The power of a good song

I was listening to music on my drive home from my parents tonight.

John Lennon's 'Imagine.'

What a fantastic song. A controversial one as well. If only we all could live in peace on this world of ours? I believe one day we will.

Some writers peach and others simply entertain or inform. I do a bit of all three. I have wanted to make the world better in some way all my life. I have dabbled in politics. That was a bad move. I have believed in lots of things and pursued lots of causes. Some have been worthwhile and some a wild goose chase. I have found that, for myself, the best way to improve my life and that of others is through the things I do best.

I just have to write stories.

I do not impose my world view on others I hope. Above all every book, film or play has to be a good story. Sometimes the really good ones have a message or two tucked away.

And I am dreamer too.

And so it begins...

It is time for a new story.

I have been tying up loose ends. I mean that both in terms of my desperately scattered plotlines on assorted creative projects and also in more general terms. In the last few weeks I have achieved my goal of getting my stress problem beaten. I am ready to start life all over again. Just a few years late.

So that's the introspective part of this blog post done.

I have a cunning plan. It involves alien princesses, rogue starship captains and a interstellar culture clash that gets my artistic juices bubbling in anticipation.  It will either be a extended short story or a novella... Or a novel or a TV mini-series. Maybe not!

Hurtling back to reality I realise that I already have a rather large number of unfinished bits and bobs, all of which I craving my attention. I tend to start more things than I finish. That is how I am. It won't change. I am comfortable with it. However every now and again I get a really good idea that just doesn't leave me alone until it appears complete on my screen. This new story is one of those.

So back on the wagon. I am feeling the best I have been for many years and it is time to put more of my energy into sharing my creations with you all.

Watch this space.

A day to remember

There is always hope. That is something I profoundly believe in.

Today I officially recovered from a long standing health problem. I have suffered from acute stress for a number of years but finally I have turned the corner. I am 'fixed' as they say...

That is to mean that I have learned multiple robust ways of dealing with the pressures present in my life and I should be able to cope with what ever the future is likely to throw in my direction. Good.

So now I can concentrate on other things.

My writing is one of many pastimes that has suffered during the years of my illness. Now I fully intend to get on with it. No more excuses and no more winging. You heard it here!

One thing I have learnt is that each one of us is incredibly strong. We may not always believe this but we all have resources hidden away whether we know it or not. Believe in yourself. I have been threw quite a bit of late. One day I will document these events. I never thought I could survive half to stuff I have put up with but I did. I know other people face a lot worse. Don't give up.

Life is good again. The sun is shining and the grass is pretty green outside on my lawn. There is so much to hope for in this world. For everyone.

I has been a good day. I hope this is true for you too.

The dark side of 'reality'

I love to watch other people go about their lives. I am writer so this is natural.

How we react to difficult circumstances mark us out from the crowd. We are the player characters in our own 'virtual reality' game we call 'life.' Except it is real not a digital creation. What we say and do is important. These things define us.

I have a bad temper at times. Not often, but every now and then I get angry. Sometimes it is part of the dreaded 'Human Stress Reaction.' Which is not a good thing. Sometimes I get angry on behalf of others. That can prove to have good side effects. I do not like being angry. 

However it can help with the writing.

Dipping into our 'dark hearted nature' can be like opening a Pandora's box. Writers need to see humanity through 3D specs. I need all the contrast possible to make our characters stand up out of the page or screen. There is plenty hidden inside even the most saintly of authors. We mustn't be ashamed of being valid human beings.

It is only fiction. We wind stories out of the ethers of subconscious but for the most part they are not true. I also think that what ever darkness we find locked within needs to be tempered with light. I like happy endings. That is my preference. 

So explore the dark side. With care. Maybe it provide you with insights into things you never guessed at before. I does with me and helps me be a better person because of it.

But I still do not like being angry.

A dark and stormy night...

It is pouring with rain outside. It is cold. I do not wish to venture out into the great outdoors tonight.

Brilliant.

Bad weather is good for the soul of the writer. Well it is for this writer because it means I can get something done. Summer is all well and good but more often than not the beer (cider) garden's call out to me and I can not resist. I have tried to write after a couple of drinks but I do not think many people would want to read the material I produce under those circumstances.

It is good to cuddle up in front of a screen and craft something special. It makes life worth living sometimes.

I am in between stories at the moment. Waiting for my life to quieten down enough for me to make some solid progress on my books or to cook up some shorter pieces which I can share with others. A dark and stormy night produces many a good tale. I have a few ideas bubbling away on the old creative stove. Lets see which ones make it.

Cold winters can sometimes bring out the best in writers. I hate the lack of sunlight but I do think long and hard about the characters and plot lines that have dominated my free time. It is summer now but the relapse in the the weather brings these thoughts to mind.

I am ready to write.

Writing makes me stronger

I have just got back from a run and I have found to my delight that many more people have added me to their Google+ circles.

Thank you.

Today was tough. I have been fighting off a stress reaction. I am not sure what has caused it but it this is part of my life at the moment. I must keep fighting.

I have been locked in this kind of mental combat for most of my life. At school, university, in work and looking for work. Stress has been there ready to pounce. It hasn't finished me off and it never will.

Writing helps.

Not just because the creative act releases good chemicals into the body. I have posted about this before. It is because I have to fight hard to get the words onto my computer screen. I have fight even harder to keep going. I know publishing will force me dig even deeper into my reserves of willpower. It will be a struggle but I will get there.

It is the struggling that makes me stronger. This is the reason I keep writing. I want to tell wonderful stories that will allow people to remember me for year to come. If I survive by doing just this then I would be in hog heaven. It isn't the money I want. it is the inner strength. The sense of finishing a race in the knowledge I have done my absolute best. Knowing I am better for trying.

So it is an encouragement to me to know that even more of you wonderful people are now interested in the kind of things I do and say. I hope I can return some of the goodwill and interest you show?

Just keep on going until the race is finished. I won't give up and neither should anyone else.

The long term focus

Nothing worthwhile is easy and it generally does not happen overnight.

I like planning for the future. Sometimes the planning absorbs a little too much of my time and energy. Plans are only any good if they get implemented in some form. Otherwise they are just procrastination.

I have recently re-started my long distance running. When I go about a project like this i have to know that after a certain period I will get a benefit. There has to be a point to it. In the case of running it will be that I am fitter, feel better and maybe be able to take part in races. I could also meet people who share my aims and make the world a little bit better.

I have the same attitude to creative writing.

Books don't get written overnight. There has to be a long term vision. The work has to be done. I am (probably) then worst person on planet earth to actually finish a project. I do know, however, where I want to be. That is essential. Even if the place I eventually get to is completely different. I have a plan.

Sometimes with my running I have to take a pause. I do not like the idea of trotting around in sub-zero temperatures with only a tracksuit and a warm attitude to sustain me. That is fine. Life gets in the way of my writing as well. Sometimes I have to work long hours in the office. I may be unwell for some reason. Friends and family need attention. There are many reasons why plans do not run smoothly.

What I am trying to grasp is that so long as I (or you) do not give up on your dream then the possibility of realisation remains. Just keep trying. If necessary re-plan your project.

But always have a plan...