Writing - Points of View

There's a BBC programme with the same name as this page. It reminded me of the tactic of enlivening narrative by recounting stories from different viewpoints. That is, as described in stories by two or more other characters. 

Take a situation and have two characters interact within the situation, and have them describe what they have experienced. This involves a writer in thinking like each of the characters they've created with all that entails. It is necessary to be inside those heads and to be consistent with what has been created and truly represent different viewpoints. 

In my Steele novels, I haven't used this ploy very often so I have created a bit of a silly example, but a bit of fun.  

If you look carefully you can see two pigeons in the background of this photo and they're being watched by my cat Ginny. Obviously, I'm taking the photo. 

As I see it, two scavengers have grown fat on their gleanings and they are scouting for more goodies in a neighbour's garden. The sight causes me to lament the loss of more native British birds such as sparrows, starlings, blackbirds, and thrushes. I also reflect on the noise the pigeons make because they are noisy. 

What is Ginny thinking? Food!!!!!!!!! How can I get out and catch the birds? 

Sounds as though she might be on my side but she would treat all birds no matter how rare. 

This sort of exercise can be very enjoyable, and it could enrich the quality of your work. 

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday 85 - The Lollipop

 Consider the state of things in the world in 2025. Frankly, even though we are supposed to be a forward-thinking and more sensitive world, the facts contradict that state. I could fill a couple of pages with facts and opinions on this but suffice it to say we have wars, we have starving people in rich countries, and we have global greed in obscene proportions. 

The Lollipop

 

Have we come to the end of our lollipop?

Have we extracted every last vestige of flavour?

Has the human race reached the top?

Is there nothing left to savour?

 

We’ve come a long way from hunter-gathering,

it’s taken many millennia to get here,

there are clues of the past, remaining,

will AI be controller of this sphere?

 

Will they allow us to continue,

 in a pointless war of acquisitions,

allowing mountains of waste to accrue,

and adding more toxic emissions.

 

Or will they farm us like aphids,

culling those of little value,

not accepting financial bids,

or evidence from those who can argue.

 

Or perhaps there’s a genetic ceiling,

signalled by isolationist greed,

that is already influence applying,

and poisoning human seed.

 

When you come to the end of your lolly,

right down to the final lick,

to strive on may well be folly,

when all you have left is the stick.

© David L Atkinson March 2025  

God Bless 

Writing - What do you have in mind?

 When writing stories an author has something in mind whether they are producing short stories, full-length novels, an article or poetry. So when I was thinking about this blog there were innumerable influences on my thinking and I sometimes feel that picturing what I'm considering helps organise my thoughts. 

The cartoons I have produced are a result of the situation with a well-known car manufacturer that is in the news almost constantly at present. When we write, we produce work under several influences before allowing external factors to exert influence. I fully expect that some readers will interpret a car being driven, or driving itself, into a landfill site. My take on the Tesla situation at the moment. Then there is a political link. 

The above amalgamates a couple of events and is somewhat more complex in the speculations that are possible from the arrangement of the cartoon. 

Leading on from the first pic Tesla's difficulties are again referred to by the production line but the box receiving the robotic Trumpian heads introduces the furor over the shipping of 300 people to El Salvador for incarceration after they had been accused, rightly or wrongly, of being gang members guilty of some heinous crimes. 

My suggestion is that the heads are being sent to replace those of the gang members so that they will be part of Trump's 'army'. 

So that is what was in my mind at the time shortly before I drew these cartoons. They could be used to stimulate writing or you could produce your own thoughts on different scenarios that may help the creative process. 

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday - 84 - From the Shallows

 Anniversaries are a mixture of celebration and sadness. The intensity of those feelings depends upon the nature of the anniversary and the relationship to the person(s) being remembered. There you go the obvious has been stated. My own experience is no different from anyone else's but on the anniversary of my father's death it was brought home to me on the death of John Hemingway (105) this week. The trigger being that he was born in the same year as my Dad 1919, but my father died 32 years ago. 

From the Shallows

 

Is there enough sugar in the pie,

I saw you shudder and squint your eye,

No its okay dear - lovely.

You’re a poor liar Leslie.

 

Ee how do you know that fact?

I’ll ‘ve read it somewhere,

you’ve always got yer nose in this or that,

every moment you've got to spare.

 

How much have yer had to drink?

Just two pints dear,

giving me a knowing wink,

he’d a good capacity for beer.

 

Leslie, don't forget to steep the peas,

not at all dear,

essential task before he's at his ease,

that keeps the marital ticket clear.

© David L Atkinson March 2025 

God Bless 

Writing - St. Patrick's Day

 March 17th, St Patrick's Day, is celebrated widely in the UK and other parts of the world, and to me seems to be a happy day. 

St. Patrick is one of the most famous patron saints of Ireland: According to the legend, he brought Christianity to the island, made the shamrock fashionable, and freed Ireland from snakes. The holiday marks St. Patrick's death and has been observed as a religious holiday in Ireland for over 1500 years. 

