Writing - Be Positive

 It's always a bit of a trial putting those first words down on paper after you have made the decision to write. However, there is only you who will not make that initial step, and you shouldn't allow any naysayers to change your decision. 

I was fortunate in that my support was generously given, and criticism was constructive, and at no point did anyone tell me to give up. Looking back, my early efforts were riddled with issues, but within a couple of years and three books, I was receiving fewer criticisms and more praise. This spurred me on to complete 13 novels and three collections of poetry. 

Improvement in writing continues throughout the experience. This is particularly true if you continue to read other authors of all types. In doing so, it is also possible to see the development in other authors. 

Two of these very successful authors are Colin Dexter and his Morse series, and Ian Rankin with the Rebus series. Both collections are great reads, but they all started off tentatively and became increasingly strong as the series developed. If you enjoy crime fiction they are well worth a read. 

Obviously, some authors set off at a gallop like J K Rowling, whose Potter series hit the ground running, but even with that magnificent saga there are one or two books that didn't quite progress as smoothly. So when you are writing, you do need to concentrate on the quality of what you produce, as success isn't guaranteed.

The bottom line is to remain focused and positive about what you want to achieve, and at the same time, remember to congratulate yourself on what you have achieved when you produce 50k plus words in a book. That is no mean feat. 

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday 127 - Wood for Trees

 We've relied on them for thousands of years for everything from transport to bracelets. It is a beautiful natural medium that needs preserving. Norway has taken steps, a billionaire has taken steps, but if you are neither a member of the super-rich or a country but have a garden, you can do something. 

Wood for Trees

 

It has to be made from wood from trees,

not MDF, chip, ply or plastic stuff,

the real thing with roots and leaves,

and height, flexibility, and bark that’s rough.

 

Even after death, when stripped to the bone,

wood has a feel that is living and warm,

but perfection isn’t a factor alone,

it is less than ideal in whatever form.

 

With knots and beautifully patterned grain,

it can be used for a myriad of purposes,

each piece enhanced by the artist’s stain,

and unique irrespective of purchases.

Whether polished, stained or simply laid bare,

the material is merely enhanced,

for the benefit of all people to share,

the satisfaction of tastes advanced.

©David L Atkinson June 2022 

God Bless 

Writing - Witness accounts

 The dreadful killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis reminded me of the difficulty police have in filtering accurate witness accounts from those accounts that are not quite as accurate. I have a real-life example of how memory can play tricks on the mind when one is asked to recall something. 

What you see in the photograph are the steps in front of St. Paul's Cathedral, London. As often happens, groups tend to collect on those steps for group photographs. To set the scene, we have to go back more than thirty years to a time when I was involved in taking a party of school children for a four day visit to the capital. One of the sights we were visiting was St. Paul's, and that was where the drama began. 

When teachers take groups out of the school building, they have to check on the welfare of the kids frequently, which includes the number of children present. The stress of taking other people's children away is legion, but teachers believe in giving kids unique and memorable experiences. 

So we collected together on the steps outside the cathedral for the group photo and then set off walking the quarter of a mile or so to The London Museum. Inside the museum, we split the children into groups under the supervision of an adult, and off they went for a look round with a time to collect together to move on to our next event. When that occurred, we discovered one of the children was missing, and it was at this point that we asked people when and where the boy was last seen. It was at this point that we realised the range of discrepancies across the recollections of the rest of the group. 

Some claimed that the missing boy had been sitting with them on the cathedral steps for the photograph. 

Some claimed that they had walked with him from St Paul's to the museum. 

Some claimed they were looking at cars in the basement of the museum with the boy. 

However, all those stories were incorrect. In fact, the boy had left the group inside the cathedral to take a photograph, and by the time he'd come outside to meet up, we had already left. Obviously, the trauma for all at having lost a child in a city of 10 million people was awful, but everything was resolved safely later in the day. 

The statements made by all parties over the shooting of Ms Good have been influenced by differing views, different video lengths, and political bias. 

It would seem to me that the lady was unlawfully killed, but that is just my personal opinion. When we write, we have the opportunity to use this frailty of memory and witness accounts to enrich our stories or even to throw in the odd red herring where it is appropriate. 

Keep writing. 

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday 126 - Bad Postcode?

 The term 'postcode lottery' is often used to describe access limitations to many types of services, ranging from drugs to pothole repairs. 

Post Code Lotteries

 

If you live in Narnia water may be dirty,

residing in Lilliput and you can’t access internet,

born in Oceania and no treatment for infertility,

resident in Arendelle no mental health mindset.

 

Government should:

maintain order and security,

provide services for its people,

protect rights and liberty,

be fair and be accountable.

 

Live in Shangri-la no medicine for epilepsy,

reside in Atlantis poor chronic pain care,

born in Zamunda no access to radiotherapy,

reside in Ruritania no access to a wheelchair.

