No reality.
That’s what attracts them
No history, no baggage
Only dreams of the night
That’s the attraction of the mistresses,
the hookers and the one night stands.
No reality.
Would all the earth succumb to the concrete blanket of mankind? Was that the best legacy they could leave? Was their vision that limited?
One day there would come a time when it would be more profitable to tear these trees down than to leave them. Then there would be no power on earth that would save them. Even concerned consumers couldn’t stand in the way of profits anymore.
There is a small group of people I do not know them But they watched my tears As I watched him die And they carry that moment In their hearts I hope They find it strengthens them Like a scar Or a broken bone It does not me
Pink Floyd had a good point when resisting the demands to release their albums digitally. They argued that their music was written to be listened to as a whole – that their songs melded into one another and were not distinct entities.
I am very guilty of that. I hop in the car, switch on my phone and stick it on shuffle* – I enjoy being surprised and not knowing what the next song will be. And as I have a wide and eclectic taste in music it can jump from one genre to the next with some startling contrasts.
However, I have become guilty of only listening to music in this way. I need to sit down, relax, and make the time to listen to a whole album in order the way it was meant to be.
Pink Floyd’s Animals is a good candidate to start with. So I am off to redress the balance.
* (when I am not listening to Audio Books these days).
So it seems today that our Government some other governments have quietly, secretly, without our consent or consultation sign the Trans Pacific Partnership.
One of its aims if to make it a crime to report corporate wrong doing through a computer system!
What the actual fuck!
It’s now a crime to report on a crime if it’s committed by a big company!
Welcome to the machine people! Bend over and prepare to be rogered good because there’s damn all you can do about it!
Others require that online content providers — such as YouTube and Facebook — must take down content if they receive just one complaint, as they are in the US. That will be harmful for startups looking to build such businesses since they’ll be required to have the resources to respond to every complaint, experts have pointed out.
So if one of those large corporations doesn’t like my rant about this then they could force WordPress to take it down!
Two new, original novellas—Donaldson’s first publication since finishing the Thomas Covenant series—are a sure cause for celebration among his many fans.
In The King’s Justice, a stranger dressed in black arrives in the village of Settle’s Crossways, following the scent of a terrible crime. He even calls himself “Black,” though almost certainly that is not his name. The people of the village discover that they have a surprising urge to cooperate with this stranger, though the desire of inhabitants of quiet villages to cooperate with strangers is not common in their land, or most lands. But this gift will not save him as he discovers the nature of the evil concealed in Settle’s Crossways.
The “Augur’s Gambit” is a daring plan created by Mayhew Gordian, Hieronomer to the Queen of Indemnie, a plan to save his Queen and his country. Gordian is a reader of entrails. In the bodies of chickens, lambs, piglets, and one stillborn infant he sees the same message: the island nation of Indemnie is doomed. But even in the face of certain destruction a man may fight, and the Hieronomer is utterly loyal to his beautiful Queen–and to her only daughter. The “Augur’s Gambit” is his mad attempt to save a kingdom.
Those who know me know that Stephen R Donaldson is my favourite author., and although I was a little disappointed in his last outing – being the next instalment in his old franchise – this looks a lot better.
Short stories and Novella’s are where he really shines! This looks similar to his Reave the Just tales and that collection was superb! It includes my favourite short story ever “The Killing Stroke”.
While Facebook is down try reading – here’s a book you might like.
🙂
#facebookdown
Trapped. In a world where everything is measured and control pervades every area of life, four people begin to break down. Instead they break through the walls of deceit and propaganda and into a world of revolution.
Each, in their way, vow to overthrow the established order. They embark on a journey against the forces arraigned against them, forces of state and self-doubt.
Ultimately their paths converge on a dangerous road and the discovery of an ancient secret.
Scott Bailey is a freelance writer, author and blogger. His works include the dystopian novel “Mankind Limited” and “A Spring of Dreams” collection of poetry. His blogging ranges across family articles, poetry and short stories and even the odd book or movie review.
Looking at my author page www.scottandrewbailey.uk there is one gaping hole. There are no short stories.
I have written quite a few in the past but it was some time ago and they need some editing and polishing before I put together a collection. In the meantime I have decided I need to start writing some new ones.
