Put the magazine to bed and signed off the pages today. Stayed at Al and Elizabeth's last night and predictably it all got messy. Al was in the doghouse this morning because he had to catch an early train to York. Elizabeth's six months' pregnant and was not impressed with our behaviour. Apart from caining 10 bottles of Kronenberg and Belgian beer, we also drank a full bottle of sherry, I can still taste the sickly stuff. We also smoked several joints and got completely trashed. Got to bed at 3am. Not good, but managed to get into work for 10am and had a bacon and egg sandwich from the canteen and several coffees.
Al had a copy of Pete Townshend performing Lifehouse on DVD, which we watched. What a fantastic gig, it reminded me of, and is on a par with, Brian Wilson's smile. Townshend played acoustic and was backed by the BBC orchestra. I saw him as an inspirational artist and for the first time realised how restrictive The Who were/are for his talents. But he's also a rocker and can do it solo and The Who undoubtedly gave him energy and a release. The fact that he didn't go crazy, as Brian Wilson did over Smile, is testament to the support he got from within the who - which led of course to the brilliant Who's Next album.
It transported me back to the 70s when we used to listen to Townshend's solo album Who Came First, a place I was happy to be as a lot of my writing at the moment, the poetry collection, is set in the 70s. Elizabeth also had a print of a kandinsky picture on the shelf which in my stoned state I became transfixed with. I'm into colour at the moment and I'm learning a lot by studying Kandinsky.
Invetiably we put Rough Mix and revelled in our performance at The Spotted Cow, circa 1988, with much mutual backslapping and reminiscing. Andy Reid was in our thoughts . Al played some of his own songs he's demoing next week in a studio in Wales. In the context of the evening the songs sounded good, he just needs the confidence and balls to deliver a strong vocal performance like he did all those years ago at The Cow. I'm sure he has it in him and look forward to hearing the results.
This is only writing I'll achieve today. On the train I'll veg out and read a profile of Samuel Beckett in a magazine. I also need to get a new auto pencil a Drafix. I'm very close to finishing the first section of the book and can't wait to go back to ot.
My wife tells me a copy of Naked Lunch has arrived. This could provide the final piece of the jigsaw and hopefully help with structuring the book. I'm still reading Ulysses, it takes a smuch effort as writing my own book. I've given up trying to work it out, I just read each page at a time and get lost in the beauty of the language and admire its audaciousness.
Looks like we'll be moving next month. My plan is to be mortgage free in two years. Looking forward to the weekend, would like to go and see Capote at the cinema. My son is having his postponed birthday party - I have to make a treasure map.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
A work in progress...44
Deadline week this week on the magazine, so things are a bit hectic.
Still managing to write and working on a crucial scene where the first two characters meet. I'm enjoying writing dialogue and am able to keep the tension between the two would be lovers just right.
I managed to do quite a bit of writing at the weekend, where I mainly set the scene. The children are all well and are back at school. My daughter has been told she must wear glasses, which has caused a drama. I've told her that all writers wear glasses, so she asked why didn't I then. Sometimes she sits next to me at the kitchen table and writes her stories as I work on my laptop. She inspires me.
The house looks as though it will go through, we're desperate to move and It maybe the fresh start that wee need. I'm going to be mortgaged up to my eyeballs, but my plan is to be mortgage free in two years.
The writing is such a relief and an escape, I wish I could devote more time to it.
Still managing to write and working on a crucial scene where the first two characters meet. I'm enjoying writing dialogue and am able to keep the tension between the two would be lovers just right.
I managed to do quite a bit of writing at the weekend, where I mainly set the scene. The children are all well and are back at school. My daughter has been told she must wear glasses, which has caused a drama. I've told her that all writers wear glasses, so she asked why didn't I then. Sometimes she sits next to me at the kitchen table and writes her stories as I work on my laptop. She inspires me.
The house looks as though it will go through, we're desperate to move and It maybe the fresh start that wee need. I'm going to be mortgaged up to my eyeballs, but my plan is to be mortgage free in two years.
The writing is such a relief and an escape, I wish I could devote more time to it.
Friday, February 17, 2006
A work in progress...43
Had a dream the other night that I was carrying a canvas about the shape and size of a single bed with another bloke, who was insignificant. I was carrying it through the dark alleyways near the home I was brought up in. The alleys were dark and smelly, full of dogshit etc and it seemed like a struggle to get the canvas home. These alleyways feature in the collection of poems I have written and I was obviously revisiting old territory. The canvas represented my art and the labyrinthe of dark, threatening alleys represents the struggle of trying to breakout of such an environment and create something beautiful. When I woke up I had this incredible urge to read Dylan Thomas's In My Craft or Sullen Art, which I think sums up the struggle in us all.
