New name, same rubbish...

Hi

You may notice I've changed the name of this blog. I felt I ought to do so as I realised there is already someone using the 'New Beginnings' title and I wanted to avoid confusion. Plus, this blog really is just me thinking out loud and pontificating to the world, so 'Neil's Notions' makes more sense.

I would like to clarify something I wrote yesterday on bullying in the media. I stated the author in the war of words was deservedly criticised for her behaviour. That is not to say I, in any way, condone the over the top responses she received towards the end of the 'debate'. By the end of the thread the writers were behaving just as badly as the author. The pack mentality seemed to give licence to kick her when she was down. I was unnecessary and unacceptable. The point had already been made and the later contributors were just joining in to kick someone (in my opinion...).

Anyway, that's all I wanted to say on that subject. I just wanted to clarify I didn't condone the bullying from either side.

On an entirely different note (though also related, oddly!) Sally Quiller is today telling us how her blog has gained a massive new audience thanks to a friend twittering to Stephen Fry about it. Sally had written a piece on the above controversy and Stephen Fry recommended it on his twitter. Result? A great many new visitors to the blog.

If only we all could call on Mr Fry to promote our blogs...

Back to trying to write that first novel.

Bully? Not me - I'm famous!!

I was recently reading an article on a certain foul mouthed chef when a question occurred to me. Exactly when did the famous British good manners and sense of fair play become replaced by appalling behaviour and cruelty?

I don't watch  so called 'reality' TV (although it certainly doesn't reflect any reality I'm aware of), nor do I care for  the many 'talent' shows currently infesting the channels, so I'm perhaps ill placed to discuss this issue.

However, it seems to me, we have permitted the popular culture to be taken over by bullies and yobs. TV shows seem to want to humiliate participants for the pleasure of the overpaid, over-hyped and often talentless host. 

Why do the public go on these shows, knowing how they'll be treated? Simple - they are willing to be used and abused in the desperate hope they will be plucked from obscurity and awarded the keys to the world of fame and fortune. Some even manage it for a while, although they are often still used as a punchline...

I know someone who applied for the X-Factor. They are an accomplished singer who, a few years ago, came third in a BBC amateur singing contest (first and second went to people who had previously held recording contracts). They didn't make it through the first round of auditions.

Most of the people being chosen to go through were those most likely to provide the judges with the opportunity to laugh at them. A few lucky, talented performers were selected, but the  main goal was to provide fodder for the bullies.

The Weakest Link features a deeply unpleasant woman who cruelly mocks her victims between rounds. Her apparent superiority appears based on nothing more substantial than a BBC contract and assured payment at the end of the episode. She is reputed to fly into a rage if anyone dares stand up to her. In any other environment this would be considered bullying in the workplace and open to legal action. In showbusiness it is regarded as 'entertainment'. 

There must be something deeply wrong with anyone who feels the need to be so nasty to people - even worse is the fact they are not only permitted to behave in this way, but the victim is restrained from defending themselves. 

Some of these programmes now encourage the audience to join in with the bullying by shouting down the 'victim'. This seems very reminiscent of Ancient Rome and the gladiatorial battles. The gladiators (or the Christians) were there to be sacrificed to the public desire for entertainment. They were offered the very slim chance to succeed and gain their freedom and some form of riches (much like the contestants of today) although their true purpose was to feed the hunger for blood of the audience.

Perhaps it should be remembered the Games were introduced to take the public's mind off of the problems of the state. No-one seems to bay for blood during the good times - only when times are hard. These bullies and yobs belong in a different world to the rest of us. 

Most of us will have seen the recent 'war of words' on a writing forum between a disgruntled writer and a reviewer. The behaviour of the writer was that of a spoiled child having a tantrum. This led to a high number of comments criticising (quite rightly) her behaviour. If only as many people were as vociferous about all the high profile bullies in the modern media. 

It's time we reasserted our right to a decent and caring society and take the bullies toys away. Remove them from our screens until they can demonstrate the ability to behave like decent members of society.

Unfortunately, I suspect, the public thirst for blood - both real and figurative - is now so ingrained we are stuck with this 'entertainment' for the foreseeable future. 

Perhaps Stephen King's Running Man isn't fantasy but foresight...

Life - where did it go?

I find myself feeling quite old today.

Last night I sent off my application to return to university this autumn. As I re-read my application I realised it has been thirty years since I left school. Where did it all go? My last time at university was in the last century!!

I am often surprised to find the 80's (my twenties) were so long ago. Young faces are now middle aged members of the establishment, middle aged TV/film stars are now elderly or dead.

How do we allow time to drag us along, missing the views on the way? It's a little like sitting at the back of a train and only seeing the scenery once it has gone past. So many opportunities missed...

