News – Aspiring

Drowning in Yesterdays

There is nothing wrong with nostalgia, in fact it’s quite lovely and even fascinating. However, culturally we are drowning in nostalgia.

Nothing new there, there’s a reason the world is filled with classics of things – we naturally harken back to a time and to things we understand through years of process. From Bach to Shakespeare, and Enzo Ferrari to Orson Welles. It’s always been there.

Some nostalgia is cyclic, the 70’s dwelled in the 50’s, the 80’s in the 60’s, and the 90’s definitely had a kick for the 70’s. Some nostalgia as mentioned lingers for decades, even centuries crossing not just generational divides, but generational gulfs.

All that being said, the 2010’s seems to have gone nuts with nostalgia. Someone figured out it sells, and someone figured out the formulas to keep it selling. And it’s been fantastic frankly, oh the hits just kept rolling in and rolling in, movie franchises long since gone were resurrected, franchises that really should have been short and sweet rolled on and on, there were sequels to books ages past, bands and groups reformed and toured and put out new albums, and new artists gave new life to old songs.

Well this makes me uncomfortable

So, let’s talk women, but that’s not going to get me in trouble at all. Actually, it really does, I’m terrible at writing women to the point I’ve written stories that featured one female character, because I know I don’t do it well.

First of all, let me explain, I’m not sexist, or at least I don’t think of myself as sexist. I just struggle with the perspective, even though intellectually I know we all see the same world, and reactions and motivations are the same – when I write a female character it just doesn’t read back well. Anyway, that’s my problem, it’s something I’m working on, my protagonist is a female badass type, and a mother.

All that being said, over the years I’ve read many bad portrayals of female characters, most are bad because of the stereotypes, perceptions, behaviours and sidelining which belongs in decades ago, if it belonged at all.

I recently came across a blog post that tackled this in a really clever way, it’s by a woman called Meg Elison and was on McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, link here and at the end: https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/if-women-wrote-men-the-way-men-write-women

It’s entitled, If Women Write Men the Way Men Write Women, which makes as uncomfortable reading as you can imagine. Some of them would make uncomfortable reading whatever the gender of the character, others if it was a man that was the focus, you would accept with few questions, after all lads are just lads, you switch the roles though and you can see why it would feel demeaning. Cads are a fact of life, but a female cad does feel wrong – and yet the behaviours, and the results are the same.

It’s a great thought provoking article, and I highly recommend you read it, it’s definitely worth five minutes of your time. I’m suddenly conscious of all the times the murderess in murder mysteries is somehow always more wicked and evil than their female counterparts, whether or not their crimes were less or more.

As I continue to write male and female characters I’m going to try and keep it in mind. Terrible behaviour is terrible no matter who does it, and if other characters are going to react differently, I’d still like the story to treat them the same.

What if Women Wrote Men the Way They Write Women

10 Movies That Make Writing Look Incredibly Dangerous – Flavorwire

There are lots of films about writers, probably something to do with deadlines and writers block – you need to do what you know sometimes. Of course I don’t believe in the adage “Write what you know”, because I’ve never travelled in spaceship, or murdered anyone, (though judging from the films in the link, I just might not remember). I just prefer to write what I can imagine, and research the rest. Anyway that’s lucky – because otherwise I would be terrified of becoming a writer, if these represent what the screenwriters knew… http://www.flavorwire.com/367051/10-movies-that-make-writing-look-incredibly-dangerous/

The Writer Cometh and Backupeth

For once I have good reason to be quiet, I’m currently working on editing my NaNoWriMo novel. It’s excessively slow going, but I’m keeping track of what I’m doing and how I do it, so I’ll go into more detail once I’m doing. Got a few days off work in a couple of weeks, aim to have it finished by the time I go back to work.

Just wanted a quick comment on backing up, in light of the attacks from the US authorities on any sites they deem to be involved in piracy.

I won’t comment here on the righteousness, or the risks to the perception of a free Internet, I do that plenty in other places.

No, what I want to say is that online backups are a great idea. Take it from someone that’s destroyed plenty of hard drives and USB sticks in my time, and plenty of my work with it. Just don’t rely on them as your sole place to backup information.

I’ve lost a few photos and videos over the years as seemingly permanent services were shut down. Now with corporations targeting any service they don’t like, these services are more risky.

The Cloud, (used to think this was a bloody stupid and pointless term, but like a cloud it can be blown away by a blast of hot air apparently), should just be one part of the solution.

These days my backup routine goes like this:
My computer
Mobile phone
Box.net
USB stick
USB hard drive

And any active project will be put on all of these each week at least.

You will also do yourself a lot of favours if you manage your version control. It will allow you to spot the most recent version of your work.

Your words are precious, protect them.

Aspiring.org goes international

Good day folks, or as they say where I am now dobry den (or ahoy).

I’m currently on holiday in in the beautiful city of Prague. Only been here a day, but the creative juices are flowing (get your mind out of the gutter I meant the intellectual ones). So far in MSC (Memoirs of a space corsair) we’ve not done much but there is our first proper space battle coming up, and some actual piracy – I’m going to base the world they go to fence.their ill gotten gains on the Czech capital I think. It makes sense, the more we leave where we came from, the more we try to capture the spirit of what we left… so in the future major colonies will be heavily influenced by their language/ethic groups in architecture and design. The architecture here is beautiful that it needs to be preserved in some fashion by the Czech speaking people 500 years from now.

