David L. Atkinson's Blog, page 85

Writing - Books and TV

I meant to write about some positive feedback received a week or so ago. It happens so rarely and yet being involved in soapbox jumping, political observation and so on and I deflected away from positives about my writing. So today I'm going to 'blow my own trumpet.'

So when is it okay to sell yourself? In fact I was brought up to believe that remaining modest was the best way to live life. So the area of trying to sell my wares has been difficult for six years which is as long as I've been writing.Obviously the unsolicited praise is something that can be fairly passed on without seeming big-headed or arrogant. So without further ado,

Caleb Pirtle III‎ - David L AtkinsonYou and your work are both liked at Venture Galleries


Caleb, Stephen and Venture Galleries have been wonderfully supportive throughout the last six years. They have serialised some of my books, as well as bought and reviewed them.
I am grateful.

Similarly I have supporters in other parts of the USA and Canada who have bought everything I've written which is wonderful.


[image error]CtK, Battyeford
I've had bags of support from people at my church.
Several people bought and ploughed through my first novel, 'I Have To Get It Right', warts and all! I know it wasn't brilliant, had grammatical stumbling blocks, formatting errors and run through with galloping naivete, but they stuck by me. On top of that many of the people who stuck with the first novel have bought all of my subsequent efforts and I know have appreciated the development of my ability as a writer.
Now I know that people who have emotional links to you tend to be prepared to spend a little cash to lend support, but some of those have also expressed a desire to see the next and the next, putting some pressure on me to write more quickly! Its a backhanded compliment but rewarding.
Something that has been said about 'Cessation', my only novel that stands alone and is not a Steele adventure story, which I find amazingly flattering. It has been said of this dystopian excursion that it would make and I quote, 'a great TV series'. 
The story is a trip into the not too distant future in Yorkshire, and what would occur if the National Grid failed and there was no more electricity. It is an exploration of how people would cope, their relationships, and the depth to which some personalities would sink to survive. I considered it my best work when I'd completed it and still feel that it offers an example of my ability to write in different genres.
I do wish I knew what to do about TV serialisation.
Thus far I've not mentioned the poetry writing because it is such a personal reflection of what is going on in life but I have the two collections. Some examples have been used to encourage meditation and that's a huge indirect compliment.
My feeling now is that the trumpet has been blown, and I know I haven't talked about what a good writer I am now, in comparison with those early days, but I believe that I am better. I don't believe that I'm perfect and I have ideas regarding future development but I believe that if you invest in my work you won't be disappointed.

Read on


My 10 books as of December 2014
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' where Steele is once again at risk from unseen enemies. It would seem that he has become quite recession proof!The most recent addition to the Steele family is Earth plc in which our hero is concerned with political and emotional issues in this crime fighting adventure.
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.
Poetry - there are also two thoughtful collections of poetry available solely through Amazon.
The Musings of a Confused Mind 
and
Words from the Raindrops 

God Bless

Poetry Thursday 156 - Forgiveness, Green and Limericks

Have you ever done anything wrong? Of course you have and the chances are you felt bad about whatever it was and perhaps you needed to apologise. However, there is often a punchline that is a greater burden than the feelings of guilt surrounding your original error and it is what all good Christians would exercise - forgiveness! That in itself can be a heavy burden.

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Forgiveness
A slip of the tongue,an apologetic look,kindly forgiveness from the recipient.A burden forgotten when brought to book.
An unfortunate glance,a gesture of contrition,kindly forgiveness from the recipient.It saves the guilty from perdition.
A hateful text,a tweeted apology,kindly forgiveness from the recipient.The burden of guilt is hefty.
A moment’s pause!Consider the forgiveness.That behemoth of other’s kindness weighs heavy,you may consider engineered forgetfulness.
The slip, the glance, the text,collective apologies leave one perplexed.The kindly, silently critical forgiveness of the recipient.The sad, mistaken, ill-intended sinning – vexed.© David L Atkinson April 2015


The following poem is whatever Green is to you. It could be mother nature, Ireland, the lawn, almost anything of that shade; but whatever, it will not be dominated.

