Andrew Toynbee's Blog, page 18
March 12, 2013
Fifteen Assumptions That Might Be Useful To Make
1. Assume that you are loved.
2. Assume that those who love you find some kind of value in you and the things you do.
3. Assume, however, that you don't need to be valuable in order to be worthy of love.
4. Assume that there is no one out there keeping a tally of all of your failings, ready to throw it in your face when you're either feeling too good or too awful about yourself.
Food for thought indeed - and see how many apply to our particular craft...
March 9, 2013
Spam spam spam spam spam
Apologies for the Monty Python reference there.
Although there may be more.
Never can tell.
Entropy is defined as the descent of order into spam…or something like that.
Anyway, before I ramble on any more, I will get to the point, which is…
(What did I come in here for?)
Oh, yes. Spam. That dreaded filler of Inboxes, that waster of time, that general cause of wrinkled foreheads as we wonder ‘Why would a deposed Nigerian Prince have my email addy?’
Up until a month ago, I had patiently trawled Wordpress’s Askimet spam bin, cautiously sifting through the neatly-arranged missives, just in case a genuine comment or query had inadvertently been sidelined. It wasn’t a problem. With a daily count of around three…perhaps four spam emails, I could afford the few minutes that it took to check if any of my friends (or potential friends) had complimented my post, or queried my carefully-offered opinion and their precious words had accidentally been knocked into the ‘potential spam’ chute.
Chances were fifty-fifty that;
‘ I know this is off topic but I’m looking into starting my own weblog and was wondering what all is required to get setup? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? ‘ from ‘Heavy Weight Loss side effects’ was a genuine comment from a genuine blogger.
Or perhaps you’ve received this particular compliment;
‘I like this internet weblog pretty significantly so significantly excellent details. ’ from Graphic Designer Website.
Should I take a chance on them?
Should I click ‘Approve’ and let them into that inner sanctum, that repository of comments and opinions that had already been sifted, filtered and pasted onto the bottom of my posts and pages?
And then, about five weeks ago, the Deluge struck. Like an Indonesian tsunami it smashed against the Gates of Askimet, pounding the planking, straining the mighty hinges of those ancient (?) defences that protected this small huddle of innocent bloggers from the howling seas that comprised the Internet.
Spam burst over the tops of the gates, showering we poor few Bloggers of the Pressed Word with vitriol and temptation, sucking away our lives one second at a time.
Somehow we endured that first attack and maintained blogging speed, steadfastly sidelining the mounting waters of Spam that lapped around us. But the game had changed for me – and it might have changed for you. The waters of Spam rose quickly. The steady drips that had leaked past the Gates of Askimet had grown into a stream, quickly widening into a rush. Our careful baling was inadequate – we were in danger of being overwhelmed. Delicate thimbles were discarded and we reached for large buckets and pails to counter the deluge. Meanwhile the Gates of Askimet shuddered beneath the onslaught.
A change was upon us. Like a zombie apocalypse, this new world changed me. I had to adapt. No longer could I consider the needs of the many if I was to survive. The needs of the one were all I could consider – for now. Spam was accumulating faster than I could filter it. Something drastic had to be done.
Setting my jaw and solidifying my stance, I closed my eyes and selected the ‘Clear Spam’ option.
When I opened my eyes, I realised that I’d missed it completely (because I had my eyes closed…duh!), so I had to select it again – this time without the dramatic music, which had by now faded to a mournful aftermath.
As if I’d hurled an atomic grenade (they do exist, you know…they’re just very heavy) everything before me was obliterated. I knew a brief moment of sorrow as I considered the random appeals for visitors to fashion blogs, foreign language dating sites and puppy dog picture blogs.
But I had to remain strong, steadfast, lest I became overwhelmed by the desperate voices of entropic internet users. I knew that the world was different now, that the Gates of Askimet must prevail, but we also had to labour in order to protect that which was most precious - our writing time – and show no mercy to the Spam…
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. .
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So…that was my day. What have you guys been up to?
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Write on!
Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling
Reblogged from Aerogramme Writers' Studio:
These rules were originally tweeted by Emma Coates, Pixar's Story Artist. Number 9 on the list - When you’re stuck, make a list of what wouldn't happen next - is a great one and can apply to writers in all genres.
You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
Number seven did it for me - I finally finished a novel!
March 7, 2013
A final word on Draegon Grey reviews
Following mine and Sara’s interview with Draegon Grey, I asked if he’s looking for other authors to interview; other books to review.
The answer was yes. 
So, if you’d like to Draegon to feature your finished novel or novella, leave a comment here or track him down on Twitter or Facebook and he’ll get back to you.
I hope that you enjoyed reading the interview.
Write on!
March 5, 2013
Act One and Character Interview – Draegon Grey
The Act One part of the interview is now live. Draegon reviews ‘A Construct of Angels’ and scores it for pace, language and story satisfaction.
The Character Interview is also live.
In this interview, Darryl discusses the events of the first few chapters with my main character, Sara Finn and asks how her experiences affected her.
