David L. Atkinson's Blog, page 130

Writing - My First Catch

When this topic came up for submission on Readwave I decided to get away from the usual 'first love' type stuff and look at something that instigated an emotional response from the relatively mundane. This is a true story although I haven't completed it because of the 800 word limit.
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My First Catch
No I‘m not talking about fishing or angling and neither am I referring to my first girlfriend but rather to a sporting feat that will live in my memory for ever.I was eleven years of age and selected to play the noble game of cricket for my village’s third team. This sporting unit was made up of a variety of aging but keen men who had seen fitter days, as well as up and coming youngsters, the latter category into which I fitted. I remember the game was an away match and our opponents were Washington Chemical Works.The fact that I’d been asked to play was a proud moment for my father as well as me and he was asked to be one of the umpires, an official on the field helping control the play. At this point it is worth mentioning that the game was limited in the length of time played, by the number of overs available to each side. I am not going into the rules of the game apart from saying that a batsman can be out if he hits the ball in the air and it is caught by a fielder.I was in the shadow of my father who had played and in fact captained the first team, but I was only a boy. My father had a car and so gained the privilege of transporting a couple of other team members! The game was due to begin at seven and we were there in good time. The ground was in the shadow of the chemical works offices; it wasn’t a massive playing area and because it was managed in an ad hoc sort of way, the quality and levelness of the pitch was not of the highest standard. This meant that batting was risky and this was before the days of helmets and protective body pads. However it was the same for both teams. As it wasn’t unusual for youngsters to play in this type of match there was an unwritten rule that bowlers, who could hurl the leather covered ball at your stumps at sixty and seventy miles an hour, wouldn’t bowl dangerously.The toss of a coin was made to see who would bat first and the home team won and decided to bat. We took the field and for the most part, as a new starter I was positioned on the edge of the green sward to give me the opportunity to become accustomed to the speed and hardness of the ball. The game proceeded at a steady pace and the opposition began to accumulate runs. When fielding you can’t always stay hidden on the boundary edge and so there came a point when I was asked to field within twenty yards of the batsmen.It was inevitable that the ball would be lofted into the air and head in my direction. Even over fifty years further on I can see that red missile arrowing towards me in a rapidly decaying parabolic arc.  I steadied myself, raised my hands to just above chest height and spread my fingers. I’d obviously practised catching this unyielding missile on previous occasions but this was different. If I held on to it, the opposition batsman would be out, if I dropped the ball he would play on and possibly score a great many runs. My team was depending on me!I never felt the ball hit my hands, I think at the last moment I’d closed my eyes, but when I opened them there it was. The beautiful, shiny red cherry was nestling safely in my hands. It didn’t hurt, I didn’t drop the ball and my team were clapping. I’d done it! I caught an opposition player out. The score book would record my name for ever as the catcher.I looked towards my father and he was beaming with great pride but I remember feeling confused, happy and received the backslapping congratulations of my team mates, but confused. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry in reality. In point of fact I could feel the tears welling up but I threw the ball back to the bowler and resumed my fielding position shaking myself back into an attitude of concentration.Thinking back to that event it seems strange how we humans react in such enjoyable but stressful situations and I’d never had any such experience previously. My reaction was undoubtedly down to a heightened emotional state, but I wasn’t unusual, you just have to see the reaction of any sports person as they achieve success. Tears are not unusual!
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Readwave
The story is available on the link below but if you do read it and enjoy the experience please leave a comment or at least click on the 'LIKE' button. Thank You!
http://www.readwave.com/my-first-catc...
 God Bless

Poetry Thursday 94 - Where is Winter?

Inspiration for the poem below came from the weather. Inspiration is all around us all of the time we are experiencing it, enjoying it, hating it but certainly living it. In England we are renowned for talking about the weather but in real terms we have very rare extremes in that department. This year has had some extremes in the flooding of large areas of land which is not usual but has happened periodically in the past. Over fifty years ago I remember praying for White Christmases which we never got, 1963/64 was the exception that proves the rule. The global warming lobby will feed off this winter's mildness as a sign but in reality it is slightly wetter than normal and nothing more!