Green
The green covers earth’s bed,human cells may puncture it.leave their detritus to make homes,but the green is never far away.
Cells of brown unnaturalness giveillusion of permanence – it’s a mirage!Time is relative and infinite,humans are brief and finite.
Materials seem hard, unyielding,but the green will seep through,and work their way towards the blue.No matter, so unfeeling.
Life dances over the cells and land,scared to touch, scarcely touching,for the green lurks beneath – waiting,to enclose life in the brown stuff.
It was here first and will be lastwhen the last one stops its walk.Having knitted together a version of past,the green will return and stop all the talk.© David L Atkinson April 2015



Limericks are a strange beast. They control words usage at least.You need to use rhyme,and mete out the time,to create an amusing feast!© David L Atkinson April 2015




Yorkshire Limerick
There was a young man of Yorkshirewho married a farmer’s daughter.When she cooked his breakfast,the ham was the palest,and the builder’s tea tasted like water.© David L Atkinson April 2015

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Writer Limerick
There lived a chap, an old blighter,who longed to be known as a writer.He scribed hard and long,using words he spelt wrong,and was last seen crawling the gutter.© David L Atkinson April 2015

God Bless

Writing - Don't forget the lessons and predictions from the past

So when we write we send out messages and hopefully so that some people out there will take the trouble to read the message. Whether it is acted upon or not is up to the reader but one of the reasons we study history is to learn.
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"The Budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed, lest Romewill become bankrupt.People must again learn to work instead of living on public assistance." - Cicero, 55 BC
Scary to imagine that we have learnt little in the last 2100 years!
[image error]Maggie Thatcher's Right to buy policy.
In the early 1980's PM Margaret Thatcher introduced the 'right to buy your council house' policy. It was more than a passing nod towards capitalism. In point of fact it was, in my opinion, one of the early steps in beginning the crash of 2008, more than twenty years later. As a result of the policy people were encouraged to borrow money that in its turn led to the banks introducing sub-prime lending and being prepared to lend up to seven times a person's salary. Prior to those days the maximum was three times the salary and with a 20% deposit on a house. I'm not going into the principle of everyone owning their own home, but throughout history that has never been the case. Guess what, seven years after the banking crash the conservative party are promising to extend the right to buy policy if elected.

Writers reach out to us from the past in an attempt to avoid repeated mistakes and yet we stubbornly cling to philosophies that are based upon 'but it will work this time'! If you consider the nature of mistakes they quite often stem from misplaced confidence and human error, so it makes sense to learn from our forebears.
Sci-FiScience fiction writers have predicted events with uncanny accuracy at times.
The World Set Free - HG Wells (The Atomic Bomb)If scientists had read this book they may have thought twice about the benefits of discovering the neutron. It makes you wonder about the use of the massive Hadron Collider to discover new particles such as Higgs-Bosson
Looking Backward - Edward Bellamy (Credit Card)This book was published in 1887 and described an American utopian society. It described a card with an allotted amount of credit that citizens could use for purchases.
2001: A Space Odyssey - Arthur C ClarkeIn this classic, which was written in 1968, Clarke predicted being able to draw up the front pages of newspapers on a screen and link to those articles the reader found interesting and wanted to follow up.
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury 1953Ray Bradbury predicted earphones which we would struggle without these days.
The Senator's Daughter - Edward Page Mitchell 1879Mitchell predicted people having printers in every home with endless paper feed and current news item streamed to the home.
Moxon's Master - Ambrose Bierce 1910'Watson' was an invincible super computer that was invincible at chess.
The Machine Stops - E M Forster 1909Forster predicted skyping over a hundred years ago.