Short stories are the form I find most challenging – and that I most want to get a grip on.
So I have decided to set myself a challenge and give myself a proverbial boot up the jacksy!
I recently joined a local online writing community and one of the members posted a list of genres – which he is trying to write a story for each. I have appropriated that list but extended it terms a bit. To each genre I have added a constraint – that will make the writing harder but hopefully spark a better creation. So for example one of the options is an action story. So my constraint for that one is to set it in a confined space.
I am posting this list here and will post links to the relevant stories if and when I write them – and its a big if one this one.
But I also thought others might like to take up the challenge. If you do I am happy to post links to your resulting works of art here beneath each section.
I am going to try to work through in the order posted but that’s optional and if I get inspired I may skip to a particular one.
We have all seen the acronym NSFW – Not Safe for Work. We see it on email attachments or shared links telling us the content is either raunchy or offensive (or possibly both) and if opened up at work could result is disciplinary action – which is ironic as that could well be what it contains.
It is also somewhat frustrating as if you are at work you can’t open but really want to know what it is!
Anyway – I think there should be a new one applied to music. Not Safe for Driving.
The other day I had my music on in the car on shuffle. I have a rather eclectic collection so it was jumping from Gorillaz to Enya to Elbow and Adam Ant. Then it settled on The William Tell Overture.
You just can’t help pressing down harder on the metal when you hear something like that.
A while ago – and again I have lost any links or references to it – I saw a documentary on how the subconscious can take over and solve tricky problems for you. I think it was a BBC Horizon episode but could be wrong.
It described how many great thinkers often had similar habits – like going for a walk at midday, after which the ideas would come. For many years this was attributed to perhaps the health benefits of such activities, the increase in endorphins perhaps vitalizing the brain. Perhaps that is a part of it.
Recent research has shown though that certain parts of the brain that are normally dormant start to become active under these sorts of circumstances. When someone has been struggling with a problem or a puzzle and then their thoughts are diverted onto something else – something simpler and less taxing on the mind.
Its seem that while your conscious brain is trying to solve a problem your subconscious can’t or won’t go near it. Leave the problem alone and it gets it grubby hands on it. And unhindered by all the distractions thrown at the conscious mind does a better job if it.
Anyway – it seems like something I kind of knew at some level but had never vocalised or thought about in concrete terms. After watching the program though I began to see it happening more and more – or maybe I am now biased to see that!
Today was a prime example. All last week I have been struggling with a problem at work – I won’t bore you with details, it involved a very very complex SQL query that worked fine in one situation but not in another – with no logical answer. I had tried all kinds of solutions and approaches all week with no success. To be fair to myself there was an awful lot else going on as well so I was not 100% focused on it. But if I had been I don’t think it would have made a difference. I was kind of blocked from the answer.
So this weekend I forgot all about it and spend some quality time with the wife and kids. It was Rachel’s birthday and since I have spent so much extra time at work lately I was determined not to do any this weekend.
I went to bed Sunday night – not with dread but knowing that my task for Monday was to hunker and down and crack this particular nut. I woke up Monday morning and the answer – which should have been obvious – in my head. It just popped in there.
I rushed to work eager to try it out, now dreading the possibility that it might not work. It did! That is a good start to the week!
It’s not fair. He stated it, I didn’t. He called me names. I had to do it to stop him. How come I get told off? It’s not fair.
It’s a shameful waste. What they do to our world today. The forests they cut down, the whales they kill. The fields they destroy, the new roads they build. The way they leave their scars on the world. It’s a shameful waste.
It’s a bloody liberty. I will not stand for it! I earned my money fairly. I will spend it pleasantly. I will not stand being ripped off! It’s a bloody liberty.
It’s a downright disgrace. The way these youngsters behave. They will not heed my words. They will not do as they are told. I will leave my mark on the world. It’s a downright disgrace.
He needs no name on his grave. He was a model man. He stood for what we all stand for. He spoke the words we all speak. He was me and you and all those to come. He needs no name on his grave.
