tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16111851085861671702024-03-05T04:59:30.663+00:00Under the FableUnder the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-78980797529341635702016-03-30T22:45:00.002+01:002016-04-07T11:06:15.936+01:00Getting your teeth into Sara Dobie Bauer<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZtK77Q5IHY-5mw_ZynCr7dkP59HJQkfMGaRHes6WWUGm0DQ-xbzPIuJpaHKHWelrXXiE8wZR7o9yfybKKl9C2Jq51bATwDOZBFJejnvxEIeBmVBAqVAyAtLBPdzxbhMwmpF1UgSr-KH1/s1600/BiteSomebody_final+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZtK77Q5IHY-5mw_ZynCr7dkP59HJQkfMGaRHes6WWUGm0DQ-xbzPIuJpaHKHWelrXXiE8wZR7o9yfybKKl9C2Jq51bATwDOZBFJejnvxEIeBmVBAqVAyAtLBPdzxbhMwmpF1UgSr-KH1/s320/BiteSomebody_final+%25281%2529.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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This is the wonderful cover of Bite Somebody and here is the interview with the author, Sara Dobie Bauer:</div>
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1. <span style="font-weight: bold;">When writing, do you prefer seclusion, or a packed house?</span></div>
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Seclusion and silence. I know writers who can work while listening to music. That’s just insane to me. Oh, and I talk to myself when I write—a lot. It would be super weird for me to write in public, having long conversations with myself while using different voices.</div>
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2. <span style="font-weight: bold;">What author, and their work, influenced you to become a writer?</span></div>
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Since I’ve been writing since elementary school, I guess we need to go pretty far back. I’d say RL Stine. I loved the conflict, adventure, and terror of his books. Sometimes, he’d even sneak a bit of teenage romance in there. I lived in his books. I spent a lot of time in my own imagination, as well. Fusing the two probably created the creative monster I’ve become, hidden away in my second floor office window where I quietly stalk my neighbors.</div>
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3. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Besides stare at Benjamin Cumberbatch, what do you like to do when not writing?</span></div>
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I spend a lot of time staring at Cumberbatch. I also stare at my husband, but he gets weirded out after awhile. When I’m not writing, I’m probably reading, singing, or watching scary movies. (I love scary movies.) I also love singing the blues. Years of cigarettes and booze have given me a wonderful little rasp.</div>
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4. <span style="font-weight: bold;">How much of what you write came from a real life experience? Example?</span></div>
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Well, Bite Somebody is very real to me because it’s based on a real place. Every year, my aunt and I take “the pilgrimage” to Longboat Key, Florida. When not baking on the beach, we drink cheap beer at a smoky bar called The Drift Inn—a locale that plays an important role in Bite Somebody. Other than setting (I’ve used both Charleston and Phoenix in stories ad infinitum because I lived in both those places), there isn’t too much real-life stuff in my work. I have a very, very active imagination. It’s very loud in my brain.</div>
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5. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Who is your favorite book character? One from your books, and one from someone else’s book.</span></div>
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The love interest in Bite Somebody, Ian Hasselback, is one of the favorite characters I’ve ever written because he’s just so blissfully sweet, innocent, and sexy. A favorite character from someone else’s book would be The Book Thief’s Liesel Meminger. A little girl who saves books from being burnt in Nazi Germany? That’s my kind of girl.</div>
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6.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> I need a Bite Somebody character for each, preferably different ones, If real, what character would you:</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Have a drink with? Imogene, because she’s a bad ass.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Sleep with?</span></div>
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Ian, because he’s gorgeous and very, very good in bed.</div>
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Push off a balcony? Dr. Savage, because she’s snooty … although she’d live because she’s a vampire.</div>
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Here is a little bit about the author:</div>
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Sara Dobie Bauer is a writer, model, and mental health advocate with a creative writing degree from Ohio University. She spends most days at home in her pajamas as a book nerd and sex-pert for SheKnows.com. Her short story, “Don’t Ball the Boss,” was nominated for the 2015 Pushcart Prize, inspired by her shameless crush on Benedict Cumberbatch. She lives with her hottie husband and two precious pups in Northeast Ohio, although she would really like to live in a Tim Burton film. She is the author of Life without Harry, Forever Dead, and Wolf Among Sheep. World Weaver Press will publish her novel, BITE SOMEBODY, summer of 2016. Read more at http://SaraDobieBauer.com.</div>
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And a little something about Bite Somebody:</div>
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“Do you want to be perfect?”</div>
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That’s what Danny asked Celia the night he turned her into a vampire. Three months have passed since, and immortality didn’t transform her into the glamorous, sexy vamp she was expecting but left her awkward, lonely, and working at a Florida gas station. On top of that, she’s a giant screw-up of an immortal, because the only blood she consumes is from illegally obtained hospital blood bags.</div>
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What she needs to do–according to her moody vampire friend Imogene–is just … bite somebody. But Celia wants her first bite to be special, and she has yet to meet Mr. Right Bite. Then, Ian moves in next door. His scent creeps through her kitchen wall and makes her nose tingle, but insecure Celia can’t bring herself to meet the guy face-to-face.</div>
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When she finally gets a look at Ian’s cyclist physique, curly black hair, and sun-kissed skin, other parts of Celia tingle, as well. Could he be the first bite she’s been waiting for to complete her vampire transformation? His kisses certainly have a way of making her fangs throb.</div>
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Just when Celia starts to believe Ian may be the fairy tale ending she always wanted, her jerk of a creator returns to town, which spells nothing but trouble for everyone involved.</div>
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<b>Yours Sinceriously,</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cYKLx7Y6DyXjwgOAsFz1pnWKW92Y_3tWfCMsmeIKjzaZLTyTuAbjTkNVP0xTXnxhdQ7Slro2-mRB2cB_fCgCGWnJC5RMiHXOhwz-bmoEYkdtPAEMFl-48BwLJA3qaaK0eWBPm6TZipGc/s1600/Chris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cYKLx7Y6DyXjwgOAsFz1pnWKW92Y_3tWfCMsmeIKjzaZLTyTuAbjTkNVP0xTXnxhdQ7Slro2-mRB2cB_fCgCGWnJC5RMiHXOhwz-bmoEYkdtPAEMFl-48BwLJA3qaaK0eWBPm6TZipGc/s320/Chris.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Chris Smolinski</b></div>
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<b>@RamblingRiter</b></div>
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<i>Join in the conversation by commenting below, or twitter #UnderTheFable</i></div>
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<br data-cke-eol="1" />Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-58895956718016905252016-02-24T11:02:00.001+00:002016-02-24T11:02:46.632+00:00A Drifter comes to town: Tales of a Receding Hairline by K.W. Peery - Review<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Acoustic guitar. Check.
Harmonica, bottle neck and scotch on the rocks. Check.
Tall stool centre stage, dimmed lights and a thin layer of smoke
drifting before the stage – lean into the microphone “check one two”, clear the
throat. And so we begin.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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K.W. Peery’s <i>Tales of a Receding Hairline </i>has a very unique feel to it. This collection isn’t the classic idea of
poetry, there is an atmosphere to the book similar to that you would find in a
blues bar somewhere in America’s Deep South.
It is a collection written in the hand of experience, and definitely
betrays his long relationship with music.
In short, if I didn’t already know through my research that Peery is a
prolific lyricist and music producer, I would have guessed after the first
couple of poems. So let us set something
straight.<o:p></o:p></div>
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If you are looking for classic
literary devices, if you are the sort of poetry fan who is interested in form,
enjambment, and recognised poetic techniques, then you will be looking in the
wrong place. But let us not mistake this for bad poetry. For a minute let us all suspend our
expectations of what a poem looks like.
For a little while, forget how high-brow poetry enthusiasts tell you a
poem should read. Just get to your
drinks cabinet and pour yourself a Jack on the rocks and enjoy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Peery has smashed the tropes of
the genre. Deliberately forgoing
contemporary use of punctuation to control the pace, and reverted back to the
classical idea of capitalising the beginnings of lines. You won’t be more than two pieces into the
collection before you recognise the concept.
This is a set of lyrics, taken from the mouth of a musician. This is the lessons learned on the road, the
drugs, the booze, the women. Peery gives
us a drifter with a guitar telling us his life, and although at first glance
you may question his form, it won’t take you long to realise that this concept
is very clever.<o:p></o:p></div>
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His use of repetition and stanza
length are reminiscent of a 12 bar blues loop, from his first poem ‘Alone’ to ‘Hunted’
and many more, you realise the benefit of not having the pace controlled by
over use of grammar. You can listen to
these poems at your own chugging pace. The
soft idiolect used through the piece, you will only think of a husky American
singer breathing his tales into a silver microphone. There isn’t a collection like this, and it
may be a long time before you read one again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It isn’t clear exactly who this
poetry collection would be for. I can
imagine it raising a few eyebrows in some literary circles, and perhaps as
poetry, some people would doubt its literary value. I think for the first time in a while, this
is a collection that is accessible to everyone, and us perhaps more aimed at
lovers of music, as opposed to lovers of literature. The more I read it, the more I wonder if my
parents would like it. Neither of them
poetry fans, but both of them appreciate American music. So I have come to that conclusion. Peery has released an album, just in literary
form.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And so…<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sit back, watch the drifter pick
his beaten old six string and sling it across his knee. There is poetry about to happen. There is music between these covers.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Or you could just by <i>Tales of a Receding Hairline </i> on Amazon.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Yours tapping his feet</b></div>
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Adam Ward</div>
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<i>Feel free to join in the conversation by commenting below, or twitter @underthefable</i></div>
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Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-16688385627047238822015-12-08T21:07:00.000+00:002015-12-28T21:22:27.249+00:00The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>M</b></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">ark Twain’s, </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> looks at the racial and moral world through
the eyes of the protagonist Huck, exploring the relationship between Huck and
Jim and their journey to freedom along the Mississippi River. T. S. Eliot opens
his 'Critical Essay' on Mark Twain's </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> by declaring that it 'is the only one of
Mark Twain's various books which can be called a masterpiece'.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">T. S. Eliot marks ‘the Boy and the River’ as the most
significant features of <i>Huckleberry Finn </i>within
his essay, ‘An Introduction to <i>Huckleberry
Finn’. </i>He states that these two elements, which when treated with
‘sensibility and his [Twain’s] experience formed a great book.’ The boy is used
to narrate the story, with the unfolding events presented through his eyes, and
by doing so Twain does not force Huck’s thoughts and opinions onto the reader,
Huck simply observes the world and accepts the world for what it is and what it
inflicts. The River holds great significance over the novel and has the power
to control the journey of Huck and Jim. The River has the power to deter Jim
from his freedom in Cairo and to separate Huck and Jim before reuniting them
later in the novel. The River signifies the power of nature and the weakness of
man. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark Twain: 30th November 1835 - 21st April 1910</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Eliot discusses how ‘It is Huck, who gives the book style’ by
presenting the book through Huck’s eyes. Twain creates a narrative that
discusses the events with a natural, boyish flow that comes only with a
character that is aware, reflective and true to themselves. Without the
placement of Huck as the narrator and main character the story would be a great
deal less effective and the underlying themes of the novel would be lost. Eliot
characterises the role of the boy, Huck, in the adventure, as the boy that Mark
Twain still was, unlike Tom Sawyer who was the boy that Mark Twain had been.
(Eliot, <i>Introduction </i>p. 329) Eliot
describes Huck as being an ‘impassive observer’ who ‘does not interfere, and […]
does not judge.’ (Eliot, <i>Introduction </i>p.
330) This makes for a change in narrative as previously the narrator had some
sway within the text.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The relationship that exists between Jim and Huck is a key
theme throughout the novel as both characters are victims of an unjust society
and relate to one another as outsiders. The relationship between the two is viewed
by Eliot as one of co-dependency. Eliot states that ‘Huck in fact would be
incomplete without Jim […] they are equal in dignity.’ (Eliot, <i>Introduction </i>p. 331) Huck is not allowed
to act as a boy would and find joy within his practical joke on Jim but has to
bear the responsibility of a man. At a time when Jim would be considered less
than an animal, this shows the intensity of the relationship between Jim and
Huck. Huck presents a more evolved child character as he is more aware of the
world around him, allowing for a more grown up perspective of the real world, a
world which Jim has experienced and been personally victimised by. This creates
a deeper understanding between the two companions and highlights the problematic
society of the time. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqRETBb22aRmAfcQWQMvKZbHmQgWpZ_-tsAzfu0Polmt1zjzhCDDWooZ7l2kqhd6m9sjlflgiB5Sh1_8rXotmIzONDw4lDDdLrGN1G0fhbIwj-IAu3uLgXr3bZip1v8FLmZyDTpyT-Wur/s1600/Huck+Finn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqRETBb22aRmAfcQWQMvKZbHmQgWpZ_-tsAzfu0Polmt1zjzhCDDWooZ7l2kqhd6m9sjlflgiB5Sh1_8rXotmIzONDw4lDDdLrGN1G0fhbIwj-IAu3uLgXr3bZip1v8FLmZyDTpyT-Wur/s320/Huck+Finn.jpg" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn<br />Mark Twain</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The significance of the landscape through which these figures
journey is that the River actually manipulates and controls every situation. It
is the River that decides where Huck and Jim shall go and it is the River that
leads Huck on his adventure. Additionally, as Eliot states, Huck is ‘also the spirit of the River.’ (Eliot, <i>Introduction </i>p. 333) He seems to have no beginning or end, and he,
like the River is experienced by the reader than just viewed or acquainted
with. ‘It is Huck who gives the book style. The River gives the book its form.’
Elliot makes it clear that there is an obvious connection between the River and
the landscape, with the River being a strong influence over the progression of
Huck’s and Jim’s journey. The natural influences determine where the companions
end up as it can often be unpredictable and unruly. ‘The River is never wholly
chartable: it changes pace, it shifts its channel, unaccountably; it may
suddenly efface a sandbar and throw up another bar where before was navigable
water.’ The River is the determiner of their success and strays them on a
course unknown.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">With modern readings focusing solely on the issues of race
and slavery within this novel, it is easy to dismiss the importance of the
other aspects such as close relationship with Jim and Huck, where the former
acts as a paternal figure to the latter. Issues of race are closely intertwined
with the relationship between the pair however this soon progresses into
something more, something held closely to humanity rather than a difference in
appearance. Additionally, the importance of the River may also be lost on the
reader, if the sole focus is placed upon race, however with close reading and
analysis it is clear how all of these aspects link with one another in order to
combine the tropes of <i>The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn.</i></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yours adventurously,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sadia Parveen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">@Sadia_x95<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwlU8HNH7VuavMO3a0eOgFIV0h3imjnMm3ni7-NvYeRG6er7t5QLKuqz2NBWTTzg57hQqzPk5b5GGFAGDXzuw6d9KkQkN_PSx4DoIVM4gUwmawoLEgnKU42t3XnSkSZCQRVSXX4nUV82n/s1600/Profile+Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwlU8HNH7VuavMO3a0eOgFIV0h3imjnMm3ni7-NvYeRG6er7t5QLKuqz2NBWTTzg57hQqzPk5b5GGFAGDXzuw6d9KkQkN_PSx4DoIVM4gUwmawoLEgnKU42t3XnSkSZCQRVSXX4nUV82n/s1600/Profile+Pic.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> www.underthefable.com<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-8057296241165556192015-12-02T12:29:00.000+00:002015-12-02T12:31:09.717+00:00Taking a final bow<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">The first time I walked into the Labour Cub in Northampton I thought I’d
been taken to the wrong place. I thought it was derelict. It turns out it wasn’t.