In my craft or sullen art
Exercised in the still night
When only the moon rages
And the lovers lie abed
With all their griefs in their arms,
I labour by singing light
Not for ambition or bread
Or the strut and trade of charms
On the ivory stages
But for the common wages
Of their most secret heart.
Not for the proud man apart
From the raging moon I write
On these spindrift pages
Nor for the towering dead
With their nightingales and psalms
But for the lovers, their arms
Round the griefs of the ages,
Who pay no praise or wages
Nor heed my craft or art.
I've spent all week working on a single paragraph and finally got it this morning. It's a very important paragraph as it's link from the present to the past, but with only a slight feel of shifting time.
The book is going to be bathed in colour, the protagonist is an artist and this is how he views the world. I've been reading lots about the pschology of colour and I have a rich and varied palette to work from.
The house move is back on, if we can come up with the cash. Not sure what the weekend will bring. I hope to watch Clockwork Orange and write. May go to the coast with the kids if the weather stays fine.
In my craft or sullen art
Exercised in the still night
When only the moon rages
And the lovers lie abed
With all their griefs in their arms,
I labour by singing light
Not for ambition or bread
Or the strut and trade of charms
On the ivory stages
But for the common wages
Of their most secret heart.
Not for the proud man apart
From the raging moon I write
On these spindrift pages
Nor for the towering dead
With their nightingales and psalms
But for the lovers, their arms
Round the griefs of the ages,
Who pay no praise or wages
Nor heed my craft or art.
I've spent all week working on a single paragraph and finally got it this morning. It's a very important paragraph as it's link from the present to the past, but with only a slight feel of shifting time.
The book is going to be bathed in colour, the protagonist is an artist and this is how he views the world. I've been reading lots about the pschology of colour and I have a rich and varied palette to work from.
The house move is back on, if we can come up with the cash. Not sure what the weekend will bring. I hope to watch Clockwork Orange and write. May go to the coast with the kids if the weather stays fine.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
A work in progress...42
Valentine's Day came and went with barely any recognition. My daughter made me a card, as did my wife, and I returned the compliments, but other than a token gesture, nothing special.
An air of gllom and despondencey hangs over the house - we've been declned for a mortgage and my son is still ill. It's half-term and everyone's confined to the house. I am glad that I go out to work.
There are other mortgage lenders so we should be able to get one, but it depends how much for. It doesn't look as though we'll be moving into the house we've seen, which belongs to my ex brother in law, and I feel his asking price is too high anyway.
I seemed to have written loads, but not got anywhere. I thought I had cracked the first section, but now I'm not so sure. Still working on it, but the external pressures are starting to affect my writing, work and outlook. I feel like getting away from everyone and everything.
At least I managed to do yoga today, which is a positive. I'm also reading this excellent website from an established writer - her whole book on how to write is on her site and there's some very useful information. http://www.rachelsimon.com/sg_contents.htm
Stephen King is also proving enetertaining, informative and inspirational. Both sources are excellent and are helping me through this rough period.
An air of gllom and despondencey hangs over the house - we've been declned for a mortgage and my son is still ill. It's half-term and everyone's confined to the house. I am glad that I go out to work.
There are other mortgage lenders so we should be able to get one, but it depends how much for. It doesn't look as though we'll be moving into the house we've seen, which belongs to my ex brother in law, and I feel his asking price is too high anyway.
I seemed to have written loads, but not got anywhere. I thought I had cracked the first section, but now I'm not so sure. Still working on it, but the external pressures are starting to affect my writing, work and outlook. I feel like getting away from everyone and everything.
At least I managed to do yoga today, which is a positive. I'm also reading this excellent website from an established writer - her whole book on how to write is on her site and there's some very useful information. http://www.rachelsimon.com/sg_contents.htm
Stephen King is also proving enetertaining, informative and inspirational. Both sources are excellent and are helping me through this rough period.
Monday, February 13, 2006
A work in progress...41
Had a strange weekend. The atmosphere at home was tense and the children were sick. We had planned to go to the imax cinema in London to celebrate my son's sixth birthday, with our friends Al and Elizabeth. But my son came down with the lurgi, the same symptoms that my daughter was suffering from.
My wife has been tending to sick children all week, and was feeling fed up and despondent about not having any income. We're trying to buy a house, but struggling to get a deposit together. All our lives we seem to have been broke and it is wearing us both down. I feel drained by it all and my wife is becoming desperate. I've suggested she sells her handmade cards through ebay, but she can't grasp the concept.
Surprisingly, I got a lot of writing done over the weekend, or at least research. I discovered that the artist Wassily Kandinsky had synaethesia - the ability to see sounds and hear colours. My main character also has this condition, it gives him a unique outlook on life, he's developing into a fascinating character.