Where is Winter?
Winter is here or is it?We have wind and rain aplenty.But it’s warm enough for a jacketrather than coat Tog four and twenty.
The month is January and we’re waitingwith bated breath for the icy blast.Anticipation is keen and hurtinglike a nip on the nose from Jack Frost


Are we to get away with mildnessfuelling the global warming lobby?Or will winter develop its coldnessand confound scientific community?
Experience predicts a mixturemore wind, rain and perhaps snow.The English weather is a fixtureif you don’t like it – off you go!©David L Atkinson January 2014
God Bless

Writing - Who's in control?

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I'm an apostle of the 'life in your characters' controlling the story - to a degree. I'm currently in Chapter 6 of my latest Steele novel 'Most Wanted Artefact' and the plan has set me and my characters off in a direction, but the activity is more in the control of Patrick Steele and Naomi Kobayashi. Now it is my belief that this is a good thing and I will explain why.
When you begin writing a story those people who reckon they know about story writing will tell you to make your characters 'believable', or they will tell you to 'put flesh on the bones of your character', or some such trite advice. To a degree they are trying to get you to create a real person on the page which of course is correct. What they don't tell you is that part of the art of writing is the skill of character development and that the more time that you spend creating characters the better you will become at that skill. 
I am the last person in the world to blow my own trumpet and so as the characters in the Steele novels develop they have begun to take over for themselves. I take that as a sign that I'm doing a good job. That is backed up by verbal reviews from a few people who have bought my books and taken the time to make comment. In fact I received such a comment last weekend when someone, having read Cessation, called me 'a bastard' for not ending it in the way he was expecting! He was joking but I was gratified that what he'd actually said was that he'd got so far into the personalities and character of the lead players in that book that it had initiated an emotional response in him.

Apart from selling loads of books I can think of no greater compliment than having had a reader becoming emotionally involved in one of my stories.
So who is in control in a story? Well obviously the writer but the characters will drive the story forward according to their personalities, skills and experiences. The writer gives the characters those facets and sets them in a direction but then they will take over. In my last chapter something happened that I hadn't planned but to help you understand where I'm coming from with this I will give you a brief thumbnail sketch of the two people involved.
Patrick A SteeleAn Englishman through an through who has a tendency to the obsessive/compulsive coupled with a strong sense of justice and injustice. He feels the need to bring justice to those who are less able to obtain it for themselves but he is not constrained by the rule of law. He is physically very capable, has a number of skills developed in his earlier life and is training in Aikido.
Naomi KobayashiA Japanese girl of unknown background who was raised by the Gurentai and is a master in the use of Aikido and knives. She is ruthlessly efficient, extremely confident and is massively in love with Patrick. As a disciple of the Gurentai she has been involved in previous activities related to the bringing of justice to those less fortunate but at the instigation of the sub group of the Yakuza.
So these are the two people who are central to the Steele novels. In the last chapter, quite impulsively, Naomi took over and instigated the break in to a villain's lair without planning. Patrick was immediately thrown out of his comfort zone. He is OCD so of course he would be.
The AuthorFrom my point of view a break in to the villain's penthouse apartment was going to happen but Naomi jumped in with both feet and Patrick had no choice but to follow. What happened you will read when the book is completed. BUT the point is that action wasn't planned for that moment. The character did take over and did instigate the action which created risk. The knock on affect could take a number of directions. Naomi proposed to Patrick in an earlier book. Will this type of precipitate action upset Patrick enough to damage their emotional relationship? You will need to read on to find out.
If the characters weren't well enough formed the above interactions would be impossible and through practice I believe that I have acquired some skill. If I can do it so can you. One thing I will say is that I haven't done many paper based character creating exercises but as part of my writing process I internalise and imagine the people I put into my books and I also think of them interacting with others. 
If you don't take the first step you will never know the joy of independent action instigated by someone you have created on the page.
God Bless

A Tuesday Recipe - Italian Venison Meatballs with pasta

Italian Venison meatballs
This meal came from a piece of opportunism. I had gone shopping with the aim of producing something Italian so I had tomatoes, oregano, onion and garlic in my trolley I just wanted something to go with them. The venison meatballs were on offer so I snapped them up. The Italian sauce is standard and easy to make. It forms the basis of other dishes such as lasagne and bolognese so it made for an easy cooking weekend.The photo above show the meatballs with fusilli but I also served it with spaghetti. Its tasty with either if you like Italian food.If I was a purist I would start with minced venison, herbs, breadcrumbs, egg and make my own meatballs but as I'm not a real chef I feel it is my duty to seek out short cuts and cheats!!!!
The full recipe is on the TAB at the top of this page.