The above examples are mostly positive predictions that the world has benefited from and yet when humanity makes a mess we seem to want to forget it as quickly as we can and be oblivious to its lessons.
God Bless

Tuesday Recipe - Indian Fish Pie

This recipe is the result of the opening of a new wet fish shop! Is it a case of the tail wagging the dog?
Indian Fish Pie
I really enjoy fish. Have I said that less than a couple of million times? A local magazine advertised a shop selling all manner of fish and seafood and I fancied fish pie so went to examine their wares. The prices were good and the quality looked great so I bought smoked haddock, salmon and king prawns at around £2/head. Fish is expensive.The Indian aspect of the dish comes from curry powder and coriander in the filling along with a special ingredient that doesn't appear in the standard recipe. The topping was decidedly messy, consisting of grated potato, onions and more heat from cayenne pepper, although it tasted good.The greens on the plate are not something you will find in the supermarket. They are the tops of purple sprouting broccoli, sautéed in butter with black pepper and sea salt. Sweet!The secret ingredient in the filling of the pie is also from the garden of a close friend. The recipe includes spinach which I find bitter and can be overpowering, which I was discussing with a friend who is a keen gardener. He suggested sprout tops! Yes the tops of Brussels sprout plants, he told me they were quite sweet so I tried some and have to agree that they went very well with the fish. Once again you won't find them in supermarkets but if you know someone with a garden or allotment they are quite edible and tasty, AND free.
The full recipe is on the relevant TAB
Soapbox
In the midst of the electioneering a term that is reiterated frequently is 'fairness' and yet I have come across a very unfair situation which is far from fair and which affects every working person in the country.National Insurance is in essence a tax that all working people pay and that was originally used for the funding of public services and pensions. The detailed figures are available on the link below but a summary goes as follows,
Earn between £5832 and £42384/year and your contribution to National Insurance is 10% of your wages.Earn over £42384 and you only pay 2%
I contacted Paul Lewis of Radio 4's Money Box and he sent me a couple of views which I include. 
When I pointed out the figures he replied,
You're right that NI falls at the higher rate tax threshold, in fact from 12% for most people to 2%. Tax gain for better off
and
Politicians never admit this bonus for the better off above £42,385
(courtesy of Paul Lewis)
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rates-and-allowances-national-insurance-contributions/rates-and-allowances-national-insurance-contributions 
If one was being wholly cynical it could be claimed that this was down to the fact that the MPs themselves would have to pay more NI if they were to adjust the rates up for the more wealthy.
Politically there is an opportunity to reduce the rate below the threshold by perhaps 1% putting more money into ordinary people's pockets and increasing the top rate to 5% which would pay for the reduction for the lower paid and increase revenue to help the ailing NHS.
God Bless

Writing - Be clear in what you're saying

I'm sure idioms create a level of frustration and in some cases even difficulty in following a story or a film. A writing colleague, in a reply to a blog I wrote, emphasised the need to be wary in the use of idioms or colloquial sayings. The reason - it can seriously affect the size of your audience and success of your work.
Blended
One recent example came when I was watching the above film - Blended. A very enjoyable watch with some good gags but at one point the lady on the left says to Drew Barrymore,
"You should roofie her and shave her head!"
Fairly obviously it is some kind of penalty given to someone who has done something wrong to Drew Barrymore but what does 'roofie' mean even if it is spelt that way?Well I think it is a reference to Rohypnol which is a fast acting sedative and then of course the saying makes some sense. The mistake for people unfamiliar with the nickname for a drug is the assumption that everyone knows.
Of course the real issue is where to strike the balance between writing in the vernacular and sticking to standard English. We are always advised to write from where you're at but what if that is from a basis of a strong regional influence? Don't worry, there is no right or wrong answer but the result, as I alluded to earlier, is the influence on the size of your audience.