There are aspects of my life that I would certainly not want to repeat, but I don't believe you can look back and think "If I could do it again, I wouldn't do that" without losing many of the positive elements you've gained along the way.

I had an awful divorce that left my life in tatters.However, it created the circumstances that, years later, led me to meet my current wife. She is the best thing to ever happened to me, but I probably wouldn't have met her if I hadn't gone through the bad times first. It was only the negatives that caused me to be in the right place to meet her.  So, if I went back and avoided the bad times, I would almost certainly not be where I am now. Which is with someone very special.

I guess the point of this ramble is to say we're all products of all our experiences - good and bad. Yin & Yang is a very good illustration of this - you can't have dark without light, good without bad, etc. The next time I wonder where the years have gone I'll try to remember; they're all looking back at me in the mirror or in my writing.

Hopefully this makes some sense  - please feel free to give me your thoughts on the subject - even if you disagree!

Thanks

Neil

End of the week

It's been a bit of an odd week, one way and another.

After my recent rant about employers never responding to applications I've had five replies this week - all negative (several have decided not to fill the post) - but at least responses. It had me wondering whether they'd read my blog...

My recent plotting problem solved itself at three in the morning, when I woke up and thought 'of course!'. Fortunately my light bulb moment wasn't lost when I awoke properly several hours later.

I received my latest assignment back from my WB tutor. A bit of a mixed bag really as he liked my work - he felt it was well written and amusing (when it was supposed to be, fortunately!) but, on the downside, he didn't feel it was suited to the market. He informed me both items were perfect for a regular column, which would be nice if I had one, but not for a one off article. So, all I need is a column and I'm sorted...

I had a go at flash fiction the other day while waiting for my plot problems to sort themselves out. It was quite fun to try and produce a compelling story in such a short place. My wife read it and said it left her wanting answers to what had already happened - I think that's a good thing?

I had originally decided to post one of my articles on this post for you all to read. However, I have since remembered  a recent post on the WB forum where a student asked for a look at other students work so he could use it for himself. Under the circumstances I decided against posting it. (please don't take this personally, I'm sure you don't need to steal my rubbish, but this blog is open to the world...).

One last thing and then I'm off. Sally Quiller has written a blog about the many ways in which we writers are ripped off. It is an extremely informative piece which should be read by every new writer. take a look at  http://sallyquilfordblog.co.uk/

That's it for today. Have a great weekend

How much are you offering? Nothing? Okay!

I've just spent the last hour or so looking at ads for 'writers wanted'.

I cannot believe how many of these businesses state they "do not offer payment but you can see your work in print". What other line of work expects professional standards for free?

I am frankly amazed that anyone is foolish enough to provide these businesses with their hard work in return for a name check. Would you go to the office for free if your boss promised to put your name on the door? Of course not, so why do it as a writer?


We write because we love it, but that doesn't mean we should be taken advantage of by these people. Everything we write has taken time and effort and this should be recognised.


I know we are told you need to build a portfolio of published works before we can start negotiating fees but I just feel this is a perfect example of an industry taking advantage. If my work is good enough to be published in a 'proper' forum then it is good enough to be paid for. 


I'm not talking about an in-house student mag like Chapter & Verse - that's something you expect to make a contribution to without expectation of pay - but publications that pay everyone else who works for them. Because, let's be honest, that is what you have done - worked for them!

I recently saw a post on the Student forum where someone had a couple of articles accepted without pay because the budget was spent. How did they intend publishing the magazine without a budget to pay for articles? I very much doubt this was actually the case; they probably saw an opportunity to save a few quid and take advantage of our desire to get in print. 

Perhaps we should contact the magazine and ask for free copies as our budget for magazines has been spent. Do you think they'd say "Oh, of course!". No, nor do I.....

Oops, I nearly fell in that hole..

So, I was working on a chapter of the novel when I suddenly realised I have a gaping hole in my story. As you can imagine, this was a bit of a shock.

I have carefully plotted out the main story, but somehow I managed to miss a key element that will move my main character from the early stages to the latter stages. I'm not sure how - I guess this is one of the prices I'm going to pay for the work flowing so well last week....

As a result I find myself having to stop writing while I consider how to fix this. As I don't want a patch, I may have to reconsider the entire second half. Fortunately, most of that only exists in my imagination (and in notes, etc)  so I won't be throwing out big chunks of writing. 

I guess it's better to find out now than in a month or so. 

I expect most writers will be laughing at this and pointing out it could be avoided with better preparation, but last week was such a productive week I didn't want to break the flow. 

Next time, maybe..... 

I just need to climb over this brick wall.....

