Eloquence From Write Anything - 06 April 08

This is adapted from an article that appeared on the Write Anything website on April 6, 2008. The original text can be found here.

Eloquence

In April, Tammi wrote about Thought, Articulation and Writing.

In a comment to Tammi I mentioned that, despite competing in public speaking and debating championships when I was in high school, I would no longer describe myself as a competent speaker in public. At work, in social situations, in fact any situation outside of the comfort zone of my own family, I find myself stuttering, fumbling for the right words, and finding it difficult to articulate what I mean. So much for speaking. But when it comes to writing,

“...it just seems to flow. I very often find I can write the things I can never find the words to say.”

But that isn’t the whole story. I am a stronger writer than I am a speaker now. More eloquent. More persuasive.

This doesn’t mean that I’m happy with my writing however. The problem with trying to write is the inherent self-doubt you have, the fear that whatever emotion you are feeling, you will never be able to express it eloquently.

I suppose this is a feeling that everyone encounters at some point in their lives. When you try to tell someone that you love them. When you have to make an appeal to someone to change their ways, or to agree to side with you. When you have to speak in memory of somebody. We all feel unequal at times to expressing what we feel inside - that somehow, we do not have sufficient skill with language to help people to feel what we feel, or to see what we see.

It is a sensation people will encounter perhaps only rarely. But if you write, it’s a daily problem. I can see in my mind’s eye that this character’s heart is breaking - but how on earth do I get that point of view across? Or I can imagine a beautiful sunset over the ocean, but can I describe it to others so they can see it as vividly as I can?

The only solution is to keep plugging away at the words, and try your best. At these times I get especially jealous of lyricists. In three, maybe four minutes of a song, they can evoke a range of emotions, memories and visions that leave me breathless. Strip away the music, and the lyrics are still poignant, funny, heartbreaking.

There are a few songs like that running through my playlists, songs whose lyrics get under my skin, touch my heart, and which make me marvel at how well the sentiment is caught by the lyric. And I can only hope that someday I’ll have that effect on someone with my words.

Tags: Write Anything Sunday Writer Paul Anderson

Fiction Friday - 29 August 2008 Dialogue bits

This Week's Theme: Step 1. Go to a busy locale — a cafe or coffee shop would be easiest. Sit down with a notebook, and make sure you look busy, so people don’t know you’re listening. Now write down random snips of their conversations. Don’t take whole lines or even sentences — just a few words here and there. Try to get 10 bits.

Step 2. Now use all 10 in a cohesive scene of dialogue.

Thanks to Annie and Jodi for the suggestion.

---

So this week I've been surrounded by the silent (the Tube), those not speaking English (the Tube again), the too foul-mouthed to use (the firm I work for) and the privileged so cannot be repeated (the firm I word for again). So my snippets come courtesy of the citizens of the world, via Twitter. The snippets will be in red.

"Sorry I'm late, traffic was murder. Think someone up there likes me though. Actually got a parking space today!"

He didn't look up from his laptop. Just kept tapping away at the keys, muttering. I coughed politely before continuing. "So, uh... how's it going?"

"Real productive this morn. Or I would be if this damn thing actually worked. I swear to god, I can grab the latest feeds from the satellites, get through the encrypted channels... can I send an e-mail to my wife? Can I hell..." He stabbed at the keys a few times more. "Oh, oh, wait. So I can use Contacts to start an email, but the link is super small. That's just useless, this whole damn computer isn't much bigger than my shoe, how the hell am I supposed to see a link that small." He slammed the lid shut then looked up at me.

"Wow, you really do look like Estevez."

"Yes sir, that's why they recruited me. I'm a pretty good match. Almost exact, in fact. You can tell us apart because one of us has slightly smaller ears."

"Which one?"

I smiled. "The fact you can't tell shows that they picked the right guy sir!"

He snorted. "Sit your ass down son, let's get some chow. I think my stomach is trying to eat itself from the inside out. Try the chowder."

He removed the laptop from the table and placed it in a small holdall by his feet. I glanced down. "I’m with you on the shoes!"

"What?"

I flushed a little. "The computer... it's... you said... about the size of your..." The words fizzled out under a withering gaze, before he spoke up.

