Writer T. James' Exploration of Words, on the Internet.

Category: Opinion (Page 3 of 3)

My right to free speech is protected by the non-existent British constitution. Everything herein expressed is an opinion, and any resemblance to anything real, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

When are you REALLY a writer, and not just a wannabe?

Everyone knows—to be a real writer you must have a beard , regardless of your sex.*

What does it mean, when you say “I’m a writer?” I can’t answer for you, but I was surprised that some wished to answer for me when I chose the title “aspiring writer” for myself eight months ago, and then decided to stick with it.

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Seriously Cute Blogger Award

Ah, my first award :) No money, illicit favours or other nefarious activities were undertaken to secure this honour, honestly ;). Instead it was in a rare, and wonderfully heady state of giddy girlish delusion that Angela Addams did consider me worthy to receive this accolade (if you know Angela you will know that neither giddy nor girlish are her usual state-of-mind). Still once given, this award cannot be revoked. It is mine, Mine, MINE I SAY…. HahahahahHAHAHAHA!!!! Continue reading

The Bodacious Bloomers: An Award for Writers and Bloggers.

Recently I discovered that there was such a thing as a blog award when I was kindly nominated for ‘The Cute Blogger Award’ by Angela Addams (which I shall accept officially in a future post). There are other ones, but generally they celebrate achievements like being a ‘Versatile Blogger’, or reaching targets and goals like the ‘CampNaNoWriMo’ awards. Some awards cater for the cooler, darker side of the web, like the ‘Minions of Misery‘ award.

This is all wonderful, and encourages writers to reach for the stars, surpass themselves, and achieve the seemingly impossible. Then they get to brag about it to all their writing mates, whispering, “Nah, Nah!, I’m better than you…loooserrrrs!” behind their backs, but what about the looooserrrs? Is there nothing for them? Continue reading

Don’t Lose Your Readers! Context and Your Writing: Does it Need a Frame, or Even a Map?

Is Andy Warhol a good painter? Some have argued that a talented teenager could replicate his work. If one of his paintings had been taken back in time, before he became famous, and was displayed at a high-school art show, would it even be noticed? Years later he became a darling of the media, and acclaimed by celebrities. Then, any piece of work done by Andy Warhol could be displayed anywhere, and would be admired, simply because it was an Andy Warhol. In writing, as in the visual arts, the context of a piece of work can change everything. Ignore it at your own risk.

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What kind of writer are you: ‘Plotter’ or ‘Pantser’; Killer or Loon?

I came across several articles on the ‘net recently asking the question, “What type of writer are you?” Do you write by pre-planning the scenes and plot-lines within your story, i.e. are you a ‘plotter’?

Or, do you write by making-it-up-as-you-go-along, “By the seat of your pants,” i.e. are you a ‘pantser‘?

My instant response was, “WHAT?” I have the choice of being a subversive, probably sadistic, psychopathic author of nefarious conspiracy, or being named after a traditional British male undergarment*. Continue reading

Which is more deadly? Medicine or legalism?

In what is an obviously blatant simplification it seems to me that medicines can be divided into three types:

1) Vital but venomous: basically the stuff really isn’t good for you but you have to take it to prevent something worse happening, like death, for example. I have to admire the courage of all those choosing to undergo the necessary ordeal of chemotherapy. The side effects can be horrendous.

2) Standard pharmaceuticals: the things that are fine as long as you read the label like most headache pills, and creams for that itch you don’t want to tell anyone about. They are potentially dangerous, but basically have only minor side effects if used carefully.

3) The stuff that is about as deadly as a cheeseburger. Let’s face it, if you eat enough cheeseburgers then you could conceivably die from either choking, or a heart attack caused by the build up of cholesterol. My point is that you have to eat a lot of cheeseburgers to achieve any level of lethality.

So, how is this relevant to anything? I took my son to nursery today and I had to sign a medical consent form for a common cough medicine that’s got honey, glycerol, and liquid sugar (sucrose ) in it. That’s it. I will have to sign the same form, giving the same information, every single day it will benefit him to take it. How long do the regulations say he is permitted to take it? Three days, before I have to take him to see a doctor. My boy has a cough. He’s four. Children get coughs. There is no phlegm, fever, or anything indicating he isn’t going to make a perfectly normal recovery. His cough is likely to last five to six days. So that’s several days where the nursery staff are not allowed to give him anything to make him more comfortable and help him to regain lost sleep at nap time, until he has seen a doctor. So why not just take him to a doctor?  The doctor has patients who are really ill, and a limited number of appointments. Also, our son gets miserable and really really bored waiting for his allotted appointment time for about an hour. At least at nursery he has toys and other children to distract him from his symptoms. So, we either leave him in nursery with his cough (before I get flamed by irate parents, of course we bring him home when he is properly ill or suffering, poor mite), or we waste a doctor’s time, who will just tell him to take the same medicine anyway, and bore my son, literally, to tears.

So that was irritating. Just don’t get me onto the time when our boy went to nursery fit and well in the morning, then got such a high temperature that the nursery staff phoned me saying he was very upset, and advised I drive him to hospital. His temperature had been getting progressively worse for an hour before they called me. I asked whether they could give him something to bring it down. According to the regulations you have to sign a medical consent form. Even when his temperature is so high you are saying I should take him to A&E? Can you give him something now to help him, and I’ll sign the consent form when I get there in half an hour? According to the regulations you have to sign a medical consent form. We are not allowed to give him anything until after you have signed. So for an hour and a half he was given nothing to help with either his distress, or his rising temperature. The incident today with the cough mixture is irritating. That got me angry. (He turned out to be fine after a few days of TLC at home).

Rambling? Yes, but my point is this. I don’t blame the nursery staff who are all very diligent and caring. I do blame our over protective, agoraphobia inducing legal system which prevents teachers, parents, and carers responding to the specific, and individual needs of the vulnerable for fear of getting sued. Some things are quintessentially British. We still have cricket, tennis, cream teas, curries, and our weather, but we’re losing our good, old fashioned, British common sense.

Has any one had a similar experience? Any views or opinions? Please feel free to share them below.

N.B. Note on allergies: As our son had taken the medicines on several prior occasions with no ill effects, it seemed unlikely his head was suddenly going to explode. The only things he seems allergic to are raw eggs, some sun creams, and wearing long trousers and a jumper when it’s cold outside.

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