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!

Ottery Gazette and Ottery Writers Group Literary Festival October 2022

 I’ve been a member of Ottery Writers for a few years now. We have a regular spot in the Ottery Gazette. I had written a couple of pieces before and was only too happy to volunteer to write this month’s article at our last meeting.

The Gazette is currently the baby of Adrian at The Curious Otter Bookshop in the town. Adrian is a great supporter of Ottery Writers and has hosted 

book launches for several of its members

Ottery Writers are currently in the throes of organising their first literary festival in October this year. First mentioned at a group meeting back in 2019, the initial aim was to have a festival in the autumn of 2020. We all know what happened next!

Like many organisations and families in 2020, Zoom meetings saved the day. As writers in the 21st Century, most members are computer literate, so these online meetings took off quite quickly.

 The group took advantage of the eagerness for a literary festival and organised a creative writing competition, which was a resounding success.

As the country made its way out of the various lockdowns during 2021, the writing group felt it had to change its location from the Silver Street Tea Rooms, where they had met since inception in 2012, to the Ottery Hub at the Old Station.

My next task for the group is to write a feature about the literary festival for Devon Life. I have started, and I’m waiting for the events and guest authors to be confirmed, and then I will request some publicity photos. Fortunately, I seem to have the start of a good writer’s relationship with Devon Lifes editor Andy Cooper. Andy was very receptive to my pitch and approach email for the article, and I now have a copy date in August for the October publication.

The literary festival is also tying up with the Coleridge Memorial Trust, unveiling a statue of Ottery St Mary’s most famous son, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Coleridge’s birthday is October 21st, the same as my wife, Kathy. 

I know the group is looking forward to hosting the festival and planning plenty of events. If you like writing or not and fancy a few days in East Devon, why not join us in October?

Meanwhile, I have several pieces of research to work up into a decent pitch. I hope to pitch at least one of them toward a national publication. I also intend to keep up posting on this blog regularly and of course, my novel is always going on in the background. 

What's Happening in 2022 and Binaural Productivity Music

 

Binaural music, what’s that all about then?

Binaural - relating to sound recorded using two microphones and usually transmitted separately to the listener's two ears. 

Focus Music - focus music blocks distracting stimuli with one relatively simple stimuli, music.

I’m writing whilst listening to ethereal music marketed as binaural focus music for productivity, which I found on

a YouTube review channel (link below). I had never heard of productivity music before.

It is early evening, and I have this music on in my earpieces, the TV is on in the room, and yet here am I, not being distracted, rattling away writing what well may become my first blog piece in some time. This music has not been on for not too long, and I have knocked out nearly 200 words at a time in a situation where I would have struggled even to get started in the first place.

This week I have been working on my writing productivity. Monday and Tuesday mornings, I rose at about 0530 and crept downstairs and worked on an article that I am writing for Devon Life Magazine. On Tuesday morning, I wrote roughly 500 words for my thriller novel. I then feel great after a shower, breakfast, with an excellent freshly brewed coffee and a quiet five minutes before I have to leave for work. Last night I had a restless night, and I slept through to 0630 and missed my writing half-hour. I was going to have a go at a quick starter exercise from Writers Forum magazine. I can have a go at that on another day. For the next two days before the weekend, I am starting at 1000, which will allow me to have an hour to write. I’m going to have a further go at my novel. I will give this binaural focus music a try; hopefully, that will keep me going.

I’ve hinted at another article for Devon Life. I can only say that it is about Ottery Writers’ upcoming literary festival in October. My pitch to the editor went well, and I have a copy date looming and need to get the piece up to scratch. My novel is not currently my main project; however, it is getting larger and larger. I’m unsure if it will be good, but I enjoy writing it. After decades of thinking about it, false starts, and leaving versions on obsolete computers, I want to get on with it and get it to the point where I can send it for editing—an exciting prospect.

I want to increase my writing productivity; I start from a low number. I have begun researching for a pitch, which is my intention to pitch toward a national newspaper travel section. I’d also like to use the research slightly differently and aim toward Devon Life and other publications. Using analysis in different ways is a crucial skill for a writer.

I have set myself the challenge over the next couple of years to get my article output to a stage where I could start to work a day or two less a week and use those days to concentrate on my writing business. I’m hoping it might not be too big an ask, but I do think that writing is something that can keep me going for the next decade or so now. It is something that I relish doing and will keep me focused now that I have reached 60. Yes, 60; how did that happen?

The keen-eyed amongst you might have spotted, on my social media, that the other month I invested in a MacBook M1Air. I have been sceptical about Apple Mac products over the years, despite having had an iPhone for quite a few of them. I came across a great reviewer, Mark Ellis, on YouTube. His channel is full of good, honest information. I did quite a bit of research, and by the time I got to the Apple shop in Exeter, I was fully confident about what I wanted to buy. That was disappointing for the Apple employees who had bought their sales pitch ready to roll out. They did mention that I could get a discount for being an NHS worker, worth £75 in this case.

