Successes, no failures and getting busy once more

 

This week, a former Royal Marine colleague and fellow Blogger inspired me. I received an email from James Pilates with his latest blog, apologising that he hadn't blogged for nearly three years! He has been a very busy chap during that time, and at least my blog is only three months adrift!

These last three months have been a less productive time for my writing, but the tiny bit I have done has been at least successful. My Flash Fiction story 'Trapped' received Highly Commended in the Ottery Literary Festival, which was very pleasing.

During the festival, I attended a workshop, Introduction to Short Story Writing. Our lead was author Jenny Kane. Jenny passed on her knowledge wonderfully and was a true inspiration to us all. I've joined her mailing list for future online courses. In the meantime, I have been searching for more short story competitions.

Having found a few competitions, I have been fervently writing and editing a few more stories. I started one at the workshop, which has since turned into a rather good story with a twist. Having edited it over the last couple of evenings, I had a colleague at work have a read, and it went down quite well. I will leave it again for a few weeks before a final edit.

Another story that I am working on comes from the opening of my novel. When I first came up with this opening many years ago, I did wonder if it was a short story. I am doubtful at the moment. 

The question being is, it is a story or a scene from a bigger story. I want to get it to work in 300 words. Other than that, I might look at it working it up into a longer story of 1000 to 2000 words.

With all these stories potentially written, It got me thinking about what to do with them. If one were to win a competition, it would appear in a competition anthology; however, I have thought about compiling a collection of my own. It's a thought.

Writing work does come in fits and starts for me, and at the moment, I've again got a few things that will keep me busy for the rest of this month. I will keep updating this blog, and there is another project that I must briefly mention.

You may realise that this blog is on the Microsofts Blogger platform. With the greatest respect, Blogger has been an excellent platform for many years, but now it's time to move on to a newer platform. Blogger is proving to be rather difficult with formatting. I should be able to do much more on a unique platform. I've got my eye on one, so it is up to me to find the time to set it up.

There we are, then, the latest update. I have thought about posting my 'Trapped' short story. I must be careful as I might use it in another competition sometimes, and I would like it to be protected.

I'll blog again in a couple of weeks. I won't let it be three months this time!

Changing Times

With these twenty-six simple words, this small country changed forever and yet stayed the same.

'The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and return to London tomorrow.'

Those simple words imply such meaning. Our long-serving Queen of 70 years has died, and we have a new monarch, King Charles III.

I had been wondering what to write for the blog this week. Now, as I sit at the keyboard on a wet Thursday evening, the subject has chosen itself.

I feel immense sadness, as do Great Britain, The Realms and the Commonwealth. Normality in our world has stopped. For how long, we don't know; however, our nation's monarchy will carry on in the name of our new monarch, King Charles III.

Epitaphs have been showering into the TV studios as the rain has done for most of this sad day. The TV is full of sad news but also favoured memories.

I, like many, have fond memories of Her Majesty. As many of you know, I served twenty-five years in Her Majesties Royal Marines Band Service, and for a short time, I also served on Her Majesties Yacht Britannia. It was the culmination of a long-held dream to be a Musician in the Royal Marines and serve Her Majesty on HMY Britannia. I didn't get off to the most auspicious of starts, succumbing to the choppy waters of the channel, which also involved a black sack of brand new white tunics! I have many lovely memories, formal and personal, some that I have told people and some that only my closest family will have heard. I travelled the world in service of the Queen, and they are times that I will always treasure and hopefully never forget.

This evening, a simple announcement from the Royal Household signified the end of the 'Great Elizabethan' era with the death of Her Majesty and the immediate commencement of a new one in King Charles III. The institution of the monarchy will continue. Some would like to see the back of it, but many more wish it to continue. I have no doubt the transition to the new era will be seamless, and equally, I do not doubt that this new era will be very different.

In the cold light of Friday morning, people seem to be walking around, stunned as to what has happened. At midday, church bells tolled. In Honiton, it was somewhat weird. The church in the town and the church at the top of the hill tolled almost in time with each other. Later, our new King returned to Buckingham Palace, where he and The Queen Consort were greeted with much respect and love. It was wonderful to see him pass through the crowds shaking hands and welcoming kisses from others.