I read an article the other day (I really should bookmark them as I can’t find it now!) that was about a new Stephen King book due out. It’s a collection of short stories – nothing unusual there. The difference is that he is putting a substantial introduction to each one, about where he was in his life when he wrote them and the thought process that went into writing them.
Now I am not a big Stephen King fan – I don’t really enjoy horror – ghost stories yes but horror’s not my thing. However – his “On Writing” is one of the best books on the subject I have ever read, both entertaining and insightful. It is just as much an autobiography as a book about the art. So I am excited about this one!
And it got me thinking – I thought I would share a bit of my own thought process – how my mind works (sometimes). And perhaps hear from some of you how you go about the business.
So as an example. A friend of mine has just fulfilled one of her dreams and been on an epic sea journey on a tall ship. I was writing her a welcome home message when the a line popped into my head.
“Seafarer wandering over the waves.”
It sounded really good to me – so now its going around in my head – a poem coalescing around it, snippets of lines and images coming together. It will probably bounce around in there for a while until it comes together.
While thinking about it though something else is coming through. A character – this vague woman who is wandering the sea – for some reason, maybe seeking something, maybe running from something – I don’t know yet. There’s not even a story there yet – that one will bounce around in my head event longer.
One of my favourite authors Stephen R Donaldson said that he likes to get two unrelated ideas and smash them together to see where it goes. Maybe I will do that. I have another idea – more fully formed though still with a long way to go. It is about the rise of a political tyrant. Now those two ideas do seem completely unrelated – and I wonder what would grow by trying to put them together – something surprising I think.
I will let them ferment some more – their time hasn’t come yet.
So what about you? How do the seeds of your works begin?
We had a lovely relaxing time this weekend. Saturday was courtesy of one of Alexander’s school friends birthday party held at a local farm attraction – which included a playground and a miniature train. Perfect! We could sit back and let them have fun.
Sunday was a combination of a walk along the coast and the local Transport festival and fun fair!
I had a few good teachers but not many. And those that tried were wading against a tide of social programming. So school was not that productive for me. I left with few qualifications and no direction.
I drifted – pushed by financial necessity into work before I could begin to dream about what I might want from life.
So who were my best teachers?
They were my friends. They didn’t sit me down and lecture me they did two vital things.
They believed in me.
They believed in themselves and acted on that belief.
Watching them follow their dreams whatever the outcome – taught me the bets lesson in my life. To take control of my life and start steering my own destiny.
The best teachers are like the best writers – they show they don’t tell
It’s depressing me. But not in the way you might think. Sure, it’s a dark read – delivering its brooding condemnation of colonialism in its age and of humanity in general. Conrad’s slow pulse beats out like a dying man’s fleeing soul.
But that’s not an unusual read for me. Or an unusual film or music – I’m a Leonard Cohen fan – who in many ways is the Conrad of music.
No – it’s the sheer mastery of the languages shown in the tale. You read (or hear it) and feel like you should put down your pen, slide away your keyboard and never write again for you’ll never get close to anything like that.
And read in understated eloquence by Kenneth Branagh put the final nail in the coffin.
This is the second article in our occasional series, ‘Five Reasons’, in which we take a neglected figure from literary history and endeavour to unearth five interesting or surprising things about them. In our first piece, we took the Victorian novelist and poet George Meredith as our subject. This time, it’s the turn of Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873), or, to give him his full name, Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton (which should be enough Lyttons for anyone). For a short while during the 1820s and 1830s, he was the most popular novelist in Britain, until he was eclipsed by an even more popular and successful man, Charles Dickens. His popularity waned quickly, even during his own lifetime, and his reputation has never been restored. And yet, although his novels are not read much nowadays, there are still reasons to celebrate this writer. Here are our five…
She came out of the store just in time to see her young son playing on the sidewalk directly in the path of the gray, gaunt man who strode down the centre of the walk like a mechanical derelict.
The boy looked up at her once the man had passed, saw the fear, the hatred in her eyes.
“What’s up? What is the danger?”
She looked troubled by his questions, as if he had stirred something in her she did not wish to confront.
He seemed to be seeing this a lot lately.
“He is a leper,” she answered curtly.
“And that makes him dangerous?” the boy asked. She stared at him as if wondering where his curiosity was coming from. And well she might.