Today has been the first 'difficult' day as far as my novel is concerned.

I'm finding myself questioning every line I write, which makes the process pretty slow going. I'm sure this isn't uncommon, but.....aaaarrrgggghhhhh!!!!!

I think the problem is simple. last week was too easy - the words flowed like drink at a student party and I just sat here and typed. Now I've reached the point where the story needs to develop and prove itself to me. I'm happy I've got a good story - I just don't have a couple of the 'links' between parts of the story. Does that make sense? I know the chain of events - I'm just having difficulty with a couple of joins (for want of a better word).

I'm sure I just need to keep thinking/writing and it'll work itself out.

On a different note I'd like a mini rant. Yesterday was a lovely sunny spring day so my wife and I took a walk down to Plymouth Hoe and surrounding areas. After a while we decided to have lunch in one of the local pubs (part of a nationwide chain).

At first we were going to just have a sandwich, but after seeing the images of a Sunday roast we decided to indulge.

Big mistake. The food was primarily processed food - the roast potatoes, Yorkshires, etc were all out of a frozen bag and the whole meal was cold. The gravy had actually congealed on the plate!

We sent it back and received a refund immediately. The staff seemed completely unsurprised that we complained - in fact they told us what was wrong when we spoke to them.

My real complaint relates to these companies selling a 'freshly cooked' Sunday Roast and then serving pre-prepared muck. Either offer a cheap roast that makes clear what it is or actually cook the food! A revolutionary idea, I know, but think how much better it could be.

Twenty years ago I worked as the assistant manager in a couple of pubs (not restaurants) and the Sunday roast was completely cooked from scratch by a chef. The food always sold out and could have sold double. Isn't it good business to offer that now? It baffles me when pubs are in trouble but still treat customers with this level of contempt.

I'm sure there are many pubs that offer exceptional food but that's the point - the food is exceptional and not the norm. Come on British pub chains - sell us good food as standard - I'm sure the tills will reflect our appreciation.

I've just spent the morning looking at new cars.

I'm not buying one - I can't afford a bus ticket at present - but I need to find the perfect car for the main character in my novel. I need a very particular vehicle as it plays a key part in one chapter, so I have to ensure the car is up to the job. After a number of google searches I think I've found the perfect car. I'm sure, if it's ever published, I'll be told it was a terrible choice, but you can't please everybody.

Writing is a funny thing, really. Today I looked at new cars, a few days ago I was looking up the spec of a handgun. My search history would certainly raise a few eyebrows! I love trivia, so all this research throws up more rubbish for me to fill my brain with.

Anyway, time to get on, the pages seem to be flying out of me at the moment (quality control later) so I'm making the most of it. Who knows where my next research will take me?

Added 13.26PM

Curse spider solitaire. That 'just one game' while I think has turned into an hour of playing. Without doubt this game is sent by the devil to torment us......

Fingers crossed!!!

What a lovely day to live in Devon.

I've just returned from a walk into town to visit the library (I have to borrow books at present, due to tightened belts) and didn't even need a coat. Fingers crossed that spring is really here.

I've just sent off assignment N5 to my tutor - I suspect he'll say the letter is too long, but I can't make it shorter without destroying the tale.....

I seem to be having one of those rare periods when writing is possibly a little too easy. My novel (little more than a few pages at present) has taken control of mind to the point I'm working on it as I walk down the road. Last night I booted up the PC just to add a single line. I'm sure plenty of you know what this feels like. My wife is delighted to see me working towards an end product for a change. Lets Hope!

I wrote an action scene yesterday and found myself writing the dialogue for a violent thug. I must admit it was very strange to commit bad language to paper (hard drive, actually). Although I'm quite used to the language itself, my writing has always avoided the use of foul language. But if you want truth in your writing, you can't pretend everyone speaks like Cary Grant!

Hurray!!!!

I think I've finally cracked assignment N5 on the WB course. After months of struggling to find magazines to write to, I came up with both in one day.

The best part is, I have an article written a while back (just for fun) that is perfect for one magazine. The other article wrote itself while I was in the shower and I just typed it out when I sat down at the computer. Amazing! After trying for so long, it is suddenly very easy (though the tutor might hate them!).

I've just got to do a final check on everything and then send them off to my tutor. Hopefully he'll feel they're good enough to be considered for publication - I might send them anyway, if I'm honest.....

I want to mention an auction to raise money for the Japan disaster. I came across this earlier today - it's organised by established authors and offers manuscript assessments, books and other items. Bid for any of these items and the proceeds go to help the people of Japan. http://authorsforjapan.wordpress.com

That's it for today. Bye

Time for that rant I mentioned on Friday.

