P.S - if you haven't guess already, it's me going down a drop slide :D
Follow my musings as i try and write novel on one month. It’s amazing what different topics fill your head when you spends so many hours a day writing.
Sunday, 28 November 2010
Roald Dahl - Someone who truely found Neverland.
As a child i always dreamed of growing up, having a job, doing everything i wanted to do. And as an adult there are times when i wish i could go back to being a child.
I was working with a group the other day when one child began talking about how much was going on at school that she couldn't get her head around all of it. (Shows you how much children pick up phrases off adults) I just smiled at this comment.
You think that life is so hard as a child, and yet looking back, all i had to do was grow up well. Maybe in years to come i will look back at this period of my life and thing the same. "Things where so much easier when..."
But one thing i try to hold onto, something i think many people loose is their imaginations. A childs imagionation is a tool that we seem to loose as we grow older.
Another story that springs to mind was when a year or so ago, me and a few student friends decided to go to a play barn. You know the ones with huge slides, ballpits and everything else a child could ever want. It just so happens that once a week, in the evenings, they open it up for "adults" (pretty much students and teenagers) In we went cheering and laughing. We neatly placed our shoes in a locker we starred at the mighty barn. And then it hit me. No one knew how to play. How did you start? We had lost that imagination that sparks you on a quest to explore, to create a new advenutre and to have fun.
We tentively stepped forward, haeding for the biggest, scarriest looking slide thinking this would be a great way to break the ice. I remember as a child diving straight down these things without a second thought. The signs that warned of us friction burns not even being read. But this time, perched at the top where at least 6 adults not so sure about doing this. "I better pull my sleeves down," one of the boys muttered. And there we where, terrified of a kids slide.
Fear not my friends for this tale has a happy ending. For one brave adventure (i.e. me) had been on a trip to a simular play barn with a group of children a month or so before. And what they had taught her was to throw yourself at everything and don't ask questions. Watching the children diving off the slide had forced me off too. Not in the "Oh look, it can't be that bad," kind of way. But in a "if i don't do the kids are going to laugh at me," kind of way. So i knew, however scary looking this slide was, they look alot worse then they are. That and i was pretty sure that going first would give me alot of cred among my peers! So off i went, zooming down the slide. Then suddenly a flurry of others followed until we where all at the bottom with great smiles of joy on our face. And then we where chasing up the stairs to have another go. Suddenly, in that single slide we revenrted back to children again. Even an impromtue game of tag began over time.
Now, the reason for this ramble comes from a certain film being shown on the TV. The Witches. As a child this film frightened me to death. I use to have a casette of the book as a child that my parents use to play on long jounreys in the car (along with The Famous Five Go to Smugglers Top) But i have alot to owe the writer of this story. Roald Dahl brought me to love books.
As a young child i hated reading. I dispised it. Countlessly i have told people it is because i hated the boring books for children. My mum tried her best to get me to read. She read amazing stories when i was little, but all of them too advanced for my reading. So for yaers i wouldn't just read for fun. Until i came across Roald Dahl (a little older then it was aimed at) and fell in love. I read every book, sometimes twice. He captivated childhood. His imagination was unbelievable and fun. And thus began my love of books.
As i write, as i work, as i "play" i try to remember that my imagination must never be lost. Sometime i open a new document and allow myself to write the most random things my mind can create. I tell kids tales of giant toad eating crickets just so that i know my imagination is alive. I let it free as often as i can, just because it's the greatest tool for writers.
I was working with a group the other day when one child began talking about how much was going on at school that she couldn't get her head around all of it. (Shows you how much children pick up phrases off adults) I just smiled at this comment.
You think that life is so hard as a child, and yet looking back, all i had to do was grow up well. Maybe in years to come i will look back at this period of my life and thing the same. "Things where so much easier when..."
But one thing i try to hold onto, something i think many people loose is their imaginations. A childs imagionation is a tool that we seem to loose as we grow older.