It was tatty, it was unloved, but it brimmed with insanity, creativity and
warmth. This was my first open mic night. I had spoken in front of hundreds of
people from large stages, but tonight it was me and my writing, performing for
a polite and giving audience. Somehow I got something right because I made one
of the hosts, Justin Thyme, laugh so much he knocked over his beer. This was
not going to be a one night stand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">I came back month after month. The second, or third time, I attended we
went to Delapre Abbey and spoke poetry around afire and then under the stars. I
had had a really tough day, but that warmth, appreciation and friendship moved
me. I had found another way to express myself and to learn. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Tonight (Wednesday 2<sup>nd</sup> December 2015) ‘Raising the Awen’
looks like it is coming to an end. So many people have shared their words from
the stage, bathed in psychedelic lights, swamped in applause, drowned in alcohol
fuelled anarchy and in those moments found clarity, found purpose, shared pain,
love, laughter and confusion and in the past 18 months or so it is a place that
I have always felt at home. I am not a bohemian, a tree hugger, a socialist or
a schizophrenic. My politics differ from many. My ambitions don’t gel with
some, but here is where we all find our family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">The love of words. The expressions of love. Of hate. Of frustration.
Of hope. Of wonder. Where the shy become the confident and where the confident
question their logic. We write and we spout, we swear and we curse. We have eaten
together, drank together, smoked together. Hugged together and we have found
the most intense comradeship together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Tonight we will stand on the stage and express as we always have done.
From our hearts. From the depth of our soul and we will celebrate the most
intense form of love for each other in the sharing of our words. Ernest
Hemingway said it best when he said “Writing is easy. You sit at a typewriter
and bleed.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">The technology may have changed, but that desire to spill words from
our hearts into others minds remains powerful and necessary. We conquer our
fears by climbing the stage and speaking into a microphone. We risk rejection
and yet always climb back down the steps with applause in our ears and passion
in our hearts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Wherever you may be, speaking at open mics across the country, think
of us tonight (or when you read this) as the final curtain comes down and we
evolve into something more powerful, but with less love. We become the
wandering minstrels, the chosen ones of the word, the givers of poetry and
spoken word. The lovers of free speech, of liberty, of laughter, of love. The
Awen may not be raised again, but we were raised within it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Yours passionately<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Andy Gibney<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">@andygibneystwitter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-23909303911965153912015-11-28T07:25:00.001+00:002015-11-28T07:31:59.665+00:00Crushed by Denise Greenwood: Interview<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>I</b></span> was lucky enough to be able to
interview Denise Greenwood about her latest novel, <i>Crushed. </i>She was kind enough to let me interrogate her with a heap
of questions, so many thanks! Full details of Denise Greenwood and <i>Crushed </i>are available down below. <i>Crushed </i>is already out in Ireland and
will be released as an e-Book via Kindle, Nook and Kobo etc. It is due for
release in the UK during early 2016.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJg1Sl7b4gxiek2a-2GR7qRlVzJ_mCKlV1FBEAF492eWN0wWCtx5RlhvFPBfjPtKMNoz2U8WQlraVMf_h4UXiFKsKuJwF0ZDDZsDgFw9dApzVLXjTEYi-Q9NnMQToBYNV4FVLpo_td2CB/s1600/Denise+Greenwood+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJg1Sl7b4gxiek2a-2GR7qRlVzJ_mCKlV1FBEAF492eWN0wWCtx5RlhvFPBfjPtKMNoz2U8WQlraVMf_h4UXiFKsKuJwF0ZDDZsDgFw9dApzVLXjTEYi-Q9NnMQToBYNV4FVLpo_td2CB/s320/Denise+Greenwood+1.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Denise Greenwood</span></td></tr>
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<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Can
you tell me a little about yourself and your background?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I
was born and raised in Blackpool but then lived and worked in Manchester for a
number of years where I was drawn to the theatre, comedy clubs and culture
scene. I now live with my husband Jerry and son Rees in a hamlet in
Littleborough. It is on the fringe of an old Lancashire mill-town at the
western slopes of the South Pennines. After a long career as a Policy
Development Manager for a major UK retailer I turned my skills from technical
material to writing fiction in 2010. I use my unconventional life experiences
and love of psychology to create characters and stories to push the boundaries
of fiction. My first two books <i>Temptation</i>
and <i>Star Keeper</i> are contemporary
literature which attracted full
page features in Northern Life and Style Magazines but after writing my
first two books I was drawn to my darker side and wrote a dark and chilling
thriller. Although it was initially an exploration I now find it is where I
belong so I am currently working
on my next novel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What
were you like at school? Did you always plan on becoming an author?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When
we first moved to Manchester I offered to sing a song in front of the class. My
Irish roots taught me that bursting into song was second- nature. I later
penned and presented a short play and chose two of my friends to act in it with
me. I also remember as a small child sitting on a window ledge and reading a
book which I became lost in. I still remember my wish - that one day I could
write something that would make others feel as I did at that exact moment. When
I was an adult I occasionally thought about my wish but it was merely a
pipe-dream. Then, in 2009 while sat on a church pew, I was struck with an idea
which I couldn’t shake off for weeks. In an effort to get the idea out of my
head and onto paper I unleashed a hidden side of me that I’d forgotten about. I
became that small child once again and I knew that wishes, no matter how old
they are, mustn’t be ignored. I jokingly refer to that year as my “mid-life
crisis.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What
types of books do you tend to read?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I have eclectic tastes and it depends on my mood. My
first passion is the English Classics. I want to become lost in the world of
yesteryear and the lives of characters that face adversity.<span lang="EN-US"> I
also enjoy lighter, more modern reading, particularly the tales of people who
move abroad and then become immersed in a new way of life. I have a system – I
read something heavy then move onto light.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Which
writers inspire you?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Hardy, Dickens and Brontë because they
bring together characters whose strengths are often hidden until they are
challenged. Their individual stories become part of a bigger picture. Robert M
Pirsig because he delves deep into the psyche then entices the reader to join
him in his quest to answer life’s big questions. Often, the writer’s life interests
me – what made them take up a pen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What
is your favourite quote?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“Tell me what company thou keepest,
and I’ll tell thee what thou art” – Don Quixote PY11 Ch23 – Cervantes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">How
would you describe your personal writing style?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Visual – I vividly visualise my
characters and the scenes they are in. I carry them around in my head for
months before I begin to write and it is almost like replaying a film. The
words I use are like paint on an artist’s brush and I try to use them to convey
the scene I have in my head. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What
are your ambitions for <i>Crushed</i>?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I hope that my characters will stay
with readers so that they find themselves thinking about them long after they
have finished reading. As I visualised my book so strongly I know that <i>Crushed</i> would also make a good TV or
film adaptation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><i>Crushed
</i></b><b>is unlike any other book that I have read previously,
where did you get the inspiration to write it? <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was watching a TV programme, <i>Once Upon a Time, </i>and it was Robert
Carlyle, who was playing Rumpelstiltskin, in a unique way. At that moment I
remembered running along a street as fast as I could. I was seven years old and
returning from my first school play. Rumpel had frightened me. As I watched the
TV I wondered what had made Rumpel such a twisted character and although the TV
programme tried to explain it, it wasn’t enough for me. What if there didn’t
have to be a traumatic event to change a person? What if just the experience of
one moment of weird emotion connected the person to unnatural inclinations? I
then thought of a boy who had lived near me. He had been my friend briefly
before he’d moved away. He was an odd and sometimes scary boy. I wondered what
he would have been like if I’d known him as a teen and then an adult. My two
memories gave birth to my protagonist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Are
there any true elements within <i>Crushed</i>? Maybe characters that bear
similarities to people who you may know or maybe even the setting?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The setting is in Halifax, a short
train journey from where I live. All the scenes in my book are based on places
I have been to but I make them bigger than life and adapt them for my
characters. I’m a keen observer and people-watch so many of my characters
contain small elements of something I’ve observed in a person, whether I know
them or not. I like small details such as a way of walking or a brief facial
expression as they often betray an inner emotion.</span></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOkaXb0C9V9c7xe3FpelzyBXY2oTqxlnc4i-WqOfnQ0nIb6KMOWZk4VDFeSGmDuwxY_ic3Un1pmpjYxPq4mafZnqnqYaD67aVA8JlceYMW2TPi5Wj8vKf9LQC8b3xUVd8OdWF_uGBmXpde/s1600/Cover+photo+-+Crushed+by+Denise+Greenwood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOkaXb0C9V9c7xe3FpelzyBXY2oTqxlnc4i-WqOfnQ0nIb6KMOWZk4VDFeSGmDuwxY_ic3Un1pmpjYxPq4mafZnqnqYaD67aVA8JlceYMW2TPi5Wj8vKf9LQC8b3xUVd8OdWF_uGBmXpde/s320/Cover+photo+-+Crushed+by+Denise+Greenwood.jpg" width="210" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Crushed - </i>Denise Greenwood</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">How
long did it take for you to complete <i>Crushed</i>?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I nurtured my ideas and imagined
possible outcomes for a long while before putting together an outline based on
the images I saw. Often being in a new place triggered something and so I
returned to that place and took photos, notes and spoke to people before I
began my research. It took roughly six months to get <i>Crushed</i> into my head clearly before I began writing and then it
took just three to write it. However, <i>Crushed</i>
wasn’t complete until I had gone through it for re-writes and finalised its flow
and order. This took another three.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Did
you ever feel like giving up whilst writing this book? If so, what pushed you
to continue?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I never lost heart. <i>Crushed </i>was a part of me and I was
driven to write it. My characters pushed me to continue. Writing <i>Crushed</i> was one of the most pleasurable
but disturbing experiences of my life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Was
there a personal reason that you chose the colour red as the hair of the girls?
Of course there are many connotations of red with blood and love but did you
have a specific reason yourself for choosing it?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In the days of black and white movies
female roles were easy to fathom – blondes were good and sweet, brunettes were
often the villains or not to be trusted. When colour was introduced, the
red-heads were sirens and feisty. On a more personal note, I have natural black
hair but sometimes in bright sunshine one copper-red hair stands out. People
have plucked one from my head and marvelled. I put it down to my Irish roots. I
knew that my female protagonist had to have a hair colour that would make her
instantly stand out from a crowd.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I’m
strangely drawn towards Barrington. Did you intend for his character to become
a Byronic hero of sorts?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It is the moody, weird and sometimes
scary people that we remember most. I deliberately didn’t want to explain why
Barrington was unique, it was down to the reader to decide but, I also wanted
the reader to question what they thought of him. When he meets his perfect
victim he is totally unprepared for what he experiences. It is foreign to him.
Romance is not a word I would use for what develops as it is too strange for
that description. A unique relationship is forged between two unique
characters. Barrington appeals to the darker side and the journey into it
should be taken lightly. I still question myself about him and his appeal –
magnetic or weird?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What
inspired the character of Judith, your antagonist? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Judith is an amalgamation of all the
people I've met who take up a job or cause then corrupt it. She also has a
perspective often seen in attention-seekers. They thrive on drama and twist
their interpretations of what they see and hear then interject their opinions
or selves with the assumption that they're doing good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Did
you have to conduct a lot of research when writing <i>Crushed</i>?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Research was part of my six-month
process before I began writing. Not only did I research places thoroughly, I
also asked medical experts about some of the scenes I had planned so that I
could confirm the information I’d researched online. Small details also take
time to research, such as the simple experiment of freezing Brazil nuts then
cracking them so that the sound they make is similar to that of a small bone
breaking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The
ending is not something that I would have imagined. How did you decide upon it?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When I’ve created my characters in my
head then their story often presents itself to me. I see the ending first then
I work backwards. Often when I’ve nearly completed a book I realise that the
ending I’d first envisaged is not the true ending at all. As the characters and
the story evolved I’m led to an extended conclusion. I always knew how I wanted
<i>Crushed</i> to end but I do not like
parcels that are neatly tied with a bow at the end. Just as when I watched an
actor playing Rumpel on TV, I wanted more than a simple conclusion as life is
not like that so I didn’t succumb to simplicity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What
advice would you give to aspiring writers?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Write from the heart and forget the
fact that someone else will read your work. You began writing for a reason,
what was that reason? What part of you does writing reach or expose? Your
instincts will tell you when you have finished. Then, go out to meet the
professionals who are the gatekeepers to the publishing industry and listen to
what they have to say.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Describe
your story in one sentence.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">A chance encounter with a young woman challenges a killer’s patience,
rigid perspective and strict lifestyle as he struggles to maintain his façade
but, is</span> his perfect victim
all what she seems?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv4730906091msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Do
you have anything to add about your writing process, <i>Crushed,</i> or
anything in general that I have not asked?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">At first writing was a personal experiment to
see if I could do it but once I began, it released a Kraken. I realised that
the “extraordinary” is to be found in every aspect of one’s life. I am
constantly amazed by people who live ordinary lives and yet have strange
perspectives. During recent years I’ve seen people create drama in their lives
as a form of compensation for being so ordinary and as a writer it is manna
from heaven. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Contact
information for Denise Greenwood: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Website: <span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.denise-greenwood.com/"><span lang="EN-GB">http://www.denise-greenwood.com/</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Twitter: @DeniseGauthor<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Facebook: <span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/denise.greenwood.16"><span lang="EN-GB">https://www.facebook.com/denise.greenwood.16</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Book Trailers: - <span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiAhgB7epsJi05_Thf-wt2Q"><span lang="EN-GB">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiAhgB7epsJi05_Thf-wt2Q</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Yours
weekly,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Sadia
Parveen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">@Sadia_x95<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-28694939076436247962015-11-28T07:25:00.000+00:002015-11-28T07:25:36.115+00:00Crushed by Denise Greenwood: Review<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large; line-height: 107%;"><b>C</b></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">rushed </span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">is the third novel written by author
Denise Greenwood. As a thriller, <i>Crushed </i>is
a shift away from Denise </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Greenwood’s first two books <i>Temptation </i>and <i>Star Keeper</i> which are contemporary fiction. Denise Greenwood
stated, ‘After writing my first two books I was drawn to my darker side and
although it was initially an exploration I now find it is where I belong.’ She
is currently working on a new novel as well as promoting the release of </span><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Crushed.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Crushed </span></i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">is available in Ireland, however it
will be released in the UK early into 2016. Nonetheless, it will become
available as an e-Book for Kindle, Nook, Kobo etc. over the coming few weeks.
When I was given the opportunity to read <i>Crushed</i>
for review, I jumped at the chance to delve into this psychological thriller. I
was not disappointed either, this novel was a delight to read and I found it to
be a welcoming change from the usual university readings that I have to do.