Since last October I have applied for approximately eighty jobs. Every single one of which I am qualified to do. I have been offered exactly zero interviews. Why? I don't know because nobody responds when I ask for feedback.

I know my CV is good because I've had it checked. ditto my covering letter. I have good references, so it's not that.

These businesses have all asked me (or any other jobseeker) to take the time to apply to them. How about the courtesy of a response from them?

The most annoying part is the number of businesses that don't even reply to your application at all. How hard is it to send a mass e-mail to all unsuccessful applicants (using the BCC field to protect all identities) just to say "Thanks, but no thanks"?

I discovered last night that some ex-colleagues of mine have spent the weekend writing essays for their boss, to justify why they should keep their job. How's that for inspiring loyalty?

I have a whole theory about modern society and the falling standards of good manners which I won't bore you with here, but it seems to me that people don't bother with courtesy to employees (or potential employees) because you're now just another easily replaced component in the corporate machine. It's no coincidence that Personnel departments are now known as Human Resources. You're no longer a person; just another resource.....

Progress

Okay, I did it.

Only 500 or so words, but I actually sat down and wrote something that I feel has legs. I already know the ending - all I have to do is fill in the centre (what could be easier???).

I think this blogging lark is a great idea as it encourages you to write everyday, even if it's total ****.

I was going to have a rant about looking for work but I've decided to end the week on a positive note.

So, I'm off for some lunch now and then I think I might double my word count for the day. Although, the sun is out at the moment and my camera is feeling neglected.......

To write, or not to write?

I woke up this morning with the desire to write a new story. All well and good I hear you say - isn't that what people on the WB course are supposed to do?

Yes, but......

I seem to wake up most mornings (or in the middle of the night) with the opening chapter of a story already writing itself in my mind. Unfortunately, I seem to 'run out of steam' soon after committing this to the PC memory. I have a collection of opening pages, but no proper work in progress.

I find myself wondering what the point of writing (or typing) the story out is when I know it probably won't get finished.

My WB assignments are no problem as far as writing them goes; my problem is in finding the markets required. As someone who doesn't read many magazines and who is a little too old for the 'lad mags' I'm struggling to find magazines to write for. Without wishing to sound sexist, I think it's a lot easier for woman as they have a much wider range of magazines to work with (many aimed specifically at women in various stages of life).

The assignments I've had back have all been very positive and I received a confidence boost when the Chapter & Verse published my short article in the latest edition. the question is - am I a writer or a dabbler? The inability to complete any of my longer stories leaves me to wonder whether I just enjoy the act of writing more than the completion of the story....

As a child I wrote constantly - I was always scribbling stories for my brothers and sisters. In fact, a small bear became such a big part of our childhood that he re-appeared in a series of letters to my sister when she was ill in hospital during her pregnancy. That was twenty years ago and she still has those letters. The pleasure she still derives from producing those letters makes me believe I can create something with a broader appeal - I am just unsure of my ability to complete the task. My wife informs me it is nothing more than lack of self belief that stops me from completing these stories. She may be right. After all, until they're finished no-one can read them and tell me I can't write....

I'm going to sit down this afternoon and see if I can move forward on one of my stories - my wife wants to know what happens next - and so do I!

Next.....

Well, it's been a long time since my last posting and things have definitely changed.

My employer and I have parted company after a drawn out battle and I find myself seeking employment again.

I received a cash payment which gave me a few months breathing space to decide what to do with my life - unfortunately not sufficient to free me from the bonds of employment for ever - but the time is here for me to return to the workplace.

Unfortunately, the economy is rapidly swirling around the plughole and about to completely disappear down the drain. This makes finding employment extremely difficult.

I decided to return to a job I had many years ago - self employed photographer. Perhaps I should have considered the economy more carefully.........

When belts tighten, people look for ways to cut costs. In this age when every man and his dog owns a digital camera it is much harder to convince anyone they need to pay for a photographer when Uncle Bob can do it for free. It is only after the wedding when they see Uncle Bob's attempts that they realise a couple of hundred pounds for images of their wedding is actually worth spending. Too late.....

Anyway, as a result, I am now at the stage where finances are tighter than a pair of eighties jeans and I desperately need to find work. An employment agency recently informed me I am 'too good' for most of their jobs. While I could take comfort from knowing I'm highly rated at my job, it's no help to be told I can't get work because I'm too good at it!

I'm now considering returning to university as a mature student as I will, at least, be entitled to a student loan as well as have a focus in life (and a reason to get up in the morning). As someone in their forties it is pretty scary to think I might be on the scrapheap as far as employment is concerned. A few years of study might tide me over until this current economic crisis passes and enable me to slip back into employment before the next one arrives......