That was not important to him now, he wanted answers. The time had come for them.
“You might get it, I don’t want anything to hurt you.”
“So why is no one helping him?”
She shrugged,
“I don’t think anyone can. It’s not curable.”
“So why is he allowed to wander around?”
“I don’t know,” she snapped.
“But why do you hate him so much?”
“Because he could hurt you! You might get it!”
“Wouldn’t it be better the try to help him rather than hate him?”
“Look its too complicated for you to understand! I am not a doctor!”
“But you know doctors?” he frowned.
“Look that’s enough young man – let’s get you home and get you a bath.”
The boy frowned. She would not be drawn any further.
He was quiet on the way home. He had come to a conclusion. The mother he had chosen was not adequate – not in respect to answering his questions. Well there was nothing he could do about that now. That decision was made.
But he could direct his questions elsewhere. He was going to be forced to. If he didn’t get any better answers soon it was not going to bode well for the human race.
The first line is from my favourite book “Lord Fouls Bane” by Stephen R Donaldson, the first part of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “I Got Skills.”
This is the skill I would like – if I had a choice. For my voice to be heard and my words to take effect.
Then I would travel the world and talk.
Do I have the answers to solve the worlds ills?
No.
But I would use my new-found super power to find the people who had. And then I would persuade them to work together and implement their answers. I would find those who stood in their way and persuade them to move aside.
At the end of the day – talking is the answer – and the most powerful weapon in the world.
With an irresistible voice the world would be yours.
Now I am just as fed up with all the reboots as the next person. So now I am presented with a dilemma. When I heard about this film I was jaded about it – why can’t they do something new!
Then I watched this trailer
So you see my dilemma? It looks amazing!
But if that doesn’t whet your whistle then how about this?
Dinosaurs, Nazi’s, Hollow Earth and President Sarah Palin!!!! What more can you ask from a film?
So it seems the moment I signed up for NaNoWriMo the pressure from all sides of my life takes off like a rocket.
Work has become more and more stressful. To the point of the web site having major problems last thing Friday night. At this point I was so sick with stress I decided it would have to wait until Monday morning. I walked out and decided to try to forget everything for the weekend.
This was not easy, as I said work stress is building up and up, relentlessly. Getting tired of it now.
On top of that the pressure from our adoption is also growing – all the social workers and health visitors want a mass meeting with us – we are naturally stressing about this as we don’t know what it is about. The annoying this is that we feel we have made great strides in the last few weeks and the little one if definitely feeling settled, safe and his behaviour has improved dramatically. The problem is we don’t think they are seeing it.
And then there are financial strains, cars breaking down, things going wrong and family illnesses. All piling on and on.
So this weekend I though sod it all. Lets just concentrate on family time.
And we had a great time. On Saturday we took both boys to a local children’s centre and they had a great time. They found some bikes and played together lovely with them. Then Alexander went to one of his classmates birthday parties. It was in a cake shop, making cakes.
Although he could have stayed we decided that L would just cause chaos in such a small place with flour and eggs! So I took him down to the beach and we spent a great couple of hours together, the best behaved he has ever been. While Alexander had a great time making “Alien” fair cakes and eating marshmallows dipped in a chocolate fountain, L and I threw pebbles in the sea, raced the tide and sat an ate lollies while watching the boats. It was bliss.
On Sunday we went for a walk in the country side around the village. Again the kids were remarkably well-behaved, collecting leaves and twigs for a Halloween picture project mummy has planned.
I won’t say I wasn’t stressed – it was still there bubbling under but time with the kids and my wife has helped.
So despite all that – because of all that and to spite all that – I decided to plough ahead with NaNoWriMo. I uploaded the cover (see below) and synopsis. Using Scrivener I have made a very rough plan. Writing down some very rough scenes, mostly in order though a few may change. I think my next stage of planning will be to describe for each character how they change between each scene. So I get a little journey plan for each of them as a guide.
I still think there an extra dimension to my idea missing, but not going to worry about that at present. It will only be a first draft – I can add more to it later if I still think it needs it once i have finished.