"Estevez was leading a recon team into sector alpha, but we lost contact with him last week. His equipment had been fritzing since they arrived, and the last message was just garbled. We're pretty sure they haven't been attacked, just that the communications equipment is dead."

"Too hot for it to work?"

He shook his head. "It’s not so much the heat... as it is the humidity. Gets into the casings, shorts the circuit boards." He paused as a waitress brought two bowls of hot clam chowder. She smiled at me, then him. "You two gents want anything else?"

"Nothing for the kid over there sweetheart, but any time you want a real man..." he flashed the golden badge and ID card at her. "Then you just look up the Major." He winked at her as she smiled politely, intimidated by the badge, and quickly walked away.

"Sorry about that squirt, don't want her coming back any time soon while we're talking. And..." he chuckled. "Well flinging poo at you satisfied my urge to brag."

He glanced around, checking that nobody was listening. Just when Estevez goes dark, all of a sudden the Zarkov mob roll back into town. I don't know if it's coincidence, but given the history between old man Zarkov and Estevez, I don't think it can be. They're beginning to make a big noise at any rate. Only a week, and already they're taking control, as if they never got brought down. Fortunately, Estevez kept the location of the drum secret, otherwise all hell would have broken loose. But I know Zarkov wants it, wants it bad, and his boys show up just when Estevez goes dark? Maybe they’re on to something. Maybe we've got a mole. I don't know. But we want you to show some face, help spread the rumour that Estevez is back in town. Might shake them up a little, keep them subdued."

I nodded. It made sense. Estevez had pretty much eradicated the Zarkov family - if he were to be seen about town, it might just put the frighteners on them. At least make them think twice about gearing up for war with the other families. I stood up. "I'll get right on to it sir. I know a few places where I could go, get seen by some of the snitches. They'll get the word out."

"Good. Get on it."

I took a step then turned. "Hey what’s that drum thing you were talking about?"

His face remained impassive. "You don't need, or want to know son. Trust me."

I nodded. Probably true. Time to be seen by the Zarkovs.

Tags: fiction Fiction Friday

The year I went mad...

There is no doubt about it - this year I have gone mad. Starting off with getting a tattoo, I then decide to serialise a book over the course of a month at the same time as writing a new one. And now?

Now I've just signed up to be the coldest I've ever been. To undergo the most arduous physical exertion I've ever gone through. All in the name of the experience of a lifetime.

I've signed up to be a team member on the Shackleton Centenary Expedition. Now, assuming that I pass the psychometric tests, panel interview, and survival weekend, I might wind up trekking to the South Pole at the start of next year.

Yes, I can safely say that I am going out of my mind. And what an adventure it would be.

I've never done anything like this before, and although part of me hopes I don't get selected, a lot of e wants to be picked. To say that I've been to the Antarctic, to the South Pole. That I did it. Think of the memories. Think of the stories.

Here's hoping.

Two of my favourite authors wrote of Antarctic exploration. Edgar Allan Poe had The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, and HP Lovecraft had At the Mountains of Madness. Perhaps I can add one of my own. Maybe with less disaster and horror though...

Questions of style

Over at Write Anything a new writing meme has been posted, and Janie has asked for readers to respond on their own blogs, and post a link back on the site. The meme itself was started by Becca at Write on Wednesday.

1. Do you write fiction or non-fiction? Or both?
   
   I write mainly fiction, although on my other blog I write about politics, law and other non-fiction topics. On my creative writing sites, as the name suggests, I mainly focus on fiction, but there are the odd non-fiction articles about writing.
   
   In terms of genre, most of my writing is Gothic or Romantic (please note the capital "R" - my writing style is Romantic, I do not write Mills & Boons style romance..."). I sometimes venture into Lovecraftian horror and speculative science fiction.
   
   
2. Do you keep a journal or a writing notebook?
   
   I consider my blogs to fulfill the functions of journals and writing notebooks, however, I do keep a paper journal, but only occasionally.
   
   
3. If you write fiction, do you know your characters’ goals, motivations, and conflicts before you start writing or is that something else you discover only after you start writing? Do you find books on plotting useful or harmful?
   
   I have never read a book on plotting. I don't know if this is a good or a bad thing, but generally when writing I have a rough idea of my characters goals, and let the situations flesh these out further. I am a firm adherent to the theory that your characters exist somewhere in your head, and if you give them the space to explore a situation they will inform you of their motives, and tell you when you are trying to make them do something out of character.
   
