For this week’s writing challenge we had to write a poem, any theme, 150 words or less. Poetry isn’t really my strong suit and I was scratching around for ideas until I got a flash of inspiration on a run in to work . . .I began to think about punctuation. Here’s what I came…
BLOGS
X is for X-Ray Music (song with lyrics)
This song was inspired by a BBC documentary I watched a few years ago called ‘How The Beatles Rocked The Kremlin‘. It told the story of how, despite being banned from the former Soviet Union, the Fab Four’s music still managed to find it’s way on to the turntables of the oppressed masses – causing…
W is for WIP – Work In Progress
Yes, today’s short post seemed the perfect opportunity to tell you all about my work in progress. In reality, of course, I’m actually working on several things at once – regular writing challenges from my weekly Writer’s group, a few short stories, songs when I get the urge and blogging just to fill out the…
V is for Vinyl. Why I love to put ‘The Needle on The Black’ (song)
This song was written as a love letter to vinyl – you know, good old fashioned records that you have to play on a turntable? I love them for many reasons, like the fact they don’t really lend themselves to skipping from track to track, which means you are more inclined to listen to the…
U is for Uncommon Courtesy
Common courtesy. What is it? Well, for one thing, it certainly isn’t as common as it used to be (I now realise that statement makes me sound about a hundred years old, and you may now be picturing me smoking a pipe, squinting into the middle distance and chuntering about ‘the good old days’). In…
T is for Thief. There’s no such thing as an original idea.
“It’s not where you take things from . . . it’s where you take them to.” The above is a quote from ground-breaking French film maker, Jean-Luc Godard. Godard wasn’t afraid to take influences from his favourite works – be that in film, literature or music – and put them in to his own work….
S is for Satisfied and why you shouldn’t be.
In a recent interview with the BBC, eccentric and brilliant actress, Miriam Morgolyes was asked a very simple question: “Are you satisfied?” Miriam has had a very successful career, gaining critical and public acclaim, including winning several prestigious awards. She has a wealth of experience in radio, TV, stage and film as well as completing…
Flash Fiction – A Word in Your Shell-like
This week’s piece for Phoenix Writers was 200 words to include a foreign word or phrase. Here is my Evolution-inspired slice of silliness: ——————————————— A Word in Your Shell-like . . . Sitting on the stubble-like grass of the island, Darwin tried to get comfortable. He held up the completed sketch, comparing it to his…
R is for Red, White and Blue – a song about War.
I wrote this song a few years ago, not long after Tony Blair left office as UK Prime Minister. At the time it was becoming increasingly clear that he may have greatly exaggerated the truth to ensure that the UK entered the war in Iraq. Like many people, I was angry and shocked at his…
Q is for Quiet. It’s Always The Quiet Ones . . . Being a Writer
As a writer we need to have the ability to disappear in to the background. To observe. To extract meaning from body language, action and reaction. To study human relationships. To unearth great dialogue. To ask the ‘what-if’ questions and let our imaginations run free. All in the pursuit of the story. Which means, we…