Onwards
Cold Sanctuary by Scott Bailey
Synopsis:
Orphaned, wrenched from their home, can Gabriel look after his adopted brother? Can he find a voice to stand up for himself?
In an alien world, unwelcomed and lost, all they have is each other. They must endure a clash of cultures, adapting to a radically new life and dealing with deep-seated grief. Gabriel struggles to keep the promise to his parents to look after the brother he has waited for all his life whilst coming to terms with his new surroundings.
Can such a young mind take all the demands? And, when they are suddenly separated, can he find his brother again?
Their searches for answers, for each other and to fill the holes in their hearts leads them on paths of rebellion and revenge.
So I stumbled upon Bladerunner on the tellybox last night. There’s an odd effect with films like this. It’s set in the future – from when it was made. 2019 to be specific. Now that future is practically here, we can see that the ‘predictions’ were well out.
However, the film still works, many such films still do. You suspend your disbelief and ignore the dates, just taking it as some unspecified time in the future.
Taken like that Bladerunner still works very well. There is very little to age it. It is still one of the greatest Sci-Fi films made and in my opinion Harrison Ford’s finest hour.
But – there was one thing that suddenly broke the suspension of disbelief for me. Three little letter – or rather three very large, neon lit letters.
TDK
For anyone like me whose teen years crossed the 80’s these three letters should be recognisable. They were all over those cassettes we used to tape the top 40 off the radio. All over the VHS tapes we used to record the late night films.
It’s almost adorable that the film makers thought they would still be around in the high-tech future – with flying cars!
In today’s film environment of more and more product placement I wonder how quickly today’s films will age? It’s already very noticeable with mobile phones. A film only has to be a few years old and the phones they are using look clunky and out dated.
I wonder if in 30 years time someone will be watching a film made today and wondering who the hell Apple were?
We have had the day of the Doctor, the Name of the Doctor and the Time of the Doctor. Soon we will have the return of the Doctor. Yes I for one am eagerly anticipating Peter Capaldi’s take on the role.
And there have been some interesting rumours about what is to come. More on this in a bit. While thinking about all this though I came to a sudden realisation. There has been a subtle decline in the series lately. Or maybe it was not so subtle and I was just blind to it. Who knows?
The decline I mean is that some of the gravitas of the Doctor has been replaced by humour. There is an excellent example of this with the Daleks. In the last episode we see the Doctor accidentally dropped into a Dalek ship whilst carrying a part of one he has obviously previously defeated. He makes a quip and a quick getaway. Returns to chide his cyber man pet and then appears to disregard the fact their is a Dalek ship there!
Think way back to Dalek – when Christopher Ecclestone’s Doctor encounters a lone Dalek. A captive and helpless Dalek. His reaction is not humour or running away. It is fear. Utter fear and dread, And by this time we had to realise that despite appearances the Doctor was a formidable opponent to cross. Therefore anything that scares him must he worth fearing.
More than anything else it was that reaction and the superb way it was acted that made the Daleks scary again.
Now, by the Moffat/Smith era they are nothing more than the foil of some throwaway jokes. They are not scary anymore, making the whole concept of the time war etc. a lot less horrific in the process.
So where does that leave us?
One of the rumours I have heard is that the next series will have less humour and be darker. But how many times have we heard that? Still I remain optimistic that Peter Capaldi can bring the right gravitas to actually achieve this.
Which brings me to the other rumour doing the rounds. The Master will be making a return this season. And it won’t be John Sim playing him. In fact they want a heavyweight Hollywood actor.
This is more promising.
It gets better! Top of the wanted list (and in rumoured to have already been cast) is Charles Dance!
Now that is a prospect to salivate over. Dance’s Master up against Capaldi’s Doctor.
I have just finished season two of Game and Thrones and I want to talk about one actor in particular – don’t worry no spoilers!
In a series packed with good writing, good directing, and good performances his is, for me, the stand-out performance of the show.
One of his early roles was in “Living in Oblivion” where he played a dwarf actor frustrated with the limited and two-dimensional roles he kept being offered. A feeling he must have been all too familiar with.
So the role of Tyrion Lannister must have been a godsend. A role to get your teeth into.
Even so – it still could easily have come off like a pantomime role. Another, lesser actor, could have said all the same lines in the same situations and it would have been a comedy part with no depth.
