Writing - Unknowns

 In the blogs that I have written so far, I have stuck very closely to what I am familiar with both in my own writing and the types of books that I have read.  That isn’t to say that I’ve never read anything other than adventure books, spy novels, and mysteries. In fact, I remember quite an early age, reading many westerns; also during my teen years I read Isaac Asimov and other well-known sci-fi authors. Having said that, it hasn't given me the confidence to tackle those genre at a personal level.

 This adds more fuel to the statement that we should write from what we know, although I’m sure whoever wrote the first sci-fi novel, or the 1^st western, or the 1st historical novel  had to take a leap in the dark in the beginning to a degree. 

Having said that, it follows that I am limited in the type of advice that I can offer. Analysing my thoughts on fantasy, SciFi, historical genres, it seems to me that when writing in an unfamiliar style, the need for consistency is paramount. I would certainly need to keep re-reading such a work to ensure that I am staying on task. 

A second thought is that the quantity of preparation would be greater than in a story created in normal times. In some of these different genres, the writer creates a different world with its own rules and limits. Think of Terry Pratchett's Discworld or the magical world in Harry Potter that runs in parallel with the 'muggle' world. In both cases, the writers have maintained the new realities they created. 

Really, that last sentence sums up what is required in writing about new worlds. You need to know your created world in all aspects. 

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday 166 - Robin Hoods

 The legend is about six hundred years old, but when you consider the state of this modern world, it seems we could do with his return. 

Robin Hoods

 

Robin Hood and his gang riding in their ubers,

cruising the streets of London looking for their prey,

targeting entitled oligarchs and Sloan Rangers,

as they’re the targeted dish of the day.

 

Robin Hood and Little John Royal Berkshire cruising,

casing joints for opportunities to do law-breaking,

changing sterling silver for loaves of bread,

making sure the beleaguered poor are fed.

 

Robin Hood and his men running through the forest,

laughing back and forth at the stories they’d tell,

of fooling the sheriff and leaving him embarrassed,

over personal enrichment plans and power grabbing as well.

©David L Atkinson October 2026 

God Bless 

Writing - Alternatives

 Sources of inspiration can be the source of blocks. There is a well of possible scenarios that are quite easily accessible and open to interpretation. Disney. There are many parts of stories beautifully produced by the Disney Corporation that could give you food for your story-writing journey. 

Robin Hood 1973 

The 1973 version of Robin Hood with animals as the stars may provide snippets that you can utilise. Then there are straight stories like Oliver Twist, from which you could extract and embellish sections. 

Oliver Twist 

There are a number of options; 

1. The Rise of Bill Sykes and Nancy, 

2. The nefarious deeds of Mr and Mrs Bumble. 

3. The demise of Oliver's mother and how he came to be in the workhouse. 

Just a few accessible opportunities. Of course, you don't have to stick to films to derive sources. Almost anything you have read can be of use. I would even go so far as to say that could be true of a technical article; it may stretch the imagination, but nothing wrong in that.

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday 165 - Verbal Diarrhoea

 Words - a simple song, a minstrel sings. Perhaps a poet speaks.  This week's poem is a set of couplets that can be presented in a couple of ways and still largely make sense. The alternative is presented.

Verbal Diarrhoea

 

I’m feeling quite suspicious,

the outcome might be ominous,

 

Right from the very start,

with this piece of verbal art,

 

It may not make the grade,

to be put upon parade,

 

If the message lacks clarity,

requires the reader’s charity,

 

To be ultimately received,

if I am to be believed,

 

That the aim is to entertain,

and tickle the curious brain,

 

Into perceiving some emotion,

from seconds of studied devotion,

 

And if it fulfils its goal,

then that will gladden my soul.

©David L Atkinson October 2026 

The alternative version. 

Verbal Diarrhoea

 

I’m feeling quite suspicious,

right from the very start,

the outcome might be ominous,

with this piece of verbal art. 

It may not make the grade, 

if the message lacks clarity, 

to be put upon parade, 

requires the reader’s charity. 

To be ultimately received, 

that the aim is to entertain, 

if I am to be believed, 

and tickle the curious brain. 

Into perceiving some emotion, 

and if it fulfils its goal, 

from seconds of studied devotion, 

then that will gladden my soul.