   
4. Are you a procrastinator or does the itch to write keep at you until you sit down and work?
   
   In the spring of 1998, I had an idea to write a series of short stories based on the playing cards in a tarot deck. This idea still features in my work in progress pages. This may answer the question of whether I am a procrastinator or not... In all seriousness though, sometimes I am, sometimes I'm not, and it relates to the answer for the next question.
   
   
5. Do you write in short bursts of creative energy, or can you sit down and write for hours at a time?
   
   This is very much a mood thing. I can't force myself to write for hours when I just don't have the inclination. Sometimes I can sit with the laptop in front of me for hours and grind out 300-500 words for an article. Other times I can sit for one hour and get close to 2000 words out. When I have the muse, then I can sit for hours and the words fly from my mind, through my fingertips, and on to the screen.
   
   
6. Are you a morning or afternoon writer?
   
   I'm an "anytime" writer. Most of my NaNoWriMo writing was done at lunchtimes during my day job. I have also written in the early hours of the morning, both because I've stayed up waaay past midnight, or because I've gotten up very early in the morning. Let's just say I've seen some 4am writing from both sides. I think I am probably most creative early in the morning (despite the fact I am no longer a morning person), but currently and by necessity, I am an evening writer.
   
   
7. Do you write with music/the noise of children/in a cafe or other public setting, or do you need complete silence to concentrate?
   
   I write with music on, either playing out of my computer/an iPod stereo if I'm on my own, or through handphones on my iPod if I'm somewhere public. Generally when I really want to concentrate on some writing I play music with no lyrics. Often classical, but usually film scores (John Williams, and recently Hans Zimmer). When concentration isn't of paramount importance to me (no complicated plots to resolve, just generally seeing where imagination takes me - flash fiction scenarios) then I'll have songs playing. The mood of the song depends on the mood I want the writing to have. At the moment I'm listening to some Soul Asylum.
   
   
8. Computer or longhand? (or typewriter?)
   
   Computer. In this day and age, I can't face writing longhand then retyping it. I used to do that, and sometimes I still do for very short pieces (I'm more comfortable taking a pen and paper onto public transport than a laptop!) but in the main I create on a laptop, edit on a laptop, review on a laptop. The ease with which my work can be chopped and changed, transferred between formats and sent out makes it the most attractive option, for me. But every writer is different.
   
   
9. Do you know the ending before you type Chapter One? Or do you let the story evolve as you write?
   
   I wish, but I don't know these things. The writer is the god of the world they create, but they are a blind god. Sometimes your characters have other plans and take the story in different directions. There are two possible endings for one of the characters in The Long Watch, and I don't know which I prefer. I'm leaning towards one over another as it allows a whole new plot to emerge for the next book, but we'll see.
   
   
10. Does what’s selling in the market influence how and what you write?
    
    Yes, but not in a way you might think. I don't look at what's out there and set out to emulate it, rather I try to ignore it and do something else. This stems from a decade of crossing ideas off of the internal list I have, as I see these ideas turn up on bookshelves, on the television, and in the cinemas.
    
    
11. Editing/Revision - love it or hate it?
    
    Hate it. I don't think I'm a good editor. I need a good editor, but that editor isn't me. I can edit other people's works, but suffer from the worry that I'm just imposing my voice over theirs, rather than strengthening what they have written. But as for my own, I hate doing it.

So there you have it - a little about me, as a writer, and my writing style.

Who's next?

Tags: writing meme writing style Write Anything Write on Wednesday

Making it up as you go along… From Write Anything - 30 March 08

This is adapted from an article that appeared on the Write Anything website on March 30, 2008. The original text can be found here.

Making it up as you go along…

In March, the UK’s Observer newspaper carried a story about author Ronny M Cole’s advice to parents that they should make up stories at bedtime for their children, rather than simply read them a bedtime story. This comes on the back of a literacy drive by the UK government to encourage parents to read to their children, after it was revealed that one in ten children are never read a bedtime story.

Some parent’s groups rebelled at this prospect, pointing out that it was bad enough parents were being stigmatised for not reading to their children, but now they were being made to feel like bad parents if they couldn’t invent a story too?

