A word about hard times ahead.

The UK economy is slowing down apparently. I read in the Guardian newspaper that the projected GDP figure for the second quarter is around 0.1%. I have just overheard a conversation in my local pub that people are being made redundant in the neighbourhood. This brings it home.

Hard times are ahead.

In fact they have never really gone away. Britain has got off lightly compared with some other parts of the industrialized world in recent years but even so 'The recovery' we are supposed to be experience has been slow in coming and the benefits unevenly spread, if felt at all.

So as a writer how do I react?

I read what I can. I listen and I learn. I am currently reading a book called 'Chronicles of our troubled times' by the French economist Thomas Piketty. It is written in as a collection of bite sized articles and is concerned with the political economy of the US and EU from the Credit Crunch of 2007/8 through to the current day. Thomas Piketty provides insights into his view of events and some potential solutions. They are not popular ones. I agree with some of his suggestions but not others. I do think, however, it is important to study these things in detail and retain an open mind.

The other thing I do as a writer is, well to write about it. Piketty gives one solution to the Eurozone debt crisis. The 'Europeanisation' of some of the sovereign debt into 'Eurobonds.' This sounds sensible. There may be others with better ideas but I haven't seen these yet. We live in a interconnected world and so many of our problems have shared origins so perhaps the solutions need to be common as well? Just a thought.

So, I won't apologise if I occasional comment on these issues on this blog. We all have a responsibility to educated and discuss these matters. Lets hope that the clouds over the world economy clear soon.  Until then we should all be thinking hard about how we can be part of the solution.

And this is especially the case for writers or those with ideas to share.

Lone Wolf ''Storms of Chai' on its way soon.

I am eagerly awaiting the latest instalment in the classic Lone Wolf Gamebook series. 'The Storms of Chai' by Joe Dever.  In this story 'you' play the role of Kai Grandmaster sent on a perilous mission by the Supreme Master and leader of your order Lone Wolf himself. The book is on its way and I will post a short review when it arrives. it should be good if past books in the series are anything to go by.

Lone Wolf was always a perplexing character in many ways. When I was younger I devoured the first twelve books in this series but it was when I read book 11 ('Prisoners of Time') that I really felt I started to get to know the back story for the then Kai Master. The great thing about this story universe is that each books builds on the next. In 'Prisoners of Time' Lone wolf is journeying through a parallel world and there are one or two passages that point back to his life before he became a member of the mystical order of Kai Lords. I love those references. I don't know if later volumes built on this approach. I only recently rediscovered this series. I would love to know more and I will endeavour to share my findings. 

The best gamebooks are the ones with a compelling thread of character development. This has to be done in a way that doesn't get in the way of game play and does not restrict choice. The Lone Wolf series managed this in the main. I felt that learning about the lead characters family and origins added depth. I enjoyed it. Which is kind of the point of reading the books. 

So 'Storms of Chai' is the 29th book in the series. I think Joe Dever deserves an award to two (I know he has some already) for his perseverance and for the joy he has brought to so many. I am sure this books will go down as one of the really good ones.  

 

Never give up

On a day where I am struggling with hay fever and the after effects of a night out I may be forgiven for not being as focused as I usually am.

We all have difficult days, on the grand scheme of things mine is not really that bad.

My book will wait for me.

I still remember the days when I thought that writers had to be superhuman. The endless battle to put the words on the page seemed to require special abilities that almost belonged in a Marvel or DC comic storyline. How could I possibly finish a novel? And how would I ever make a living as an author. It seemed an impossible dream. On more than one occasion I felt that my books would remain incomplete. There were too many obstacles. My work, health and other things got in the way.

Life is hard sometimes.

But writing is simple the process of putting marks onto a page or screen. Compare with say, an emergency worker, this job of ours is straight forward. Life is hard sometimes. The words dry up. We defeat ourselves, or get distracted. The stories refused to cooperate with their creators, but these issues are minor. The world keeps spinning and the troubles we experience are nothing compared with say, children in Syria or Iraq or even the homeless guys I see begging on the streets of my home town.

So we don't need special powers. We don't need to beat ourselves up either if we dry up creatively. The muse will return. Writing is important. For most of us it isn't life threatening. Just keep trying. This is a special job we do. Putting words into a story. It has never been easier to publish. It has never been so easy to start. We can succeed in living our dream.

If we never give up.

Being mindful of life

It is time to write.

I have a complex life in which it has been increasingly hard for me to make the statement I have typed above. My job in IT is demanding and my family demand my attention. I struggle to make space for creative writing. It makes me feel sad to say it but more often than not it just doesn't happen. Stress from work and my home life tear me away from my stories.

Stress is a killer. it poisons our bodies and its toxic touch extends into our thoughts and feelings. If left unchecked it destroys well being. It is the modern 'plague'. It effects me on a fundamental level and it is stopping me enjoying my life on far too many occasions.

It stops me writing.

But it is the process of putting words together to describe the imagery of my stories that first gave me the answer to this challenge.

Writers must live in the present moment. We need to feel our fictional worlds with all five senses. We need to live the lives of our characters and see through their eyes. We need to be mindful of them and their worlds.

We need to be mindful of ourselves.

Mindfulness is the process of living in the moment. The past is gone. It cannot reach us if we do not let it. The future hasn't happened. It is not determined. Our own story is not yet written. And therein is the fulcrum upon which I (and others) can use against Anxiety and Stress. If the past is gone, regrets and fears lose their grip. If the future is an open book then it too can not reach me so long as I concentrate on what is happening right now.

Much is written about this. I believe that being mindful is a great way of improving the quality of creative writing but more importantly it gives us the keys to our lives. It sets us free.

Amen to that.

The importance of fun.

It is cold outside. I've had to de-ice my car three times today and I live in the, mostly temperate, English county of Gloucestershire. My world is usually quite tame and placid. I can shut the weather away and settle down in my cosy apartment and write.

But out there something stirs...

It may be my imagination. I have this notion that the familiar environment I spend my days in is not all that it seems to be.

What if things were just that little bit different?

Of course I write science fiction so I am allowed to think in weird, wonderful and potentially strange ways. Some days I am migrating across dry grasslands, tracking mammoths with my fellow tribesmen. Other days I am locked in combat with ancient Roman gladiators or commanding my star fleet in the heart of a immense interstellar conflict.

All I need to do is write it all down.

My day job is fairly standard. I go to work. I eat. I pay the mortgage. I go home. I go to sleep. Finding time to live my alternative lives is sometimes rather hard. There are a few improvements I need to make so I can satisfy my imaginative compulsions.

I need to write daily. I don't do this currently. It is a failing I will correct. I believe that storytelling is a craft that has to be practised regularly. The brain has to be trained and re-trained to perform at its best. The effort has to be focused. Writing each and every day is not just about building up the word count but rather providing the writer with more opportunities to learn how to improve. It is discipline I lack but will strive to achieve. Wish me luck.

I also need to balance work and play. I work hard but modern life is stressful. I need to enjoy my hobbies and follow my heart with my writing. I am thinking that maybe I should try more adventurous avenues such as writing for the gaming industry. Not something I have done before but could be a good thing for me.

Exercise is important. I need to be fitter, stronger and more determined. I view creative writing a bit like sport. The mind and body both need attention. I have started to run again.

And finally I need to find time to be quiet. Day dreaming is vital. Let the brain rest and regroup. Stay fresh.

So 2015 is going to be busy. I have my plan and I am going to stick to it. I hope to publish some more short stories and make progress on some of my existing projects as well as start new ones. Above all I intend to work harder than ever before but also have more fun.

That last bit is the most important.