Usually, I do not have much time to read anything else however I was determined
to read <i>Crushed.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The novel
begins by introducing the protagonist, Barrington, who seems unlike many
typical fictional characters. The novel progresses from Barrington’s childhood
into adulthood, however right from the start we can sense that something is not
right with him. He shocks his teacher and classmates with his actions, however
we can put down his behaviour to his dysfunctional family life. His mother is
more concerned about appearances, his father is concerned with his work and
other women. Small instances such as viewing his father’s infidelity add to the
instability of Barrington. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZ82lAjyABZ2JCZ82bPFcI0hkhH-qrwDWsufuF-ywvUYIe4-SmO5PvsYGDRTSqXZq8BRc2guPk0K3Um0GgiczWVP15GEKMY8fSdNeYiD4NKtbSNxQGruxAomhrijYUEu8b9JmbbeX8LPP/s1600/Cover+photo+-+Crushed+by+Denise+Greenwood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZ82lAjyABZ2JCZ82bPFcI0hkhH-qrwDWsufuF-ywvUYIe4-SmO5PvsYGDRTSqXZq8BRc2guPk0K3Um0GgiczWVP15GEKMY8fSdNeYiD4NKtbSNxQGruxAomhrijYUEu8b9JmbbeX8LPP/s320/Cover+photo+-+Crushed+by+Denise+Greenwood.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Crushed </i>- Denise Greenwood</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Right from
birth, Barrington has been isolated, but spoiled. The one place he finds his
solace is in his treehouse where his repressed desires and emotions come to
light. He is consumed by his new compulsion, to hear fragile bones being
crushed. Elspeth, the girl with the red hair, becomes his first human victim.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After
fourteen years, he encounters another girl, Caprice, who also has red hair. She
brings back countless emotions and memories that Barrington had repressed. However,
instead of acting upon his desires and making her another of his victims,
something shocking happens. He takes her to his home. Caprice challenges
Barrington in ways that are unthinkable. She pushes his boundaries, defies his
rigid routines, strict perspective and limited patience. Barrington’s break to
his schedule leads to resurfacing memories and we learn more about the past
fourteen years. Caprice is running from a tormentor, however Barrington is
unaware of this.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Although
Barrington is a complicated ‘hero’ to say the least, the main antagonist of the
novel, Judith, is someone actually loathe. Barrington may have committed some
unspeakable acts, however Judith is the real life villain that everyone has
encountered. She is a carer next door to Barrington, at a nursing home. Not
only that, she’s a massive busy-body! She watches Barrington and comes to
unsettling conclusions about him. She’s bitter, nosey and spiteful. She even
goes to extreme lengths of following Caprice and pretending to know Barrington,
in order to learn more about him. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">However,
through Caprice, Barrington manages to perceive himself the way others do and
learns to control his actions and emotions. Is she the one to save him? What is
Caprice’s secret? If you want answers, you know what to do! I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and I can guarantee you will too </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">–</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> especially the ending! I also interviewed
Denise Greenwood so why not check that out!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Contact
information for Denise Greenwood: <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Website: </span><a href="http://www.denise-greenwood.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">http://www.denise-greenwood.com/</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Twitter: @DeniseGauthor<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Facebook: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/denise.greenwood.16"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.facebook.com/denise.greenwood.16</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Book Trailers: - </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiAhgB7epsJi05_Thf-wt2Q"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiAhgB7epsJi05_Thf-wt2Q</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Yours weekly,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Sadia Parveen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">@Sadia_x95</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwlU8HNH7VuavMO3a0eOgFIV0h3imjnMm3ni7-NvYeRG6er7t5QLKuqz2NBWTTzg57hQqzPk5b5GGFAGDXzuw6d9KkQkN_PSx4DoIVM4gUwmawoLEgnKU42t3XnSkSZCQRVSXX4nUV82n/s1600/Profile+Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwlU8HNH7VuavMO3a0eOgFIV0h3imjnMm3ni7-NvYeRG6er7t5QLKuqz2NBWTTzg57hQqzPk5b5GGFAGDXzuw6d9KkQkN_PSx4DoIVM4gUwmawoLEgnKU42t3XnSkSZCQRVSXX4nUV82n/s1600/Profile+Pic.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.underthefable.com/">www.underthefable.com</a></span></span></div>
Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-35796054028012927442015-11-25T14:35:00.000+00:002015-11-25T14:36:40.998+00:00The Curse Known As Writers Block<br />
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Don’t you hate it when people tell you writer’s
block doesn’t exist? Because frankly it makes me want to scream. If those
people have never experienced the complete mental block when you sit down to
write, then good for them, but don’t invalidate somebody else’s struggles. So
if you’ve ever met someone who’s said something like that to you, then ignore
them, because it is a thing and you shouldn’t feel bad for experiencing it.</span><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I can’t tell you the amount of times this has
happened to me. Most of us have been through it, even those of us who aren't
writers and are just trying to write an essay. It’s something we torture
ourselves with.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">You can be so determined to get something down
on the page, then you either end up writing a massive amount of horse crap and
deleting it all. Or you continually stare at the screen as if expecting it to
write something for you and then you get pissed off when it doesn't.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Come on. Admit it. You've done that one before.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">If you ever feel like you have writers block and
no solution is coming to mind, then here are my tips for getting through it:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-NZt2dQ8H3wpfUynPJL7Dudu9N7mUXmczcdq4sSj9FC1TKXFeEV_PQ5TEn2Ef_DjIJfb44q5NYguQStK6oc6Ns2d09CTx41OW85mKwxUE0527GlmhyphenhyphenpgVlv9lN_28TZpR01IyWncKf1W/s1600/starbucks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-NZt2dQ8H3wpfUynPJL7Dudu9N7mUXmczcdq4sSj9FC1TKXFeEV_PQ5TEn2Ef_DjIJfb44q5NYguQStK6oc6Ns2d09CTx41OW85mKwxUE0527GlmhyphenhyphenpgVlv9lN_28TZpR01IyWncKf1W/s200/starbucks.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">1.
Refreshments<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The important thing to remember
while you're pulling your hair from its roots is to look after yourself. You're
no good to anyone, let alone your writing if you don’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Make sure you have some sort of
station around you where you can get refreshments. Whether that's your kitchen
or a coffee shop or even an asda.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Whatever your go to drink is, mine
is a good old cup of tea, because let's face it, tea is life. I know the minute
I have a cup of tea by me I can relax more and get down to work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Figure out what your
"motivational" drink is and make sure it’s on hand during your
writing process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk3BZizAt8uOe8okZMLdbjl3EU3pWlnVsfqWtbrsC1nApsrJlnh4fdidLrOTIHwo88I00s8kH2xyCsNx5DftIZiw1kgMfkcCYDruOVK6H4ZSQIexoLNP3xYngREYGhA-QEyxA7n-ra67SF/s1600/writing+on+the+train.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk3BZizAt8uOe8okZMLdbjl3EU3pWlnVsfqWtbrsC1nApsrJlnh4fdidLrOTIHwo88I00s8kH2xyCsNx5DftIZiw1kgMfkcCYDruOVK6H4ZSQIexoLNP3xYngREYGhA-QEyxA7n-ra67SF/s200/writing+on+the+train.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">2.
Work space<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">There is nothing worse than sitting
in a crowded room, full of people talking or screaming or just you know,
generally breathing in your direction. At least for me that’s the worst thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">It's important to find the best
place for you to work. Mine is in my armchair at home. If somebody’s in the
room and I can’t have complete silence I put my headphones on and block out the
world with some music while I write.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">A writer once told me he does most
of his writing on the train as it’s impossible to do it at home with his kids.
If that works for you, then great, but it needs to be somewhere you’re entirely
comfortable and a place you feel you can block out the rest of the world while
you write.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_T19sW33jeB_mkXzzexP3-3UZIcxYpPs8JNaHeQeqGISRrm98nQ8SEnqxTEgWNYhlB448aXI1d6IW9NcN8P32wDylGRTb4gEh1lJ8Yjbk8GYQI4NTXki2-WfcNdhZsu9LQkdNMQGPHam/s1600/break.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_T19sW33jeB_mkXzzexP3-3UZIcxYpPs8JNaHeQeqGISRrm98nQ8SEnqxTEgWNYhlB448aXI1d6IW9NcN8P32wDylGRTb4gEh1lJ8Yjbk8GYQI4NTXki2-WfcNdhZsu9LQkdNMQGPHam/s200/break.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">3.
Breaks<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I cannot stress this point enough.
Breaks are essential to life. Ever heard the human brain can only concentrate
for 20 minutes? Whether or not you believe this, I think to some extent this is
true. It doesn’t have to be 20 minutes, it could be 60, or 90, but eventually
your brain will be getting distracted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">There's no point sitting at your
desk, slamming your head against the table for 10 hours because you can't think
of anything to write. That's not going help anyone, and let's face it, you'll
go to bed with a massive headache.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Even if you give yourself a half an
hour break every few hours, this is guaranteed to help you feel a million times
better. Your motivation gets restored and you return to your work with a
clearer mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Sometimes even a power nap can help
and if you're like me and can't sleep in the day, then even just lying in bed
and closing your eyes for half an hour can work wonders…just…set an alarm to be
sure you don’t fall asleep for the next 12 hours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4f0XrkTeFmrjcRZQGiK3qwjCJdcOTmUO-mG6KRsYhTsch0z8l6MnvoUFhDr_V2Kv3be8UtENDUgVwI-qnoYG5bTZFql2IG_cy1WXC7zaoLWnCU04N2ECBGDE2BLt3EzDDQN6azL_pwH4p/s1600/ideas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4f0XrkTeFmrjcRZQGiK3qwjCJdcOTmUO-mG6KRsYhTsch0z8l6MnvoUFhDr_V2Kv3be8UtENDUgVwI-qnoYG5bTZFql2IG_cy1WXC7zaoLWnCU04N2ECBGDE2BLt3EzDDQN6azL_pwH4p/s200/ideas.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">4.
Ideas<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">This is the problem most people will
have. Sometimes an idea for a story or poem will pop into your mind and you’ll
write furiously for hours. And sometimes nothing comes to you at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">So here’s what you do to get your
creative juices flowing. First: create a characters backstory. Ask yourself 20
seemingly unimportant questions and answer them as your character. You may just
discover something interesting about them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Second: words<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Look at your surroundings. Pick an
object, or a person, or a colour, anything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Write a paragraph about it. 99% of
the time it will be utter rubbish, but that 1% could be the start of a great
story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">And if not, then at least you will
have been exercising that creative brain of yours. Not everything you write has
to be publishing standard. That's what editing’s for!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvHVOmVHVvkyy6uyQj4FO9AdcvmgSChKZpUl80XRSPILM3ZHOr4t7HK7Agn14r0WvjlyrORz5wUehrXemXM9HTyt0FpmJhjwNQ1madfulQchhHRwSeBKODX399HlL2xDH2_6XcmOBbhPX/s1600/distance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvHVOmVHVvkyy6uyQj4FO9AdcvmgSChKZpUl80XRSPILM3ZHOr4t7HK7Agn14r0WvjlyrORz5wUehrXemXM9HTyt0FpmJhjwNQ1madfulQchhHRwSeBKODX399HlL2xDH2_6XcmOBbhPX/s200/distance.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">5.
Distance<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Sometimes the problem isn't just getting
something on the page but perhaps you’re struggling adding to a story or poem
you've already been writing. Sometimes what you add a day after that burst of inspiration
can seem like crap compared. If what you’re writing doesn’t seem to work then
stop. Stop trying to add to it, because it just might not be your day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Distance yourself from that piece
and move onto something else. I'd say a good week or two before you even
consider returning to it, because a fresh and clear mind is always a better
one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">There’s no point adding to a good
story with a crap ending. Wait until the inspiration comes to you and then milk
it for all its worth before it disappears again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">You're in the business of writing
now. You’ve got to learn when to fight and write and when you need to let it
go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWc_4LUn6d_E2UnnM6qODa289bHs1qVDjnNcHaJFGZSKY027bzLmlaSd9fIWZlYtQ1r7qrMD78We87bmXG65IxqZAPUG5x3CfSo4JfDc-sjupPW8EMSLMEsQ3nHvXsmFPKFvI12nA3SW6G/s1600/maps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWc_4LUn6d_E2UnnM6qODa289bHs1qVDjnNcHaJFGZSKY027bzLmlaSd9fIWZlYtQ1r7qrMD78We87bmXG65IxqZAPUG5x3CfSo4JfDc-sjupPW8EMSLMEsQ3nHvXsmFPKFvI12nA3SW6G/s200/maps.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">6.
Stick to your roots<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Sometimes, when the ideas just
aren't flowing, it can help by going back to your roots. Instead of trying to
write a novel set in the nineteenth century, focus on something more
contemporary. Where are you from? I'm sure that place has an accent you can
exaggerate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">For me, as I am from Wirral, we are
often associated with people from Liverpool. I like to call some of us the
"wannabe scousers" the really over the top girls with the fake tan so
fake they can blend into my garden fence. This is something I love to play
with. I pick people I knew in the past, who were like this and I really
exaggerate their personality. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">This has helped me to write some of
the best stories I've ever written and I've enjoyed it so much more because I
know it so well. I've lived with people like this my whole life, so it’s more
familiar to me than anything else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">So remember, stick to your roots,
because there are things you know about your town, and the people in it, that
other writers will probably never know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Yours lovingly,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Jennie Byrne<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVx25JRximJRvLtrA0qzzJy89zCQrFHfmo2AweJOGPUz4EcxyoLcoYO9PhUGAmaTmcUxOl7yjXe-lAZZqiaAf4pubAURZncPaHORfRHGZ0WrflbbpG60puPQM9JlqpAOgEuwFl6nfOOt_d/s1600/asdfg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVx25JRximJRvLtrA0qzzJy89zCQrFHfmo2AweJOGPUz4EcxyoLcoYO9PhUGAmaTmcUxOl7yjXe-lAZZqiaAf4pubAURZncPaHORfRHGZ0WrflbbpG60puPQM9JlqpAOgEuwFl6nfOOt_d/s1600/asdfg.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.underthefable.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.underthefable.com</span></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Share your thoughts below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-64988712562190479572015-11-18T10:38:00.000+00:002015-11-18T10:38:57.737+00:00What do you have to say? <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Last Friday evening I was having dinner with a close friend of mine
and the subject came around to books. Like me, he has an extensive library,
covering all sorts of subjects and also, like me, he has spoken about writing a
book for a very long time. The difference between us is that I have actually
done it. Two infact, the first one was published two years ago today. As we
chatted over dinner we talked about why he hasn’t written his first book yet. It
came down to the belief that he’s not sure he has something to say. When you do
hear his story you will be amazed by that statement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">We talked some more. We discussed belief, the discipline needed to
commit words to paper and we came to an agreement. The first draft of his book
will be ready by June 2016. We shook hands on it and I know that to him that
means it HAS to be done. All of which brings me to you. How many of you reading
this would love to write a book, but think that your voice is not worth hearing
or if you wrote it why would anyone hand over cash to read your words? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Fortunately E L James has helped us all here. Whether you’re a fan or
not it is universally agreed that these are poorly written books and yet this
has never stopped her writing or the great British public from buying her stories.
I say good luck to her; I read all of the trilogy and was amazed they had ever
been published, but that is not my judgement to make. The fact is they were and
they sold in their millions – in the process helping the book market, in the
same way that JK Rowling revived children’s reading. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbw5nDdrzVGNI786fjvBoMHoWSFHFQNli7TdpSehnHlR9VJRC-uCGYdJS-udDTi5TaJWqXNDvO3r5Q7gI2l5PPcOZuFebc8Z3ztuoGpA_LpWQ_Jkpj7row4TDku0HVfwl2YD33sBKaabPc/s1600/10922476_10153062410853887_5175698820610356537_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbw5nDdrzVGNI786fjvBoMHoWSFHFQNli7TdpSehnHlR9VJRC-uCGYdJS-udDTi5TaJWqXNDvO3r5Q7gI2l5PPcOZuFebc8Z3ztuoGpA_LpWQ_Jkpj7row4TDku0HVfwl2YD33sBKaabPc/s320/10922476_10153062410853887_5175698820610356537_n.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Which refers me again to you. Who are you comparing yourself to?
Charles Dickins? Mary Shelley? J D Salinger or the wonder of Ernest Hemingway?
Or do you want to use Ms James as your guide? I think it’s time to refer to the
songsmith Mr David Grohl. In his keynote speech at the SWSX music festival a
couple of years ago he talked about finding ‘your voice’. He was talking about
music, but it’s the same for writing, or painting for that matter. A poet
standing at an open mic finds their voice and in the same way you can find
yours too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">This is not an excuse to write poorly executed prose, or poetry, but
it is the time to find your voice. To get published you used to have to go
through a traditional publishing house, but that is no longer the case. Now you
can self-publish or use a company to help you self-publish. I know that sounds
a bit strange, but they take a lot of the work out of the process. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">My thought to you is don’t waste time. I started five books before I finished
my first. My friend has written the book in his head, but it doesn’t count
until someone else is reading it. Seeing your book sell is a great feeling, but
even better is when someone sends you a message or calls you up to say that
your words moved them in some way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Get writing folks, if you’re reading this then you have something to
say. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Yours encouragingly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Andy Gibney<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">@andygibneystwitter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-89575785935982447752015-11-14T00:30:00.000+00:002015-11-14T13:57:01.574+00:00Ekphrastic Poetry Throughout HistoryEkphrastic poetry is widely known as poetry written from visual art. Though it is often forgotten poetry written from real life objects is also considered ekprastic poetry.
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It is thought ekphrastic poetry originated with Homer, who the ancient Greeks believed was the first and greatest of the epic poets. The earliest known example of ecraphsis is encountered in Book 18 of Homer’s Iliad and describes the Shield of Achilles, created by the god Hephaestus. Homer uses the 130 lined poem to describe every feature of the shield in extreme detail, bringing the shield alive on the page.
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A recreation of Homer’s poem was published in 1952 by W. H. Auden called The Shield of Achilles in which Auden uses two different stanza forms. The stanzas were either very short lines or very long lines. The stanza with the shorter lines describes scenes of what Achilles mother would expect to find on the shield, however in Auden’s version, the shield was never made, which I found really powerful.