Famous books like Watership Down and The Hobbit started life as stories made up for the author’s children. But you don’t need to come up with the next classic of western literature to entertain the kids. Involve them in the storytelling, make the stories about simple things, and at first keep it short and entertaining. Only later, when confident should you expand the stories to include life lessons and morals.

When the Writer’s Write blog ran the story they made the observation that some people just aren’t natural born storytellers, so should continue to reach for a book of bedtime stories. However,

“... if you happen to be married to a screenwriter or author, well, you know who gets bedtime story duty tonight.”

Yeah... Yeah that’s a good idea...

That’s some advice that should be taken with a pinch of salt. Because the screenwriter or author you’re married to could well be me. Or someone like me. I’m not exactly child friendly. Consider what I did to Winnie-the-Pooh on my very first [Fiction] Friday. I turned him into an opium addict who had killed Tigger and was about to be "disposed of" by Piglet. Can you imagine the havoc I could wreak on a delicate child’s psyche if I was allowed anywhere near their impressionable minds? The horrible, terrible things that would befall childhood characters if I were allowed to interpret their adventures?

“And then one thousand demons descended on the handsome prince, stripping the flesh from his bones and consuming his soul. The end. Good night, sweet dreams...”

Is this a product of my own upbringing? And would children really be scarred by disturbing and twisted bedtime stories? Consider that “fairy tales” are popular bedtime stories for children. When I was a child, my father used to read my brothers and I bedtime stories. Our two favourite books for bedtime stories were collections of fairy tales. One by Hans Christian Andersen, the other by the Brother’s Grimm. These are real fairy tales. The original stories, unadulterated by the Disney versions we’ve come to know today. In the stories I grew up with, the Wicked Stepmother was made to dance to death in red hot shoes, the Little Mermaid died and tragedy befalls people without sense or reason. The lessons were not simply black and white. They were muddied, confusing. And frequently disturbing.

Despite this, I grew up to be a well-adjusted person. Maybe not a well-adjusted writer, but a well-adjusted person. Thanks dad!

I think everyone has it in them to tell a tale. Whether you make it up as you go along, or start with the story on the page and then deviate from the script (a favourite tactic of my father), see where the story takes you. And not just for children. In times past we as a society used to sit around fires and tell each other stories, to entertain, to educate and to connect.

What stories were you told as a child? Did your parents make up stories for you? And if you have children of your own, what do you read them or tell them?

Tags: Write Anything Sunday Writer Paul Anderson

Why are you so meme to me?

Do you like what I did there with the whole pun thing? Did ya? Aah, no pleasing you people...

Anyway, Steph over at Watch Your Steph has tagged me with a meme to reveal six unspectacular quirks about yourself. Hmmmm, toughie, I have no quirks. At least not unspectacular ones...

But first, the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you (done).
   
2. Mention the rules (which I'm doing, right now).
   
3. Tell six unspectacular quirks of yours (see below).
   
4. Tag six bloggers by linking (see below the above).
   
5. Leave a comment for each blogger (will do when I'm done).

And now, my six quirks. Forgive me if you've heard some of these before...

1. Wherever possible I try to make the last step I take on a flight of stairs with my right foot.
   
2. People who meet me come away with the impression that I am polite, slightly quiet, and serious. They then get shocked over subsequent meetings by my sick and filthy sense of humour, inappropriate behaviour, and general loudness. And I revel in wrong footing them like that.
   
3. Related to the above, I think I'm one of the few people I know who has become progressively less mature since leaving school.
   
4. Just like my older brother, visiting the Grand Canyon gave me an overwhelming urge to jump into it, just to know what that would feel like.
   
5. Although raised a Catholic, my personal philosophy and views on spirituality mean I am more closely aligned to Quakers, Lutherans, Liberal Protestants, Zen Buddhists and Jedi Knights, in that order.
   
6. I can spread the toes on my feet the same way that people can spread their fingers...

Now, who to tag?

1. Partner in crime and piracy Jodi
   
2. My other partner in crime and piracy Annie
   
3. Karen over at Write From Karen
   
4. The Canuck known as Dr Norf
   
5. The Countess over at The Countess Counts
   
6. Jeff over at My Unique Life

Fiction Friday - 22 August 2008 Steal something

This Week's Theme: Have your character steal something. Now have her rationalize it.

