Writing - Conflict Resolution

 The conflict type I haven't dwelt upon, nor have I gone into style, and probably innumerable aspects of stand-offs between characters. In a sense, that is the nature of conflict: too many variables. The aspect I'm addressing today is how it comes to an end. While I'm writing, it is popping into my mind that this may take a couple of weeks to deal with adequately. 

Conflict can, of course, end unsatisfactorily, with a situation whereby there is no really identifiable conclusion. In the context of a story, this may be a useful 'beginning' of another element within the tale. That may have been your intention in setting up the conflict. There are many examples where two protagonists may end up working together, in enmity, but towards a mutually desired conclusion. 'Cop shows' use this frequently, where the lone detective fights authority over having to work closely with a colleague. (eg. Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock in Heat). The alternative successful conclusion is just as useful but tends to point towards a closed ending and follows the direction of the main story theme. 

The conflict may lead to a romantic relationship, as for Steele and Naomi in the Steele novels. Again, this has been used in stories before. 

In constructing the conflict, the purpose has to be clear from the outset for the writer, and less so for the reader. Such conflicts can spill over into following stories, and the life of such scenarios has driven the development of TV series and film franchises. I'm thinking of the relationship between cops like Starsky and Hutch, and Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon. 

The point being that the purpose of the conflict needs to be kept in mind throughout its use. Of course, the full range of emotions can be the outcome of conflicts. Referring back to The Heat, this is a spiky, aggressive, and violent film, which I found hilarious, and is full of conflict from beginning to end, from McCarthy parking her car to fights with a criminal gang. The use of humour in conflict can actually deepen the affect that the serious, aggressive aim of the story. Even Victor Hugo introduced lighter moments with the innkeeper and his wife, which was fully explored in the stage show of Les Misérables. 

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday 159 - Brain Power

 A simple question with a plethora of answers, few of which are wrong. How do they con people into voting for them? (Fill in the names from your own experience).

Lucy

 

If we could use more of the power

of our brains, increasingly by the hour,

would our lives be any easier,

or would existence be a little trickier?

 

Some would pay to use that much!

Their ‘off’ behaviours demonstrate such.

Knowing there is more use to be had

suggests they’re perhaps not doing too bad.

 

But then living on the Earth are those

whose brain activity is set at doze,

and allowing them to engage with us

is risky if not dangerous.

 

We all go through our lives hoping

that our bustling brains are great at coping,

and if we strive to keep them busy

we may end up as bright as Lucy.

© David L Atkinson September 2014 

God Bless

Poetry Thursday 158 - Did God Paint You?

 Another nudge in the direction of global survival. An earworm in the lugholes of big pharma, big corporations, big business, and all those who believe that they are bigger than the rest of us. 

Did God Paint You?

 

Your green is so green and petals that bright,

I wonder if I’m getting it right, 

surely cannot be an accident - did I misconstrue,

did God paint you? 

 

With wings so fine and white,

working efficiently in haphazard flight,

darting, soaring, riding thermals into the blue,

did God make you?

 

So many creatures in the world to see,

from enormous leviathan to tiniest flea,

each with an encyclopedia of behaviours to accrue,

did God design you?

 

Yet there’s one that struts upon the earth,

displaying a myriad of talents from the moment of birth,

claiming a planet stewardship they may some day rue,

should God take the blame for you?

©David L Atkinson August 2026 

God Bless 

 

Writing - Levels of Thought

  

When you actually begin to write your book or your story, and you look at your plan and begin to put things down on paper or on the computer, you'll find yourself thinking at different levels.

 

Research done character set the situation described, and now you've got to actually bring together all of those ideas in some kind of case if narrative that is that will entertain your readership.  This involves thinking, which may seem obvious, but actually, we think on various levels. To begin with, it's fairly superficial, and we're actually just thinking about the physical nature of describing the story.  However, very quickly, we have different, less tangible elements coming together, which require more complex thoughts because we're looking at the interactions between place characters and events.  This is the point at which you can enrich the quality of your writing using personal experience and the research that you've done. If you like, it is the qualitative stage of writing your story. 

