David L. Atkinson's Blog, page 118
May 21, 2014
Poetry Thursday 111 - Left, Children - Is it summer?
Left
Don’t give me that sad mouth down at the corners like a gibbous moon!Didn’t I try to make you happy?Emasculated my gender to keep a sickly peace.But no – never enough no matter the Herculean effort.My fault!I got the balance wrong like the moment when dad let go the on-rushing bicycle and I leaned too far to the left.Not the second time!But never with a woman!The balance never came right I always fell off.Now the mystique of it is closed like a street of derelict buildings with boarded orifices.Left, not unkindly, but nevertheless left.Red brick walls, heart-like, strong but empty now.Wrong choices! Picked the wrong houses.Now all that is left are my own bricks of my own heart.©David L Atkinson May 2014
Children
Joy unbounded from a kaleidoscope of places.The little buggers put you through your pacesBut so much pleasure radiates from eager faces.
Dark hours of pain when they are not well.Depth of illness can put you through hell.Will they survive parents life span on Earth to dwell?
It is right that they should remain vital,long after the ancestors have suffered fatalsalvos ending life mortal.©David L Atkinson May 2014
Is it Summer?
Joyous gleaming sun teases out the timid petals from their leathery shields promising a kaleidoscope to the discerning.
Bird song is rich and shrill over the sound of the river’s passing piercing the still, clammy atmosphere.
Summer has arrived in sweaty, glorious power unbounded but as fragile as a spider’s sticky gossamer.How long will it last on this temperamental island?
©David L Atkinson May 2014
God Bless
May 20, 2014
Writing - Dylan Thomas and more.
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Tom Hollander as Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion", the "play for voices", Under Milk Wood, and stories and radio broadcasts such as A Child's Christmas in Wales and Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog. He became popular in his lifetime and remained so after his premature death in New York. In his later life he acquired a reputation, which he encouraged, as a "roistering, drunken and doomed poet".
I have read some of Thomas's poetry and heard part of 'Under Milk Wood'. I cannot pretend to enjoy his work as it is like that of most poets, intensely personal. It seems to me that the products of writing poetry is as close to the soul of the writer as you can get without being actually inside their heads. As such poetry does not resonate with everyone.
In the case of Thomas he was a deep thinking, hurting and in some ways, broken man. The BBC dramatisation showed much of this and his problems with relationships as a result. He seemed to use alcohol as many do - a barrier between himself and others and anaesthetic against the pain he felt in day-to-day living.
During his life Thomas was more popular in the USA than in his native UK but his work, or legacy, is popular worldwide. I enjoyed'Don't go gentle into that good night' in particular.
And more
I read Caleb Pirtle's blog about improving one's writing by becoming a member of a good critique group. He described how a good group would consist of five or six people, that only four or five pages at a time should be read and that you needed to be thick skinned. It made me think about Dylan Thomas and other famous writers. Although I have loads of respect for Caleb and appreciate how supportive he is to me and other writers in more ways than one, I have a problem with self-analysis and the, for me, painful process of review. For me those who review as a profession remind me of the saying about teachers,
those who can - do, those who can't teach
so for reviewers,
those who can - write, those who can't review
The attitude comes from my own insecurities and the 'thick skinned' part of the requirements to be a member of a critique group would never be thick enough to prevent a feeling of being crushed at negative feedback. It may seem pathetic to those of you who put yourselves through that particular exercise and I admire your courage but writers like Thomas wrote because of the need to write rather like an artist paints because that is the way in which they express themselves most successfully.
The writing is like any artistic endeavour, it comes from inside, the physical skills can be practised and improved upon but the art is personal. Critique groups can improve the basics of writing of that I have no doubt but a writer should write from inside. Charles Dickens in his early years was not considered a skilful writer in the grammatical sense and yet his stories have lasted for over 150 years.
On VG today.
http://venturegalleries.com/serial/perhaps-paranoia-was-setting-in/
God Bless
May 19, 2014
Tuesday Recipe - Egg and Chicken Pie
Egg and Chicken Pie
The above came from the Durham Women's Institute Cookery Book circa 1955. What can I say about this meal? Bland hardly touches the disappointing lack of flavour of the original recipe, so why write about it?
Well for two reasons.
Firstly, the recipe was created just after the war when things were hard to come by.
Secondly, there is nothing wrong with the basic principles of the recipe and it allows for experimentation.