'It All Fell Down' - readwave.com
A big thank you to all those readers in 9 countries around the world who have read my latest readwave submission. It is quite humbling when I see there are almost as many readers in San Jose as in London.
Cessation - review
Thanks to a friend for a review which was very positive but highlighted the surprising nature of the ending.
God Bless

We write to be read!

[image error]Writing frustration
I read a blog this week by a colleague, Stephen Woodfin, who stated what seems like the obvious in that we write to be read. (Sorry if I've oversimplified that Stephen). At first I was a little dubious because like so many I write because I need to write but the icing on the cake is when someone reads your work. It's even better if they like it and follow through with a review. It is true that if no one read my writings I would not stop but the icing on the cake is when someone just takes a moment or two to show some level of appreciation for your efforts.
I mention this because I write short stories for Readwave.com and recently they've begun to provide a record of the cities around the world where the stories have been read.
CitiesLondon 110 readsStoke-on-trent 1 readSan Jose 61 readsDallas 14 readsSan Francisco 30 readsAshburn 25 readsNewark 15 readsPalo Alto 9 readsSeattle 19 readsAbsecon 9 readsRome 1 readSan Antonio 4 readsAtlanta 2 readsReading 5 readsTaipei 3 readsMontréal 4 readsCaracas 1 readSpringfield 2 readsLlandovery 1 readMountain View 1 readRedmond 5 readsLeeds 1 readRichmond 1 readBirmingham 1 readLansing 1 readSaint Louis 2 readsSan Carlos 1 readApo 4 readsOsaka 2 readsPohang 1 readThere are 9 countries represented in the list which, in my own simple minded way, I find quite exciting.
Of all the cities mentioned there is only 1 read from anywhere near where I live and that is Leeds. Now it isn't a case that I'm the archetypal 'billy no mates' I have plenty of friends and a number of family members, but why don't they read me?To sell books it is necessary that those who like your work tell a friend but they have to read them first! I received a great comment today about Cessation and the nature of the ending. You'll have to read it to find out what form that takes. There are links on this blog and if you search under David L Atkinson you will be able to buy paperback or electronic copies.

God Bless

Writing - 10 useless facts from last week

Facts for the weekend.
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1. No-one has ever had an Oscar nomination for a voice-only role .
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2. Flirting female capuchin monkeys throw stones at the object of their desire.

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3. Having caffeine after absorbing information helps the brain to remember what you learnt.

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4. Kladdkaka, a flat gooey chocolate cake, is the most googled food in Sweden.

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5. Snakes can give a venomous bite for up to an hour after they die.

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6. There is a word in Japan that means "I only date chubby women".

 The word is 'debusen'


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7. Drinking spirits with a diet mixer will register a higher alcohol reading on a breathalyser than if you'd had a regular mixer.

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8. Primates live long lives because they expend so little energy.

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9. Women who lift weights cut their odds of developing type 2 diabetes.

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10. The dark side of the Moon is actually turquoise.

God Bless

Writing - Props in your stories

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Glock 27
As I started creating the Steele series one area that I had fun thinking about was Patrick Steele's weapons of choice. The frightening thing was the wealth and depth of information about weapons that is available on the internet. (Its not just information!). So with the handgun I chose something for my hero that was light and small but with stopping power. As it is five years since I began writing weapons have developed and The above was the latest in the Glock series at the time of writing 'Inceptus'
Imagine my interest in the news today when the announcement of a new gun for women has been launched in India. It comes as a result of the rape and death of a girl at the hands of a gang of men on a bus. It made international headlines at the time. The gun is called 'Nirbheek' after the nickname of the unfortunate girl who died. It is made by the Indian state owned Ordnance Factory and weighs only 500g and will fit easily into a lady's purse. Although men can buy them it is presented in a maroon jewellery case to tempt the Indian ladies who like their baubles.
[image error]Nirbheek
Patrick Steele must have a bit of an arsenal, because I decided that he should, and so he has a teflon coated (prevents light reflection) Swedish Fallkniven I Survival Knife for close quarter action. This type of weapon is an indication of the stern stuff from which he is made, in that he is prepared to get up close to dispatch a target. 
[image error]Fallkniven I Survival Knife
At the same time his early years training gave him considerable proficiency in target shooting with a long range weapon. He has a sniper's rifle as used by the Swiss Army. It is a Nemesis with a choice of three barrel lengths for different distance work as well as telescopic and night sight.
[image error]Nemesis Sniper's Weapon
The point is that when creating an action figure they need accoutrements of different sorts and you can tap into the wealth of information on the web but I believe that you also need to keep up with changes as the years pass. It is also a subject that some readers are very interested in and may provide an additional source of readership. So if you have that interest and want to read more please feel free to dip into the Steele series.
God Bless