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It grew very popular in the Romantic era. A particular favourite of mine from this era was The Rape of Lucrece by William Shakespeare. In 509 BC the son of Tarquin (the King of Rome) raped Lucrece, the wife of the King’s aristocratic retainers Collantinus. After the tragic ordeal Lucrece committed suicide, with the knowledge revenge would be taken. Since, Lucrece has been described as if she were a work of art. In 1571 the artist Titian created an oil painting about this called Tarquin and Lucretia which was Shakespeare’s influence for this poem. Shakespeare’s poem extends to 200 lines, accurately and disturbingly detailing the ordeal Lucrece suffered. Shakespeare is known for many things but one thing that astonishes me about his work is his ability to evoke strong emotions in his readers. In a particularly strong part of the poem he says, “her pity-pleading eyes are sadly fix'd/In the remorseless wrinkles of his face”. I thought this was brilliantly written and really set the story in context for me. I felt like I was Lucrece in moments like this, which I found frighteningly powerful.
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A more contemporary poet, William Carlos Williams delved into ekphrastic poetry in 1960 where he published a poem about the famous sixteenth century landscape painting of the fall of Icarus by Pieter Bruegel (to the left). In Greek mythology Icarus was the son of a remarkable craftsman Daedalus. Daedalus made two pairs of wings out of wax and feathers for him and his son. He warned his son not to fly too close to the sun as it may melt the wings. Icarus ignored his father and indeed his wings melted and Icarus fell into the sea where he died. The painting above shows Icarus drowning while others around fail to notice he is in trouble. It is said Williams was drawn to Bruegel’s presentation of Icarus’s death and how he downplayed it, this is shown by when Williams says “a splash quite unnoticed/this was/Icarus drowning.” <br />
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I love how poetry tells a story and sometimes the story behind a painting can become lost when presented with visual beauty, so for writers to create poems from paintings I think is absolutely brilliant. It is my belief ekphrastic poetry can be wonderful and is something that should be explored more by poets.
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Yours poetically,
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Jennie Byrne
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Share your thoughts below. All comments and suggestions are welcome.
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Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-6168309308371394212015-11-12T10:40:00.000+00:002015-11-12T10:47:44.035+00:00The Relationship between Practical Criticism and New Criticism<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24pt;">N</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">ew Criticism is the development of the Practical
Criticism approach by American critics and poets. R. C. Murfin, R. C and S. M.
Ray describe what New Criticism is within <i>The Bedford Glossary of
Critical and Literary Terms. </i>‘The foundations of the New Criticism
were laid in books and essays written during the 1920s and 1930s by I. A.
Richards (<i>Practical Criticism</i> [1929]), William Empson (<i>Seven
Types of Ambiguity</i> [1930]), and T. S. Eliot ("The Function of
Criticism" [1933]).’ New Criticism regards literature as an independent
item. Murfin and Ray continue to state that: ‘rather than basing their
interpretations of a text on the reader’s response, the author’s stated
intentions, or parallels between the text and historical contexts, New Critics
perform a close reading, concentrating on the relationships within the text
that give it its own distinctive character or form.’ Although we associate New
Criticism with certain principles and terms—such as <i>affective fallacy</i> (the
notion that the reader’s response is relevant to the meaning of a work) and <i>intentional
fallacy</i> (the notion that the author’s intention determines the work’s
meaning)—the New Critics were trying to make a cultural statement rather than
to establish a critical dogma.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Practical
Criticism is a form of close reading and is related to developing the skill of
being able to critically</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> analyse</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> texts (usually poetry) on early
readings. It originated with Richards and it is the way that one can come up
with analytical and interesting points about a piece on first reading, rather
than getting into the academic exercise of theoretical criticism. The main
ideology behind Practical Criticism is rather than concentrating on the author
or the social context, you focus purely on the text itself and the lexis
itself. According to Peter Barry’s </span><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Beginning
theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cutural Theory, ‘</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">the job of criticism is to interpret the text, to mediate
between it and the reader.’ </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Practical Criticism perceives literature as a vehicle for
transmitting universal truths and eternal values, considering that the meaning
of a text remains constant throughout time, and is there to be extracted from
the text.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Richards gave students poems in
which information about the author and date were left out on purpose. He
went on to analyse the student opinions. He reported the results in <i>Practical</i> <i>Criticism</i>:<i> a
Study of Literary Judgment</i>, (1929). What was apparent throughout was
many fluent and avid readers failed to understand what the poems were about.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When asked to write about <i>Spring
Quiet</i> by Christina Rossetti, (although they did not know who wrote it
or when) two students responded;</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“It has little
merit - parts of it are deplorable. The first two verses are quite attractive,
and the rhyme ‘thrush’ with ‘bush’ is almost bearable. When ‘boughs’ and
‘house’ come next however, the attempt to enjoy the poem fails. There are not
only poor rhymes, there is also much poverty of thought and much real silliness
in the poem.”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And “The first 2 lines are not sense.
I laughed at the rhyming of thrush and bush; and boughs and house. Reminds
one quite pleasantly of the ‘poetry’ one wrote when aged ten.” (Richards, <i>Practical
Criticism: a Study of Literary Judgment</i>)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Richards commentates that,
‘reminders of our own poetic efforts, not only at the age of ten but even in
years closer at hand, have an inevitable influence on our judgment, a useful
influence when it keeps within its province, but dangerous when it meddles with
matters beyond it. All but a very few beginners in verse find rhyming a great
strain upon their verbal ingenuity and attention.’ (Richards, <i>Practical</i>,
p. 33)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Intentional fallacy and affective
fallacy are two terms introduced by Wimsatt and Beardsley to juxtapose
popular beliefs such as to know what the author intended with the text is to
fully comprehend the text itself and judging a poem erroneously, based on the
emotional response of the reader. Delahoyde states within <i>New
Criticism: Introduction to Literature</i> that ‘the "intentional
fallacy" is when one confuses the meaning of a work with the author's
purported intention (expressed in letters, diaries, interviews, for example).’
Therefore showing that New Critics believe that the work isn’t related to the
author as such and is completely unconnected. ‘The "affective
fallacy" is the erroneous practice of interpreting texts according to the
psychological or emotional responses of readers, confusing the text with its
results.’ New Critics believe that the text is a stand-alone piece, and should
be treated as such. In continuation, Murfin and Ray state within their glossary
of critical and literary terms that ‘New Criticism regards poems as having
elaborately structured, complex meanings with a relative disregard for their
historical context.’ In this regard, New Criticism is similar to Practical
Criticism as the latter also focused on the text rather than any background to
the poem or on the author. However, New Criticism stresses greatly on close
textual analysis, especially on literary devices such as the use of sound
effects like onomatopoeia, images/symbols like metaphors and similes, rhythm,
irony and repetition.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Thus it is safe to state that
Practical Criticism and New Criticism go side by side, with New Criticism
furthering the ideologies behind Practical Criticism. Richards and Empson can
be seen as the founders, with T.S Eliot furthering the ideas in more detail. In
a sense, they’re both the same theory with how the texts are perceived, however
New Criticism goes a step further with its underlying beliefs. New Critics
place great emphasis on the fact that the meaning of a text is intrinsic. In
essence however, New Criticism is Practical Criticism, just with more depth.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So, with this in mind, do you think
you’ll be engaging with texts in this regard? Or perhaps you already did and
didn’t know it! Let us know in the comments below.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yours
Practically,</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sadia Parveen.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">@Sadia_x95</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-37287716755837811392015-11-07T09:28:00.002+00:002015-11-07T11:12:09.207+00:00What a Performance - Laura Taylor and Punk Rock Poetry<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span class="null"><i>With
performance poetry gaining more and more popular ground and taking up more and
more of a prominent role in my life, I will be dedicating a few blogs in the
upcoming months to interviewing and profiling some stand out performers. This
time, punk rock poet and local legend Laura Taylor. Laura has been fighting the good fight through poetry and performance since 2010 and, in her own words, '</i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.55px;">speaks of love and politics, injustice and hypocrisy, of barking dogs and making space; equality for all'. </span><i>There is nothing I can
add to this interview to make it any better, so here it is.</i></div>
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<span class="null"><b>When
did you first get in to poetry? <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span class="null">In 2010. Unlike many other poets I know, I
haven’t been writing poetry since I was a child. I’d read a bit of Paradise Lost about 20 years
ago but nothing else. In mid-2010, I
went to a mate’s gig, and one of the support acts was a poet. She recited some of her poems and I became
emotionally overwhelmed by her words, sat in the darkness, choking up. I’d never seen anyone do this before, and I
left the gig thinking “Wow. I’ve got things to say, too”, so I started writing.
Took a while before I grew to appreciate anyone else’s poetry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="null"><b>Who would you say your biggest influence is?</b> </span></div>
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<span class="null">Me. Seriously. I haven’t got a poetic
influence. I didn’t think I liked it before that gig! I’d enjoyed the little
bit of Paradise Lost, but it wasn’t influential at all. I thought poetry was
elitist and ‘not for the likes of me’. If I have any influences at all, they’re
musical or biblical. I write very
naturally in rhythmic patterns, so much that it drives me mad sometimes. I
read the bible for the first time a few years ago, after being raised as an
atheist, and was knocked out by it. I’ve ransacked it quite a lot since then.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="null"><b>What
connects performance poetry and politics? <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span class="null">First of all, I have to say that not all
performance poets are political, but a lot are, and most are of a left-wing
persuasion. Right-wing performance poets
are thin on the ground, and usually unaware that they actually hold right-wing
attitudes!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVjiovJNwfl63h45WveTf351p3DYF3dQDCqGfBOEkoKiLPY3nQHkrJWAWS5PEis4t3Me5QRvZms1lqntgyOoXUf6YslDWXXD9utkc9gnQ36PxkLHYjnQIhA13peLIX8JTtknwbIDgKMIth/s1600/laura-t-101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVjiovJNwfl63h45WveTf351p3DYF3dQDCqGfBOEkoKiLPY3nQHkrJWAWS5PEis4t3Me5QRvZms1lqntgyOoXUf6YslDWXXD9utkc9gnQ36PxkLHYjnQIhA13peLIX8JTtknwbIDgKMIth/s320/laura-t-101.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="null">I firmly believe that poets are as
important, if not more important, than historians. We analyse and document the
times we live in. We read between lines,
look further and deeper than the surface ‘reality’ that is presented to us by
Authority; by schools, the media and government. We get up on stages to deliver
the alternative news, and usually find a very receptive crowd of ears, with the
odd delightful Tory self-combusting in the front row. That’s always a lot of fun haha!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="null"><b>What
is the best feeling you have when performing? <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span class="null">It’s great getting a big laugh, breaking
the ice right at the beginning of a set, but my absolute favourite feeling is
getting the whole room engrossed in a poem, to really feel the words and
emotions, especially in a pub or bar where there’s always noise. When I feel
them getting there, I lower my volume even further. Take it to the point where
everyone stops breathing almost, hanging on each word, each nuance, each
pregnant pause. You look around and the room is all big eyes, and you’re
big-eyes back at them, and it’s incredibly intimate and hugely powerful. And
then at the end, the room erupting. It’s almost orgasmic in its intensity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="null"><b>Do you
prefer reading poetry or watching poetry being performed? <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span class="null">I like both equally. I don’t feel any division or hierarchy in the
creation or the reception of either. That being said, I’d sit through a
performance for longer than I would sit and read poetry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="null"><b>Do
you think enough poetry is taught to our children? <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span class="null">Hmm – quite a problematic question for me,
that is! I have no idea how much poetry is actually being taught in today’s
schools, and I don’t remember much from when I was there. I’m not sure what you mean by ‘taught’,
either. Do you mean how to write to form? Or being exposed to? Study? Analyse?
I’m probably the last person to ask because I hated school, and think the way
they’re run is really very blunt and brutal. I dropped out of O Level English
Literature, despite having a natural ability for literary analysis, because of
my intense opposition to being force-fed the Western literary canon. The kids
in the so-called ‘remedial class’ got to read Kes, which was an amazing book,
chockfull of the kind of culture and class that I lived in. We had to read
Shakespeare off the page, and because this was the 80s under Thatcher, and my
family were skint, I couldn’t attend the plays which might have brought it all
alive to me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="null"><b>How
has your upbringing influenced your poetry? <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span class="null">In every way possible. Poets mostly write
about their own lives, and bring excruciating honesty and their own truths to
their writing. That’s why it connects, that’s how other people identify with
it. Other people don’t, won’t or can’t say it to themselves, but when we say it
for/to them, they know they’re not alone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="null">I had a difficult childhood in many ways,
and tend to explore the world from the perspective of the underdog. I’ve spent
my life challenging arbitrary forms of authority, and will continue to question
inequalities and bigotry until the day I die. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="null"><b>Should
John Cooper Clark be a knight of the realm?</b></span><b><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">No – I
don’t believe in monarchy or any of its honorary titles. They mean nothing to
me, apart from conferring undeserved, unearned, and un-elected status on a
person. He might quite like it though. You’d best ask him. He’d probably run
with it eh, just to take the piss!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">He knows
what he’s done for us, for working class poets – given us a voice, a place at
the table. If I was him, I’d be bloody overjoyed with that knowledge alone.
That, to me, is real status.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><i>Brilliant.
If you need further convincing, you can catch Laura at Hartley’s Bar in Wigan
on the 22<sup>nd</sup> November or click <a href="http://www.writeoutloud.net/profiles/laurataylor" target="_blank">here</a> for her Write Out Loud profile.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Yours Fist Pumpingly</div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Stuart Buck </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">@stuartmbuck</span></div>
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Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-90367404853486923432015-11-04T13:26:00.002+00:002015-11-04T13:35:15.286+00:00A Ladybird Lands<h3 class="graf--h3 graf--first" id="1b57" name="1b57" style="background-color: ; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: medium-content-sans-serif-font, 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 36px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; line-height: 1.15; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: -0.02em; line-height: 1.15;"> </span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: ; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 1.58;">BBC Four comes up with some real gems and last month was one of those times. They have a series called ‘Timeshift’ and the episode I saw was called ‘Ladybird books — the bug that got Britain reading’. For those of a certain generation i.e. late thirties to sixties this programme was always going to have a special resonance. As a child many of my first books were Ladybird books; they followed a simple format — text on one page and pictures on the other and the titles numbered hundreds.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: ; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can still pick them up in second hand bookshops as a change in management in the 1970’s effectively killed the brand. Rather than talk too much about the show, which I hope you will now find on iPlayer, I want to talk about the impact these books had on me — which was far more than I’d realised. Like most of us I have no recollection of when I learnt to read only that my appetite for the written word was voracious and Ladybird seemed to help fulfil it. Whether that was through the school library or the buying of books — they were priced at 2/6 — which in today’s money is 25p; a price set at children’s pocket money back then. See, and you thought you were going through tough times. Still in the 1960’s you could get four blackjacks or fruit salads for a penny. Ahh, the halcyon days.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: ; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However I came by these books I could learn so much. The first ever Ladybird book was on British birds and was a massive seller. The books I remember were the Peter and Jane series, the ‘How to read’ series and the ‘history’ series. How I loved those books. Learning about Alfred the Great, Nelson and the tribes of the Great Western plains, back in those days ‘Red Indians’. As these covers were shown on the programme I was transported back to a flat in South London and the primary school I attended poring over the colour pictures (by fantastic artists of the time) and the words. How my love of words grew and grew.</span></div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="1c48" name="1c48" style="background-color: ; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 1.58; margin-top: 29px; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: ; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was thanks to these little books that the seeds were sown for a lifetime love of words, their meanings, their origins, how they work together and an involuntary intake of breath at seeing a word misspelled. It was probably down to Ladybird that I developed my love of collecting too — you have to get the last one in the series, just to make the series complete. Ladybird were fantastic marketers of books as well and there is much for us to learn as authors, poets and storytellers. Even if you don’t know what I have been talking about as you read this take an hour of your time and watch the documentary. You’ll love it too — said Peter to Jane.</span></div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" data-align="center" id="cf6c" name="cf6c" style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 1.58; margin-top: 29px; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Andy Gibney</span></div>
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Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-15419643250156093372015-11-02T13:12:00.000+00:002015-11-02T13:12:33.220+00:00The Character of Rain Review<!--[if !mso]>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 15.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Character of Rain</span></i><span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> is a
novella written by Belgian author Amélie Nothomb (picture to the left). She
writes her novels in French, which have been translated into English.</span><span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The first two pages of this
book had me wishing I could scratch my eyes out. I was sure I was going to hate
it and I’d have such a hard time reading it within six days. </span><span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 191.4pt;">
<span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If it hadn’t been a novella I
had to read for University then I probably wouldn’t have ever carried on
reading past the first two pages. Actually, I never would’ve even picked up the
book, but that’s neither here nor there.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So, pressured to read this for
my Tuesday fiction class I had to power through the appalling beginning. The
novella starts with a rambling about God. This is a direct quote from the first
page: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“God’s eyes were perpetually wide
open and staring, though it didn’t matter whether they were opened or closed. There
was nothing to see, and God, plump and compact as a</i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> hard-boiled egg, saw nothing.”</span></i><span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> I kid
you not, that is a direct quote. I mean, what the hell is that? Sorry Nothomb,
but if your intention was to put any and all readers off continuing to read
this, then you bloody well succeeded.</span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I got through the first chapter (which is only three pages
long) extremely slowly. It’s what happens when I’m undeniably bored and
disinterested by what I’m reading. Then, the most extraordinary thing happened.