---

Marx said it best. "All property is theft." Can't remember if that was Karl or Groucho, probably Groucho, but I can't remember the punchline. Anyway, all property is theft, of a sort. So anyone who owns anything is guilty of stealing something, if you really want to look at it that way.

Do I steal the air I breathe? The light I see with? If you're talking to me, is it stealing to hear you, and remember what you say? Course not. So I can't have stolen anything. I was given something, I took it and held it, and possession is nine-tenths of the law.

If you were given something, like a painting or something, by a friend, and it turned out that your friend shouldn't have given it to you, would people say you stole it? Would people wander around and say, "Oh, there goes that thief, the one that steals paintings"? No, they wouldn't. You see how stupid this is?

You can't steal a person anyway. People aren't slaves, nobody belongs to anyone. People go where they like when they like. And if they choose me over another, that's their choice. I didn't steal them. They gave their heart to me freely. That's not theft. That's love.

But try telling my sister that...

Tags: fiction Fiction Friday

Thank you Captain Obvious!

Some day Captain Obvious is going to encounter Captain Fantastic...

What is it about being a "Captain" in these insults? Captain Obvious is (obviously) more authoritatively obvious in his statements than, say, Private Obvious, or Sergeant Obvious (perhaps at that rank he is merely Sergeant Evident?).

But what of higher ranks? Do they get awarded depending on the scale of fundamental obviousness of the statement? Major Quite Obvious? Colonel Bloody Obvious? General Screamingly Obvious? Field Marshall We All Knew That Already You Moron?

Yes ladies and gents, this is the kind of thing I think about on an alarmingly regular basis....

Adverse writing conditions From Write Anything - 23 March 08

This is adapted from an article that appeared on the Write Anything website on March 23, 2008. The original text can be found here. By coincidence, I was again away this weekend, without my laptop (although not without internet access, albeit limited). I did however take a pad and pen with me, and got some writing done.

Adverse writing conditions

By the time you read this, I may be sitting at the top of a mountain, in the middle of Derbyshire, fumbling with a pen and paper through thick gloves, huddled against a craggy outcrop, sheltering from the wind and (possibly) the rain.

I have taken a short break and returned to the same area I visited immediately after finishing NaNoWriMo, to relax, recharge and to be re-inspired. At the time of writing (Wednesday) the weather forecast is not great; low temperatures, rain and snow are all likely. But with a little luck, there will be one or two good days that will allow me the opportunity to get up into the hills, and in the solitude, with stunning vistas all around, see where inspiration may take me.

Failing which, I can sit in a local pub, with a pint of real ale close to hand, a hearty hot meal in front of me and a roaring fire, and while away the hours scribbling into a notebook.

It may prove to be the most productive I have been in some time. The adverse writing conditions of the title are not the wind and rain, but modern life.

I get up early and tired, rush through getting dressed and having breakfast, to travel for almost an hour on cramped public transport, to spend at least 8 hours in the office before repeating the same on the way home.

From getting up at 6.30am to finishing the evening meal, over half the day disappears. It can be as late as 9pm before I have any time for anything beyond merely existing.

Then distractions like e-mail, forums, websites and TV shows eat away those few precious hours before I need to go to sleep, to repeat the day.

The fast pace of the modern world is unforgiving of slow crafts like painting, reading and of course writing. The time to create, and appreciate, is encroached upon by other demands, and so in order to fit into our schedules, our relaxation and gratification has to be instant. In order to find the time for something, I have to force the time, and if I force it, it is no longer enjoyable, so I am less inclined to do it.

So this weekend I shall be away from work, from commuting, from television and the internet. Just me, nature, and a pen and paper. Simplicity.

Tags: Write Anything Sunday Writer Paul Anderson

Fiction Friday - 15 August 2008 Stolen conversations

This Week's Theme: Write about a stolen conversation.

---

>INITIATE CONTACT...

>UPLINK TO SATELLITE - WAITING...

>CONNECTION ESTABLISHED

>COMSAT12 UPLINK BEGIN 14:08:13

>DATA DUMP START - 7% COMPLETE...

>SCANNING DATA FOR KEY WORDS...

>DATA DUMP 86% COMPLETE

>...