I've pretty much nailed the first part of the book and I'm revising the first 10,000 words to send to an agent. It reads really well, is set in the present and the first part deals with the London bombings.
I've been reading Stephen's King's book 'on writing'. I've not really read much of his stuff, but enjoyed the various adaptations of his work to screen. He has a great attititude to the writing process, I'm not really learning anything knew, but his voice is kind of assurance that my writing style is up to scratch. His main tip is listen to the beat, rather than get booged down in all the rules, be free and flowing, yet know when to rein the beast in.
My wife has been tending to sick children all week, and was feeling fed up and despondent about not having any income. We're trying to buy a house, but struggling to get a deposit together. All our lives we seem to have been broke and it is wearing us both down. I feel drained by it all and my wife is becoming desperate. I've suggested she sells her handmade cards through ebay, but she can't grasp the concept.
Surprisingly, I got a lot of writing done over the weekend, or at least research. I discovered that the artist Wassily Kandinsky had synaethesia - the ability to see sounds and hear colours. My main character also has this condition, it gives him a unique outlook on life, he's developing into a fascinating character.
I've pretty much nailed the first part of the book and I'm revising the first 10,000 words to send to an agent. It reads really well, is set in the present and the first part deals with the London bombings.
I've been reading Stephen's King's book 'on writing'. I've not really read much of his stuff, but enjoyed the various adaptations of his work to screen. He has a great attititude to the writing process, I'm not really learning anything knew, but his voice is kind of assurance that my writing style is up to scratch. His main tip is listen to the beat, rather than get booged down in all the rules, be free and flowing, yet know when to rein the beast in.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
A work in progress...40
I had three days off last week, plus the weekend and hardly wrote anything. My time was mainly taken up by trying to fix my laptop and also seeing a guy about a mortgage. I also did lots of things with the kids over the weekend and managed to clear out a load of junk and take it to the tip.
We're pretty certain we can get a mortgage and by coincidence we maybe buying my wife's ex brother-in-law's place; we went to see it and although fairly small, it has a big loft, a shed with electrics and office space under the stairs. We should be able to get it at a good price and we can just about afford it. This will give us a bit more security and also work out cheaper than renting. We're we are at the moment si really getting us down, and I'm sure it's part of the problem. I'm still trying to work from home, but it's not possible at the moment.
I have managed to do some writing, I'm still concentrating on the first 20,000 words and it is taking shape, very pleased with the results so far. The poetry collection's on hold at the moment as I can't affors to get it printed. It's my son's 6th birthday on Friday, two weeks after my daughter's 8th so it's a very expensive month.
I have started to read Stephen King's On Writing, a book which I have wanted to read for a couple of years. Hopefully it will inspire me further - or at least pick up some tips - as I'm pretty fired up.
Luckily I have an ibook on loan from work, so I'm managing to write on the train. At the moment I'm mainly revising and tweaking stuff and looking at the structure.
My son has been dowloading games from shockwave on the internet - can you believe it? The boy's five years old. I found google desktop download on the desktop. I've threatened to password the computer if he doesn't stop.
Finances are still parlous, mty wife's not really making any money and we have massive overheads. I've managed to wrestle my debts under control and no longer own a credit card. Workinf from home would really help and make a huge difference, I have to keep pushing for it.
We're pretty certain we can get a mortgage and by coincidence we maybe buying my wife's ex brother-in-law's place; we went to see it and although fairly small, it has a big loft, a shed with electrics and office space under the stairs. We should be able to get it at a good price and we can just about afford it. This will give us a bit more security and also work out cheaper than renting. We're we are at the moment si really getting us down, and I'm sure it's part of the problem. I'm still trying to work from home, but it's not possible at the moment.
I have managed to do some writing, I'm still concentrating on the first 20,000 words and it is taking shape, very pleased with the results so far. The poetry collection's on hold at the moment as I can't affors to get it printed. It's my son's 6th birthday on Friday, two weeks after my daughter's 8th so it's a very expensive month.
I have started to read Stephen King's On Writing, a book which I have wanted to read for a couple of years. Hopefully it will inspire me further - or at least pick up some tips - as I'm pretty fired up.
Luckily I have an ibook on loan from work, so I'm managing to write on the train. At the moment I'm mainly revising and tweaking stuff and looking at the structure.
My son has been dowloading games from shockwave on the internet - can you believe it? The boy's five years old. I found google desktop download on the desktop. I've threatened to password the computer if he doesn't stop.
Finances are still parlous, mty wife's not really making any money and we have massive overheads. I've managed to wrestle my debts under control and no longer own a credit card. Workinf from home would really help and make a huge difference, I have to keep pushing for it.
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