Human beings, by their nature, are complex characters; they are capable of abstract thinking, and writers have the drive to want to share that with other people. where it might be the desire to rush ahead and get things down on paper, it is probably time to pause and consider each scene and the depth of meaning within those scenes, so that we take our audience along with us. This is the point at which you can truly say, 

 'I’m a writer' 

God Bless 

 

 

 

Poetry Thursday 135 - Doomsday Clock

 The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists changed its format from a newsletter to a magazine. Its first cover features a clock, both conceptualized and designed by artist Martyl Langsdorf. The Clock’s hands move based upon whether events push humanity closer to or further from nuclear apocalypse. The Clock later includes dangers posed by climate change and other existential threats. 

Doomsday Clock 

It's Ticking

 

Turned on in 47.

an indicator pointing at heaven,

the method as yet unidentified,

of how the world will be transmogrified.

 

53 - first turn of the spring by hydrogen,

to return Earth to molten origin,

  63 - Cuban crisis intensifies the race,

Test Ban treaty slows the pace.

12 minutes

 

72 – Russia and USA sign SALT,

 if anyone shoots it will be their fault,

80 – SALT fails, more states connect,

resources and crises collect.

7 minutes

 

81 – Russia invades Afghanistan,

Reagan refuses to be anchorman,

84 – communications cease,

US want a space system centrepiece,

3 minutes

 

90 – actions make peace more certain,

down comes the Iron Curtain,

Cold War finally over,

Does it mean we’re all in clover.

17 minutes

95 – only five years and a close call,

Russia no lambs replacing USSR’s fall,

Failure to control nuclear a shame,

India and Pakistan joins the game.

9 minutes

 

02 – terrorists stir the worries pot,

new weapons give even more a shot,

07 – N Korea on the rise,

conducts nuclear tests – no surprise.

5 minutes

 

10 – climate change joins the equation,

main actors want further action,

pointing towards no nuclear bombs,

the climate leading modern psalms.

6 minutes

 

15 – no new forwards steps,

some denying of climate concepts,

leading to more significant threats,

pointing disaster at all our doorsteps.

3 minutes

 

18 – social media is in the frame,

communication available to every name,

introduces an instrument to everyone,

leadership pressure can be built upon.

2 minutes

 

20 – humanity faces nuclear war and climate change,

information wars affect the range,

national relations is becoming more aggressive,

self-aggrandisement of leaders increasingly obsessive.

85 seconds – 2026

©David L Atkinson March 2026 

God Bless 

Writing - Current Affairs

 Do you ever feel that sometimes you could do with a collapsible soap box available to you when you come across an issue that winds you up? You could just do with getting onto the soapbox and spouting  your opinions about the issue. As a writer, you have the ideal platform. 

There are a couple of ways in which you can broadcast your feelings from your metaphorical soapbox when you’re writing. You can actually write the whole story, weaving the current affairs issue into the narrative. This could involve your characters taking positions that you identify with yourself. Or you can insert relevant paragraphs that express your opinions literally. In Richard Osman’s The Impossible Fortune, he uses the latter strategy very effectively.

As I have written about on many previous occasions, it is your duty as a writer to produce some commentary on current affairs. It certainly fits into the category of writing from where you're at, and as such, you are providing information for future historical reference.

 

In fact, it can also be a great deal of fun to indulge oneself in this type of exercise. (Unless you live in Russia.) In fact, some such commentary remains relevant almost 200 years since published. Try Dickens writings in the 1840's and more recently 1984 by Orwell, which have attitudes reflected in what is going on in the USA currently. 

God Bless 

 

 

Poetry Thursday 107 - Not Evolving

Humans have been on the Earth for approximately 300,000 years and we have evolved, or at least for much of that time. However, in the last 20 years we seem to have hit the buffers. 