So the message is to write from where you're at but be aware of your audience.
Soapbox
Perhaps soapbox is a little strong for me but it is certainly relevant to those thinking about the forthcoming UK General Election. It is also an issue that affects all countries in some degree. The topic is immigration. UKIP have collected quite a few supporters over this topic in the UK but it is not something that is new. The political issues tend to be around on cheap labour, pressure on a nations infrastructure, and taking jobs from local people. This wasn't always the case.
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In the 15th century Medieval immigrants were described as,
"heavy drinkers, barbarous and full of guile"
Many of the immigrants were from Wales, Ireland and Scotland rather than, as now, from Europe and further afield. UKIP are talking about a points system rather like the system Australia adopted, but in medieval times immigrants were offered licences which offered foreign workers a package of guarantees.Here we are in the 21st century with similar problems between the indigenous population and immigrants, apart from the fact that a significant number are not our enemies unlike the Scots were in the fifteenth century.
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As the title of the blog suggests it is necessary to take care over what your saying. The immigrants of yesteryear and today attracted negative labels and negative connotations when in fact they are ordinary people looking for work. In your writing if you are too closely tied to writing from where you're at it could detract from the message that is being conveyed. So take care of your use of language and the facets of personality of your characters, and make sure the message is successfully conveyed.
God Bless

10 things we didn't know last week.

Its a really off the wall collection of items this week.
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1. It took 45 minutes to write God Only Knows by the Beach Boys.

I can tell!

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2. A Versace dress worn Jennifer Lopez to the 2000 Grammy Awards led to the creation of Google Images.

Do I look bovverred!!


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3. James Bond should have died seven minutes into Skyfall.


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4. Gibbons whisper.

Looks like it.


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5. Divorce papers can be legally served via Facebook in New York.


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6. The Brontosaurus might be considered a distinct genus of dinosaur after all.

Wow!
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7. The UK's Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency does not permit the wearing of colanders on heads in driving license photos, even for religious reasons.

He'd look great with a colander on his head.


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8. Heterosexual men take riskier bets when they see other men who are more attractive than they are.


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9. There's a gender-neutral toilet in the White House.


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10. North Korean textbooks say Kim Jong Un learned to drive when he was three.

Nobody said in a car!
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God Bless

Writing - Nonsense writing

Continuing the theme of health and nonsense I woke to the news that if you are middle-aged and underweight you're more likely to suffer from Alzheimer's disease.

Robert Frost's poem sums up the situation perfectly as the above statement about Alzheimer's was introduced with the phrase 
'this research contradicts previous findings'
Surely that means that they are both rubbish as they've cancelled each other out a little like Newton's 'for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction'
To sum up if you are tall you have a tendency to cancer, if you are small its heart disease, under weight and Alzheimer's but perhaps its overweight!

That may seem like a load of nonsense, well it does to me, but there are some interesting nonsense writing around.


[image error]G K Chesterton
Chesterton felt that signs of 'adventurous growth' from the nineteenth century were in the rhymes and nonsense writing of Edward Lear. I find it difficult to write but that's probably because of a personality that requires structure and form. On the other hand I derive pleasure from writing that can't be contextualised, that doesn't sit comfortably in a niche created by some anally retentive critic. We have all heard of Lear's Jabberwocky but I have recently discovered his Nonsense Cookery and share his recipe for Gosky Patties
Take a Pig, three or four years of age, and tie him by the off-hind leg to a post. Place 5 pounds of currants, 3 of sugar, 2 pecks of peas, 18 roast chestnuts, a candle, and six bushels of turnips, within his reach; if he eats these, constantly provide him with more.Then procure some cream, some slices of Cheshire cheese, four quires of foolscap paper, and a packet of black pins. Work the whole into a paste, and spread it out to dry on a sheet of clean brown waterproof linen.When the paste is perfectly dry, but not before, proceed to beat the Pig violently, with the handle of a large broom. If he squeals, beat him again.Visit the paste and beat the Pig alternately for some days, and ascertain if at the end of that period the whole is about to turn into Gosky Patties.If it does not then, it never will; and in that case the Pig may be let loose, and the whole process may be considered as finished. 
Total nonsense but built upon familiar things and ingredients treated in a totally unreasonable way. I recall teaching nonsense poetry rather unsuccessfully using Jabberwocky. The reason it wasn't one of my best was partly because I am bound by pattern and rules and to a degree the children were.
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python was one of those 'nonsense' TV shows that seemed to polarise the audience between love and hatred. I felt that it was rather like the proverbial Curate's egg - good in parts. There have been other attempts at producing entertainment from 'outside the box' - The Goodies, The Young Ones, Blackadder to name three. Quite often nonsense creates a cult following I think because it takes people outside of their mundane existence but it can have a disturbing affect on those who hold writers dear as they feel we've 'lost it' in some way. 
Setting out to write nonsense deliberately is something I've failed to do with any degree of personal satisfaction but then I have to ask why would I want to, it isn't me. It is my belief that some creators of programmes for literary development think that it frees the imagination but, although it is good to think outside the box, creating nonsense can be too large a step for some and have an adverse influence on their creativity. Its rather like showing a novice artist the Mona Lisa and telling them to 'paint like that'!
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George Orwell and Aldous Huxley didn't write so much nonsense but their books seem to warn against free thinking so there is an issue there. As practising writers we have the freedom to produce work that suits us and nonsense writing could be like a mental clearing of the head before returning to our usual patterns of creativity. It could be good and I wish I could join!
God Bless