Not so with Peter Dinklage. He has given the character real depth and humanity. You can see the fierce intelligence battling with his humour and situation. His basically good morals fighting with his lusts and passions. His expressions and eyes do most of the work.
There is a scene where he is trying to win an important argument. His opponent says –
“Oh you think you are so clever with your scheme and plots!”
In a look that lasts only a millisecond or two you see him fighting with his urge to correct her. Don’t get distracted – you can almost hear his mind screaming, stick to the point. He fails.
“Schemes and plots are the same thing.”
He quickly moves on to his point.
Brilliant!
Anyway – while I was contemplating all this a sudden thought struck me. Maybe it is almost sacrilegious to think about this seeing as the current incumbent has not even started yet (and I am excited about that too) but when he inevitably hangs up his coat how about this?
Do not lightly discard them
with tales of the foolish bold.
They sat for weeks, for months, for years
in trenches freezing cold.
Sometimes feet simply mouldered
in the sucking mud.
And now and then they’d rise and run
and spill their loyal blood.
Do not belittle the suffering
of soldiers now long dead.
With nothing but talk and songs and bombs
bursting in their head.
Bound together with chains of love
shattered by leaden death.
They ended as they had begun
with cries upon their breath.
Do not lightly remember them
with only paper flowers.
they faced the fear, the pain, the cold,
for hours and hours and hours.
They ran together and fell alone
upon those foreign fields.
Protecting those they loved those…
Stresses have been building up. Money worries, over work, trying to get the kids up and to school on time, family illnesses, friends in turmoil.
All the normal stuff, just got to me a bit more today for some reason, and has done all week.
So when I left work and saw a long traffic jam I surprised myself with my reaction. Instead of letting it rile me I shrugged and said to myself – OK let’s use the opportunity. So I turned off down a country lane to try to find a short cut across country.
A short cut it was not – a pleasant drive it was. Over some rolling hills with stunning views and down through winding valleys and dark, magical woods. I even got surprised by a juvenile deer jumping out into the road and running, for quite some time, in front of me.
It wasn’t just the pleasantness of the drive that made it such a nice change though – it was the change itself. The fact it was out of routine. So I am carrying on with it by taking time out from study and housework tonight to read something purely trivial.
Gladiator by Philip Wylie
This is nothing to do with the film. Let me explain. I have developed a passion for vintage – even ancient science fiction. I can’t explain why – there is something about it. Maybe the less cynical outlook – though some are still quite dark. Maybe the fact that they were not so aware of the physical limits of the universe so their imaginations were freer. They always seem to me more human than some more modern attempts. I think also I like to see where things have come from.
This one appeals to me on two levels though. It describes the story of a man – who as a result of experiments done by his father – is imbued with great power. His skin is invulnerable and he can leap over buildings, run faster than a train. At one point he asks “is he a man of iron rather than flesh”. In another scene, as a young boy, he lifts a wagon off a man who has been trapped under the axle. His father guides him to be good and responsible with his power but to keep them hidden. All sounding a bit familiar?
Published originally in 1930 – many see this as a huge influence on Superman. I will let you know my own thoughts when I have finished it.
The other delight with this book was it was free. You can get it from Project Gutenberg. Click here is you are interested.
And that was another nice surprise – Last time I looked on the Gutenberg site they had plenty but it was all in plain text form. Now they offer it in all kinds of e-book formats. And furthermore – you can get it delivered direct to your favoured cloud storage – Google Drive, SkyDrive etc.
I can foresee a lot of time browsing their site.
By the way. If anyone else is interested in old Sci-Fi here are a few I have enjoyed – most are free on Amazon.
The Coming Race – by Edward Bulwer
Trips to the Moon – Lucian of Samosata (very ancient – contemporary with Homer).
A bit more modern and not free – but I cannot recommend enough is
Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon. A very original book – with not a single character in it.
A white wedge
Spotted in the corner
Of a run-down shop
Off the track
Joyful memories swell
And from the past
I hear the clattering
Of a metal bowl
Filling with a quarter pound
Of sherbet lemons
Scott Andrew Bailey - Author 