.

It is an outstanding laptop. There is no time waiting to boot up, and the battery life is impressive. I’ve only charged it once this week, and I’ve still 80 %!  I have all the files that I had on my Windows 10 laptop. I have also bought the Scrivener app, on which I do most of my writing. It was vastly less expensive than an office 365 subscription. It is ideal for all forms of writing that I may get into in the future. When finished, I can even compile my novel for an ebook. To self publish or not is will be the conversation over the coming months.

There we are then. After an hour or so with Binaural Focus Music, I now have a piece for my blog. I will keep you up to date on how I get on with increasing productivity, but at the same thought, I trust you will start seeing my work more. 

Links:

Productivity and Deep Focus Music

Mark Ellis Reviews

A bit of good news to end 2021

 As 2021, another year of pandemic rumblings rolls towards its exorable end, perhaps it's time for some good news. So let's forget pandemics, Boris's Christmas parties, and rising inflation for a while and wallow in some good news.

 My writing goals from late 2019 have long taken a back seat. The pandemic of 2020 knocked back my writing targets, and 2021 has been little better; however, I have managed to get a few projects completed, and with some success too!

 Not wishing to tease you any further, I can announce that a feature I have written will be published in the January 2022 edition of Devon Life Magazine. I was thrilled to receive an email from the editor on Thursday morning telling me that my piece was being used and was on its way to the press.

My working title for the piece 'The Trafalgar Way through East Devon' may change in the final edit. It was initially part of my writing course assignment.  It was 1200 words and received positive reviews from my tutor. The first part of the assignment was to create an outline of the intended article. The outline is for the initial pitch towards potential editors. The intention is that when you have an idea for an article, you use the outline to create a pitch letter and don't write the full feature until commissioned by an editor. However, this being an assignment, I had everything ready to go.

In May, I pitched the idea to the Devon Life editor Andy Cooper. I was pleased to receive back, almost straight away, an email asking if I could work the piece up to the ideal features briefing notes and, with a copy date in July, it would be in the August edition. It wasn't easy getting an article of 1200 words down to 700 words with two 120 word breakout/information boxes; however, I got it done, and the copy was submitted a day earlier than requested. 

August, September and November came and went with no news or sign of the printed article.

I lost heart in the article; it had been so long without any news. I began to think that it wasn't good enough. It was disheartening, and it hit my writing output hard.

And then the email arrived; I must admit, my heart missed a beat. I was working. The rest of the team wondered why I was jumping up and down. I am known for jumping up and down, but not always in jubilation!

But have faith. Writing is a waiting game. It doesn't always have immediate successes.

So (yes, I know that's a cliché) here I am at the end of 2021 and, I can finally call myself a professional freelance writer. That's been a dream. It's still a dream. It's not going to make me a millionaire, well, not just yet.  For those in the know, it's a bit more than a CAT 4, but not life-changing at the moment. It seems strange invoicing someone as a freelance writer.

I now know what is required, how to go about it and realise that I need patience. The editor did apologise, 'Sorry for the delay in using it - we have been under unprecedented pressure on space due to the economic impact of the pandemic.'

If you don't already read Devon Life, please treat yourself to this issue or maybe subscribe to the Readly app, and you can read it monthly for the cost of a subscription.

Here's to a fantastic 2022, but not before an equally remarkable 2021 Christmas. I  promise there is more writing to come in 2022!

 

An update for the blog as I have neglected it for far too long. Thankfully the writing motivation has come back after the malaise of the pandemic.

I had an idea that I wished to pitch to an Editor. I worked up an idea and a pitch letter and sent it off to a well-known magazine. Two days later, I received a very positive reply.

I’ve been very excited about this as all being well; it will be my first paying gig as a writer. The job of editing the piece down from 1200 words to 650-700 word main body and two 120 word information boxes is proving more challenging than coming up with the idea of the piece in the first place! I’m also going to have to have a trip out to take some good photographs as well.

I have a copy date later in June to work toward, however, I have already started, and I would like to get it to the editor in good time.

This all came about from an article I had to write for an assignment for my course. It reminded me how to construct an outline and pitch letter, and the positive feedback from my tutor gave me the confidence to pitch to the editor.

My next assignment is to do a restaurant review. I’ve booked a place out in the next couple of weeks, and hopefully, I will be able to get that into a publication.

I also have ideas for a couple of blogs. For one, I have quite a bit of information already to work on, and my assignments have suggested another one. It is finding the time to sit quietly to start them off, which is the problem, but a nice problem to have.

My course is also encouraging me to pitch a lot more ideas to editors, as the more you can get out there, the better chance you have of getting one picked up. I have quite a few articles that I can revisit and send out outlines.