I started to enjoy it. The second chapter became more bearable and by the third
chapter I was becoming interested in the plotline.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I finished the book in two days, granted it was only 132
pages long, but you honestly have no idea how amazing that is for me. I’m a
ridiculously slow reader. Usually I can only get through about 30-40 pages a
day and that’s when I’m constantly reading. But I actually really enjoyed the
novel, like really enjoyed it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGgXx1h2twc-TAYtX0218HakPAgMSfZV9WZkQFjWdRPJgrJUKgV0JMMgzMDeYlUyjP_PEC4xtppkH7kZqSoqL7Gqqc8SrrFaGcCDeetn_036-QIyWT6K7CgkHFma7bd6trzqCSlfx4_H0/s1600/rain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGgXx1h2twc-TAYtX0218HakPAgMSfZV9WZkQFjWdRPJgrJUKgV0JMMgzMDeYlUyjP_PEC4xtppkH7kZqSoqL7Gqqc8SrrFaGcCDeetn_036-QIyWT6K7CgkHFma7bd6trzqCSlfx4_H0/s320/rain.jpg" width="203" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
blurb states: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The Japanese believe that
until the age of three, children are gods, each one an okosama, or ‘Lord
Child’. On their third birthday they fall from grace and join the rest of
mankind. Narrated by a child – from the age of two and a half up until her
third birthday – this novel reveals how this fall from grace can be a very
difficult thing indeed from which to recover.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sounds interesting right? I
thought so.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After the excruciatingly long
and terrible beginning, I completely forgot what the novella was supposed to be
about. Therefore I kept reading, forgetting what was supposed to be happening. It
was only after finishing it, it occurred to me something was missing. The plot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As the blurb states it’s
supposed to reveal how when a child reaches the age of three, they fall from
grace in the eyes of the Japanese and the affect this has on a child. At first,
I didn’t see this occur anywhere in the novel, I believed the realisation of
Rain not being God would come from how her family and her nanny treat her after
her third birthday. It confused me when</span><span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> all the
relationships stayed the same and I believed Nothomb had completely ignored her
own plot. It was only after an in depth discussion in my fiction class that I
realised most of what we get out of this novella is subtext. Hardly anything is
explicitly said, merely referenced through other things and we as a reader,
have to depict these elements within the novella.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If you
couldn’t already guess I’m going to depict some of these elements for you. If
you don’t want to hear any spoilers, then skip to the last paragraph in this
post now.</span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Nothomb grazes over the month of May, in which many
Japanese families buy some carp to look after for the month. It is supposed to
bring luck for having a baby boy. Rain’s parents do look after some carp for
that month and this is when Rain is discovering the Japanese seem to favour
boys over girls, almost making boys seem more divine and godlike than girls. It
is one of the many connections to her realising she is not a God.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If you don’t look in depth into the meaning behind this novel,
this next quote can be easy to miss.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> “At
three, you’re like an alien, equally fascinated and terrified by what you find.
Everything is opaque and new. You must invent laws based upon your own
observation”. </i>She directly says as a child you have to invent your own laws
because everything is new to a child, everything is opaque. You don’t yet
understand the world you’re living in and therefore you have to make sense of
it in your own way. From the treatment of her nanny Nishio-san treating her
almost as if she was a God and could do no wrong, she has grown up with
Nishio-san more than anyone and now believes she is a God and other people
should treat her so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This novella is her
journey and how she came to believe she was a God, she thought she was divine
and then suddenly realising that she is indeed like everybody else and that
utter devastation she feels towards the end.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the last chapter of the novella, she mentions how she
sees the carp’s insides and she says: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“You
find that repugnant? That’s what your stomach is like, too.” </i>This is her
sudden realisation that she’s just like everybody else and she isn’t a God. She
silences herself; she doesn’t want to hear that she’s not a god. It throws her
so much she is sick and let’s herself fall into the pool. This is ironic for
many reasons:</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Previously in the novella, she almost drowned.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Her father got stuck in a drain.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Her name in either Japanese or French means
rain.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"></span><span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is suggested that in Japanese culture that
drowning is seen as the most divine form of suicide.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All of these things are definitely not mere coincidences.
Nothomb is a master of disguise and subtext. She really makes you work to
depict these elements.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In general, it was interesting to find connections between
the writer’s personal life and the novella. Nothomb herself says from personal
experience she was indirectly told she was ugly by her family and she hated
herself for so long, always seeing this ugly person in the mirror. In
connection to the novella, Rain doesn’t want to hear she isn’t divine, but
there is a part of her mind that is telling her this and forcing her to believe
it, much like Nothomb believing she was ugly (when as you can see by the
picture at the top of this post, she is anything but).</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Despite a disappointing beginning, the rest of the novella
is brilliantly written, and the character development of Rain borders on
genius. If you can stomach the first couple of pages, then I guarantee you will
enjoy the rest of the novella.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yours
weekly,</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Jennie
Byrne</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">@mustbejlb
(on Instagram and Twitter)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrnK7xtdajXwts17NzEq6e5aUY7MQFjU8GR4x_sMfgbL44SnVprxikqBQ4R-SXcR8EfrPSPR4K7nWttat9tPzFTt5D6xrDJ_6KSezj4gOmAPyNtUGnv8bIBs4arQ2hHKvqGLcfpZFILzJt/s1600/asdfg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrnK7xtdajXwts17NzEq6e5aUY7MQFjU8GR4x_sMfgbL44SnVprxikqBQ4R-SXcR8EfrPSPR4K7nWttat9tPzFTt5D6xrDJ_6KSezj4gOmAPyNtUGnv8bIBs4arQ2hHKvqGLcfpZFILzJt/s1600/asdfg.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.underthefable.com/"><span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">www.underthefable.com</span></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "rockwell" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Have
something to say? Share your thoughts below. All comments and suggestions are
welcome.</span></div>
Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-2131561359243030122015-11-01T12:20:00.000+00:002015-11-02T13:10:40.173+00:00The Profession of Violence: The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins Review<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Ronald
“Ronnie” and Reginald “Reggie” Kray were notorious 1960’s gangsters. They were
perhaps some of the most famous gangsters we’ve ever seen. Their organised
crime was something else entirely; they extorted and brutally murdered those
who crossed them. Gangsters like the Kray’s are a curiosity of mine. I find it
interesting to know the ins and outs of their lives and what leads them to the
point of a criminal life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I went to
see the film Legend…not going to lie; I went three times within the first two
weeks. My dad refuses to watch a film more than once, claiming that he’s
“already seen it.” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yes dad, but that was
in 1977. It’s now 2015.</i> This very same dad went to see the film twice and
he wants the DVD. Yeah. I nearly fainted too. That’s how good the film is. So
naturally I imagined the biography the film was made from would be ten times
better. I wasn’t disappointed.</span></div>
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQohrt5ObCByUsrNU-gOSNd6RiYbgwJaOQpVM8BLCqYEw6YYgiRrCEoQhq4F7nzLxWM7M7XJKLmrBYb9ouhPuiyLCD6F14u7fdGZHwmyHsc9Hz9GK07tieyv4U5C-TvZDfwNjGB6W6gVlJ/s1600/john.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQohrt5ObCByUsrNU-gOSNd6RiYbgwJaOQpVM8BLCqYEw6YYgiRrCEoQhq4F7nzLxWM7M7XJKLmrBYb9ouhPuiyLCD6F14u7fdGZHwmyHsc9Hz9GK07tieyv4U5C-TvZDfwNjGB6W6gVlJ/s200/john.jpg" width="188" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">This is the man behind the brilliantly
written Kray twin biography, John George Pearson. If you don’t recognise the face,
then maybe you’ll recognise the name from the authorised biography of James
Bond? Ah, it’s all coming </span><span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">back to you
now isn’t it? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Pearson presented us with the possibility
James Bond was a real person living in Bermuda. And now he is quickly being put
in the spotlight again with the release of the film Legend, all about the life
of notorious east end gangsters the Kray twins. The film hit the cinemas
recently and made an extraordinary amount at the box office (I’m probably
responsible for about half of that…) I have no doubt many lovers of the film
will be running out to pick up a copy of the biography, as I did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIx6WJDBDYJLwUqUP65QMGnYEE1ry8fMRo6cOdISWexzhbLRB1r8tENwdA3_tR0XA206AlKe_IZJFcP7DsUbSgBk7lmKRYWx-UYtmvLVTCPRuDJunkdc92g5Oe7v88wC_s8J0Mzsw74mEn/s1600/tom+hardy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIx6WJDBDYJLwUqUP65QMGnYEE1ry8fMRo6cOdISWexzhbLRB1r8tENwdA3_tR0XA206AlKe_IZJFcP7DsUbSgBk7lmKRYWx-UYtmvLVTCPRuDJunkdc92g5Oe7v88wC_s8J0Mzsw74mEn/s320/tom+hardy.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">What the film lacks in is description of the
Kray twins when they were young. However the biography more than makes up for this.
I honestly believe John Pearson is a genius. An absolute genius. The film begins
with Reggie and Ronnie already famous gangsters, in their thirties (I’m
guessing). Pearson spends much of this biography discussing the Kray’s childhood,
teenage years and early adulthood.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">To the point where you feel you know the
Kray’s better than they knew themselves. Ronnie especially, you feel like you
get an in-depth look into his mind and how though seemingly the same as his
brother, was indeed, very different. There is so much detail given to this book,
it’s outstanding. I can’t even put into words how much I enjoyed every minute
detail given. My weird interest of real life events and gangsters was
completely fulfilled with this book. There was nothing I was left wondering
about by the end.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">It’s exactly how a biography should be
written. With every thought, quirk and move the Kray’s made. If you’re the type
of person who’s interested in the idea of gangsters, like I am, then you’ll
love this. A lot of the time I had to remind myself the Kray’s were real
people, because the book was so in-depth it felt fictionalised. They were
ruthless killers, no doubt. But their sense of person and presence is something
pretty amazing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Something that really interested me was
discovering the Kray’s had some influences, or at least Ronnie did. He was
fascinated by Al Capone and the Chicago Gangsters and believed dressing
conservatively was the way a gangster should dress. He hated the idea of flash
dressers (though he became interested in certain jewellery). He also admired
Lawrence of Arabia. Someone who grew up with the twins states just after the
reference to Lawrence, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“the one thing
they would have really liked to be was a pair of genuine English gentleman.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">One of my favourite things about this book
was how the twins were presented as almost in human. Pearson says <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“they were not particularly big men…in
several hundred bar brawls, woundings, shootings, and punch-ups they were
involved in, they never once appear to have come off second best…both were
abnormally tough…” </i>Can you just imagine this? Ronnie (the bigger of the
two) is described as 5’10” and twelve and a half stone. It’s not particularly big,
some of the people they fought against were much bigger and some even were
amateur boxers like twins were. However these men ended up being totally destroyed
by the twins. It astounded me how inhuman they seemed. Even this next quote:<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> “Ronnie is reputed to have drunk fifty-five
brown ales in one night at the billiard hall and carried on next day as usual.”</i>
Mind-blowing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXIKtK9P7xpdd3ObOb7SN7h6GhO8cYDY_o7i9Z1UAJaXYrkc5AOlZjc5mKityRhvcjB2yeCJebE3Ver-2XcVN2dfVdmIlPb5nzyvS4p7qqgHWjl7yvuWiJb__ZxzZCGjO3n37PnGVu9Mfm/s1600/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXIKtK9P7xpdd3ObOb7SN7h6GhO8cYDY_o7i9Z1UAJaXYrkc5AOlZjc5mKityRhvcjB2yeCJebE3Ver-2XcVN2dfVdmIlPb5nzyvS4p7qqgHWjl7yvuWiJb__ZxzZCGjO3n37PnGVu9Mfm/s400/index.jpg" width="201" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">One thing I find myself doing after reading a
novel is going back to specific events to re-read them. The problem being I can
never remember where in the novel it occurred. So thus begins the endless page
flicking until I finally find what I wanted and then I have no interest in
reading it anymore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">After reading this book, I discovered an index
at the back where it lists every person mentioned in the biography. It also lists
the subject with the pages numbers next to them. I literally jumped for joy
when I saw this, because I can just go to the index to find specific things. If
I want to find the paragraphs Ronnie feigns madness, it tells me the exact page
numbers I can find it (as shown to the right).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Everybody knows that even the best of things
have terrible reviews on Amazon. But Pearson’s biography is so good; the lowest
star given is a three. If this was a hotel rating, it’d still be considered a
damn good hotel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Most of the people who reviewed this gave
five stars. I would also give this biography five stars for all of the reasons I
mentioned above.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">If you love
the film, then you’ll love the biography even more. Go pick up a copy now. You
won’t regret it!</span><span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Yours
weekly,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Jennie
Byrne</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">@mustbejlb
(on Instagram and Twitter)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.underthefable.com/"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="color: blue;">www.underthefable.com</span></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Share
your thoughts below. All comments and suggestions are welcome.</span></div>
Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-56753865415787630232015-10-28T10:28:00.000+00:002015-10-28T10:28:07.629+00:00Where have all the eccentrics gone?<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">I’m not even sure exactly where the interest has come from, but in the
last few weeks I’ve been learning more about Ernest Hemingway. He was some
character. Either unlucky or careless he had some truly spectacular accidents:
once going to the toilet at his flat in Paris he pulled the cord that opened
the skylight instead of the toilet chain and pulled it so hard that the whole
skylight fell on his head resulting in a visit to hospital. Another time,
whilst in Africa, the plane he was in with his wife crashed leaving them by a
waterfall surrounded by elephants. Rescued a day later he was then in a second
plane crash almost immediately – and survived both.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">You don’t hear such things about E L James and Dan Brown, the biggest
selling authors of the last decade. The most that can be said about Brown is
that he hangs upside down every morning wearing gravity boots. E L James is the
most reclusive of characters. What of the other member of the Holy Trinity? JK
Rowling. Writing a book in a café and now part of cyberspace and a
multi-millionaire is ordinary when compared to the writers of the past.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Ian Fleming, once a member of the Secret Service during World War II,
retreated to Jamaica each year to write the Bond books. Lord Byron and Percy
Shelley – renowned eccentrics and fully paid up members of the odd ball club.