The full recipe is on the TAB above
News
AstraZeneca reject the Pfizer bid their Chairman commented that they needed to do the best for their shareholders. Isn't that the tail wagging the dog. I seem to remember companies came first; shares were given out to allow expansion and further development; and, a share of the profits went to shareholders. Now it seems that companies exist solely for the benefit of shareholders and the purpose of the company being in existence in the first place is secondary!
God Bless
Poetry Posting - Spring Haiku
Spring Haiku
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Colours of fine springsprouting from Earth to colourpictures from young minds.©David L Atkinson May 2014
Links to other stuff
www.completelynovel.comwww.amazon.co.uk
www.amazon.com
Search under David L Atkinson
God Bless
May 18, 2014
Writing - They covered their ears
As writers we are involved in the various realms of communication. The sermon given at our church Christ The King, Battyeford by Chris Swift was based on the gospel when St. Stephen wasn't listened to and ultimately stoned to death.
The message, as I understood it, was that we have to be active listeners if we are to prevent such dreadful misunderstandings.
'Listening is never as straight forward as it sounds. Sometimes people hear our words but don't make the effort to understand what we are saying. We all know the phone conversations when we're trying to communicate but all we hear are non-committal 'mms' and 'ahhs' on the other end. Probably the person is multi-tasking, dividing their attention and failing to really take in what we are saying.'
This section reminds me of cold calls that we all probably receive from time to time when you can't get through the script the person on the other end of the phone is using to explain your own position and therefore save time on both your parts.
Chris talked about passive and active listening and to a degree there are similarities between the passive listener and the passive reader. I have found myself having to re-read sections of a book or article when my attention has been taken away. When we write we hope to engage the reader so that passive reading does not take over from the active.
'Active listening is the opposite of passive hearing and involves a deep listening to the concerns of another person. The person is listened to by the words they use; the silences they make; and the body language that accompanies their words.'
A few moments after the above scene the Russian President is questioned as to why the USA representatives have had to travel to Russia. His reply runs along the lines of,
'so that you can hear my words and observe the language of my body'
When we write we want the 'active readers' of our tales to fully engage with the stories that we write so that they can derive the true message of our words.
God Bless
May 17, 2014
Writing - 10 things we didn't know last week
Everything from beer goggles to Boris Johnston.
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1. "Beer goggles" do exist.
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2. Suckers on octopus arms attach to everything except octopus skin.
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3. The Pentagon has a plan for combating a zombie apocalypse.
Another government wasting money.
--------------------------------
4. If you translate Boko Haram word-for-word it means "fake prohibited" but it is shorthand for a longer phrase meaning "western education is a sin".
Both phrases that have no relation to each other.
--------------------------------
5. Kenny G's Going Home is used in public spaces in China to tell people to go home.
Who?
--------------------------------
6. Exercise can erase memories in mice.
I can verify that it has the same effect on humans as I can't remember the last time I exercised.
-------------------------------
7. Travis Kalanick, joint founder of Uber, used to be rated seventh-best Angry Birds player in the US.
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8. Boris Johnson could in theory be British prime minister and 14 years later become US president.
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9. Snails don't come back to a garden if they are thrown at least 20 metres (65ft) away.
An alternative to building up ones throwing muscles is to saute them in white wine.
--------------------------------
[image error]
10. The sun has a sibling star that has been dubbed HD 162826.
It's the blue one on the right.
----------------------------------
God Bless
[image error]
1. "Beer goggles" do exist.
----------------------------------
[image error]
2. Suckers on octopus arms attach to everything except octopus skin.
--------------------------------
3. The Pentagon has a plan for combating a zombie apocalypse.
Another government wasting money.
--------------------------------
4. If you translate Boko Haram word-for-word it means "fake prohibited" but it is shorthand for a longer phrase meaning "western education is a sin".
Both phrases that have no relation to each other.
--------------------------------
5. Kenny G's Going Home is used in public spaces in China to tell people to go home.
Who?
--------------------------------
6. Exercise can erase memories in mice.
I can verify that it has the same effect on humans as I can't remember the last time I exercised.
-------------------------------
7. Travis Kalanick, joint founder of Uber, used to be rated seventh-best Angry Birds player in the US.
------------------------------
[image error]
8. Boris Johnson could in theory be British prime minister and 14 years later become US president.
------------------------------
[image error]
9. Snails don't come back to a garden if they are thrown at least 20 metres (65ft) away.
An alternative to building up ones throwing muscles is to saute them in white wine.