As the weekend continues, technology allows us to witness ceremonies previously never seen by the general public. These will seem strange and archaic pageants. They have, though, been part of our constitutional protocols for centuries. I'm sure witnessing these events will engender much healthy discussion over the coming days.

It has been a big week for this country, a new Prime Minister, a new government, the death of The Queen and the proclamation of a new King. Strange and fascinating times indeed.

Ottery Literary Festival - 20th-23rd October - It's getting closer and there is much to do

 WOW, doesn't time fly by! It's already September; before I know it, October will be here, and I will be dashing around for the first Ottery Literary Festival.

I trust that many of you will have seen my posts shared on the Festival Facebook page, but if you haven't, I'll tell you about the exciting events the Ottery Writers Team is planning.

First and foremost, I must tell you or hopefully remind you of the short story competition. It's a competition for both young and old, or politely referred to as Under 18's and Over 18's. A short story of no more than 500 words using the theme Trapped. Why not have a go? Five hundred words are only about half an hour's work, and I'm sure most of us have a story going around our heads. The first prize is £50, and there will be prizes for second and third places.

My story is very nearly ready to submit, and no, I'm not on the judging panel either! You can find full details on the Ottery Writers webpage. You will need to get on with it as the entry deadline is midnight on 30th September.

Visit https://otterywriters.wordpress.com/2022/08/10/writing-competition/ to find out more.

Another competition is the Photographic Competition. Photographs on the theme We Love Ottery give a great scope for interpretation. The age groups and deadline are the same for the short story competition.

For more information, visit  https://otterywriters.wordpress.com/2022/07/22/ottery-literary-festival-2022/.

On the first day of the Festival, on Thursday 20th October, we have two workshops, An Introduction to Short Story Writing and An Introduction to Writing Poetry. They will be led by two excellent writers, Jenny Kane (Short Stories) and Sally Flint (Poetry). These will be held in the Ottery Library, where space is limited, so you will need to book. I'm hoping to book a place for Short Story writing.

For full details, visit https://otterywriters.wordpress.com/2022/07/22/ottery-literary-festival-2022-2/  to find out more.

There will be a Quiz Bingo Night at Ottery Football Ground 7 in the evening from 7.30 until 9 pm.

The morning of Friday, 21st October, will be dedicated to the anniversary of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The Coleridge Memorial Trust will unveil a statue at 1100, followed by a church service for invited guests at 1200.

In the evening, there will be a Night at Knightstone Manor, an exhibition of photographs from the photographic competition and an awards ceremony for both writing and photographic competitions, presented by Vicky Johns, the Mayor of Ottery St Mary.

Otter Writers' very own John Hall will launch his latest book 'Modern Trooper", an updated take on Coleridge's 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner'. All this will take place at Knightstone Manor from 7 pm.

Why not blow the Saturday morning cobwebs away with a guided Coleridge Heritage Walk led by Angela Harvey of Ottery Walkers? Visit places and walk in the footsteps of Coleridge and see the sights that influenced his writings and thoughts for the years to come.

On Saturday afternoon, we are delighted to be able to present an Author Talks and Book Launch event. We will have three authors joining us.

Bryan Mountford

Bethany Askew

Karen Maitland

Bryan Mountford - Bryan is the Acting Chaplain of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. His autobiography, Church Going Gone, is a colourful memoir from the 1950s to the COVID crisis, in which Bryan describes his life as a priest.

Bethany Askew - Bethany is the author of eight novels. Bethany likes to write about women's lives, their position as wife and mother and the impact of marriage, children and the impact of divorce on family dynamics. Two further women's fiction novels will be launched this year and in 2023. http://www.bethanyaskew.co.uk/

Karen Maitland - Karen has written two new books of her Jacobean crime thriller series. The Drowned City is set against the background of the Bristol Channel Tsunami of 1607, which devastated Devon and Somerset's coastal villages and towns. The second in the series, Traitor in the Ice' is set in Battle Abbey, near Hastings. 