Another story that springs to mind was when a year or so ago, me and a few student friends decided to go to a play barn. You know the ones with huge slides, ballpits and everything else a child could ever want. It just so happens that once a week, in the evenings, they open it up for "adults" (pretty much students and teenagers) In we went cheering and laughing. We neatly placed our shoes in a locker we starred at the mighty barn. And then it hit me. No one knew how to play. How did you start? We had lost that imagination that sparks you on a quest to explore, to create a new advenutre and to have fun.
We tentively stepped forward, haeding for the biggest, scarriest looking slide thinking this would be a great way to break the ice. I remember as a child diving straight down these things without a second thought. The signs that warned of us friction burns not even being read. But this time, perched at the top where at least 6 adults not so sure about doing this. "I better pull my sleeves down," one of the boys muttered. And there we where, terrified of a kids slide.
Fear not my friends for this tale has a happy ending. For one brave adventure (i.e. me) had been on a trip to a simular play barn with a group of children a month or so before. And what they had taught her was to throw yourself at everything and don't ask questions. Watching the children diving off the slide had forced me off too. Not in the "Oh look, it can't be that bad," kind of way. But in a "if i don't do the kids are going to laugh at me," kind of way. So i knew, however scary looking this slide was, they look alot worse then they are. That and i was pretty sure that going first would give me alot of cred among my peers! So off i went, zooming down the slide. Then suddenly a flurry of others followed until we where all at the bottom with great smiles of joy on our face. And then we where chasing up the stairs to have another go. Suddenly, in that single slide we revenrted back to children again. Even an impromtue game of tag began over time.
Now, the reason for this ramble comes from a certain film being shown on the TV. The Witches. As a child this film frightened me to death. I use to have a casette of the book as a child that my parents use to play on long jounreys in the car (along with The Famous Five Go to Smugglers Top) But i have alot to owe the writer of this story. Roald Dahl brought me to love books.
As a young child i hated reading. I dispised it. Countlessly i have told people it is because i hated the boring books for children. My mum tried her best to get me to read. She read amazing stories when i was little, but all of them too advanced for my reading. So for yaers i wouldn't just read for fun. Until i came across Roald Dahl (a little older then it was aimed at) and fell in love. I read every book, sometimes twice. He captivated childhood. His imagination was unbelievable and fun. And thus began my love of books.
As i write, as i work, as i "play" i try to remember that my imagination must never be lost. Sometime i open a new document and allow myself to write the most random things my mind can create. I tell kids tales of giant toad eating crickets just so that i know my imagination is alive. I let it free as often as i can, just because it's the greatest tool for writers.
Friday, 26 November 2010
Thursday, 25 November 2010
I'm totally blaming Gareth Malone for me not writing today!
I have been rather naughty to day and written a total of 0 words on the novel. Naughty me :(
It's not like i even have an excuse except for going Christmas shopping for most of the afternoon.
So the lovely people at Lovefilms delivered my 3 latest Dvd's. One of which is the Gareth Malone goes to Glyndebourne disk. I usually watch these programs when the hit the TV but unfortunately with work this year i was unable to view this serious, much to my annoyance. Thus when i discovered there was a DVD i was overjoyed and ordered it straight away (i even put it on high propriety along with Toy Story 3.)
Gareth Malone’s work with young people is truly inspiring. It never ceases to amaze me how much he can get out of the people who are usually just cast aside by society. The way he gives young people, who would never normally get these opportunities, a chance to shine is so enthralling. He also seems to effortlessly inspire these people to step outside their comfort zones., to try something that they’re not always keen on.
It has been amazing watching the multiple series that Gareth Malone has done. From the first series in the two schools, to the South Oxy choir (which I hear is still going very strong). He is not just bringing music in to the lives of so many, but confidence, inspiration and the knowledge that they can do things they never thought possible.
Watching this programs today reminded me of how I can make an impact on the people I work with in the outdoor industry. That in the few days I spend with some of the young people I can give them a opportunity to challenge themselves and in doing so grow in confidence. There is no better feeling then waking up in the morning and knowing that today I am going to make a person smile, make them feel good about themselves and help them through some of their fears. In doing this I hope I can inspire people just as Gareth does.
Thanks Gareth for inspiring me J
(PS - i'm also blamming him for me not writing :P Okay, okay - it's me own fault. I'll go do some novel writing now...but first Toy Story 3)
It's not like i even have an excuse except for going Christmas shopping for most of the afternoon.