Writing - Some situations are unavoidable

If you are a regular reader of this contribution to the world's ocean of words you will be aware of the fact that I have several soapbox topics, or pet hates, which exercise me for any number of reasons. One of these is the waste of money on needless research. Today's example is a belter!!!
[image error]I know my place!
Many of you may be too young to have ever seen the above sketch which was about class and knowing ones place in society but that is not my focus. A piece of research has been published today which says that if you are short, little, below average height or whichever adjective you choose to describe on being vertically challenged, you have a greater likelihood of heart problems. Well that's me f****d!In all honesty how can you take that seriously as a piece of research. I'm sure that such health researchers will eventually discover that breathing oxygen is related to heart disease. My point is that it is a waste of money.If you consider what it means for a family of tall people, where Dad is 6' 2, children grow to be 6' + all excepting the runt of the litter who hits a mere 5'10''. Does that little one worry about their health now? The British Heart Foundation suggests that a healthy lifestyle is important irrespective of height in a statement which says that short people shouldn't worry.Of course in the family situation there is a huge variable that has not been mentioned and that is the height of the partners producing the children. The research is into the DNA of tall and short people as linked to heart defects but that seems to be a step away from reality. I have had some education in genetics and the combination of the gene pool of two individuals brings about variation. Surely a short person having DNA with heart disease genes who then marries a tall person without such genes could produce children some of whom may be tall and some short either of which could have the heart disease genes. Perhaps Charles Darwin and my tutors were wrong!
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A punchline to the above is that 'height increases the risk of cancer'! It could all be rather terrifying if we took notice of everything that is thrown at us in the name of research. As writers we need to research and even with verifiable physical situations we can use artistic licence to bend the facts to suit our needs. I would suggest that the lottery that is the combination of two sets of genes to produce a child creates a being with similarities and differences from its parents. In my mind that is nature's 'artistic licence' bending what is expected to fox those hell bent on categorising the human animal into some kind of predictable biological entity.

And going back to the title of the blog how can you avoid being 5' 6'' tall, or 6' 6'' for that matter, so the research is of little benefit to anyone but those doing the work. At least research we carry out can be shared by everyone.


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The books featured below are available in all formats.


My 10 books as of December 2014
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' where Steele is once again at risk from unseen enemies. It would seem that he has become quite recession proof!The most recent addition to the Steele family is Earth plc in which our hero is concerned with political and emotional issues in this crime fighting adventure.
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.
Poetry - there are also two thin collections of poetry available solely through Amazon.
The Musings of a Confused Mind 
and
Words from the Raindrops 

God Bless

Poetry Thursday 155 - Spring has sprung

I don't know about you but I feel that spring is such an optimistic time of year and I've experimented with rhyme and words this week. I hope you get where I was trying to get to.

