What to Write This Week

 

I have been debating what to write for the blog this week. For the last couple of weeks, I have given you a taster of pieces I have been researching. I am actively looking for markets to pitch those ideas.

Productivity has been a little bit down this week, but no matter as things are ramping up towards the Ottery Literary Festival in October. I have a copy date coming up in the next few weeks. Everything is ready, and the final touches are needed. Thanks to the authors for their cooperation in completing the feature.

I now have nearly 15k words in my novel, Scrivener file. I need to program in time to get more words into it regularly. For the first time, I feel this work in progress of many years is getting somewhere.

William Gallagher is a writer and scriptwriter who I follow over on YouTube. His 58keys channel is a mine of information for writing on all things Apple. There is also advice on productivity and the apps available to help the writer achieve their aims. William is someone that understands the trials and tribulations that writers have to live through. I am currently reading his book 'The Blank Screen - productivity for creative writers'. It is exciting reading. William writes from vast experience as a writer and scriptwriter. As one of the screenwriters for the Dr Who radio series on the BBC, William is now heavily involved with the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain and has been its Deputy Chair.

William writes for his blog every Friday, and it is always a fascinating read. He is a great fan of writing early in the mornings and is up and writing around 0500 each morning. Writing early in the mornings is something I like to do; saying that, though, I’m writing this at half-past ten on a Friday night, listening to Billie Eilish at Glastonbury! I had a week when I got up an hour earlier than needed and came down and wrote. I take my MacBook Air M1 to work with me, and I try to write during my half-hour lunch break, something that doesn’t always happen. I programmed into the calendar app what I wished to do each morning, and I have to admit that my word count was up, and I achieved a few pieces that needed completing. It is me, then, who has to sort myself out to do this. The process works; therefore, I have to stop procrastinating and get on with it.

Another interesting point that William makes is about the use of social media. He believes that social media is not a tool for writers and keeps much of his Facebook and Twitter feeds for those he knows personally. William doesn’t use these platforms to promote his work. Yes, he has a YouTube channel, but it is more like his work in that it is akin to the talks and workshops he undertakes, and his channel certainly kept writers going during the lockdowns. It is an interesting, if not challenging, view to take. I have come across many others who say that using social media platforms is vital for writers, and I can see writers all over Twitter and Facebook promoting their work. Indeed I have read in one of the magazines that I subscribe to that some agents and editors actively want a writer to have a 35 to 40k following on socials before they take writers on. If I am honest, I can see both sides of this debate and probably lean towards Williams’ viewpoint. I can highly recommend William’s book.

I am getting more focused on my writing. It is a passion for me, and I would love to have the time and an office to write for eight hours a day and make a bit of a living from it. In late 2019, I outlined some writing goals for the year ahead. The aim was to get to my 60th birthday and be able to step back from full-time work and concentrate on writing. Sadly, as we all know, many of our life goals had to take a back seat during 20 and 21. Now that things are a bit clearer in 2022, I am starting to get back on track. I wouldn’t wish to make any rash promises, but I am planning for a few years ahead, depending on the country’s state.

As this week’s post ends, I’m now thinking of what to write for next week’s post. The first of next week’s writing-related tasks must be to come up with a list of topics for the next few weeks. I can have a look through a couple of my ideas gathering apps! 

Links:

YouTube - https://youtu.be/cSaB5X67Zm8

Coffee - The next feature piece?

Coffee Plant with Cherries

Anybody who knows me may realise that I’ve got a thing going on for coffee. In fact, since the time that Kathy and myself met and got together, coffee has been our staple. Long gone are the days of making a pot of tea for myself alone in my flat. Although, tea was very much my mother and grandmother’s daily tipple. Both had it very strong and black with the bare minimal splash of milk!

Fast forward to today, and I, rather than the supermarket decaffeinated instant coffee, have single-origin beans that I grind myself and produce a fine dark golden liqueur from either my Aeropress or Chemex pour-over.

When I started with the Aeropress at work, it did turn a few heads. A few fellow coffee lovers know what I am doing and appreciate the smells that emanate from the kitchen. I’m always up for sharing a cup of the finest with colleagues who appreciate the fine arts of speciality coffee brewing.
With billions of cups of coffee being brewed around the world daily. Where and when did our love for coffee start?

Coffee houses first appeared in Oxford in 1651. Populated by men only and they were a place for intellectual conversations. So much so that they were coined Penny Universities. It was a penny for a cup of coffee back then.


At about the same time, coffee was starting to be imported into Italy. The earliest coffee shop in Venice is the Caffe Florian dating back to 1720. Italians don’t order milk-based coffee drinks, Cappuccinos, Cafe Lattes and others after 11 am. These milky coffee drinks are the reserve of the mornings, usually with a pastry. Should they require a caffeine hit later in the day, Italians will go for a shot of espresso, although they would simply say Caffe.

During World War 2, American soldiers in Italy found the coffee too strong. They wanted the familiar taste of the filtered, drip coffee that they got back home. Their cure for this was to add a little hot water to the local caffe, which the Italians dubbed the Americano.
There is a broader coffee culture across Europe. The world’s biggest coffee consumer, surprisingly, is Finland. The average consumption is 12kgs per person per year. Finnish workers can legally have two mandated coffee breaks a day. The average Finn drinks at least four cups a day.