So the lovely people at Lovefilms delivered my 3 latest Dvd's. One of which is the Gareth Malone goes to Glyndebourne disk. I usually watch these programs when the hit the TV but unfortunately with work this year i was unable to view this serious, much to my annoyance. Thus when i discovered there was a DVD i was overjoyed and ordered it straight away (i even put it on high propriety along with Toy Story 3.)
Gareth Malone’s work with young people is truly inspiring. It never ceases to amaze me how much he can get out of the people who are usually just cast aside by society. The way he gives young people, who would never normally get these opportunities, a chance to shine is so enthralling. He also seems to effortlessly inspire these people to step outside their comfort zones., to try something that they’re not always keen on.
It has been amazing watching the multiple series that Gareth Malone has done. From the first series in the two schools, to the South Oxy choir (which I hear is still going very strong). He is not just bringing music in to the lives of so many, but confidence, inspiration and the knowledge that they can do things they never thought possible.
Watching this programs today reminded me of how I can make an impact on the people I work with in the outdoor industry. That in the few days I spend with some of the young people I can give them a opportunity to challenge themselves and in doing so grow in confidence. There is no better feeling then waking up in the morning and knowing that today I am going to make a person smile, make them feel good about themselves and help them through some of their fears. In doing this I hope I can inspire people just as Gareth does.
Thanks Gareth for inspiring me J
And finally here's a picture by me of a fly trying to work out the square root of Pi.
SJ (PS - i'm also blamming him for me not writing :P Okay, okay - it's me own fault. I'll go do some novel writing now...but first Toy Story 3)
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
I HATE 3D movies
I promise you i have almost done my 3k worth of writing today and so decided i deserved a treat and a chance to right something else. And what better to right when on break from writing your novel, which has started to really annoy you, then a big old rant.
So here's my rant.
I
Hate
3D
Movies.
You might ask why. (Go on please do)
Well here is my reason.
I don't actually hate the fact films are produced in 3D. I don't even mind the fact that people go and see 3D movies. I just personally hate them....because i can't seem them. That's right, i can't see the stupid things. I was born with a funny eye condition, well quite a few but i have an Esotropia which means my eyes turns inwards. Don't worry, you wouldn't even noticed it because i wear contact lenses to correct this but what i means for me and 3D is that my eyes don't work together correctly. I supposidly have no( stereoscopic vision, binocular vision) depth perception. You probably wouldn't notice this either because i don't have a clue what depth perception is and swear i can see how far things are from me.
But to see 3D movies you have to have two eyes that work together...and mine don't. Thus i don't see 3D. This didn't bother me when i was younger. I didn't even realise this. I'm pretty sure looking back that when i went to Florida as a child i just pressumed the 3D experiances where working (obviously not)
But in todays world it's kind of hard to escape the fact i can't see 3D movies. I mean go into a cinema and i guarentee that there are at least 2 movies showing in 3D. But even when 3D started to become a hit it didn't bother, not until the last year or so when i walked into a local cinema where i was working and was told there was no 2D showing of Shrek Goes Forth. Because of this i never did see the movie. Another sting in the tail was when the amount of 2D showings have been reduced to most 3D releases meaning i fet left having to see movies at really annoying times. (I wanted to see Toy Story 3 in the evening but had to go to the one showing that week at 4pm on a Saturday - perfect shopping time) and even worse having my poor friends worry about me when i say "It's okay, go see the film in 3D, there's no other showings"
So for all those 3D film makers out there, for all the cinemas. Please take some note that this film loving writer is having a massive dilema, which is just getting worse. :(
Rant over. Back to the book.
Sigh
SJELLIOT
So here's my rant.
I
Hate
3D
Movies.
You might ask why. (Go on please do)
Well here is my reason.
I don't actually hate the fact films are produced in 3D. I don't even mind the fact that people go and see 3D movies. I just personally hate them....because i can't seem them. That's right, i can't see the stupid things. I was born with a funny eye condition, well quite a few but i have an Esotropia which means my eyes turns inwards. Don't worry, you wouldn't even noticed it because i wear contact lenses to correct this but what i means for me and 3D is that my eyes don't work together correctly. I supposidly have no( stereoscopic vision, binocular vision) depth perception. You probably wouldn't notice this either because i don't have a clue what depth perception is and swear i can see how far things are from me.