It was fun being in character for this interview and having Sara take a little time out from being chased by Spawn, Anakim and Nephilim. If you’ve read the book, you’ll know that she deserves a bit of a break…
Write on!
March 2, 2013
How to follow non-WordPress Blogs
This has frustrated me for a while – but now the answer is here!
If you’re not aware of this handy little WordPress instruction (that I found quite by accident), it makes the following of non-Wordpress blogs (and I have found many that I’ve had to follow by email instead) simple and straightforward.
Just copy the web address into the URL box and presto! More input into your ‘Blogs I Follow’ stream.
Apologies to everyone who’d already picked this up. I hope this proves useful to anyone who hasn’t found it yet.
Write on!
February 28, 2013
From Pizza Hut To Easy Street: The David Dalglish Story
Reblogged from David Gaughran:
Fantasy author David Dalglish is a big name in the self-publishing world, but he's on the cusp of something even bigger.
His path wasn't easy. When David uploaded his first book, way back in February 2010, he was working in Pizza Hut.
The popularity of his books, and the speed with which he was able to publish them, meant that it didn't take long before he was able to quit that job and write full-time.
The David Dalglish story...there's hope for us all!
February 26, 2013
Author interview with Draegon Grey
I’ve just completed the first part of an author interview with Draegon Grey. It surprised me how much fun something like this can be – almost like reliving the whole process of writing the novel over again. Happy memories, the small problems that seemed so insurmountable at the time and the joy of completing the work…they all came flooding back.
The second part, a character interview with Sara Finn, my protagonist, will follow soon.
In the meantime, you can read the ‘Author Moment’ interview here.
Write on!
February 23, 2013
Six (seven) Sentence Sunday – the Angel.
This week I offer an excerpt from ‘A Vengeance of Angels’ (book 2 of the Angels of York). Again, it will contain mild spoilers if you haven’t read the first book ‘A Construct of Angels’.
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Michael has been taking action that has angered the Eternal Realm (what we have come to know as Heaven) enough for the Realm to despatch an Angel to warn him; ‘Cease your activities or suffer destruction.’
A single booming ‘NO!” precedes the Angel’s arrival.
Michael, despite his status as an ex-Angel, is afforded no respite from the power of this powerful being;
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The voice that smashed into me was powerful enough to shatter my bones. I was slammed into the grass, my breath exploding from my flattened lungs as a whoosh. A brilliant figure materialised before me, radiating a furious energy that set my blood wailing with terror even as I scrambled to regain my feet.
Twice my height, its incandescent limbs barely distinguishable as such, the being seemed to sneer at my diminutive mortal form as my knees buckled and I dropped into supplication before it. The ozone-laden air rippled madly as the being’s voice thundered past and through me, vibrating deep into my lungs.
My body begged for release; to wail out its anguish at having been subdued in such a matter, but little more than a whimper escaped me as the air continued to resonate from the being’s thunderous words.
I was helpless before it.
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Okay…I threw in one extra…so sue me.
Write on!
February 19, 2013
A new post about a new post
image courtesy of jnatiuk at Stock Xchng
If you are a planner, I imagine that the answer to my next question will be obvious;
What inspires you to write that next post?
If you’re a planner, you’ve probably got a list of ideas to draw from, a sequence of posts that lead from one to the next to the next and so on. You may have a teaching plan that unfolds week by week to build into an exciting and informative series of articles.
But what if you hail from the Planet Pants?
image courtesy of sachyn at Stock Xchng
What if you happen to be an impetious and spontaneous fly-by-luck scatterbrain like me?
I can often go for weeks without any idea about what I will post next – aside from my regularly irregular and often-late Six Sentence Sundays.
And then, without warning, an idea will strike, coming out of nowhere like a thunderbolt on a clear summer’s day.
Quickly, ere I forget the subject matter, I will fashion a post from old wood and used pieces of string - and as I write, I often realise that I am trying to cover several subjects, several concepts within the same post. Rather than (as they said in Top Gun) push a bad position, the disparate subjects will split into enough material to suggest several vaguely-related posts; In other words, the fledgling post will create spin-off ideas; it will have babies.
A half-dozen little pink and hairless posts will suddenly begin to mewl and squeak and demand to be considered as posts in their own right.
Image courtesy of rsvstks at Stock Xchng
So the fresh flurry of fledgling posts will be nurtured. They will be a bit like my family - very loosely related and perhaps a little edgy. There may be very little to connect them to previous or future posts aside from a single word or a faint, shining thread of thought.
That is why, dear reader, you may see groups of related topics appearing from me – sometimes two or three in one week.
Despite my endeavours to hold them back and release them into the wild one at a time, they will often break free. When that happens, I am forced to watch helplessly as they circle the internet, scaring young women and inspiring modern Hitchcocks into making new movies a la noir.
But I’m interested to know; How does inspiration strike you? Your system cannot be as haphazard as mine…surely?
Do you have a rolling plan of posts that stretch towards a vanishing point on the distant horizon? Or is inspiration fired by a song on the radio, a news article or even another blog post?
Take Our Poll
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Write on!