©David L Atkinson October 2026 

God Bless 

Writing -- Art of Brevity

 The subject of the short story has been selected, the initial incident described, and now you have to decide what to actually include, what level of description of the characters you need to include, and what you need to leave out. 

You’re not going to write a short story in the style of Charles Dickens. You are looking to get your message across in 1000 to 5000 words, probably no more than that. So, pictorially rich descriptions of places and people are going to slow the pace. However, you’d still need to include enough information to keep the reader interested and for the story to make sense, and as I’ve said many times before, that is the dilemma for the writer. 

Writing is very much about decision-making, and in this case of short stories, continual decision-making. Putting in essential information to maintain a strong atmosphere is something you’ve to keep up with throughout the length of the tale itself, so probably more than in a full-length novel you’re going to be re-reading section by section as you actually proceed. My own experience is to be rather too succinct; I’ve written many tiny little stories of between 750 and 1000 words, which may seem too little but actually still works. I’m currently reading a book whose chapters are about that length, and the actual story itself feels a little jerky as a result. When you're writing a short story, that is all you have: you've just got that little space, that little collection of words through which to transmit your message. To allow yourself to fall into the trap of wordy descriptions is to change the pace of what you're writing. The important thing is to be interesting and keep the structure tight.

One way of ensuring a tight structure is to limit the scope of the story; for example, I wrote a story about a teddy bear in the night and stuck very much to a few short hours of darkness and some rather creepy action, but it was limited to the teddy bear that developed a life of its own and the little boy who was the teddy bear's owner. A second example would be a slightly longer short story which is about an assassin, and it was very much about him and limited to his immediate experiences; very few significant others were introduced into that story again to keep the actual structure as tight as I possibly could within the time available. 

 Keep the balance. 

God Bless 

 

 

Poetry Thursday 164 - Jigsaw

 It was fashionable a number of years ago to need to find oneself which was superceded by gap years created for the same reason. In fact, if you go back to the Victorian era, the well-to-do used to go on a 'grand tour' of Europe. There seems to be a human condition that is based upon how our lives change at a variety of ages. Teenage years, mid-life and old age are three to mention. 

Jigsaw

 

I am not the bairn I was,

I am bits of that child,

I am not the teacher I became,

for almost half of my time  on earth,

but parts of the job linger,

caring  and growing,

obeying the silence finger.

Still a parent but not the mistake ridden, befuddled young one,

I am not the graduate of 86,

 but I still learn a daily new trick,

 

I am not as regular a drinking pal,

although I still turn out, sketchily,

and attendance at church is every Sunday, mostly.  

 

No longer ice cream man or milkman,

or caretaker or banker,

but occasional author, frequent poet,

would be artist.

 

I am  jigsaw,

an amalgamation of misshapen parts,

that fit together loosely,

allowing further additions,

or gentle atrophy.

©David L Atkinson September 2026

God Bless 

Writing - First Steps

So you have your source of inspiration and want to write something quickly to pass on a moral standpoint to your readers. How do you start? Let's have a go. 

I'll be back!

Starting 

I received a phone call, a cold call, and it gave me a good starting point for a poem I wrote last week, and it could also be used in a short story. So, my message,

'beware of the rapid rise of AI' 

The first paragraph would begin with the initial conversation:- 

"Hello," 

pause "My name is John. I am your local energy consultant." 

"Sorry - not interested." 

This is the point at which the imagination is fully engaged, and choices will be made as to what happens next. I hesitate to give examples, or I may do myself out of an idea! Suffice it to say that what comes next needs to be engaging for the reader. Something to take into consideration is that a 'cold call' ignored once will probably be repeated and will likely offer opportunities. 

AI cop 

Once the beginning is set to your satisfaction, how the story develops is the writers' choice. I include the AI cop as a prompt to the imagination. In this scenario, you may end up with a visit from the AI policeman, which then leads to a need for explanation and further story development. 

During this middle phase, a writer must manage an argument while describing actions and relationships. The argument is the alternative moral viewpoints you hope to convey to your readers. Obviously, you will come down on the side you wish to convey in your conclusion. That is the clarity with which you would hope to conclude the story. 

God Bless