Evolution

 

As an outsider, observing the human race is pain,

watching how they don’t develop again and again,

hoping for improvement in everything they do,

admiring new trends which they accrue.

 

Humans race forward ignoring history,

repeating mistakes, a confusing mystery,

plunging the race into familiar conflict,

after years spent making peace a construct.

 

Opening hearts to the plight of less fortunates,

while rewarding the rich with shiny coronets,

removing the rules for public safety,

but claiming interest in all humanity.

 

Creating collectives like NATO and G7,

to discuss securities and fiscal heaven,

when really the welfare of the millions of many,

is of little concern to rulers’ activity.

 

Global warming, inflation, war in Ukraine,

issues to test the sharpest brain,

yet they are saddled with Donald J Trump,

he wants a prize for being a golden chump.

 

Evolution of species is inextricably linked,

to whether they continue or become extinct,

judging by the quality of international leaders,

we are about to revert to bottom feeders.

©David L Atkinson August 2025 

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 - From where you're at

 It is often true that writers write from where they're at. As writing is an intensely personal activity this is almost inevitable. Even when producing fantasy or science fiction the nature of the characters and interactions will probably find their roots in the author's past. 

Of course, you could take the bull by the horns and make a conscious decision to use someone from your past in your writing. In my case it was a man called Bill. 

I needed a sort of grandfather figure at one point in my stories and this guy who I worked with in the 1980's had been a great support to me during a difficult time in my life. In fact, it was his ability to 'read' me that made him an obvious shoe into my stories. 

Bill came to work as a technician at my place of work. He'd retired from a career in engineering and wanted something to keep him busy in his retirement. The position of lab technician in a middle school suited so he came to us. 

Bill was a Yorkshireman through and through. He could appear short and brusque but in fact was the epitome of kindness and he was talented. Whatever we needed Bill could create, and whatever broke he could fix it. He turned his hand to set building when we were putting on shows, and producing equipment for science experiments. A real asset in every aspect of work and also dependable. 

Sadly, he had some breathing problems and died in an accident while working on his car engine in his garage. A great loss to all who new him. 

When we write it is almost like we are standing on the shores of a deep lake filled with the characters, occurrences and interactions of our past. Why not delve into that lake? 

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday 77 - MoL42

 A deal of time is spent considering the meaning of our lives and reflecting on what we should or shouldn't do with our time on this earth. Is it possible that you have little or no influence in these areas and that we are of little relative consequence? 

MoL42

 

The issue is raised periodically,

an answer is never forthcoming,

solving it is possible, theoretically,

is the solution a matter of winning?

 

Six weeks if counted in days,

Egyptian judges examining a soul,

Sun-Earth system ends in galactic years,

an Adams creation for us all.

 

Deep Thought’s response in 7.5 million years,

Marathon to Athens an identical numeral,

the total number of Tibetan rulers,

and column lines in the Gutenberg Bible.

 

Carroll used it in The Hunting of the Snark,

and for those feeling somewhat low,

not desirous of games or a lark,

the angle of light hitting water for a rainbow.

 

In reality MoL = 42 is Adam’s jest,

life is managing change with guile,

meeting death and strangers the best,

then, before you sleep look back on today and smile.

© David L Atkinson January 2025  

God Bless 

 

Writing - Spontaneity

 For those who don't like change you may not enjoy the suggestions in this blog. Some folk are so averse to change in their lives that they are quite vociferous in response to any suggestion of that nature. It actually amounts to a phobia in some cases when in fact it is a construct created by the mind to render the creator a sense of security. Hence the extreme reactions of some. However, even the most intransigent of folk allow occasional bursts of spontaneity. 

Spontaneity can actually enhance both the writing process and the quality of the work produced. If a writer becomes too formulaic in the works produced which may bore your readers. 