--------------------------------
[image error]
10. The sun has a sibling star that has been dubbed HD 162826.
It's the blue one on the right.
----------------------------------
God Bless
May 16, 2014
Writing - The Writer's lot
More book covers I'm afraid. Showed some the other day but then changed the title of my book to 'Castled' and so I need something more fitting for a cover.
I like the shades on this one but I think it is rather like Pisa! A little wan perhaps?
Plain but nice but perhaps too plain.
In with a chance!I've finished my first edit and so ready to upload to completelynovel.com (search under David L Atkinson). So I need to make a decision this weekend then I can order author's copies for proof reading.
So that is progress today but I was reminded twice this week of the responsibility writers have to tell the world when things need attention.Charles Dickens[image error] Reading the great man's biography I was intrigued to discover that he didn't just comment through his books and magazines on the plight of the needy in society but he also set up a home for fallen women with the express purpose of turning them away from their poor lives and equally poor prospects for a long life.
George Orwell[image error] Like Dickens Orwell was greatly affected by the plight of the poor and wrote 'Down and Out in Paris and London'In 1929 he wrote of Rue de Coq D'Or,
"Quarrels, and the desolate cries of street hawkers, and the shouts of children chasing-orange-peel over the cobbles, and at night loud singing and the sour reek of the refuse carts, made up the atmosphere of the street…. Poverty is what I'm writing about and I had my first contact with poverty in this slum."
Looking round the world today and the two cities above, and you could be forgiven for asking what had changed in the last hundred years or so. Both writers would be greatly disturbed that we humans have not lost the lust for money and wealth at the epense of the less well favoured. Once again I refer to the publication of 'rich lists' and the like and re-publish my poem Rich List
Rich List
Why do we need to knowthat there are people with morethan most of us will ever havein ten life time’s on this Earth?
Where is their shame when they drivedown the street in their limousinesand pass by the homeless and destituteeking out a version of life with nothing?
How do they justify in their mindsbuying things with vast sumsbecause that is what they havein their banks not considering value?
What can they possibly enjoywhen the only drive they haveis to keep what they have andmake even more filthy lucre?
Why don’t they delve into realmsof genuine pleasure and reach outto the other ones in this lifeand help with their largesseexpecting nothing in return?©David L Atkinson May 2014
On VG today:
http://venturegalleries.com/serial/playing-tourist-he-was-the-target/
God Bless
I like the shades on this one but I think it is rather like Pisa! A little wan perhaps?
Plain but nice but perhaps too plain.
In with a chance!I've finished my first edit and so ready to upload to completelynovel.com (search under David L Atkinson). So I need to make a decision this weekend then I can order author's copies for proof reading.So that is progress today but I was reminded twice this week of the responsibility writers have to tell the world when things need attention.Charles Dickens[image error] Reading the great man's biography I was intrigued to discover that he didn't just comment through his books and magazines on the plight of the needy in society but he also set up a home for fallen women with the express purpose of turning them away from their poor lives and equally poor prospects for a long life.
George Orwell[image error] Like Dickens Orwell was greatly affected by the plight of the poor and wrote 'Down and Out in Paris and London'In 1929 he wrote of Rue de Coq D'Or,
"Quarrels, and the desolate cries of street hawkers, and the shouts of children chasing-orange-peel over the cobbles, and at night loud singing and the sour reek of the refuse carts, made up the atmosphere of the street…. Poverty is what I'm writing about and I had my first contact with poverty in this slum."
Looking round the world today and the two cities above, and you could be forgiven for asking what had changed in the last hundred years or so. Both writers would be greatly disturbed that we humans have not lost the lust for money and wealth at the epense of the less well favoured. Once again I refer to the publication of 'rich lists' and the like and re-publish my poem Rich List
Rich List
Why do we need to knowthat there are people with morethan most of us will ever havein ten life time’s on this Earth?
Where is their shame when they drivedown the street in their limousinesand pass by the homeless and destituteeking out a version of life with nothing?
How do they justify in their mindsbuying things with vast sumsbecause that is what they havein their banks not considering value?
What can they possibly enjoywhen the only drive they haveis to keep what they have andmake even more filthy lucre?