Writing - It All Fell Down (a readwave submission)

It All Fell Down
It was a seemingly ordinary Monday morning he got up as usual, showered as usual, dressed as usual, ate breakfast and set off to work. That day was never going to be normal and it was going to live in his mind forever. The journey to work was as busy as it always was and even the short stretch of motorway that he took as part of the route, was thronged with commuters thundering their way to their jobs. He glanced at the speedometer and was approaching 90mph. ‘It would be so easy,’ he thought to himself. ‘I could accelerate to 100 and flip the steering wheel!’The turn-off he always took was approaching. It was as much muscle memory that saved him that morning. Within ten minutes he was in his place of work surrounded by people which in some ways was a blessing but in others increased the pain.“What’s up mate?” asked one of the older guys he worked with.“Nothing Bill,” he replied. “I’m fine.”Of course it was a lie and the astute Bill had picked up on the fact that his behaviour wasn’t normal. It wasn’t so different that the younger staff noticed anything but Bill had more life experience.It was the longest day imaginable and he avoided long conversations, breaks and banter. Work was the interim cure for what ailed him but it had to come to an end. There was no reason to hurry home so he finished off and was almost the last person to leave the building. It was dusk by the time he was on the return journey home.Home! It was a new house when they moved in not long after their wedding. They were the first to live in the cul-de-sac and had to negotiate the building site to access their new dwelling for several weeks before they had neighbours. All was normal, children came along, and one even got to school age. The garden was cultivated, relationships in the neighbourhood developed and all seemed happy. Just how wrong can you be!They were going! By the time he got home his wife and two children will have gone for good.Home! Driving into the street and up to the building, it wasn’t a home anymore; it was like driving into a black hole. Everything that had been life up to that time was centred on this place but now the windows were black in the gloom of the closing day, like sightless eyes.He put the car into the garage and fussed around, avoiding the inevitable moment when he had to enter the house. It was never going to be usual because the house was empty so the lights were out, there was no welcoming smell of cooking, no noise and the heating was off. The atmosphere was as chilly as the air temperature. He turned on lights, TV and central heating but didn’t prepare food. He wasn’t hungry. Eventually the inspection of the whole house had to take place because there was an inbuilt need to re-establish the house as his home.The TV news finished, it was fully dark outside and he finally girded his loins, carried a cup into the kitchen and looked round the ground floor but there was little that was different in the shared spaces. The CD rack and bookcase was no longer full but in itself no great problem as they were very utilitarian objects of furniture. He knew that the upstairs was going to hurt.The landing light shone into the bedroom of his youngest. There was nothing left! It was totally empty except for the carpet and the wallpaper. He leant against the door and cried remembering the fun he’d had with this happy, intelligent child. It took a while for him to pull himself together and, rather than go into the older child’s room, he went into the room that he’d shared with the woman for almost ten years. There wasn’t much different apart from the half of the wardrobe that she had used that was now empty.In the final bedroom, the middle sized room, there was only an upright dining chair as if his big lad had never come home from hospital. He folded into a heap to the carpet; the tears began again and he ached with tangible pain as the full enormity of what had happened finally hit him.
He knew that he was going to be late for work. The roads were considerably quieter. He couldn’t remember whether he’d locked the door but it didn’t seem to matter. He accelerated down the slip road on to the motorway and continued accelerating until he reached 100mph……
God Bless

Poetry Thursday 93 - Is it weird?