Spring has sprung
When the sun is warm and the air is clearit may be we have reached the time of yearwhen relegation decisions are reaching fever pitchand cricketers are honed to make their new pitch.
A turbulent time of decisions on the futureas youngsters are examined for a career.The sap rising in vigorous tree’s veins,and blood pulsing in teenage veins.
Optimism for everything is globally rifea change in weather sparks up all life.The time to put winter clothes awayand an urge to consider trips away.
Spring heralds the optimism of allto try things and enjoy life - till fall!But why put life on hold for weather changeswhen every day is subject to prodigious changes?© David L Atkinson April 2015

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Rhyming is rather like a set of interlocking toy bricks that will fit together in a myriad of ways. By rhyming the first two lines and using the same word to end the last two lines of each verse, I have tried to introduce an optimistic rhythm to an optimistic poem. Forgive the use of an americanism in the final verse!
I have a poet friend from Texas, Jo VonBargen, who rarely writes poetry in rhyme and yet has the most amazingly flexible way with words producing powerful imagery and poignancy. Occasionally, I've dabbled but being an insecure male I need a framework!



Amorphous Spring
Spring whispers its hopeful messagein chilly nights and barmy days.Nature oozes forth in bursting bulbsand delicate petal shades thatgladden the heart.Gentle.Easy on the eye.A transition with rebounds into short-lived winter stormsrecovering with the promise of summer's warmth.Settlingbuilding trustthat spring will turn into summers blast.© David L Atkinson April 2015

 An attempt at writing without a framework or plan. It felt rather like a word association test and irrespective of my intention not to rhyme one or two hints of the habit sneaked in there. However, if you want to try poetry, work on the principle that you can create your own rules and style. It's more about how you feel.

God Bless 

Writing - Inappropriate role models.

This has to be the most controversial I've felt when beginning to write today's blog. I'd be happier to be writing about the lyrics of Don McLean's American Pie, a song which I love along with million's of others. Perhaps comparing it to the lyrics of songs by Leonard Cohen and McLean's 'Jester' Bob Dylan.But no I feel affronted that a significant news item being broadcast today is that of transgender children aged 6 and 8 years old.
[image error]Don McLean
My own feelings about the transgender item is that with children so young it is inappropriate to even consider this as an issue. My own training to be a teacher in the 60s and 70s uni-formally agreed that child development includes periods when children consider the opposite sex to their birth gender. It is part of a much larger developmental process and can be revisited in teen years but their actual gender is where the majority settle.I am not saying there aren't cases where people are 'born into the wrong body' but it is a tiny minority. One possible cause for the increase in these cases seems to me to be inappropriate role models which stems from the drive towards equality between the sexes and the increased number of single parent families where the parent caring for the child is female. The inequality issue has reached a level where it is almost anathema to be male - is it any wonder children are confused.As a liberal thinking, feminine equality supporting male, I believe that any position developed in the battling for a cause requires regular tending to ensure that damage isn't done under its efforts to achieve success.

There's a lot to be said for appropriate role models. I worked, while running a school, with an Afro-Caribbean consultant in a deprived area trying to help boys of the same culture adapt to their role in the family without an adequate male role model.  The boys in particular were disaffected from education and the work we introduced was around identifying role models that they could look up to.
Role models are very important and powerful, so for children to be able to identify their place in the world, the models they follow need to be appropriate to their race and gender. 
Undoubtedly, someone would criticise the photo of Barack and Michelle because they are raising a glass!
Dismounting from soapbox
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Don McLean's being fantastic about his lyrics. The fact that he tends to reply that 'they made him rich' when asked what they mean is brilliant. It's what I call a happy writer's response. When we write there are layers of meaning some of which are simply for the writer. The readers job is to take what they need from the text and the way in which it is presented, and enjoy the experience.
God Bless