As you can see, there are three very different authors, and it will be fascinating to hear from them, and I'm I know that they are equally excited to be joining us. Please come along and listen to what they have to say. I'm sure they will be able to take all your burning questions.

Saturday evening concludes with a Coleridge Illustrated Talk by Tom Maybury of South West Heritage Trust.

Sunday 23rd October concludes the Festival at 1030 am service in the parish church led by The Rector Lydia Cook and John Hall, Coleridge, His Spiritual Life. In the afternoon, there will be an Ottery Writers Festival Finale social event at Higher Holcombe Farm.

Otter Writers have been working hard to produce this first literary Festival for Ottery St Mary. We acknowledge the wide support we have received around the town and beyond. We value the incredible support that Otter Writers, the Festival and the writers, in general, receive from Adrian and Pete at the Curious Otter Bookshop. 

Blogs, To do Lists, Journalling and Procrastination - There's an awful lot to think about this week!

I'm terribly sorry I haven't posted for a couple of weeks. I have been busy writing for the forthcoming Ottery Literary Festival in October. That doesn't mean I have a genuine excuse not to update the blog. I need to organise myself better. After all, I do want things to get much busier writing-wise!

You may have seen on Facebook that I attended a writing workshop on Monday evening. Running the workshop was my fast-becoming writing mentor William Gallagher. There was just the correct number of attendees on the Zoom call, and William was able to make the whole two hours feel very personal. He started by discussing the use and value of using dialogue in our writing. He tried out a couple of exercises on us. How would you write a conversation about going for ice cream without mentioning the words Ice and Cream? Some funny lines from the other attendees included people from as far afield as Seattle and Nashville.

After the first half an hour, William set an hour clock counting down on the screen, and we all went off and did our own writing. I started and very nearly finished a chapter in my book. William laughed as I explained that I was beginning to get the investigations underway after four murders in two locations. My book had taken quite a gruesome turn of events, something I didn't think it would do when I first imagined it all those years ago. My 1000 words were about the most significant amount, not that it was a competition, and I was a little chuffed at my writing speed. William, meanwhile, had written nine pages of a script!

The workshop aims to get everybody writing. We all procrastinate and let things get in the way of settling down and writing. So many distractions take our concentration away from what we are doing. I'm reading Williams's book about productivity in writing, and he advocates To-do lists and outlining apps. Being Apple Mac users, numerous apps are available to help you, even ones built into the Mac OS. 

In his book, William takes a different view of To Do lists. He views them more as things that I can do list. Reading it, it makes perfect sense. Why have a thing to do that you can't do right now? Something that has to rely on something else for you to be able to do it, or something that is so far in the future that it will sit on your list for weeks. A long and unwieldy To Do list is disheartening and downright depressing. It has to be a better start to the day if you can start by clearing many items off your list because you can do them.

It's worth reading Williams's book to see how he handles the email inbox. I've not finished the book yet, but it certainly is an eye-opener and makes you think in different ways. I haven't cleared my inbox in the same manner yet, though!

A little more on the Ottery Literary Festival. The plans are forging ahead. Apart from my Devon Life feature, I have a little piece in the Ottery Gazette for August, and I have submitted an article to the Sidmouth Herald. I have also written a small piece that hopefully will be published in a writing magazine in time. There are a couple of competitions that are running for the festival. A 500-word Short Story competition using the title, Trapped, and a photography competition entitled "We Love Ottery". Search Ottery Writers or use the link on this blog for further information. I will post a longer Blog piece about the festival in a few weeks.

Another writer's blog I subscribe to has an interesting piece about journaling. I did quite a bit of that during the 2020 and 2021 lockdowns. I have quite a few handwritten books to look back on. From what I can remember, I was moaning a lot about Boris and his government. Nothing changes there, then? However, there is a challenge on the blog to write 'Morning Pages' each day. At the end of the week, to analyse them. Although it seems immaterial at the time, you might find there is something that may well lead to an idea for an article or appear in a book. I think that is a challenge worth taking up. It will be interesting to see what happens.

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!