Writing - Brain Magic

 I’m not referring to tricks, but more to a medication for the brain. Losing yourself in a good book is better than alcohol or drugs and a good deal less harmful.

Escapism is what we’re aiming for when we jump on the writing conveyor. I want my readers to be mentally transported out of their everyday life into something different.  It is providing the opportunity to de-stress, to allow oneself to think outside the box and experience total relaxation.

Of course,  to achieve that requires the ability to empathise. I have taught children to practice empathy, which, depending on age, can be a lot of fun. I’ve found that as it is an age related/maturity controlled skill needs refreshing periodically. As we have seen in the case of Donald Trump,  some folk never achieve the ability. For those people, getting into a good book must be extremely difficult. As a writer, you can spend more time in the minds of characters you have created than in your own. Sounds like what insanity could be like. 

However, it is stimulating to plunge into behaviours one would never dream of trying in everyday life.  The generation of adrenaline and other feel-good chemicals in the blood without ever leaving your armchair is truly cheap entertainment. 

An exercise I was taught as a child was to imagine you are your favourite animal. For me,  it was always a dolphin. Then imagine your life beneath the waves. Some would be a bird soaring across the skies. You can then progress to superheroes or particular occupations. The key being to have fun.

 

As a creator of scenarios and characters, exploring how different relationships work is important in creating alternate realities. 

God Bless 

Writing - Moderation

 One of the tenets that my parents used when they were bringing me up.  The thing is does it apply to your writing? Well, the answer has to be yes in certain circumstances.

 The example that comes to mind immediately is the opening scene in Charles Dickens Great Expectations. In that situation, so that the author can grab the attention of the reader, he indulges himself in a very intense description of the conditions of the marsh near Pip’s home, where Pip bumps into what he believes at the time is a convict from a nearby prison ship. 

Abel Magwitch 

If you were writing this yourself, you would decide at what level you wanted to absorb the reader into the story at this point. Dickens seemed to want a full absorption and spent paragraphs describing the weather conditions to the point that you could believe that you were standing next to Pip in the marsh. 

Imagine you have been swimming and have left the water and removed your swimming costume only to be persuaded to get back in the water. The feeling of putting on a soggy costume is wet and difficult to manoeuvre over your body, not to mention cold. It makes you feel even more wet than when you were swimming. That is the feeling that Dickens encourages you to imagine as you read. 

He creates a 3D experience on a 2D medium. 

In your version, you may decide that the glowering appearance of Magwitch is of greater significance than the weather. In my opinion, Dickens is creating a literary memory that you carry with you through the rest of the story. In your story, it is worth spending some time in preparing a 'hook' such as this, which will be better for planning. 

In HMS Ulysses by Alistair Maclean, there is a page and a half of description of the sea conditions in the North Atlantic, and be warned: when reading it you need to have taken seasickness medication. 

It is important that such an element can not only sell your books but can set you on the ladder of literary significance. 

God Bless 

Writing - and Reading

 When writing, we need to keep reading. A statement of the obvious, perhaps, but in my opinion, worth repeating. Even if you are writing technical documents, reading 'other' stuff is important. The importance comes from the variety. Language is continually evolving, and even dry technical stuff can be presented in a more user-friendly way; after all, technical articles are written for humans to read. 

Reading is and always will be a source of knowledge and entertainment. It is also something that needs practice. On occasion, I have had the opportunity to read from the bible in school and in church, and I always ensure that I have practised the piece to be presented. This came as a result of advice from a vicar and from a lecture where it was demonstrated by one of the listeners who was asked to read a piece from a physics text without the benefit of practice. Inevitably, he stumbled over certain factual words, which brings me to the fact that reading aloud is important also. 

Obviously, I have re-read my own work, but it is not my favourite task. I hate editing my own work, being of the 'once it has been done, never to be revisited' school. However, when writing poetry, it is incredibly important to read aloud from the point of view of rhythm and balance. I still relax last thing at night by reading fiction. 

God Bless 

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 

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 

 

 

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 

 

Poetry Thursday 163 - My Name is John

 Companies producing AI warn that civilisation as we know it could end within 10 years! That's a worry. It conjures memories of HAL, 1984, Terminator and other films where the technology takes over from us humans.

My Name is John

Slouching on the sofa wearing vest and jeans,

surrounded by tinnies, eating toast and beans,

Overgrown garden full of screaming kids,

Eldest in her bedroom watching music vids.

 

Prospects for a job few and far between,

Incentive set at zero wallet contents lean.

Her indoors working checkout keeping wolf from the door,

Stop the fucking noise making my head sore.

 

We used to be a proud country building stuff and making things,

Then that cow comes along and it’s  let’s find out what  selling brings,

Sold everything from massive companies to smallest house,

Now the only jobs involve clicking a bloody mouse.

 

Trickle down economy promoted as ideal,

in fact a divisive tool used to protect what they steal,

keeping us in our lowly place with threats of them leaving,

when they contribute very little instead of aiding growing.