Barbara Cartland was a vision in pink and taffeta – although the vision would
cause nightmares in many who saw her. Enid Blyton was another strange one and
Agatha Christie disappeared for 10 days, with those missing days never
explained – despite the strange film with Elliot Gould and Cybil Shepherd.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCnv-3LzncLhXFUmHzYQb0u4WQ5ihs02qWmE6O0nas2bvE55h7b6_L1wx1QaY98-6cS9k-vbnDOko-tRp7AMasOtpHiVsi6VhRhuaoPi29Di9SUtguVrLAVzNES60vk7WL2ShgKfwwofnI/s1600/Poet+at+a+wedding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCnv-3LzncLhXFUmHzYQb0u4WQ5ihs02qWmE6O0nas2bvE55h7b6_L1wx1QaY98-6cS9k-vbnDOko-tRp7AMasOtpHiVsi6VhRhuaoPi29Di9SUtguVrLAVzNES60vk7WL2ShgKfwwofnI/s320/Poet+at+a+wedding.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">The point is do you have to be eccentric or even considered odd to be
a writer? Poets do seem to capture this flavour of oddness or is that because
they more performers than authors? The idea that they have to go out in front
of people rather than the people taking them home with them, as they do with a
book. (In the photo is a poet at a wedding - thanks Justin Thyme).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">The irony, of course, that many of the great eccentric writers did not
meet the best of ends. Hemingway shot himself, Fleming died through ill health –
largely because of his Bond-like lifestyle, Shelley drowned in an accident at
sea and Lord Byron died of illness whilst fighting in Greece. The question
remains then. Do authors and poets have a need to be eccentric or are they odd
by conventional standards? And by the standards of Hemingway, and the others,
are today’s writers as ordinary as I have painted them? Your thoughts, as
always, are welcome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Yours literally<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Andy Gibney<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">@andygibneystwitter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-62886409802839846592015-10-21T11:04:00.000+01:002015-10-21T11:04:57.247+01:00Is the screen the word? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A new James Bond film is always the source of great excitement around the world and next Monday (26th October) that excitement reaches fever pitch with the launch of the latest instalment. With over a billion dollars taken for 'Skyfall' the expectation is high, but also the chances of disappointment too. Will 'Spectre' be as good? Will it take as much money and other such inane questions. The point is that Daniel Craig is in it, it has a new Aston Martin, there will be girls, fights and ultimately James Bond will save the world. When Ian Fleming sat down at his typewriter in 1952 to create the ultimate spy can he ever have imagined things would go so far?<div>
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With all this hype, and I am a Bond fan, it got me wondering about other books turned into films and the impact that the film has on a book's readership. When Harry Potter reached the cinema he already had legions of fans. My son and stepson feel that the films have never reached the levels of the books and openly scorn many of the scenes. The fans of '50 Shades of Grey' (all right calm down, they do exist) universally felt that the film wasn't better than the book - definitely damned in all circles there then. However, other films have found fans of the film rather than the book. Many whom have seen the 'Lord of the Rings' series ('The Hobbit included) have preferred the films to the books. Tolkien's wordy style does seem rather old-fashioned when viewed 60 years or so since their publication, although I still love the books and the films. </div>
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The most filmed of all literary characters, Sherlock Holmes, has undergone great reboots with both the Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Downey Jr creations attracting new audiences, but again I wonder how many turn to the source material? Shakespeare never goes out of fashion, but here I do think that people study the texts, whether as an academic exercise or for their pleasure.</div>
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Whatever the case I think it is clear that a film can breath new life into a book and that, hopefully, will encourage a viewer to become more of a reader. After I had watched 'The Notebook' I had to read the book and found the film to be better. Many years ago when I saw 'Roots' on television I also had the desire to read the book. The tv series was much better than the book, although Alex Haley's text is also of top quality. Another series I feel that are better than the original books are the Bourne series; a series so good that it forced the producers of Bond to up their game. The Inspector Morse books don't match up to the majesty of John Thaw's interpretation either - infact I didn't like Morse much as a character on the page, but I love the TV version.</div>
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All of which leads me to the question asked by fans of books and film versions of characters. Which is better? Your own imagination, aided by the author, or what you see on the screen in a cinema or at home? Usually I have heard that the book will 'always' be better than the film (or TV version). I would dispute that, as my examples have shown, but a lot of time this is true. It is the level of character development that a book can provide that makes the book the winner in most cases. It is also true that without the book the film would never have been made, In the case of 'Lord of the Rings' the books were so rich in imagery that it took the film industry 50 years to catch up before they could be effectively tackled. The cartoon version was rubbish. </div>
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Which brings me to the end of this little discussion, but I hope it encourages you want to add your voice as well, which you can do in the comments below. I'd love to know which books you think are better than the films or the other way round and also, which books have been filmed that should never have been touched at all? </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Yours literally<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Andy Gibney<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">@andygibneystwitter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwoYJSq6B0Ve7-_lUpQ1KSo_Cgzo-UThGff4z9ZXCUybFAUES8td5-2RyecP8KiUfY_OOPQeD_800TGQHAYM_Y8xKqjdOIMnbYDNOeGKEZEWO1y-Mcyisn9qbl3Jaf_ZwW3DkJU7QFJWD/s1600/11948191_10206713273286749_2117583802_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwoYJSq6B0Ve7-_lUpQ1KSo_Cgzo-UThGff4z9ZXCUybFAUES8td5-2RyecP8KiUfY_OOPQeD_800TGQHAYM_Y8xKqjdOIMnbYDNOeGKEZEWO1y-Mcyisn9qbl3Jaf_ZwW3DkJU7QFJWD/s1600/11948191_10206713273286749_2117583802_n.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.underthefable.com/">www.underthefable.com</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Have something to say? Please
comment below, all feedback welcome.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-5454416617077123772015-10-18T22:35:00.000+01:002015-10-18T22:36:45.746+01:00My Writing Process<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This week I thought I'd do something a little different. Many of you may be writers yourselves, or you may just be curious of a writers process. Well, this week, I'll be giving you a bit of an insight into mine!</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">WRITING SPACE:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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cropbottom="4047f" cropright="7539f"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
don’t exactly have a particular space I only go to write. My writing space is
basically my space for just about everything, but just look at it:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKYZIU0GrzlHRSKo7jzWM7-TJex9KkJQWn8IZx8rmBTUUPfIV2T7h1iDvdD3SDMx1EEltWbTFjXUFpvjaB-v1FD6c4yODp_cfYr8jjKlCMGqRSOumP6tDc9tlgQWz4-adCUuzKGMdJEuO/s1600/sdfghjkl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKYZIU0GrzlHRSKo7jzWM7-TJex9KkJQWn8IZx8rmBTUUPfIV2T7h1iDvdD3SDMx1EEltWbTFjXUFpvjaB-v1FD6c4yODp_cfYr8jjKlCMGqRSOumP6tDc9tlgQWz4-adCUuzKGMdJEuO/s320/sdfghjkl.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This is the single,
most comfortable armchair I’ve ever sat in, in my entire life. It is just
brilliant and so cosy. I just sit back and relax while I go about my writing.
This is probably one of the most important things when it comes to writing.
Finding that spot you’re most comfortable in. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Some people need a
room to themselves where they’re away from any distractions or noise, which, if
you live with others or still with your parents, is most likely going to be
your bedroom. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For me however, I’ve
become so accustomed to the TV noise and my parents talking that it barely
affects me anymore. I feel most comfortable and ready to write when I’m sitting
in my armchair in my living room. The room can be full of noise or completely
silent and I’ll be able to get the job done. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The problem occurs
when my parents are watching something I’m interested in, this is where I get
hugely distracted and end up spending an hour and a half watching the TV
without realising. In this case, I usually put my headphones on and blast some
music. This sends me right back into writing mode and I completely forget about
the world around me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Technically there is
another place I write quite frequently. And if you don’t mind finding out a
little too much about me I’ll tell you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The bath. Yes, the
bath.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I don’t know what it
is about being in the bath that makes me suddenly so inspired to write but for
some reason it does and you know what, I just go with it, because any time
inspiration hits you, you should milk it for all it’s worth. It doesn’t come
along very often.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">NOTES:</span></b><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwI3Bn-5iGh-JeXjhxwf0flhnGVz_yUif2pVbairjf3u0rjoZtuCAAT-OQMIgvQqkkQPCW_kZM8dl3dCee9A7GsnFuxxu032lXBjhncbxGInGB8vZhrxScnUl5OcHu-NORpXTxj1mNB9B/s1600/sdfg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwI3Bn-5iGh-JeXjhxwf0flhnGVz_yUif2pVbairjf3u0rjoZtuCAAT-OQMIgvQqkkQPCW_kZM8dl3dCee9A7GsnFuxxu032lXBjhncbxGInGB8vZhrxScnUl5OcHu-NORpXTxj1mNB9B/s1600/sdfg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwI3Bn-5iGh-JeXjhxwf0flhnGVz_yUif2pVbairjf3u0rjoZtuCAAT-OQMIgvQqkkQPCW_kZM8dl3dCee9A7GsnFuxxu032lXBjhncbxGInGB8vZhrxScnUl5OcHu-NORpXTxj1mNB9B/s320/sdfg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Are
you like me? Do you have five thousand word documents open at once while you
write?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One
thing I’ve been doing recently is hooking my monitor up to my laptop (and yes
that’s Rocky wallpaper – I’ll get to that in a minute). I move all my notes
onto the monitor screen so I can see everything at once without flicking
through document after document to find the bit of information I need.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It
is a good idea to have a system like this. Even if you just have something that
you put sticky notes on (shout out to my friend Jess). It will make your life a
hundred times easier while writing.</span><br />
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</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">IDEAS THAT OCCUR WHEN I’M NOWHERE NEAR
MY LAPTOP:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This used to present
a problem for me, because I never had a decent enough phone to write and store
things. At first I used to write my ideas in a text message and save it to my
draft folder. Then I’d later write it up on my laptop.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Problem: By the time
I was anywhere near my laptop, I’d completely forget I ever had an idea, and
therefore my phone would collect around 30 draft text messages before I
realised and would have to type them all up one by one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">These days though, I
have a much better phone, which allows me to write a document and save it
directly to the folder I want it in on Dropbox as a word document. There’s no
messing about, no writing things up later, it is simple and so quick to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">FUEL:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Most people
generally go down the coffee or energy drink or alcohol route when they spend
extensive amounts of time writing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Me? I’m a little
different. Tea is my fix.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tea is a necessity. Tea
is life. I cannot physically or mentally function without a cup of tea and this
is why I constantly have a giant mug beside me while I write. This does usually
mean a break every ten minutes to make a new cup, but it’s good to have breaks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Whatever your fix
is, make sure you have it on hand when writing. It will make your life
incredibly easier.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">P.s. Just don’t go
down the Coleridge route. Opium (more commonly known as heroin) is going a
little too far.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">INSPIRATION:</span></b></div>
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style='position:absolute;margin-left:51.05pt;margin-top:26pt;width:331.7pt;
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o:title="main-qimg-11558232505b6f4ff4650cff75e8bd96?convert_to_webp=true"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On
those days where nothing is going your way, or you feel like giving up writing
altogether, I like to remind myself of my favourite quote to help me keep
going.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTM3BydNbNjIiYJ5ptXxPCfj7yrfrRojbqzlG0eijRvg7x2r0KMhYpF4kEtHsG0s3Z5KOGkKeS-k0FQ0op-YmVMifZS8iqKmU84tM1T9yTPF8hkGgABfIZByC1u79viTjvJJb-XHZDngiB/s1600/uehuehtergfw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTM3BydNbNjIiYJ5ptXxPCfj7yrfrRojbqzlG0eijRvg7x2r0KMhYpF4kEtHsG0s3Z5KOGkKeS-k0FQ0op-YmVMifZS8iqKmU84tM1T9yTPF8hkGgABfIZByC1u79viTjvJJb-XHZDngiB/s320/uehuehtergfw.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This picture (as you
saw earlier) is my desktop wallpaper, so it’s always there to remind me push
through whatever writers block or troubles or worries I have at the time. I’m
seriously considering getting this tattooed on my arm.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It’s always good to
have a pick-me-up close by when you’re feeling down in the dumps. Every time I
read this quote I immediately feel better and strive to push through the hard
times.</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I hope you enjoyed this post. As I said, it is a little different from what I've posted in the past. If you would like more posts like this, then don't hesitate to let me know.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yours weekly,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jennie Byrne</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">@mustbejlb (on Instagram and Twitter)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-46261589291490916662015-10-14T10:45:00.002+01:002015-10-14T10:45:37.891+01:00Running your rituals<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">All
writers have their rituals, their ways of helping the ideas flow. I am
constantly reminded that writer’s block does not exist, that it is an excuse
used by the lazy or fearful to commit words to paper, or ether. Stephen King
once said that “Writer’s block only exists in the amateur, the professional
just does the work.” Not wanting to be an amateur I do the work. Except on days
when I’m just lazy and I admit to it as such. In my creative times I must sit at my keyboard, or as I type this
today, at my asthmatic laptop wheezing away in the background as the words flow
from my brain, through my fingers to the tapping sound of the keys to produce
words that now sit inside your brain. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I
remember reading about the disciplined way that Dan Brown writes. He will rise
at 4am each day and type 2000 words a day and finish around 6am ready to move
on having done the ‘work’. To help his ideas flow he will hang upside down in
his gravity boots, suspended from the ceiling or a door frame; I can’t say this
would work for me, but I haven’t sold 200 million books either. It always
amazed me that JK Rowling could write ‘the Philosopher’s Stone’ in a busy
Edinburgh café; I once visited the Elephant Café where Harry Potter came to
life and I was astonished at the volume of noise and how dear Joanne managed to
write the words that would change her life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Personally
I need silence to write; I’ve tried classical music in the background, but I found
it annoying. As I find all noise annoying, when I have to let my brain function
at its most creative. Fortunately I live in a very quiet part of the world and
the whirring breathlessness of this laptop is bearable. How I look forward to
the return of my PC at the weekend. So, if it is quiet that I need to let the
words flow where do most of my ideas form?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It is
out on the roads of Northamptonshire, not in a car, usually anyway, but from
the padding of the streets and roads as I run. I never understand why people
run with headphones, listening to music, although I suppose we all have our
different ways of finding Zen. For me it is about getting out into the air and
creating the flow of serotonin; of leaving all worries behind and pushing
myself – and that’s true whether the run is easy or tough. Something happens in
the fresh air, and it feels different from when I run than if I walk in the
woods and the fields. My best ideas have always come either out on the road or
in the shower after, as the water bounces off the top of my head or runs
rivulets over me and into the plughole. In the peace, in the quiet, my brain
ticks over and pulls random thoughts from my mind and from the creative gods of
the unknown. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The act
of running does two things: creates serotonin and helps me feel I’m alive. If I
have a good run, I feel at my best; if I have a tough run I have overcome a
hurdle. If, as it is so often, I just run then I still get the twin benefits,
but the value is in what the experience gives me. Ideas, peace, direction,
health and a place I know I can always retreat. I use running to help me
overcome emotional pain by feeling physical pain. I run when I’m happy, I run
when I’m sad and I run when it just has to be done. I can also talk myself out
of a run with alarming ease. Mostly though, I just run. I keep it simple. I
discipline myself in the same way with my writing; by writing at regular times, when
my mind is most active I get the best out of myself. If
there is writer’s block, then there is runner’s block and as there is neither I
know I just have to get on with the ‘work’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Yours breathlessly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Andy Gibney<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">@andygibneystwitter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-73332135989033695642015-10-09T12:07:00.001+01:002015-10-09T12:07:28.975+01:00Interviewing Rodge Glass On ‘The Jim Hangovers’ And The ‘Being Dad’ Anthology<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It is a surreal moment when you are approached about
interviewing an author, but to interview two authors and meet one of them in
person is a whole other kettle of fish.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">During the interview Rodge told me I am the third person to
read his short story. The first person is the editor of the collection Dan
Coxon and the second person is Victoria Briggs who also interviewed him. This
was a bizarre moment. Not only was I reading a story before it was even
published, but I was also the third person to read it. Mind-blowing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">So there I was in Rodge’s office, this established writer
looking to me to begin the interview as I fumble through documents on my laptop
to find my list of questions. My mouth immediately goes dry and I’m taking sips
of water every ten seconds. I’m also begging the God’s that I could type as
fast as he could talk.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Then, I begin. Immediately I was put at ease, though an
established writer, he seemed very down to earth, which I admired about him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Do you
have a specific place you like to write? Or do you just write wherever and
whenever inspiration hits?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rodge admits he used to write wherever and whenever
inspiration hit. Interestingly, his first novel was written mostly under the
stairs. With his second novel he upgraded to writing in a cupboard. Yes, it
made me laugh too. I thought I was the only person who chose interesting spots
to write. These days, after the birth of his daughter, it became impossible to
write at home while having a baby daughter to look after; therefore he took to
writing in his office at Edge Hill University where he works as a Senior
Creative Writing lecturer. He also uses train journeys as time he can use to
write.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">How
organised are you?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rodge’s organisation used to be very scattered, though he
is now very OCD with his work. He believes if you’re not organised then you
will get nothing done. Rodge is an editor for Freight Books, which is one of
the reasons he’s had to become obsessively organised.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">What
made you choose to be a part of this anthology?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rodge saw a call-out via Twitter for writers to be part of
this anthology. Rodge hardly ever enters things like writing competitions;
however after having just become a father himself, he believed it would be a
great opportunity to get involved with. He wrote the story for himself, but
believed it would fit into the anthology perfectly and if it didn’t happen,
then he would use it for something else. Rodge believes Dan Coxon, the editor,
knew of his work and after enquiring about the anthology, Dan encouraged him to
submit a story to the anthology.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Is it
a true story? If not, are there any elements of your real life in there?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">All of Rodge’s stories have one element that is absolutely
true. He then takes this element and expands it, adding in fiction. He doesn’t
generally write about himself, he uses something from his life (no matter how
small) and uses it for more unorthodox angles. Unlike in the narrator in the
story, Rodge was never a big drinker, he’s never lived in London and he’s never
known anyone called Jim, however what he has experienced is friendships fading
and realising you don’t quite see the world in the same way afterwards.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">When Rodge’s daughter finished breastfeeding and moved onto
food, he used to be up in the middle of the night feeding her. It was a special
moment for him because he was finally able to feed his daughter. He realised it
was at this time of the night where your mind wanders like you’re still in
dream mode. This was another element from his life he decided to include in his
story.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">How
did the anthology come about being made?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It was Dan Coxon’s enthusiasm for the concept of being a
father. There was a kick-starter campaign for the anthology, once Dan had
collected enough writers. There are so many stories out there about being a
mother, but not many about being a father and this was another reason Dan was
so determined to make this anthology happen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">How
long did your story take to write?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It took Rodge three or four months to write. He’s much more
fragmented now his writing time. He writes a couple of pages and then comes
back to it later. In the first draft, the story was more about friendship, then
when he came back to it, he layered the story with references back to the
narrators father and his relationship with his son.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Describe
your story in one sentence.</span></span></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">‘A man
feeds his child at sunrise, while reminiscing.’<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">What
was your motivation/inspiration for this piece? Were there any writers that
inspired you for this?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">As an undergraduate, Rodge was
majorly influenced by his lecturer and writer, Robert Alan Jamieson who he used
to give his stories to, to give him advice on. Robert really helped him develop
as a writer and whenever Rodge heard him say <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“you know what, that’s not awful”</i> was what spurred him onto writing
even more. It was his goal to impress others like Robert.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Another major influence was
writer and artist Alasdair Gray, who he spent a lot of time with as he wrote
his biography. Alasdair is old fashioned, dictated his words and he learnt from
him. Rodge considers him his main mentor. He was so important to him, he
dedicated knew he had to dedicate a whole book towards him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">At
times it seemed Jim is the narrator’s father, other times he sounds like his
brother and then his best friend, was this intentional?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It was intentional. Rodge believes a good short story only
works if the writer is thinking all the time. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Who are these characters? What are they doing? Why are they in this
piece?</i> He thought it would be intriguing having this ambiguity over Jim’s
character.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Talk a
little about how you structured your story.</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A lot of Rodge’s stories have a scene he focuses on, but he
cuts in and out of that scene. In this story, he’s having breakfast with his
son, it is very much fragmented, as his mind begins to wander. He intentionally
begins and ends the story with Jim. He doesn’t worry too much about the
structure in the middle of the story.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I
thought it was brilliant the way you set up the story as if a father is talking
to a baby. It almost felt like the reader was the child. Was there any
particular reason you decided to do this?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Yes, this was exactly his intention. Putting the reader in
an interesting position. A baby can’t speak, and neither can the reader, so it
became the perfect parallel. The reader can’t interrupt and express their
views, just as a baby can’t. This wasn’t something he was consciously aware of
when he first wrote it, it was something he later realised and played on this.