Cherries - Processed Beans -Roasted

None of these countries has their own coffee-growing industries. Coffee grows in a minimal area between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, on either side of the Equator. Brazil is the world’s largest coffee producer. With nearly  2.6 million tons a year, they are followed by Vietnam. Vietnam has grown 17% of the world’s coffee. 95% is Robusta beans, with the remaining 5% devoted to arabica production.

Arabica and robusta are two of the species of beans produced for consumption. Robusta is grown at lower elevations and has a higher caffeine content than arabica. Coffea Arabica is grown at a slightly higher elevation; in both species, there can be deviations from the norm. 
Robusta (Coffea canephora) is known for its harsher, stronger, and deeper flavour profile, making it more suited for instant coffee. Arabica ( Coffea Arabica), with its lower caffeine level and nuances of brighter and sweeter flavours, makes it the favourite of coffee lovers. Arabica is also more expensive than the other species, but that is well balanced with wide varieties and unforgettable flavours that coffee lovers can brew. 

Water processing beans

As I wrote earlier, I have an Aeropress and a Chemex filter pour-over that I use to brew my coffee. I have used coffee to regain some of my senses of taste and smell that I lost due to Covis-19 back in March 2020. Coupled with my Porlex Mini 2 grinder, I have learnt to brew some very flavoursome coffee. Each month I purchase a mix of single-origin beans and blends from a couple of different rosters. I have between two or three cups daily, except for having the fourth cup on an odd day. Each single-origin bean or blended bean has its subtle individuality that can be brought by being brewed perfectly. 

Many factors can influence the flavour of brewed coffee. Water, heat, brewing method, grind size, and time contribute to a beautiful cup of coffee. I think I have techniques sorted for both pieces of brewing equipment that I use, although each bean or blend usually calls for a little tweak here and there to produce the very best that you can.

Brewing your coffee is not the fastest of undertakings. Apart from grinding the beans, it usually takes three minutes to brew from my Aeropress and five minutes from my Chemex. These are slow coffee experiences and are more akin to a ritual. I feel that it has been good for my well-being and mindfulness. The slow coffee experience is gaining ground in cafes. I know a few in Exeter and South Devon; to sit and savour a well-balanced and nuanced cup of coffee whilst writing a few hundred words on my MacBook Air has got to be up there with one of the best things ever.

That is a bit of an insight into the research I have done for an article pitch on coffee. The subject is just huge, and there are many angles to write. There should be some milage in this research with a few feature pieces to be written.

© Photographs - copyright to original owners

The Iron Age Forts of East Devon - A little taster my current project

Bluebells at Blackbury Camp, East Devon.

I have a project in the early stages of research about the Iron Age Forts and Barrows here in East Devon. It is another piece of work that I first had a look at for my writing course (which I desperately need to get back in touch with).

One of these forts will be well known to all serving Royal Marines, General Duties and Musicians, Woodbury Castle. They often mention it on navigation exercises up on Woodbury Common as Castle Feature. Seen from almost anywhere on the Common day at night and aids navigation, so say the Platoons Weapons Instructors!

I have to admit, during my times on the common during Band Service Military Training or when on Command courses did I ever know, confidently, the whereabouts of ‘castle feature’.

It was nice, then, in a quiet spell during the pandemic in 2020, that my wife Kathy and our little boy Murphy, our Westiepoo, took advantage of a sunny Sunday afternoon to take a trip up to Woodbury Castle. Much restoration work has been undertaken up there, and it is very much a place to learn of the Iron Age past in East Devon. I can no longer imagine recruits digging trenches or forming harbour positions there. When the restoration was done, I wondered how many brass cases were found.

Woodbury is well worth a visit if you haven’t been before or it’s been a while since you were last up there.

Another rather picturesque Iron age fort in East Devon is Blackbury Camp. It is situated not too far from the A3052 Sidmouth Road, near Colyton, managed by English Heritage. We went there for the first time earlier this year, just as the Bluebells covering the site started to flower. It is truly a sight to behold, and the fragrance of the flowers is magical. Sadly, I don’t get the full fragrance effect due to Covid-19 damaging my sense of smell. Thankfully, English Heritage has placed signs around the camp asking people not to walk over the Bluebells as they can be severely damaged for future years if we are not careful walking around this ancient part of our local history.

Lastly, in this little taster of a piece I am working on is Hembury Fort. It took us a while to find it. Ironically, I worked at Dunkerswell Airfield for a short period in 2019, and the quickest route to work took me past it.

Hembury Fort is near Payhembury on the A373 from Honiton towards Cullompton. It’s high on a hill and commands a 360-degree view of East Devon and the Blackdown Hills towards Exmoor and Somerset. Not as prolific as Blackbury Camp, it has its own beauty. It is pretty easy to imagine a large structure as a significant place of habitation for living and buying and selling local produce.

I have eight iron age forts in East Devon to research for the article pitch. I intend to come up with a few different ideas on how to use it. I will offer it to several publications or websites to maximise possibilities. I hope they will be taken up and may be able to retire!