Why don’t they delve into realmsof genuine pleasure and reach outto the other ones in this lifeand help with their largesseexpecting nothing in return?©David L Atkinson May 2014
On VG today:
http://venturegalleries.com/serial/playing-tourist-he-was-the-target/
God Bless
May 15, 2014
Writing - Eye witness accounts and memory
I was reminded of the fallibility of memory by a murder case that has been reported on today. It took place forty years ago, there are six suspects and it occurred in Reykjavik, Iceland. The headline was 'Who would admit to crimes they couldn't remember?'
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It reminded me of the trip I took to London with a party of schoolchildren a number of years ago. To cut a long story short we lost a child in St Paul's had a number of eyewitness sightings all of which were erroneous and quite far fetched.'He sat next to me for the photographs at St. Paul's' - when we had the photograph produced he wasn't on it!'I was with him in the London Museum' - wrong he never got there.
And so on. It could be useful in misleading our readers when we construct plots.
The fifth Steele novel.
In this the 5th Steele novel Patrick tackles the person who has been surreptitiously dogging his footsteps over a number of his adventures. This is not without risk and the focus of his love, Naomi Kobayashi, disappears which seriously affects his ability to function as well as he can. We also find out more about the man himself. The adventure takes him to Eire, France, the USA before he returns to resolve the issue in the UK. Will Patrick finally rid himself of a deadly enemy? Can our hero rescue his love or is it already too late? Another Patrick Steele adventure filled with tension and action as well as the support provided by the team he has developed over the years.
Also available at all major retailers and on
www.completelynovel.comwww.amazon.co.uk
www.amazon.comhttps://www.smashwords.com/books/view/349262
search under David L Atkinson
God Bless
[image error]
It reminded me of the trip I took to London with a party of schoolchildren a number of years ago. To cut a long story short we lost a child in St Paul's had a number of eyewitness sightings all of which were erroneous and quite far fetched.'He sat next to me for the photographs at St. Paul's' - when we had the photograph produced he wasn't on it!'I was with him in the London Museum' - wrong he never got there.
And so on. It could be useful in misleading our readers when we construct plots.
The fifth Steele novel.
In this the 5th Steele novel Patrick tackles the person who has been surreptitiously dogging his footsteps over a number of his adventures. This is not without risk and the focus of his love, Naomi Kobayashi, disappears which seriously affects his ability to function as well as he can. We also find out more about the man himself. The adventure takes him to Eire, France, the USA before he returns to resolve the issue in the UK. Will Patrick finally rid himself of a deadly enemy? Can our hero rescue his love or is it already too late? Another Patrick Steele adventure filled with tension and action as well as the support provided by the team he has developed over the years.
Also available at all major retailers and on
www.completelynovel.comwww.amazon.co.uk
www.amazon.comhttps://www.smashwords.com/books/view/349262
search under David L Atkinson
God Bless
May 14, 2014
Poetry Thursday 110 - Fat cats and global warming
While looking for information to include in the prologue of Earth Inc I came across some interesting stuff on global warming which inspired the second poem below.
Firstly I was more than a little perturbed at the announcement of 104 billionaires living in London. Why is that news? Why are they there?
[image error]
Rich List
Why do we need to knowthat there are people with morethan most of us will ever havein ten life time’s on this Earth?
Where is their shame when they drivedown the street in their limousinesand pass by the homeless and destituteeking out a version of life with nothing?
How do they justify in their mindsbuying things with vast sumsbecause that is what they havein their banks not considering value?
What can they possibly enjoywhen the only drive they haveis to keep what they have andmake even more filthy lucre?
Why don’t they delve into realmsof genuine pleasure and reach outto the other ones in this lifeand help with their largesseexpecting nothing in return?©David L Atkinson May 2014
[image error]
Global Warming
They say that it is our faultthe clammy, crazy climate.Are we a set of gullible dolts?The weather’s becoming more temperate!
Who are they to tell us sothe silly, stuffy scientists?When there is a lack of snowand our world has violent tempests.
Is there anyone to blamefor ropy, ratty rhythms?Or is it a Little Ice Age cameand Earth reacting to distortions.
Politicians are making capitalwith pricy, pointless policiesto persuade voters that it’s allfor future beneficiaries.
Could it be a dubious plot triedof sly, subtle scaleto keep the fat cats satisfiedas the energy companies fail?
So when you hear of global warmingbe sensible, sceptical, sane.Take with a pinch of salt the warningand enjoy the snow and rain.©David L Atkinson May 2014
God Bless
Firstly I was more than a little perturbed at the announcement of 104 billionaires living in London. Why is that news? Why are they there?