!! KEYWORD TRIGGER INITIATED !!
!! DOWNLOADING DATA STREAM !!

>CALL INITIATED - BAGHDAD, IRAQ

>CALL TERMINATED - STRATHSPEY, UNITED KINGDOM

---

"...ound the bunker sir, just like you said, smack in the middle of the El-Sadiq region."

"Did you breach the bunker?"

"Aye sir... there's something under there - a huge network of tunnels."

"So, it's true then."

"Sir? There are symbols all over the tunnels. We've removed the uh... artifacts."

"And?"

"We're beginning to translate them, but one word jumped out straight away. Istasha..."

"..."

"Sir?"

"I think the line is compromised. Go to next channel."

---

!! CONNECTION LOST !!

>SAVING DATA STREAM

>INITIATE CONTACT

>DATA SENT TO MANCINI

>CONTACT TERMINATED

Tags: fiction Fiction Friday

Your opinions needed!

NaNoWriMo is fast approaching, and while I have a few ideas for this year, I am undecided what to do.

So, I thought I would put it to the popular vote - what would you, the people who most often read what I write, like to see me write?

1. The Long Watch Part 2 - the second of the three part story arc (the first part of which will be serialised here throughout November, and maybe a little beyond).
   
2. The Major Arcana - this is the series of short stories, based on the Major Arcana cards of the tarot deck, that I have been planning. If you cast your mind back to Christmas, and the Long Watch Christmas story I did, that is the story based on the Devil card.
   
3. Saucy Jack - a story set in the present, which sees the police uncovers a series of brutal murders in the style of Jack the Ripper, with deep connections and parallels to the original cases. Is this merely a very good copy cat, or can Jack really be back?
   
4. Untitled political thriller - I've had a few ideas in my head for some sort of thriller set in the murkier underbelly of Westminster politics. This would be quite a change in style for me, so if you have a hankering to see me break from mysticism and mayhem, and just go for plain old mayhem, this could be your thing.

Just vote in the box below, and I'll see how the votes tally up.

What should Paul work on for NaNoWriMo 2008?
A sequel to the Long Watch
The Major Arcana
The Jack the Ripper crime/horror story
A political thriller set in Parliament


(View Results)

Create a Poll

Oh, and if anybody wants the code for the countdown timer I have for The Long Watch, just drop me a line, I'll send you the html that you need.

Hello Real Job, welcome to my writing… From Write Anything - 16 March 08

This is adapted from an article that appeared on the Write Anything website on March 16, 2008. The original text can be found here.

Hello Real Job, welcome to my writing…

In February and March, Janie provided invaluable advice on protecting your online reputation, and the fourth entry touched on pseudonyms and pen-names.

If things had worked out differently, you would not have been reading an article by "Paul Anderson" today. If life had turned out as I had originally planned, then you would need to visit the law section of your local library to find anything by "Paul Anderson", and right now you would be looking at a website called tonymcbeth.org.uk.

"Tony McBeth" was the pseudonym I picked for myself, the name under which I planned to have a second career, in addition to my academic career. A pen name would have insulated me from other people's opinions about my writing. The work of "Paul", an academic interested in war crimes, terrorism and human rights, would never have been judged in the light of the work of "Tony", a writer with an, at times, unhealthy interest in mayhem, murder and supernatural chaos.

Now of course I don't really care. I am me, and I have got over my reticent attitude to my writing. My mother and godmother (hello mum, hello Auntie Eileen!) read my blog and listen to my podcast, so I think I've got past any notion of fear and embarrassment.

Except in one area, where a pseudonym might have come in handy. And it is an area which Janie has also previously mentioned in her articles about preserving your online reputation. Employment.

I don't earn any money from writing (oh, I wish I did...). So I have a Real Job. I am careful not to write about my real job on my blogs. I believe I've mentioned that I work with lawyers, but beyond that, I don't name the firm, where we are based, the areas of law we practice in, or the people at the firm, and especially not the clients. Neither my personal blog nor my writing blog deal with my Real Job.

However, until very recently nobody at my Real Job knows that I write. Or that I blog. But they do now, thanks to the wonders of modern technology. Firstly, I'm a pretty high hit on Google when searching for my name. I usually get at least two entries in the top ten, and often I'm the number one spot. So if anybody idly Googles me, there I am.