Biologists tell us that there were never any snakes in Ireland but that the story is a metaphor for St Patrick being fed up with paganism and introducing Christianity. 

The shamrock (clover) is believed to have been a visual aid for the saint in describing the holy trinity. 

A couple of excellent examples of ideas for writing. Take a scenario and apply a metaphor to help deliver alternatives, persuading your audience of a different point of view. The more unlikely the metaphor is, the more fun you'll have writing it, and your audience will be more greatly engaged in your narrative. 

In this fifth Steele novel, Patrick confronts the person who has been secretly following him throughout several of his adventures. This pursuit is not without risk, as the focus of his love, Naomi Kobayashi, goes missing, which significantly impacts his ability to function effectively. We also learn more about Patrick himself. The adventure takes him to Eire, France, and the USA before he returns to resolve the issue in the UK. 

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday 83 - Gulf of Sunderland

t1As I've been referring to memory being rather like an inland sea, I am continuing that metaphor this week but have named the body of water as the Gulf of Sunderland. What's good enough for the TT is good enough for me. 

Out of the Depths

 

From the gulf of Sunderland,

out of the deepest part of the sea,

occurrences affecting the family,

hidden for eternity.

Stored in the gulf of Sunderland, 

tucked away for future reference,

not intended for general conference,

meant to maintain the balance.

Out of the gulf of Sunderland, 

for occasional historical share,

for those for whom you care,

for trials of life to prepare.

Inside the gulf of Sunderland,

to wallow in warm nostalgia,

part of later life’s agenda

or to dispel a thorny dilemma.

Illusive as the gulf of Sunderland,

a source of pure enjoyment,

daily trial abandonment, 

fostering life’s accomplishment.

© David L Atkinson March 2025  

God Bless 

Writing - Empathy

 I started writing seriously in 2006. The second novel I wrote was The 51st State. Many years before the TT was thrust upon the world the first time, England had been referred to as the 51st state. 

Blurb 

Patrick A Steele is principally an Englishman. He finds the influence that the USA enjoys within his country to be abhorrent. He decides that he should research the possibility of doing something about the ‘special relationship’ to which the two nations profess. Patrick Steele is an accountant with training in a variety of physical skills. He has made himself a self-styled Robin Hood, available to right the wrongs of society using his skills as an accountant and a man of violence. The Gurentai, a more benevolent sub-group of the Japanese Yakuza, set Steele up with a Swiss bank account with sufficient remuneration to purchase an empty factory unit and set it up as a training facility and garage. After persuading his Japanese companion, Takuo Sumisu and Naomi Kobayashi, to become involved, he also elicits assistance from the German and French secret services. There then ensues a variety of actions that take Patrick and his Japanese allies across Europe and eventually to the US before returning to the UK. Will the efforts of Patrick and his cronies be enough to drive a rift between the USA and the UK? Discover the outcome in ‘The 51ST State’

When I wrote the blurb for my book, it was more of a cultural whinge. Empathy in this context is about the opinions of a limited section of society. Its usage is important in realistic storytelling. There is no end to the opportunities empathy provides because mentally transporting yourself into the shoes of others is infinite. 

Little did I know that the title of 51st State would arise once again, but in this case relating to Canada. I will not be jumping into Trump's shoes anytime soon. 

The exercise of empathising can look like procrastination from the outside, but it takes concentrated thought. 

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday 82 - Depths

 In this era of self-reflection, meditation and mindfulness, I wonder if we actually accrue the mental equipment necessary to protect ourselves as we progress through life. 

Depths

 

Within the labyrinth of the human mind,

in a place no-one will ever find,

are history, trauma and reverie,

behind the dark door of memory.

 

Through the door is a tideless sea,

only accessible to you or me,

beneath the surface shallows and trenches,

into which our memory plunges.

 

There for our eternity,

sometimes raised for conscious scrutiny,

only to be shared to suitable audiences,

too rich for the unattached masses.

 

An ocean of actions and experiences,

not to be forgotten they are treasures,

but applied by us accordingly,

for self-repair knowingly.

© David L. Atkinson March 2025 

God Bless 

Writing - Interpretations

The way in which we write is open to interpretation. We have the power to guide those interpretations by the way we present situations and the quantity of information we supply. 

What is Garfield thinking really?

The inclusion of situations in stories also opens up the opportunity for twists and turns in the outcome of your stories. 

So when something is described in one way there maybe more than one way of looking at that item. What is Garfield thinking in the pic above? Is he really showing he doesn't care; is he suffering a hangover; is he displaying aggression; or, is he simply tired? 

A bit of a simplistic example but using this element in your story can be as simple or complicated as you wish to make it. 

The Tangerine Tosser. 

Does this title refer to a person who is extremely adept at throwing citrus fruit; or, someone who delivers oranges from a distance; or, a person who expounds ridiculous ideas thought up during sessions of self-gratification? 

The imagination is the only limit as to what you can produce. You can limber up by watching news items and listening to different viewpoints. It may help increase creative flexibility in your thinking.

 

God Bless