But to see 3D movies you have to have two eyes that work together...and mine don't. Thus i don't see 3D. This didn't bother me when i was younger. I didn't even realise this. I'm pretty sure looking back that when i went to Florida as a child i just pressumed the 3D experiances where working (obviously not)
But in todays world it's kind of hard to escape the fact i can't see 3D movies. I mean go into a cinema and i guarentee that there are at least 2 movies showing in 3D. But even when 3D started to become a hit it didn't bother, not until the last year or so when i walked into a local cinema where i was working and was told there was no 2D showing of Shrek Goes Forth. Because of this i never did see the movie. Another sting in the tail was when the amount of 2D showings have been reduced to most 3D releases meaning i fet left having to see movies at really annoying times. (I wanted to see Toy Story 3 in the evening but had to go to the one showing that week at 4pm on a Saturday - perfect shopping time) and even worse having my poor friends worry about me when i say "It's okay, go see the film in 3D, there's no other showings"
So for all those 3D film makers out there, for all the cinemas. Please take some note that this film loving writer is having a massive dilema, which is just getting worse. :(
Rant over. Back to the book.
Sigh
SJELLIOT
Tuesday, 23 November 2010
Picture attempt two.
After the epic fail of the last picture i decided to repost the picture for your enjoyment
(NOTE: Almost uploaded it without putting in the hamster)
And here is a picture of an abseiling squirrel...because...well i have no reason
OOO i just realised if you click on the image it makes it bigger :)
ywriter5 software and an escape Hamster
Why hello blogger readers (or probably just me reading this myself because i don't believe that anyone is actually reading this blog)
Onwards to my writing success today. Well i don't know if it has been a productive day or not. I haven't actually added many numbers to my word count today. Probably about 100 max. But what i did do is download a nifty little program called yWriter5 when procrastinating on the net. And it actually got me setting out my story, writing down some scenes, outling the basics of the plot. Now i always thought i worked better when i just let my mind be creative, as little structure as i could. But now i've been working with this little piece of genius software i've realised that i actually like the structure. I've got lots of different scenes ready to be written and it also means i don't have to go wasting time scanning through a word document for the scene i want to work on. I get to pick up scenes and drop them at will meaning i don't have to be so liniar.
This is a quick screenshot of the project. As you can see i may be procrastinating again as i have taken the time to draw a small hamster on it. Hey, i thimk i deserve a break after the time i spent on the outline.
Anyway, it's almost dinner time and i have an episode of Sanctuary to watch. I have told myself i don't have to write any more today as a treat. I may do some more writing if i feel in the mood but i'm not going to send myself on a guilt trip if i don't. The only problem is that i'm worried i'm going to spend to long outlining the scenes that i'm not actually going to right them. So project for tomorrow. 3k words.
The Aspiring Author, signing off :)
(P.S just realised the text on it doesn't show up very well *sigh*)
Monday, 22 November 2010
Time to write
Okay, so i don't know how this is going to work. I'm writing a blog to encourage me to write a book! Pretty much this is procratonating to the extreme. Either this is going to work or fail misserabley.
I've written books before...well one. 50,000 words in 1 month. But that book will forever live on my hardrive, never to be sprung on the unspecting public. That was just to prove to me that i could write a book. Now i want to write a book that i can publish.
So my new book was born. 6k words in and my aim is to finish by the 25th December 2010. Here goes nothing.
Currently listening to Beauty Underneath from Love Never Dies. (I love musicals, just discovered this song)
Word Count: 6385
I've written books before...well one. 50,000 words in 1 month. But that book will forever live on my hardrive, never to be sprung on the unspecting public. That was just to prove to me that i could write a book. Now i want to write a book that i can publish.
So my new book was born. 6k words in and my aim is to finish by the 25th December 2010. Here goes nothing.
Currently listening to Beauty Underneath from Love Never Dies. (I love musicals, just discovered this song)
Word Count: 6385
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