Writing to Reach You

Err, right so, yeah I haven't blogged for a week. Yes I know, remiss of me. I'm sorry. I have been meaning to do so for the best part of a week but one thing and another has meant I haven't. What a fool I have been.

I have used a Travis song for the title because, they are a little overlooked. Not brilliant but nice inoffensive nicenes. Much like David Gray. Also, that's what these posts are all about, I am writing these little blogules, to reach you, my audience. Not in an dodgy way you understand.

So, right, yes, where was I? Not sure why I'm asking you guys, you don't know what I was doing this for.

AH! Yes! First things first. I didn't win the script competition. Fingers are still crossed for the short story one though.

In writing news, as this is a blogule about writing I have decided. I have decided to write a short story for this competition. My plan is to write two stories, the first I have written and features a haunted bird room in a museum. The other is a sci-fi type one, not sure what it will be about. I'll get back to you on that one. The good news of this is, that whichever I don't submit, I will post here.

In other writing news, I am looking at going back to the novel I wrote last year and slightly altering its feel.

Finally two other orders of business.

1. Later this week, I will post a review of the next author
2. I am adding a new TYSIC aim. "To do more sports"
   

Halfway to OMPADC Success and Writing stuff too

The other day I passed the halfway point in the OMPADC that I set out on 17 days ago. This blog was meant to happen yesterday but unfortunately it didn't. Firstly here is OMPADC thus far. I have yet to take today's photo. Not sure what to do yet.

I did consider blogging about the photos of OMPADC and what it has taught me about photography and the art of finding something to photograph each and every day. This however struck me as an end of project thing. A retrospective.

I think I will instead give a minor blog on the whole writing side of my TYSIC.

I have decided to put my kids book idea on hold as I currently can't get it started to a satisfactory degree. I will return to it eventually, maybe at some point over this ten year period. Instead my focus has shifted to the writing of a series of short stories. I have the title of 'Pink Lemonade & Other Short Stories' in mind for it. The feel is something of a P.G. Wodehouse type story of upper class twits and the amusing scrapes they get into. It will involve me doing some research into the period just to get the language and some basic facts straightened out.

This is something I am rather looking forward to as I rather enjoy researching as it gives my mind some kind of focus. My mind really does lack focus and that has a knock on effect on my writing, leading to many things remaining unfinished.

I'm thinking of making it a series of 4, maybe 5 short stories featuring a number of different twits. Writing this means I get to write to my strenghs too. Writing a number of short things, that are amusing and most importantly light and fluffy. I am by no stretch of the imagination one for writing deep thoughtful pieces. Largely because I am not an especially deep and thoughtful person.

More on this later in the week. TTFN till then.


P.S. In case you don't know, TTFN stands for Ta Ta For Now.

Up-to-date Update.

I will leave the posting of my OMPADC until later in the week for when I have some additional photos to be worthy of telling all you lovely people. How are you all by the way?

Instead I thought I would give a rundown of my aims and how far I am in achieving them:

Get myself published

Well, I'm not published yet, but I have submitted two things to Big Finish, which, whilst not published will, if successful become produced as either a play or a short story read by an actor. That's a start. I also have an idea for a short story to send to a magazine. I also have a title and setting for my next long story. 1920's England and the title 'Pink Lemonade'. It may be a P.G. Wodehouse type story.

Learn to Drive

On a backburner until I am fully employed.

Visit a major sporting event (world cup, Olympics, European Championship)

I've started researching tickets for both Euro 2012 and the Olympics.

Attain an MA in Museum related stuff

Doing museum work to build up some experience to help in applications. Also looking at the courses on offer.

Learn a musical instrument to a competent degree

I have learnt numerous chords. I have also practiced switching between said chords and learnt to VERY basically accompany some songs.

All in all not bad. Sorry it is such a dull listie blog. Next time will be better.

Easy as A,E,D,G,C and other letters

A week has passed since the official launch of TYSIC. As frequent readers (or those who have simply scrolled back through the history) will know, I set myself the aim last week of becoming slightly better at the guitar. This task in theory should have been incredibly easy.

Previous attempts with a guitar have seen me learning one chord (A) and within the space of a few hours forgetting it. This all changed this week as I learnt not one chord but EIGHT. This, as most mathematicians will prove using a simple sum is an EIGHTFOLD increase. The chords I have now learnt are A,D,E,G,C and the minor chords for A,D and E. This has meant that I have now taken them from being mere letters of the alphabet (impressive as they are). They now MEAN something outside of their linguistic context.

Now I don't like picking favourites as it would be wrong to, plus it would hurt the other chords feelings. However, my personal favourite of these chords is G, I don't know why, there is just something about it. Eminor comes a close second.

Another thing that I have developed is switching between these chords, my switching is still rather clunky but there is definitely an improvement from how I was a few days ago.

The next step will be to actually learn how to play a song. I think something relatively simple would be best, no running before walking and other poolside rules.

Next time: A guitar update and also, some writing news.

Commence. Beginning the beguine. Start.

The first day of TYSIC is here! My ten year journey starts today, the day got off to a good start as I saw a man with a long white beard smoking a pipe. I hasten to point out that the man was doing the smoking, not the beard. The days of smoking facial hair are long past I'm afraid. To many my spying of a be-bearded (a word I intend to use more often) man may not seem a good omen to some. Especially those suffering from pogonophobia. However to me it is. A bearded man, is a reassuring sight, one need only look at the list of famous beards to realise that this is true. Santa, Jesus, Brian Blessed, Henry VIII and Charles Darwin. To contrast this a famous pogonophobe is Margaret Thatcher and her reign saw mass strife in the country. That is however a political issue and this isn't the blog for such flights of fancy.

So what does one do now on the commencement of my TYSIC actually mean? It's ten years away from completion, surely a first week can't see an improvement already? Well, humble questioner it can! (of sorts). As mentioned in post number one, this idea is the brainchild of stand-up comedian, author and notoriously slender person Mark Watson. Mark has issued a challenge to his fellow TYSIC followers (yet to have a name chosen). This challenge is simple, take a step towards getting on with ones TYSIC.

Well looking, down my list I will go for my option to become at least competent in a musical instrument. I am afraid that I will be rather clichéd and go for the option of guitar. I have had a guitar situated in my room for years now and have never got round to learning it properly. I have tried to learn chords before now and whilst this has gone well, I have forgotten them by the following day. This is of course a problem if one is to learn an instrument. So I shall have to make a concentrated effort to set aside a few hours a day to practice chords. So by this time next week, I shall hopefully have learned a few chords. The ones I learn will be a surprise.

Now on to more interesting issues. This blog isn't just going to be about TYSIC, that would be rather dull and self indulgent, two things I hope I'm not. Every once in a while a more light hearted, opinion thing on various topics such as sports, literature and TV will appear. These will be much more light hearted in tone and presented in a different style to this.

Until then.

P.S. Please check out the people in my following blogs especially ben, becky, BigDawg and any of thers I have rather foolishly forgotten. Sorry to them