight in its use and rail at its misuse even though I do get it wrong at times! Today I was struck by the term hand-made as a result of my daughter's venture into selling her embroidered goods. Naturally, my thoughts turned to books. When all said and done they are not hand-made but rather head-made!
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Writing is using human skills and ideas to produce something so why aren't books included in cottage industries and craft fairs? It's not a massive issue but gives me the opportunity to advertise my work as well as my daughter's. Don't forget to start reading the Steele novels from 'I Have To Get It Right' 
---------------------------------------Charlotte & Bean 
I'm going to do some advertising for my very able and artistic daughter Charlotte who has begun her own online shop with a group called Etsy, while she is on maternity leave. I know I may be a little biased but she has produced some great baby garments and toys some of which are featured below.
 A bobble hat for a bear and a cuddly toy!
Her web address for the full catalogue is below or click on her name above.
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/CharlotteandBean?ref=search_shop_redirect
God Bless

Tuesday Recipe - Vegetable Frittata

A bit of a make-do meal for this week's offering as I was eating out when I usually create!

Vegetable Frittata
Let me begin by saying that I'm not posting it on the TAB because it is so simple and you can change it to suit your own personal taste.Very simply it is a coarse omelette with left over vegetables but you can polish it up as you feel and according to what is left over in the pantry.The one pictured was made from new potatoes, parsnip, haricots and runner beans. I fried the veg off in olive oil, salt and black pepper, paprika and garlic, until they were soft. I whisked together three eggs, a little milk, salt and black pepper and poured over the sautéed vegetables and then when the base was firm finished the dish off under the grill. It was served with HP brown sauce and tasted delicious.The dish would have been fluffier with creme fraiche and more calorific with some cheese grated on the top but I didn't have those items. Enjoy!
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I'm going to do some advertising for my very able and artistic daughter Charlotte who has begun her own online shop with a group called Etsy, while she is on maternity leave. I know I may be a little biased but she has produced some great baby garments and toys some of which are featured below.
 A bobble hat for a bear and a cuddly toy!
Her web address for the full catalogue is below or click on her name above.
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Charlott...
God Bless

Writing - Significant historical events 31st August

This day in history has had a number of significant royal events. When carrying out research using dates can be a useful starting point and may lead to atmosphere generating data.
1.
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Henry VI became King of England on this date in 1422 at the age of 9 months. He was actually King of England for almost 40 years. 
2.[image error]HemryVIII
Henry VIII was excommunicated by Pope Paul II in 1535. Of course this was all over the love of a woman. He wanted to be granted a divorce from Catherine of Aragon so that he could wed Anne Boleyn. As it happened he married Anne in 1533 and had her executed three years later.
3.[image error]Bonnie Prince Charlie
On the run from the English army, Charles Edward Stuart arrived at Blair Castle, Scotland on this date in 1745. Eventually, he was rescued and took refuge in France. He was known as the Young Pretender and was a romantic figure who generated stories during his running away from the English. In one tale he became a 'Mr Sinclair', supposedly a shipwrecked merchant and in another story disguised himself as a woman 'Betty Burke'. In those days, without rapid communication it was amazing how these stories got around.
So for the Royals around the world avoid religion, women and war on 31st August.
God Bless

Writing - Story settings

People will advise a budding writer to create from where they're at as the instinct is good. Logical also! It was inevitable then that my Steele stories have their basis in two camps, Sunderland and Yorkshire, as I've spent most of my life in those two places. However, holidays can also spark inspiration because of their novelty.

Roker
The beach above is significant to me and there is a moment when Steele meets someone looking out to sea. Roker was the home of my favourite football team and only three miles from where I was brought up. During long summer breaks when school was out it was easy to get to the beach and languish in the sun.

Doxford House
The house above is about half a mile from where I was raised. It has extensive grounds and has had a variety of functions since it was a home. It occurs in more than one Steele novel.
The point is that I remember the atmosphere and in doing so it enables me to describe how the place feels or felt in the past and so transmit a sense of reality in a fictitious situation. So writing from where you're at has that benefit and what could be easier. The things is that you are writing from your feelings so if in doubt turn back the years and imagine what it was like to be in a certain place and time. Draw on the emotional memories as well as the physical and if you want to be more systematic a notebook of pictures with some notes for future use may be the crutch you need.

On VG today.
http://venturegalleries.com/serial/took-bullet-felt-guilty/
God Bless

Writing - Thinking outside other people's boxes.

I took a silly survey on Facebook yesterday about what your 'ideal job' could be and it got me to thinking. 

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I was quite pleased about the outcome of the survey, which of course has no real basis in science, but nevertheless came up with my ideal job as 'writer' - thank goodness. As spurious as these sorts of surveys they can have a value in that they may encourage reflection. When we are constructing our characters in stories the process must involve a level of reflection as to the nature of our creations. I believe it to be necessary to provide depth and real quality to the created person in my books.
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The art of writing involves in allowing your mind to take reality and, rather like plasticine or play doh, stretch and manipulate it into what the writer wants it to look like. The sub-heading beneath the name of the product says it all! The issue is that people who grew up with you, are related to you or consider that they 'know' you, if they don't share your creativity, seem to have an innate drive to make you conform. 
Stay strong when they say 'he/she is in a mood' or if you are commanded to 'pull yourself together'. The fact is that the majority of people without a huge creative spark cannot cope with the insecurity that being of that mind involves and want the divergent person to conform.
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Look after yourself as people in this creative group are probably more prone to psychological problems such as depression. If you feel the urge to cut off an ear consult a doctor!
When you are creating your characters try and avoid creating a version of the 'norm' it will stifle your work. My guy, Patrick A Steele, is seemingly 'normal' but beneath a conventional exterior he is not the sort of guy you would cross. He has an interesting skillset and some alarming psychological obsessions so his 'normal' behaviour wouldn't be everyone's. To find out more buy the first of the stories 'I Have To Get it Right' 

Poetry Thursday 125 - Water Clock and Bullets and Burgers

A strange collection this week inspired by swimming and a violent death.


Water Clock
Runs like a stream down hillwearing away its bed.As a watch wearer’s vitality turns illgathering pace towards being long dead.
The irresistible power of its puritylaving surfaces with chilly friction.Scouring clean with simple efficiencyand providing life as a biological addiction.
But ticking away are our desperate secondscleaning and clinging to nothingand dripping freely immune to bondsas valuable diamonds glittering.© David L Atkinson August 2014

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Bullets and Burgers
All guns are weapons of violence and deaththey should be out of the reach of children.Innocent hands taught to take man’s last breath.Mum and dad should prevent such an action.
Teaching the young the ways of aggression.Seeing naïve eyes sighting on targetis shameful as a life introduction,and destroys childhood’s easy benefit.
A tutor, a veteran a parentlies in death at the hands of a youngster.Will she ever again feel innocent?Or will guilt be her life ever after?
Bullets and Burgers give children a thrill!Bullets and Burgers are licensed to kill!© David L Atkinson August 2014
God Bless