I think it will be especially true of language/ethnic groups that lost much of their homes on Earth during the wars of 100 years from now. Well its war or catastrophic after affect of going over the green cliff (entirely depends how preachy I’m feeling when I write it).

Just need to break my current chapter and the show will really get going.

Poetry Season on the BBC

A quick look at Poetry Season on the BBC, the television program “Why Poetry Matters”, with Griff Rhys Jones, and some thoughts on the BBC poll for the Nation’s Favourite poem, and who I would choose and why.

It’s always great when poetry gets media focus, it is one of the great things about the BBC, and definitely something that proves the license fee is needed. I doubt advertisers would have any interest in poetry – look what happened to Richard and Judy, that was a ratings winner, it’s book club was a major influence on the book charts, and still it was booted to some random minor Sky channel, and then promptly retired.

The BBC is currently running a poetry season (no doubt the appointment of the new Poet Laureate, and the positive media coverage, with hits on the new story on the website, helping influence the idea). Last night Griff Rhys Jones was on a program on the Beeb called “Why Poetry Matters”, haven’t had chance to watch it yet, but will do this afternoon. Here’s the program description from iPlayer:

Griff Rhys Jones makes a passionate and personal plea for poetry, exploring how verse has the power to enlighten, entertain, stimulate and seduce.

Griff dissects Keats with Simon Armitage, views a line-up of poetic dandies with Andrew Motion and encounters an experimental poem made from a dozen beach balls. He celebrates W.H. Auden’s Night Mail with a team of railway drivers, takes a Shakespearean masterclass with Nick Hytner and is thrown into the bardic bear pit at a poetry slam.

If you’re in the UK you can watch it on iPlayer, the link is http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00kmtyn/Why_Poetry_Matters/

I’m watching it as I write this, some amazing poetry readings, and some wise words as to the importance, and impact of poetry among society. I may write a proper review of it later.

There’s also a whole Poetry season website here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/poetryseason/

I’ve been going through it today, and it’s well worth spending some time on. I did get caught up short though, they’re doing a vote for the Nation’s Favourite Poet, and I figured “Oh yeah, ace, I’ll have a bit of that!”, as you do, only to find myself torn over the choices. I’m intending on doing a post at some point in the future to explore my love of various poets, so I don’t want to spoil that in this post. However, let me just cover the poets on whom I am torn, and briefly why.

Continue reading “Poetry Season on the BBC”

Music to Write To

I explore the impact of music on my writing, and talk about my iTunes playlist, and setting it up so can easily having writing music playlists.

I’m always on a quest for the perfect playlist to write to – but damn it the writing music keeps changing.

I love poetry and writing, and their sibling the song is no different (storytelling is the parent to me), they’re all capable of evoking something within us. Sometimes they evoke the writer within, helping to unlock my core creativity.

I find that what music I’m listening to affects what I’m writing, I noticed this during last year’s NaNoWriMo, I was in one of those places where I was banging out a few hundred words an hour, and actually progressing towards target. When I read back over my words, there was a pattern, I’d had Pachelbel’s Canon in D on repeat, (equally a crap and great piece of music in one – perfect writing music though), my writing had taken on that structure, from number of words per sentence, to roughly where the capitals were placed, and as I read it through, you could kind of feel Canon behind it. You have to be careful though, I would imagine if you’re half way through a 75,000 word novel, and feel of the writing suddenly changes, that’s going to make it seem disjointed.

Continue reading “Music to Write To”

Congratulations to the new UK Poet Laureate – Carol Ann Duffy

On Friday it was announced that Carol Ann Duffy was confirmed as Poet Laureate. I find this really exciting, Carol Ann Duffy is an amazing poet, I’ve been reading her poems for years, I studied her for my GCSE’s, over a decade ago. I don’t find it exciting for any of the first’s that are banded about (first Poet Laureate appointee of the 21st century, first woman, first open lesbian, or first Scot).

I think it’s fitting for my second post on here, to post about latest appointment of the UK’s Poet Laureate.

I honestly do love her poetry, my favourite being the exquisite Valentine. I think if I could find an ideal of love, then I’d be able to demonstrate my love in an unconventional form – I haven’t yet, and that does make me sad, but hopeful.

She is very deserving of the title, and job Poet Laureate – I’m hoping she has the opportunity to produce more in her role, than Andrew Motion was able to do. I’m kind of romantic about the notion of Poet Laureate. It’s a wonderful role to aspire too. To me, it’s the pinnacle, above all awards, and rewards, it’s recognition of being the best.

With the change to the post being for ten years, it may feel slightly less special, I don’t know, but I’d still hold it up there as being at the top of the game. Ten years is a long time, so there’s plenty of scope for poets present and future to also aspire.

So congratulations to Carol Ann Duffy, I’m looking forward to her first poems as Poet Laureate, and her next poetry to come out.