Government should:

maintain order and security,

provide services for its people,

protect rights and liberty,

be fair and be accountable.

 

In Utopia all potholes are repaired,

the trains and buses run on time,

no one is educationally disadvantaged,

low income is not an accessibility crime.

 

In the UK Government should:

maintain order and security,

provide services for its people,

protect rights and liberty,

be fair and be accountable.

©David L Atkinson January 2026

God Bless 

Writing - Journey Through Time

 I was directed towards a podcast last week that I found interesting and scary.

Christmas Carol 

One of my favourite books was written by Dickens in 1843. Quite often, Dickens and this story are attributed with the rebooting of Christmas. In 1843, the day wasn't even a public holiday, added to which Dickens was in dire financial straits, as was his publisher. He wrote A Christmas Carol in six weeks and spared no expense in producing it as a quality piece of work. It was very successful, but as a result of his expensive presentation, Dickens only made a relatively small profit. However, it was a success and re-established his popularity. 

The timbre of the book is both emotional and socially aware. Dickens weaves many aspects of the life of the poor into the story, and it generated a sense of guilt in some measure that caused a better attitude towards fellow humans. The Poor Law was introduced a couple of years earlier than this book, and it established institutions such as the workhouses, but the overall attitude was that of Scrooge when he asked, '... are there no workhouses, debtors prisons ...' In fact, those institutions were run as a punishment for people daring to be poor. The poor were seen as a different species. 

The scary part is that here we are 180 years later, and there is a similar attitude towards the less well off when, in fact, they are in that situation, in many cases, because of poor wages, expensive housing, and the lack of affordability of the things we need just to keep going. Those prices are out of the reach of ordinary people because capitalists are trying to maintain exorbitant profit margins and unrealistic dividends for shareholders. 

The question is, where is the author who will write a 21st century story that will rekindle the levels of human kindness necessary to maintain a fair society? 

If you wish to sample the podcast, it is on Spotify and called 'Journey Through History' and the producers are David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell, episodes 59 - 61. Well worth a listen.

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday 125 - Coal House

On the eve of a new year, the source of a northern tradition of 'first-footing' (Viking origins), I give you a shrine to the first foot's good luck symbol Coal.

Coal House

 

The metallic clatter generates adrenaline,

followed by hinges screaming protest,

and the door’s mood sullen,

semi-sealed by the ubiquitous black dust.

 

Looking in - no visible horizon,

no great vista at all,

scarcely a view to the mizen,

like sea fret, dust is overall.

 

What is hiding in the murk,

beyond usual visibility,

a tale of overwork,

rather than a romantic story.

 

The dust is the key,

unwanted effluent of a process,

can exact a priceless fee,

all to claim king coal access.

 

It enters the skins pores,

is breathed into the lungs,

influences simple chores,

and can be tasted on our tongues.

 

It falls to earth in the rain,

even coats the bark of trees,

causes mother to take in washing again,

is carried on every breeze,

 

Of this coal house reveals nothing,

standing part filled yet hungry,

a filthy altar not for worshipping,

but ruling our lives absurdly.

©David L Atkinson December 2025 

First Foot 

A tradition of sending a handsome dark-haired man out of the house just before midnight on New Year's Eve, with a piece of coal, a loaf of bread and some cash. He is to be welcomed back in once the New Year is in. The coal for fuel, bread for food and money for prosperity. 

God Bless 

Writing - Nutty Slack

 The opposite of anthracite, or steam coal, but the basic form of 'king coal'. A mineral that rightly attained the regal title, and I will explain from a personal perspective. 

In the beginning, my father spent the majority of his working life tending to the extraction of the mineral. He maintained and serviced the mechanical equipment below ground. In fact, he had three brothers who worked the mines. 

Consider everyday life. We lived in houses that were heated by coal, and that had cooking ovens built into a range that depended on burning coal. So far, the household income, source of heating, and cooking are all reliant on coal. 

Even the design of the house is adjusted to accommodate coal. 

There were two coal fires downstairs in our two-bedroomed home. One of those was in the kitchen and included the aforementioned oven and a water boiler. The other in the sitting room. There was no central heating. More significantly, there was the coal house. My dad's wage included a coal allowance. 

The coal allowance was 20cwt of coal, about once every month to six weeks. It was delivered by a man with a wagon and bags of coal that he carried on his back and tipped in the yard outside the coalhouse. 1cwt in each sack. He would tip one or two bags into the coal house, and the rest would be tipped in the yard for Dad to shovel home. When I was old enough, I 'helped'. 

Holidays were dictated by the coal board because, apart from bank holidays, everyone had the same two weeks off in the summer. So life was controlled by coal. 

God Bless