When I began writing my initial aim was to finish a book which I did. By the time I reached my fourth novel, I was ready to change. In the novels, I created a 'family' of central characters who worked together to help the main man, Patrick Steele, achieve his aims. But I was feeling that something had to change. There was one member of the team created around a very good friend who died prematurely, who provided me with the changes I was looking for at that time. 

What I did was simple and decisive. I killed him off. That action opened the door to introduce a new character who would support the widow and introduce computer technology into the stories. The simple spontaneous act of removing a character meant that emotions were running high and needed describing but also the change in the central team created opportunities to enrich their relationships. 

So from one minor character's demise created a deal of writing in depth that I felt enriched the quality of the final work.

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday 76 - LMF

 It seems to me that society has developed the strategy of blaming anything other than perpetrators for inappropriate actions and behaviours. While teaching it was not unusual to catch a child in the act of doing something wrong and yet be faced with a furious rebuttal of the action. Sometimes we need to hold up our hands and admit 'It was me!' 

Self-Control

 

It seems to me that there are more excuses,

for what we say and do in public,

our actions and unfortunate abuses,

must be the fault of influences cosmic.

 

Parental actions count for nothing,

society is the malevolent actor,

the cure must be carried out by teaching,

or by the overburdened doctor.

 

Perhaps the answer lies in time,

giving parents adequate funding,

to exercise this role sublime,

giving offspring strong grounding.

 

In time, alone we must learn to cope,

life will throw many curve balls,

alone we stand and live in hope,

that we can rise after the falls.

© David L Atkinson January 2025  

God Bless 

Poetry Thursday 75 - Mind Control

 The more the creative process is considered the greater the level of complexity plumbed. Although you can be creative and never wonder why. The poem 'Mind Control' is not about others controlling our minds but about how much control our minds have over us, in the realm of creativity. 

Mind Control

 

There’s nowt so queer as the human mind

it’ll take yer places yer nivver thowt you'd find

with companions possessing strange abilities,

passing to you developing facilities.

 

Breathing in watter so yer can swim wi’ dolphins,

 growing wings so yer can soar with avians,

readin’ minds ter identify yer foes,

healin’ hands to aid those with woes.

 

In the deep chill of the dark night,

the mind controls the path of your flight,

the conscious and moral compass stilled,

gives freedom to visit where it willed.

 

Pullin’ together events of the days,

intertwinin’ actions in unique ways,

the mind at the height of creativity,

beyond the comprehension of standard reality.

 

Enjoy the depth of the freedom given,

of earthly forces the mind is riven,

explore the created moments deeply,

safe in semi-conscious being, sleepily.

© David L Atkinson January 2025 

God Bless 

Writing - Mood

 Irrespective of what we are describing in our writing we have the capacity to control mood. I watched a spoof documentary over the holiday and was slightly disturbed when a couple of very intelligent people were obviously upset by the tone and questions of the presenter. This was plain to me as an observer by looking at the physical responses of the interviewees. 

Cunk on Life 2024 

If you look up 'body language' on Google there is a huge response with lots of attempts to provide coaching in how to interpret that phenomenon. The response below is an AI summary. 

Body language is a form of nonverbal communication that uses physical actions to convey information, rather than words. Examples of body language include: 

• Facial expressions: The human face is very expressive and can convey many emotions without speaking. 
• Posture: How a person holds their body can convey how they are feeling and their personality. 
• Eye contact: Eye contact is important in communication and can show that you are paying attention. 
• Gestures: Sharp, angular gestures can be a sign of aggression. 
• Space: Invading someone's personal space can be a sign of aggression

Nothing particularly new in that but just to add that context is important. Some situations are made for observing types of physical responses to interviews. Watching a politician being interviewed on a difficult subject is quite eye-opening. It is a demonstration of avoidance, as they often do not like answering direct questions, their physical reactions are indicators of avoidance and telling untruths. 

When you are writing dialogue between characters including information on body language is an enriching process and should stimulate the readers' imaginations. 

God Bless