 

Now AI’s insinuated into our lives with warnings portentous,

already replacing us as employable resources,

arrived on my doorstep through the telephone,

announcing in soulless voice,

‘my name is John’

©David L Atkinson September 2026 

God Bless 

Writing - A First Kiss

 Writing is an opportunity to dive into freedom, it is also a chance to reflect on incidents that have occurred previously in your life. The exercise allows in-depth reflection and re-evaluating feelings which can open opportunities to use incidents when writing longer stories. 

A First Kiss

 

Sixty seconds doesn’t seem a long period of time but if you consider the events that can occur in that period every minute of our lives should be valued. An example would be the fact that sprinters should be able to run one hundred metres six times! In a flooded part of the UK 10 tons of water was being pumped from the Somerset Levels in the same period of time.

It is often the case that when you encounter a new situation your first impressions formed in the early minutes tend to colour your opinions and reactions thereafter. This was the case when I made a visit to Amsterdam when still at school.

The six of us had been walking for hours exploring the city but then the time came to return to the hostel. Amsterdam is an intriguing place with streets arranged in a semi-circular design, Dam Square at the hub. The hostel we were staying in was on a street with an unpronounceable name at number 39. The buildings we were hurrying passed were in the high two hundreds and industrial, we knew that we were going to be late and needed to rush. That was the mistake. Perhaps if we hadn’t been in so much of a hurry one of us would have noticed that the word ‘Nieuw’ was placed in front of the street name. Effectively we had walked to the wrong end of a parallel road and once we’d corrected the mistake and returned to the place in which we were staying we were exhausted. We’d certainly seen more of Amsterdam than most of our friends!

Our little group consisted of three of each sex who didn’t really know each other that well because we were in different year groups. The girls were in the year above us lads. I think they’d been selected to chaperone us! There was this one girl about the same height as me, with a peaches and cream complexion, long brown hair usually tied in a ponytail, brown eyes and brimming with confidence.

The six of us had been thrown together rather and so while we were panicking slightly about being lost in a foreign city there was no time for attractions between the girls and boys to begin to develop. On the other hand the six of us being somewhat in adversity broke down some of the normal barriers that exist between the sexes in the mid teen years.

Teachers have exquisite skills in admonishing pupils but being away from home they were actually quite gentle with us, when we arrived at the hostel thirty minutes late. Everyone else had eaten and we were banished to the girls’ bedroom to eat a packed meal that had been prepared for us. I ended up sitting on the same bed as Celia. I remember thinking it was an old-fashioned name but she was quite relaxed and pleasant to talk to so we ate and chatted. The packed lunch contained a boiled egg, still in its shell!

What happened next took place well within a minute but influenced the next three years of my life. Don’t ask me why but fourteen year old me decided that it would be a good idea to crack the shell of my egg on Celia’s head! I know it was stupid, childish and likely to propel me to the teachers once again for punishment. The disturbing thing was that as soon as I had done it I knew that I’d hurt her, I knew that I’d done a stupid thing and I was apologising before she’d finished reacting.

Our eyes met at that point and her gentle, brown orbs were brimming with tears but not just as a result of the pain. I reached out and put my hand on her head, her hair felt silky and apologised as sincerely as I knew how. The next minute was electric. Celia could have screamed at me to ‘Get out!’ and sort comfort with her female friends. She didn’t!

We were sitting quite close, facing, and leaning in towards each other. The quality of the following sixty seconds was nothing short of dream-like. Celia completed the distance between us and we kissed. I remember wonderful feelings of warmth spreading throughout my body. It was almost as if we had become one person. Everyone else in the room disappeared into an indistinct haze. I don’t suppose that this first kiss lasted more than a few seconds before the wonderful moment was broken by our cheering friends. I wasn’t tremendously disappointed because I knew it would happen again.

 

I wasn’t wrong. 

God Bless 

Writing - Environments

 As with conflict, environment is totally under the control of the writer and is every bit as complex. It is also infinite in the range of types. To put the tin lid on this area, there are levels that vary in size and importance to the story. 

When a tale is under construction, the initial site of action is linked closely to the story. These sites could be a forest, caves, a cityscape, a rural village or urban sprawl - in other words, almost anything - but within that there will be smaller sites of action that are significant. 

This is where personal experiences may be a source for such places. 

For example, a launderette. This was something I experienced many years ago. So picture a quiet Sunday morning in the slightly damp, steamy atmosphere of such a place. There are two male customers sitting in different parts of the shop. They don't know each other and are not talking; one, in fact, is reading a book. The noise of the washing machines and tumble dryers would have precluded conversation held at normal levels. 

The street door bursts open, and a young man runs into the shop, charges across to the customer not reading, attacks him violently, and when the victim is on the floor unconscious, the attacker runs out just as quickly as he arrived. 

No words had been exchanged, and the incident lasted less than a minute. When it was over, the reader left the shop. 

A true story, but adaptable to fit in a variety of stories. As we travel through life, incidents occur, and we need to store these happenings for future use. Of course, the type of story you are writing dictates the nature of the environments you decide to employ. The description of the site of action adds to the fabric of the work you are producing. 

It is obvious to state that the description produced needs to be constructed carefully and not just a vehicle for wordy paragraphs where we indulge ourselves. It is always important to engage audiences. 