He began writing the story almost as if the baby is listening and understanding
the story, which obviously isn’t the case.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I’m
loving the distinction between the narrators father being the complete opposite
of the narrator and Jim’s mother. Was this done purposefully to make his father
seem all the more terrible?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It wasn’t about making the narrator’s father look bad at
all, just that he wasn’t a fan of the narrator’s mother. As a child this is
something that affects your world and your view on things, which has made the
narrator himself want to be different and be a better father than his was.
Rodge discovered it was more of a challenge to represent a family that’s
functional than a family that isn’t functional during the writing process.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Despite
the narrator seeming not to have the best relationship with Jim, I found it
interesting how they always used to go drinking together, what was your reason
for this?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Some friendships are like this, they share a purpose in
each other’s lives. For certain people, they want somebody to talk to, others
want friends to go on wild adventures with. These days people don’t seem to
expect too much out of friendships. Of course, the narrator is massively
irritated by Jim, he believes he’s selfish, but Jim enables the narrator to
drink. That is Jim’s purpose to him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The
narrator and Jim drank a lot. Like a lot. I’m guessing this means they were
both alcoholics?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">They were definitely alcoholics. Rodge mentions how he
included anniversary dates in the story as an excuse for them to get drunk
together. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Shakespeare’s marriage to Anne
Hathaway (November 27<sup>th</sup>, 1582) celebrated.” </i>They never cared
about the actual events; it was just something to justify drinking in the day.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Edge Hill University provides diaries, at the bottom of
each page are anniversary dates. Rodge flicked through each page and chose the
dates he thought would work best with the story.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Why
was there no mention of the narrator’s mother?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rodge did mention the mother, but only in relation to the
father. It’s a short story and therefore he doesn’t believe the mother needs to
be mentioned. Furthermore it’s a story about fatherhood therefore only
featuring men.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The
narrator seems a little cynical when he mentions him and Jim were stuck in bad
jobs and then says to his child, he will inevitably have a bad job too. Is this
a character trait you intended?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It wasn’t a character trait he intended for; he also
doesn’t see this comment as being cynical. Rodge imagined the father to be
sending his child out to work from a young age, even something as simple as a
paper round. Ask anybody, they will most likely have had a bad job sometime in
their life. It’s just something people will go through and this is all Rodge
intended this comment to mean. Rodge himself has been working since the age of
thirteen. Though he did state the beauty of writing is the reader seeing
something in the writing the author didn’t intend.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I
absolutely loved the ending. By the way the narrator was talking I assumed it
was Jim who stopped talking to him or they just lost contact, but to read he
actually ditched him in a pub was pretty shocking. Why did you decide to end at
this point?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rodge decided to end at this point as a metaphor for Jim
outliving his usefulness as a friend. The narrator at this point has realised
he’s had enough of Jim. He’s not totally sure if Jim even realises he’s there
while he talks. The narrator enables Jim’s rambling, which is the reason he is
useful to Jim. By leaving, this is where his life really begins, when he can
put his life back together. He gets a wife, has a child and he stops drinking.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Is
there anything else I haven’t asked you, that you think should be included?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Recently Rodge has been reading a lot of Roberto </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Bolaño’s</span><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"> work
for his next novel. The novel is about Chile, which is where </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Bolaño was born. In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Jim Hangovers the </i>narrator mentions
Jim saw himself as a young Roberto Bolaño (a great artist in the making) when
in reality he’s somebody sitting around talking about it, when the reader knows
they’ll never get around to actually doing anything.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">And
thus concludes my interview with the wonderful Rodge Glass.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hope
you enjoyed this insight to the writing process of ‘The Jim Hangovers’.</span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;">ABOUT
RODGE:</span></span></b></div>
</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIl2zZ3N5vrCKDxfsdlb86WyeNKF4GGLxpOQB5cp5nniYEpPtmGdQtqPMjnkvJMlnHPHqEfaGlYkeuVqoXoeWFqXgsWLWk1CVFgo_ZJVVVTgBc3b8pfShqzo35b-078KJSk_MJ12q5ITL2/s1600/rodge1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIl2zZ3N5vrCKDxfsdlb86WyeNKF4GGLxpOQB5cp5nniYEpPtmGdQtqPMjnkvJMlnHPHqEfaGlYkeuVqoXoeWFqXgsWLWk1CVFgo_ZJVVVTgBc3b8pfShqzo35b-078KJSk_MJ12q5ITL2/s1600/rodge1.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">R</span>odge Glass is a novelist,
short story writer and editor who was born in Manchester. He was educated at
the University of Strathclyde and Glasgow, where he obtained his PhD.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">He has published three novels,
a literary biography which won a Somerset Maugham Award, a graphic novel and
has edited two short story collections.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rodge now works as a Senior
Lecturer in English Literature and Creative Writing at Edge Hill University. He
regularly appears at literary festivals and events.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span><br />
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Yours
weekly,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Jennie
Byrne</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 115%;">@mustbejlb
(on Instagram and Twitter)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.underthefable.com/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">www.underthefable.com</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Share your thoughts below. All comments and suggestions are welcome.</span></div>
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Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-81974284263131691372015-10-09T12:06:00.002+01:002015-10-09T12:06:05.189+01:00‘The Jim Hangovers’ Review<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">The Jim
Hangovers</span></i><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> is a short story by author Rodge Glass. It is part of an
anthology of short stories, by many writers, set to come out early next year.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Under
the Fable</span></i><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> was given an exclusive look at a selection of the short
stories going to be in the anthology. I was lucky enough to be given the
opportunity to read two of the short stories to review. As you can see, I will
be reviewing<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> The Jim Hangovers </i>in
this post.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">First of all: Brilliant title. I think it sets up the story
perfect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">The narrator is a new parent, who, while feeding his son in
the early hours of the morning, reflects on his friendship with Jim, a man he
hasn’t seen in over eight years. We are shown that his friendship with Jim
mostly consisted of nights out drinking, hence the brilliance of the title.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">It took me a while to grasp who exactly Jim was to the
narrator. For most of it I believed Jim was his father, until it is mentioned
Jim could possibly be a father himself now. I kind of liked this ambiguity for
most of the piece, as it made the story more exciting wondering just exactly
who is Jim and how much are we going to find out about his character?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">My absolute favourite part of this story is when the
narrator reveals he and Jim used any occasion they could to drink. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The publication of Alice in Wonderland (2<sup>nd</sup>
August, 1865) celebrated I can’t remember where.”</i> I burst out laughing when
reading this part; I just thought it was brilliant. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">The ending of this story was shocking to me. The narrator
explains how he and Jim were in a pub talking, though that was mostly Jim and
the narrator gets up to go to the toilets but abruptly leaves the pub and Jim
behind. This was the last time they saw each other. I was floored at this
point. I totally believed it would be Jim who would cut all contact, but when
this happened it gave a whole new perspective to the narrator and how he dumped
Jim as soon as he got fed up of him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">In general, I believe this is an accurate representation of
parenthood. I think everybody has witnessed the difficulty of being a new
parent at some point in their lives. Even without children, it can be so easy
to lose contact with people you consider your best friends, but when you have
to work and look after a child, it becomes increasingly more difficult.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Though this anthology is about fatherhood, I believe this
story in particular will resonate with everyone, not just fathers as everyone
will have experienced losing contact with a friend or in some cases have been
ditched by one. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">I would definitely recommend <i>The Jim Hangovers</i> short
story from this collection. It is outstandingly written and developed. It was a
thoroughly enjoyable read. Hats off to Rodge Glass for writing a short story I
actually enjoyed. That doesn’t happen a lot.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Yours
weekly,</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Jennie
Byrne</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">@mustbejlb (on Instagram and Twitter)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Share
your thoughts below. All comments and suggestions are welcome.</span></div>
Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-86615517459738132172015-10-07T10:25:00.000+01:002015-10-07T10:46:55.910+01:00Tolkien did it and so should you<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Last Friday was a unique day for me. I was helping a group of authors
bring their books to fruition; it was a training course put on by a business
development organisation I’m part of and you might think that business people
writing books would be a dry, sombre experience. It wasn’t; it just wasn’t.
What it was was a riot of laughter, creativity, bawdy humour and excellent
biscuits. Poets may be mad, artists liable to cut off parts of their body and
sculptors dangerous with knives, but last Friday showed that wherever authors
gather so creativity and laughter will follow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">There were revelations, when talking about people to write the
foreword for the book one of those gathered said “I know Jeff Beck, but does
anyone know him?” Those sitting around the table looked on incredulously (if
you are young and this needs explaining Jeff Beck is one of the best guitarists
of his generation), but our speaker wasn’t finished. “Or there’s always David I
suppose.” We ask “David?” “Yes, Bowie, David Bowie.” If I have to explain that
one I am speaking to the wrong audience. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">There were surprises. A book on how to survive the Zombie Apocalypse
by a survival expert (I’m hoping this title turns up at the ‘Walker Stalker’
convention next February). There was also a book on how to be green and leave a
low carbon footprint from someone who leases cars and there was a book on how
to run a successful coffee shop by people who are running successful coffee
shops. Ok, I confess that wasn’t a surprise, but I’m loving the title, “The
Daily Grind”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">There were a couple of exercises that authors and other wordsmiths out
there might like to try. The first is to give your book, poem or prose to
someone you don’t know, let them read it for five minutes and then tell you
what they think the piece is about. An excellent way of knowing if what you
think you are saying is being picked up by your readership. Another great
exercise was the ‘on the BBC couch’ role play. This is where you have to do an
interview, no longer than three minutes, and in that time get your message
across about your book. This crystalises your thinking and helps you get to the
essence of your meaning; for those of us prone to waffle and an illuminating
process to go through.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">All of this may be of interest, but what I really want to leave you
with is the idea of what bringing creative people together does. We would
freely acknowledge that we sit at our keyboards or with pen and paper in hand
pouring forth thoughts, ideas and literary pictures in a solitary existence.
Usually the only place that I meet those who peddle words is at festivals and
open mic nights, but I urge you to find a collective of authors, poets and
storytellers and spend a day together. Exchange ideas, swop new words, push
each other harder and find better ways to express your thoughts. Do it all in
the spirit of the ‘Inklings’ (Tolkien, CS Lewis et al) and find common ground,
behave in an outrageous fashion and form deeper friendships and camaraderie.
Your writing will be all the better for it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Yours flowingly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Andy Gibney<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">@andygibneystwitter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.underthefable.com/">www.underthefable.com</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> Have
something to say? Please comment below,
all feedback </span></i>Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-90621157977143896472015-10-04T12:33:00.001+01:002015-10-04T12:39:27.848+01:00Writing That Killer First Line<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There is nothing better than coming up with a new story
idea and writing that brilliant first line to draw your audience in. Let’s look
at a few examples:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif";"><em>“I’m
pretty much fucked.”</em><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"><em> </em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> - </span><!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif";">The Martian by Andy Weir<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif";"><em></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif";"><em>“I
was born twice: first, as a baby girl, on a </em></span><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif";"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">remarkably smogless Detroit day in January </i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif";">of
1960; and then again, as a teenage boy, in </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif";">an
emergency room near Petoskey, Michigan, </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif";">in
August of 1974.”</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif";">- Middlesex by
Jeffrey Eugenides<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 269.35pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 18.65pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Both
of these first lines immediately draw in the audience. We want to know why the
narrator is fucked! We want to know how the hell somebody can be born twice and
know about it!</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There
is nothing worse than opening a book to the first page and seeing: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“My name’s Emma Brooks, I’m 19 years old, I
live in London with my mum and dad.” </i>That really just makes me want to blow
my brains out. Of course, details like this are important to finding out
information about our protagonist, but the way we find these things out should
be through something like speech, usually iterated by another character. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Emma…we’re moving.”</i> See, it moves the
plot along while also informing the reader the name of our protagonist.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But,
we’re getting off course now. </span><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">That
first line is important. It can be the difference between somebody giving your
novel a chance, or putting it back on the shelf because it doesn’t grab their
attention. The more generic the first line, the harder it will be to prove
yourself to your readers. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve read a
novel where the first incident that grabbed my attention happened on page 115.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Be
careful. There’s always the risk your first line will set up too much
expectation for the rest of the story and you face the problem of ensuring the
story meets those high expectations.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">That
killer first line usually pops into your head once in a blue moon, no matter
how complex or simple, it usually happens when least expected. Typically during
a time you can’t write it down!</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ve
learnt that instead of obsessing over the first line, I just simply start the
story. I start at the beginning and write till the end. Then I go back. By now
I know the story inside out, I know the characters really well and the world
I’ve created. Usually it’s much easier to edit that first line and come up with
something that will really grab the reader’s attention. So just tell your
story. The right first line will come to you eventually.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">For my
dissertation module this year I have currently written 1,500 words of it and I
love my first line. My tutor loves my first line, and I deem this an epic start
to a story and it reads as follows: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Ask
anyone to describe Kyle Davies in one word, they’d all say the same thing.