[image error]Is it weird?
Is it weird to consider that the earth is roundspinning benignly in space making hardly a soundthat what we hear - the noise and the fussis a symphony playing to comfort us
Is it weird to consider when alone in my placethat I'm the sole member of the human racewithout sight or sound of any otherthere is no evidence of friend or brother
Is it weird to consider the existence of fishwho swim the vast oceans but end on a dishWho's mind is too simple to appreciatethe beauty of the soup that they populate
Is it weird to consider a world without profita planet from which all people can benefitNo place for rampant fiscal greedAnd greater help for those in need
Is it weird to consider a world without storya place bereft of adventure, love and glory.Where imagination is confined and restrictedno dreams or hope for those afflicted.
Is it weird to consider a world without greenery,a place of drab, grey and desolate scenery.Where the thoughtless actions of the inhabitantshave murdered the loving mother's residence.
Is it weird to consider a world without icewhere all is warm and seemingly nice?No more to experience a chilly feelingor shiver when breath is visibly steaming.
Is it weird to consider a world without lice,fleas, spiders, wasps, slugs or mice?Murderous human nature never restsin the pursuance of its lethal quests. ©David L Atkinson January 2014God Bless

Writing - Types of imagination.

[image error]Imagination
'Are you sure you want to step in there? You may never find your way out' - an interesting idea. I heard the quote from one of my favourite films and it got me thinking about types of imagination. Having been told in the past that I have no imagination it is probably the case that my imagination is different. My feeling is that imagination is individual and so there as many versions of that facility as there are people on the earth.
Definition
Imagination, also called the faculty of imagining, is the ability to form new images and sensations that are not perceived through sight, hearing, or other senses. Imagination helps make knowledge applicable in solving problems and is fundamental to integrating experience and the learning process.
There are no limits. If you feel you lack imagination just think about something familiar and change its colour or shape in some way, a square soccer ball, red bananas or purple rain! There are plenty of surreal artists who can provide pictures of dripping clocks and the like to jerk the unimaginative out of conventional reality.If you Google 'types of imagination' you come up with millions of hits but there is a common theme of 8 types. Who decided 8 anyway?
1. “Effectuative Imagination combines information together to synergise new concepts and ideas.”2. “Intellectual (or Constructive) Imagination is utilized when considering and developing hypotheses from different pieces of information or pondering over various issues of meaning say in the areas of philosophy, management, or politics, etc.”3. “Imaginative Fantasy Imagination creates and develops stories, pictures, poems, stage-plays, and the building of the esoteric, etc.”4. “Empathy Imagination helps a person know emotionally what others are experiencing from their frame and reference.”5. “Strategic Imagination is concerned about vision of ‘what could be’, the ability to recognize and evaluate opportunities by turning them into mental scenarios…”6. “Emotional Imagination is concerned with manifesting emotional dispositions and extending them into emotional scenarios.”7. “Dreams are an unconscious form of imagination made up of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur during certain stages of sleep.”8. “Memory Reconstruction is the process of retrieving our memory of people, objects, and events.”I copied the 8 types but you know they are not that satisfying. They remind me of endless lectures in psychology that I attended in a previous existence and really when you think about what they are describing it is how we view our own life and the lives of others. Many of us fantasise about winning the lottery, we dream of better lives and support friends and relatives by imagining their pain. If there is an area of imagination where we all differ and which governs our taste in various aspects of the arts it is number 3.Yet we can all have so much fun if we apply a little imagination to life. By using your imagination, it can make your day much more exciting and interesting. You'll find yourself more motivated and happy. Most adults grow out of their imagination, therefore they think they don't have one. By learning to take control of your imagination and by expanding it, you will be feeling much more calm and carefree.
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Pretend you have a super power! Too strong? What about people watching?

Take some time out to watch people at their own lives and imagine what they are doing, where they are going and what issues they may have. That simple activity can be a great stress reliever and a source of inspiration.You can find all sorts of mind games and activities that are intended to stimulate imagination but finding and indulging are rather like reading about a diet and trying it, you have to be in it to win it. Once you have tried it you may find a need to use it in a more 3D situation so write and be artisitic.
God Bless