God Bless 

 

Poetry Thursday 161 - Win v Lose

 You are never too old to learn is a treatise oft repeated by my mother when I was growing up. Unfortunately, I hear myself saying the same words to anyone I can target. In fact, 'you never stop learning' may be closer to reality. 

Win v Lose

 

When we were young it was about acquiring,

talking, walking, sitting,

later we learned the glories of play,

the joy of seeing friends every day.

 

Life was about loads of gain,

opportunities to advance without too much pain,

but there is some heartfelt testing,

that can lead to some unexpected losing.

 

As life proceeds the winning becomes tougher,

opportunities for wins significantly rarer,

losing happens more frequently,

with the resulting trauma felt deeply.

 

As the days of life grow shorter,

learning remains a constant winner,

but the losses seem to occur daily,

shedding layers as skin that’s scaly.

 

The resultant gaps of missing pieces,

memorials of significant accomplices,

an indicator of increasing solitude,

silence growing in amplitude.

©David L Atkinson September 2026 

God Bless 

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 

Writing - Conflict 2

Following on from last week, I've been thinking about the can of worms that is conflict. It ranges from toddlers nipping at each other to all-out war. 

 Like all processes, there are beginnings, developments and outcomes. The beginnings are virtually anything because conflict arises from reactions of individuals, which in turn are dependent on personality and learned personal preferences. When we write conflict into our stories, these are factors that can bring about a flashpoint. So there is an initial stimulus, which can vary according to who is the recipient of that stimulus. 

Then there is some type of reaction, which, once again, can take almost any form and doesn't have to be extreme, but for the players is significant. The fighting toddlers may cry and shout, young adults may indulge in a fist fight, or gangs may carry out more serious crimes. The explosion can take a myriad of forms. Within the explosive behaviour, there are opportunities to explore how such conflicts develop and then are resolved. 

Then the resolution may be a handshake, a hug, or a social gathering. Again, almost anything, depending on those involved. 

When we are developing situations for the entertainment of our readers, there is no limit to what we can imagine and include. At the same time, you can use real events that have occurred, like 9/11, an accident, and so on. The process is under the influence of the protagonists and the resulting narrative needs to be consistant. 

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

Writing - Conflict

 Seems simplistic to talk about conflict in a blog about creative writing. Conflict, with all its elements, is an inevitable part of story writing. Even the most sugary love stories will have moments of disagreement – conflict. Superhero tales are packed with conflict; disaster movies have it; Christmas stories have conflict and resolution. 

So what is conflict? It is defined as –

a disagreement or argument about something important

 

In all examples, there are at least two opposing positions. Emotions, people, countries, and so on. There are stages in conflict, which I am not an expert in, but like education, we all have some experience of the processes involved in conflict.

For example, there is usually an initial low-level issue, not always, but often.  This is followed by some negotiation, but quite often it is inadequate in arriving at a solution. This may be because the levels of emotion and attention may not be fully invested. The cycle is a descending situation. It may happen in this way because the antagonists are jockeying for dominance. Eventually,  the situation may descend into violence of the tongue, or even physical violence.  At every stage there are opportunities to break into the process and effect change.

 

So conflict, to some degree, is flexible even though protagonists are apparently intransigent. These facts are an indication of openings for communication. As such, opportunities for dialogue, from the writers’ point of view, are useful in the production of stories. 

God Bless 

Writing - Elders

 When I used to think of 'elders' I would have a default picture in my head of a little old guy sat in the shade of a tree, dispensing wisdom to anyone willing to listen. A scenario that may be true in a small number of places in the world these days. More frequently, elders are shuffled away somewhere quiet so they can do little harm. 

When creating the team that is at the centre of the Steele novels, I felt that the sagacity of years needed representation. I introduced a couple of older people there to dispense wisdom and moral standpoints where relevant. 

When writing stories, the inclusion of wise counsel can add depth to the story and engage more readers. It allows people to empathise with the actions that are included in your writing. To agree or otherwise with the actions taking place. 

The characters you introduce to play this role will come from your own life experiences. We have all known of or met this type of sage person and how we embody them into stories can be a fun exercise in itself. 

God Bless 

Writing - Scenarios

 Writing allows you to explore the imagination as well as your personal experiences. In fact, you can grab many opportunities to flex your writing muscle. The idea below was manufactured and is good practice for a variety of scenarios.

TWILIGHT

 

There’s something quite magical sitting outside on a warm summer's evening at the end of the day. Hearing the occasional car taking someone home after a long day,  and a train uttering its mechanical litany through the valley on a journey to wherever.

The air is still and cool but comfortable.  Solar-powered garden lights glow gently amongst dark flowers that will burst out bright in tomorrow's sunlight.

There is little that moves. A dark flitting shadow streaking across the eyeline  - a hunting bat. 

Although I didn't always write a paragraph describing every scenario I've used in the creation of the Steele novels, I have very detailed memories that I'm fortunate enough to be able to recall. It might be that some writers create a database of such snippets, and it could be useful for stories and articles. 

This exercise also provides me with spines for some of the poetry that I write. 

God Bless