Cunt.’</i></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This
is a little exclusive for you. Congratulations. I’m sure it’s made your day.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I
think immediately this will shock people. I hope it’s shocked you. Shocking
people usually makes them interested to read a little more…and then a little
more. I believe I have the definition of a killer first line, and if you tell
me wrong, I will ignore you. Just kidding…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Yours weekly,</span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Jennie Byrne<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">@mustbejlb (on Instagram and Twitter)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVFW43eWWW9r1pSkgY0nFK8ql6yoRy3x4SA-IzSWA0kP0MtME_X4V8F2EM7_EbM4_27XU_rtTkkuUV-ReomiJ8X0RIG-r1K2u9Ol96gzVEIcjMXs7V_1wFcAwrrp4e-gOOZrFwrU6LEITm/s1600/asdfg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVFW43eWWW9r1pSkgY0nFK8ql6yoRy3x4SA-IzSWA0kP0MtME_X4V8F2EM7_EbM4_27XU_rtTkkuUV-ReomiJ8X0RIG-r1K2u9Ol96gzVEIcjMXs7V_1wFcAwrrp4e-gOOZrFwrU6LEITm/s1600/asdfg.jpg" /></a></div>
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</div>
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<a href="http://www.underthefable.com/"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">www.underthefable.com</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Share your thoughts below. All comments and suggestions are
welcome.</span></div>
Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-76857757882920539092015-10-01T08:26:00.000+01:002015-10-01T08:26:36.339+01:00When magic pours into your eyes<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">What is it about the magic of books? Those of us who love them find
ourselves transported to imaginary lands, we get inside people’s heads and they
get inside ours. We learn from them, we are fascinated by them, those of us who
are true book geeks love the feel of certain books and others are so a part of
us that they are like old friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Where does your book love come from? A couple of weeks ago I was
talking about the Ladybird books story. Since then I’ve bought 7 of them from a
local bookshop; they range in age from 1956 to 1973 and what is surprising is
the quality of these books. Not just the quality of the secondhand copies that
I bought, but the quality of the writing and the quality of the artwork. As I
browsed through my new/old purchases something magical happened; memories were
stirred. Memories so real and yet not thought of for many, many years. One of
the books was on cowboys and I remembered a cowboy toy I had as a child, not a
Woody from ‘Toy Story’, but an Action man like figure and what reminded me of
this was one picture in the Ladybird book. It was a book that I had devoured as
a child and now, more than 40 years later, I was transported back in time. It
took me totally by surprise. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">It has continued. I remembered reading ‘Lord of the Rings’ when I
worked in warehouses in the early 1980’s; I remembered sitting on a train in
London reading James Clavell’s ‘Shogun’; another memory was laughing out loud
on a tube train to Bill Cosby’s book on fatherhood. Or reading ‘Watch My Back’
by Geoff Thompson and thinking I couldn’t keep reading this as I had to go back
to work, then realising I was self-employed and now reading was part of ‘work’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">At the moment I’m reading ‘Careless Love’ the second part of Peter Guralnick’s
masterpiece on the life of Elvis Presley and I’m reminded of Jerry Hopkins
biography that I read as a child so much that the spine fell off. Books, books
and more books. I thumb through my shelves and see the works of Ian Fleming,
Malcom Gladwell, William Shakespeare and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I see my
friend’s books: ‘Madam’ by Becky Adams, ‘The Botty Rules’ by Nigel Botterill,
‘The Battersea Park Road to Enlightenment’ by Isabel Losada and I am reminded
that every one of these encouraged me to become a writer. To let my words flow
from my head and onto a piece of paper that someone, somewhere would be just
like me. Moved by the written word, to think “I can do this, I can write a
book.” I might not be Stephen King or Dan Brown or Carlos Castenada, but my
words might move someone, might affect someone, might make them laugh or make
them cry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Words are all we have and yet they are everything we need. Read more,
write more, express yourself more and do it through the love of the written
word. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Yours lovingly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Andy Gibney<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">@andygibneystwitter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.underthefable.com/">www.underthefable.com</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<i>Have something to say? Please
comment below, all feedback welcome.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-80673864463685490942015-09-27T13:37:00.000+01:002015-09-27T13:44:32.502+01:00Wilfred Owen’s ‘Dulce et Decorum est’<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When
reading anything I love to be shocked or horrified, if your poetry can give me
palpitations then you know you’ve written a cracker! This is why my favourite poem of all time is an old classic, Wilfred Owen's <em>'Dulce et Decorum est.</em></span><v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><em><span style="font-family: Arial;">
' </span></em></v:shapetype></div>
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<v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><em><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></em></v:shapetype> </div>
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<v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Owen fought in the First World War and the poem is famous for containing the horrible truth about fighting for your country.</span></v:shapetype></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The
earliest draft found of this poem was dated back in 1917 written while he was
stationed at Craiglockhart in a letter to his mother. This was a whole three
years before the poem was even published.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The
poem centres round the Latin phrase (originally written by the Roman poet
Horace) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">'Dulce et decorum est, pro patria
mori',</i> roughly </span><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">translating to: it is sweet and honourable to die for one's
country. Throughout the </span><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">poem Owen disputes this idea by presenting the horrible
truth about war life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The poem begins with a description of the men. The second
line of the poem says, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Knock-kneed,
coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge.” </i>The reason I like this line
so much was simply because of the word “cursed.” Normally you’d expect a verb
here, for example: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘we walked through
sludge’ </i>or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘we crawled through sludge.’</i>
However Owen uses an adjective instead to show the soldiers frustration about
having to push through this sludge when they’re clearly not in the best
physical condition. They are described as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“knock-kneed”</i>
which is severe muscle and bone pain, which makes it incredibly difficult to
move.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Owen goes onto describe the physical ramifications of being
a soldier, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“And towards our distant rest
began to trudge/Men marched asleep” and “Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the
hoots.” </i>“Hoots” is the noise made from the shells rushing through the
air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I find it horrifying how tired
soldiers must have been. Owen has mentioned going to their “distant rest” which
is said to have been a camp away from the front line where exhausted soldiers might
rest for a few days, or longer. To be that tired you’d need possibly more than
a few days rest is astounding to me. It really puts a picture in my head of the
conditions these men were in.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The next part of the poem is the section Owen sent to his
mother in 1917. Owen sent her the first draft of this piece, he states in his
letter to her, “Here is a gas poem done yesterday (which is not private, but
not final).</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This description of being gassed by the Germans is very
long and detailed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Owen does make you
feel like you were present during these descriptions as he speaks directly to
us: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!” </i>You
almost feel like you have to put your gas mask on.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m going to quote the whole description below so you can
see what I mean.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“And
flound’ring like a man in fire or lime</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Dim,
through the misty panes and thick green light,</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As
under a green sea, I saw him drowning.</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In
all my dreams, before my helpless sight,</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">He
plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">If
in some smothering dreams you too could pace</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Behind
the wagon that we flung him in,</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">And
watch the white eyes writing in his face,</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">His
hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">If
you could hear, at every jolt, the blood</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Come
gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Obscene
as cancer, bitter as the cud”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I mean, where do you even begin? Are you as horrified as I
was to read in such detail what the gas used to do to men who couldn’t get
their masks on in time? When you panic, you are more likely to be clumsy, which
immediately ups the chances of you being caught in the gas. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">By the description Owen gives, it is most likely it was
chlorine gas, as that does make the lungs fill with blood so you feel like you
are drowning.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Through this description I felt like I was Owen, inside my
helmet, watching through this thick green haze a man drowning on his own blood,
begging me for help and knowing there was nothing I could do to help. Imagine
having to watch a man choking on his own blood in front of you. It’s just
unimaginable. No scratch that, it’s very imaginable, Owen makes it so. That’s
what’s so disturbing.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">What really sent chills through me was Owen saying they had
to throw the body into a wagon and then watching while his lungs are still
filling and he is still choking. I just couldn’t imagine discarding a human
life in such a cruel way. The fact soldiers were ordered to do this and it
practically became a routine for them is just inhumane.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Despite the circumstances of being in war, I felt he still
deserved a burial, instead of being discarded like a spare part, or something
just getting in their way. Could you imagine having to do that frequently? Put
your compassion for others aside because men are dying all around you. I think
even the most bitter of people would struggle to do this.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The speaker of the poem tries to reinforce the idea that if
people were to witness what war was really like they wouldn't be so quick to
believe the Latin saying, this is proved by the final few lines of the poem: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“My friend, you would not tell with such
high zest/To children ardent for some desperate glory,/The old Lie; Dulce et
Decorum est/Pro patria mori” </i>Simply translated: My friend, you would not
speak with such enthusiasm, to children desperate for glory that it is sweet
and honourable to fight and die for your country.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>Owen makes his views explicit as he refers to the Latin saying as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"The Old Lie."</i></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Due to my extreme interest in history, Owens poem has been
a constant favourite of mine and the inspiration for many of my poems,
including Adam Ward's editors pick for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Under
the Fable’s</i> August issue. It can be found on their website, pages 6 - 9, in
which I try to replicate Owens shocking imagery when talking about the
Merseyside blitz during World War II.</span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Yours weekly,</span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Jennie
Byrne<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">@mustbejlb (on
Instagram and Twitter)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
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Share your thoughts below. All comments and suggestions are welcome.</div>
Under the Fablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019212752855004358noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1611185108586167170.post-2561384207138636132015-09-25T15:48:00.000+01:002015-09-25T15:48:04.079+01:00The Hidden Chorus<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></b>he chorus. Where did it come from? Why is it so important?
Why have so many writers included it within their work such as Shakespeare? Well,
let’s take a trip back to 776-336 BC. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">In Ancient Greece, the chorus was a very important part of
Greek tragedies, if not the most important part. Daniels and Scully, authors of
“What is really going on in Sophocles'
Theban Plays”, state, "No feature of Greek tragedy is more
intractable than the chorus." For Ancient Greeks, the chorus' role was an
obvious one and although the language was always in a formal dialect, it wasn't
difficult to understand the chorus' message. Tragedies were written in verse,
and actors would either say or sing their lines. Only men could perform in the
plays, females performing was unthinkable. In Ancient Greece, the playwright
was a choreographer and a composer in addition to being a playwright. He choreographed
the dances for the chorus as well as composing the music that the chorus sang.</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">The chorus usually sang and danced between lines, and the role of the chorus,
in this regard, could be seen as a form of entertainment and the audience would
have been highly interested upon watching this.</span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Aristotle
argued in “Poetics” that “…the chorus should be regarded as one of the actors;
it should be a part of the whole and should participate in the drama not as in
Euripides but as in Sophocles.” From this we can gather that Aristotle values
the chorus greatly as part of a play and believes that Sophocles was superior
in his choral writing. Choral odes should not be “mere interludes,” but should
contribute to the unity of the plot – which according to Aristotle was the most
important element in a tragedy. The</span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"> masks that were worn during the
performances were generic for the chorus, and this was to highlight the chorus
as a whole rather than individuals. This reinforced the viewpoint of how the
audience of the time would view the chorus as a whole body, rather than
individuals and the viewpoints of the chorus was relatable to the viewpoints
that the community held as a whole, not just individual beings. </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;">Like most of the ancient Greek tragedians, Sophocles
divides his choral odes into strophic pairs – strophe and antistrophe. Both
sections have the same number of lines and metrical pattern generally.</span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"> In Greek, ‘strophe’
means ‘turn,’ and ‘antistrophe’
means ‘turn back/against.’ During the strophe, choruses danced from right to
left and during the antistrophe they did the opposite. Sophocles may have split
the chorus into two groups, so that it was as if one part was conversing with
the other. The oppositions created by strophe and antistrophe may represent the
endless, irresolvable debates which were prevalent in Ancient Greek society.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">An example of the chorus’
integral role within a Greek play, ‘Oedipus Rex’ serves a fitting illustration.
The first time we hear from the chorus in ‘Oedipus Rex’ is directly after Creon, Oedipus’ brother-in-law
returns from the God Apollo, with Apollo's message about how to save the city
of Thebes from plague and ruin. </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">The
strophic pairs are generally in more extravagant and ambiguous verse than the
actors' lines are. The strophe
is reacting to the news from Apollo and in some ways foreshadowing the events
to come when it says, "I am stretched on the rack of doubt," and then
words are used that express fear and foreboding, like "terror and
trembling" and "full of fears" and "doom." The
language is rich with metaphors, and for Aristotle, “it [metaphor] is the mark
of genius, for to make good metaphors implies an eye for resemblance.” The antistrophe is calling on the Gods to
help </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">them, such as ‘Athene’, ‘Artemis’ and ‘Phoebus’, thus reflecting the
polytheistic beliefs held by the Ancient Greeks. The function of the chorus
here is split into two. The first function is to show a reaction to the news
that they have just received and the second is to plead to the Gods, thus
showing the integration of the chorus into the play. </span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;">G. M. Kirkwood
states in his journal “Phoenix”, titled ‘The Dramatic Role of the Chorus in Sophocles’
that “It is generally assumed that the main function of the Sophoclean Chorus
is a philosophical one; that it serves above all as the spokesman for a certain
view of life.” The chorus were seen as the voice of the community and perhaps
due to this, those that were performing as part of the chorus were local men
and it was seen as their duty. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;">Unlike his contemporary
Euripides, Sophocles was known to mix his chorus into the action of the play.
In ‘Oedipus Rex’ we see the chorus
advising Oedipus to remain calm, such as when t</span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;">hey tell Oedipus and Creon to stop </span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;">arguing, “</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 107%;">My lords,
an end to this.” There is direct address between the chorus and Oedipus which
shows that the chorus were not just overseers but involved in the plot too. </span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;">After Oedipus pieces things together
and</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> realises</span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"> what he’s done and sees the truth,
‘anagnorisis’, the chorus mourns the tragedy. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;">Alternatively, the chorus in ‘Oedipus Rex’ manages to convince
Oedipus not to banish or execute Creon at the start. </span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;">Although the chorus only speaks once in a while,
it is present throughout the play as an observer. This is rather significant as
they oversee all of the action and help make </span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;">decisions, such as when Oedipus asks the chorus to help send him out of
Thebes or kill him and the chorus leader replies that Oedipus should go “</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 107%;">To a fearful place from
which men turn away, a place they hate to look upon.”</span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"> This</span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"> shows the significance of the chorus, not just as
narrators of the action, but as an integral core to the play.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;">Therefore, the chorus especially within Greek tragedies has
a variety of roles and functions. The chorus </span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;">comments on the play's action and foreshadows future events.</span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">As well as this, the chorus help characters
of a play and therefore are connected directly within the play. The chorus also
give an in depth view of the character’s emotions and thoughts as they explain
Oedipus’ feelings, “</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 107%;">Unhappy in your
fate and in your mind which now knows all.” </span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;">Sophocles also
used the chorus to comment on the larger impact of the characters' actions</span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"> and to illustrate a play's central themes. </span><span lang="EN" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">Shakespeare’s use of the chorus in a similar manner can be seen to have
drawn from the Ancient Greeks.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yours dramatically,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sadia Parveen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">@Sadia_x95<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have something to say? Please comment below, all feedback is welcome.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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