[image error]
Rich List
Why do we need to knowthat there are people with morethan most of us will ever havein ten life time’s on this Earth?
Where is their shame when they drivedown the street in their limousinesand pass by the homeless and destituteeking out a version of life with nothing?
How do they justify in their mindsbuying things with vast sumsbecause that is what they havein their banks not considering value?
What can they possibly enjoywhen the only drive they haveis to keep what they have andmake even more filthy lucre?
Why don’t they delve into realmsof genuine pleasure and reach outto the other ones in this lifeand help with their largesseexpecting nothing in return?©David L Atkinson May 2014
[image error]
Global Warming
They say that it is our faultthe clammy, crazy climate.Are we a set of gullible dolts?The weather’s becoming more temperate!
Who are they to tell us sothe silly, stuffy scientists?When there is a lack of snowand our world has violent tempests.
Is there anyone to blamefor ropy, ratty rhythms?Or is it a Little Ice Age cameand Earth reacting to distortions.
Politicians are making capitalwith pricy, pointless policiesto persuade voters that it’s allfor future beneficiaries.
Could it be a dubious plot triedof sly, subtle scaleto keep the fat cats satisfiedas the energy companies fail?
So when you hear of global warmingbe sensible, sceptical, sane.Take with a pinch of salt the warningand enjoy the snow and rain.©David L Atkinson May 2014
God Bless
May 13, 2014
Writing - A name change and a new project.
I have finished that book that carried the title 'Most Wanted Artefact' since its inception. At 04.44 this morning it became 'Castled' from the chess term.
[image error]
Castling is a move in the game of chess involving a player's king and either of the player's original rooks. It is the only move in chess in which a player moves two pieces in the same move turn, and it is the only move aside from the knight's move where a piece can be said to "jump over" another.
The change in title is to make it more relevant to what is going on between the covers. That brings me nicely on to one of the next parts of the writing process and that is choosing a suitable cover. I have a selection below and would love to hear what you think.
I have found pictures of antique chess sets
because of something that occurs early in the story.
I have no particular favourite on this occasion.
Also in the story a Japanese silver hair slide makes a brief but not that significant entrance. I quite liked the way this picture displayed the slide against the sea but in point of fact that has little relevance to the story. Of course an awful lot depends on how the photos behave when they are pulled and stretched into the required shape for publication. That is the next part of the process and then I have to edit the chapters, a process I find frustrating but essential. Then I will order author's copies of the book from my publishers completelynovel.com and deliver it to two great people who will plough through my prose making corrections that I've missed. Finally, the polished manuscript will be uploaded to the publisher and copies for gifts and sale ordered.Once the latter process has been arrived at the manuscript will be uploaded to smashwords.com and amazon.co.uk and so ebooks will be available before the paperback versions.
So there are a busy few days ahead but my next project has risen from the ashes of 'Castled' and I've started writing it already. It will have the title 'Earth Inc' and comes under the heading of a climactic novel - that is relating to the climate and changes that are occurring.
God Bless
[image error]
Castling is a move in the game of chess involving a player's king and either of the player's original rooks. It is the only move in chess in which a player moves two pieces in the same move turn, and it is the only move aside from the knight's move where a piece can be said to "jump over" another.
The change in title is to make it more relevant to what is going on between the covers. That brings me nicely on to one of the next parts of the writing process and that is choosing a suitable cover. I have a selection below and would love to hear what you think.
I have found pictures of antique chess sets 
because of something that occurs early in the story.
I have no particular favourite on this occasion.
Also in the story a Japanese silver hair slide makes a brief but not that significant entrance. I quite liked the way this picture displayed the slide against the sea but in point of fact that has little relevance to the story. Of course an awful lot depends on how the photos behave when they are pulled and stretched into the required shape for publication. That is the next part of the process and then I have to edit the chapters, a process I find frustrating but essential. Then I will order author's copies of the book from my publishers completelynovel.com and deliver it to two great people who will plough through my prose making corrections that I've missed. Finally, the polished manuscript will be uploaded to the publisher and copies for gifts and sale ordered.Once the latter process has been arrived at the manuscript will be uploaded to smashwords.com and amazon.co.uk and so ebooks will be available before the paperback versions.So there are a busy few days ahead but my next project has risen from the ashes of 'Castled' and I've started writing it already. It will have the title 'Earth Inc' and comes under the heading of a climactic novel - that is relating to the climate and changes that are occurring.
God Bless