Secondly, I recently became "friends" on Facebook with people that I work with. I have never previously had anyone in my friends list from a current job, for the obvious reason that my Facebook page reveals a lot about me. Janie's articles discuss the pros and cons of how your external activities can impact upon your life in the workplace and how they may be viewed.

So now I am friends with colleagues. Who are friends with other colleagues. My blog entries automatically upload to Facebook. My Twitter updates appear on my Facebook status. At some point, the people I work with will find out about my other life. A pen name might have prevented that, but only if I had so wholly split my writing and non-writing life in two that the "Paul" part of my life refused to acknowledge the "Tony" part. And I don’t actually see the point in that.

The people I work with know that what I do is not what I had planned to do in life. They are aware that my plans have now changed. They may not know what those plans have changed to (yet) but they know that I am working on "other ideas". I am proud of what I write, I am proud of my opinions. Should I feel awkward sitting in meetings with people who may have recently read about Gideon and Maria's burgeoning love affair? No more so than I should feel awkward about them knowing which sporting teams I follow, or what I did over the weekend (common enough office conversation topics, no matter where you work).

Once upon a time I had good reason to separate a writing life from my real life. Now my writing life and my real life are the same thing. So no need for pseudonyms. No need to hide what I do. If you work with me, then welcome. I’ll see you in the office on Monday.

Have you hidden your light under a bushel? Or do you fully integrate your writing life with your "other" life?

Would you be comfortable with everyone knowing that you write, or are there people you would prefer to keep that a secret from?

Tags: Write Anything Sunday Writer Paul Anderson

Coming soon...

He is removed from his friends. He is weak. We shall strike now?

No. We do not move against him. We crush his friends and become reborn. Only then can we live. Only then can we move against the Synkistus.

He is one. We are many.

They are distracted. If we move now they will be caught unaware. They will perish.

Yes... we shall track Gideon. And we shall strike at his friends. They shall fall before us.

For we are many.

---

The Long Watch - 1 November 2008

Therapy From Write Anything - 09 March 08

This is adapted from an article that appeared on the Write Anything website on March 09, 2008. The original text can be found here.

Therapy

Some people drink to forget theirs. Others exercise to defeat theirs. Some will meditate to transcend theirs. And some people even talk about them, in order to overcome and resolve theirs.

We all have stresses, worries and issues in life. It seems that as the pace of life increases, so too do the challenges and problems that assault us. Problems that we need to work through, worries that we need to address. I exercise, I talk, but increasingly I have begun to write about my problems. Or rather, write as a way to work through them.

It is now one year since I decided that I wanted to be a writer. I can remember very clearly sitting at my desk in the office, staring at the computer screen, revising for the fourth or fifth time a report on an unimportant subject that would never be put into action (and to this day still hasn’t!). I remember the depressing realisation that my “temporary” job, rather than being a means to support me during my studies, had become a career path with a very limited destination. My academic ambitions in the meantime where going nowhere. I did not want this life. I no longer wanted what I though I had wanted. And I didn’t quite know what I wanted instead.

Apart from the writing. That was always there. So why not do that? A big career change, certainly - it would involve turning my back on everything I had built my life toward up to that moment, all the expectations of friends and family, and for what? An uncertain career with a high rate of failure. Was I mad?

No, but I wasn’t happy. And I wasn’t going to get any happier continuing as I had done before.

And that came out in a lot of the fiction I wrote in the aftermath of coming to that decision. Placing characters in similar situations to myself, or creating allegories of what I was going through, and then allowing the characters to control the story helped me work through my own doubts, fears and worries, and to realise some truths about myself. Early pieces all concerned paths and decisions, and choices that the protagonist had to make, often whilst being unaware of what the decisions entailed.

Now, when I have a problem or issue in my life, I find that thematically similar situations creep into my writing, sometimes subconsciously, sometimes deliberately. I work the problem out on paper to help me steer a course through troubled waters.

This week has been a particularly bad week. If in the next few days I happen to write anything involving particularly cruel and vindictive calamities befalling lawyers, you’ll know that I’m just dealing with a few issues….

Do you find that your own writing helps you come to a deeper understanding of yourself?

Has your writing ever helped you to resolve a particularly difficult problem you faced in your life?

Tags: Write Anything Sunday Writer Paul Anderson