THE WORD ON THE .NET

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

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Writers: Will we all be out of a job by 2037?

It’s the New Year folks, when we all start to think about our futures… While skiving off taking a break from writing my current short story I came across these two videos on Youtube. They got me thinking about mine, but what do you think about yours? Continue reading

Boxing Day – A Christmas Poem.

 

It’s Boxing Day and what to blog?

We’ve eaten a third of the turkey, and barely touched the hog…

The family’s out in the rain for their annual slog,

Filling their lungs with city-park smog.

Aunty’s sprout allergy kicked in – she’s on the bog,

We’ll call the plumber later for the much needed de-clog.

Junior’s new puppy just laid another Christmas log,

Or is that Junior2’s joke plastic analogue?

Uncle is comatose from too much grog,

His still-lit pipe pouring out that noxious fog.

Teenagers, unsatisfied, digest the catalogues,

All thoughts of love, and selfless giving – empty epilogue.

Boxing Day leaves only the young at heart still agog,

To carry forward their joy of giving into next year’s dialogues.

.                                              —♥—

“Boxing Day – A Christmas Poem” by T. James, © December 2011.

 

Image by pancaketom offered royalty free from stockfresh.com

The Versatile Blogger Award

 

The Versatile Blogger Award.

My obvious greatness has been proven by be me having just been accorded another prestigious award where I had to share with the world some staggeringly interesting facts about yours truly. To be graced with a second accolade so quickly seems entirely appropriate. It gives me the opportunity to share some absolutely true, and previously top secret things about myself which you may have suspected, but been unable to confirm. Today, the rumours will be quelled, and the truth shall be revealed! Continue reading

One Lovely Blog Award

It is long overdue, but I thought it was about time I accepted another blog award to tide me over until the Pulitzer arrives *cough*. I was kindly nominated by Chrissey Harrison and Pat Hollett several moons ago, and I applaud them for their evident taste and rarefied discernment, in choosing me as the next recipient.

The One Lovely Blogger Award has a long and prestigious history that I know absolutely nothing about, but I am confident that I number amongst only a select few (thousand –Ed.) to have been lauded in this way. Continue reading

Long-term Project News

UPDATED 16/12/11… See the end of the post for latest news…

Well, for those loyal few who have noticed my absence online, and from Twitter, for a while now, and wondered what exactly I was up to– your wait is finally at an end!

*Silence* An expectant silence? Oh, OK, just silence…

Well I’m going to blog about it anyway… It’s no major event in the larger world of writers and writing, but it is a big deal for me. I’ve just finished the second draft of my short contemporary fiction piece. Why the big deal? It’s the longest complete piece I’ve ever finished. At 13,000 words it’s not a novel and, I’m informed, not even a novella, but it’s taken nearly six months, some effort, and sweat to get here. Fortunately I managed to stop short of the blood and tears. Continue reading

Gaseous Emissions from The Queen’s Regal Posterior: A Poem.

It may seem insincere to say I have the greatest respect for the Royal Family, but financial debates aside, I believe they all, and especially Her Majesty, have worked hard on behalf of charities, and for our country.

Two other facts are pertinent, however:

Firstly, The Queen is still a human being, Her Royal Biology no different from our own.

Secondly, when writing a poem about bodily wind, the more upper-class, and auguste the personage concerned, the funnier it is. It is simply one of the eternal rules of comedy.

So, this is not an attack on the Queen’s Royal Person, but rather an acknowledgement of the paradox that is royalty: that according to ancient tradition* they are God’s Appointed, sent to rule over, and take care of us, and yet, they are also human, and so subject to all of the daily comedies and tragedies of which the human condition consists.

So I offer, this, my humble poetic tribute to the humanity of our Queen, and hope that I may prevail upon the Royal Sense-of-Humour, not to hold this against me when one day, God willing, I will be nominated for a Knighthood. Continue reading

An Interview with Anne Michaud: Writing, Creativity, and Wild Swan.

 As I’ve recently discovered, creativity is a fickle thing, sometimes abundantly overflowing, at others, full only of empty promises. The elation of success, and the frustrations of failure, are part and parcel of the writer’s life, except for the lucky few. So, as my thoughts turned toward the nature of creativity, it happened I came upon a series of tweets from writer Anne Michaud about her forthcoming novel, ‘Wild Swan’. I asked some questions, and the more I found out, the more intrigued I became. Here was a writer in the grip of an unstoppable creative maelstrom. Ideas more subtle and profound than anything I had witnessed before were filling her head from dawn to dusk. Dumbfounded, I could only look on in admiration, and awe.

A tidal wave of envy swept through me. I must tap into this bounteous outpouring, before my own dribble of inspiration dried, and rather than a writer, I was left a mere shrivelled husk wearing human shape. So, unable to contain myself any longer, I decided I would risk it all and ask Anne for an interview. Humiliation, rejection – these only would have been my lot had Anne refused. However, she has been incredibly gracious, and deigned to grace my humble blog with her presence. It is my honour, pleasure, and nefarious plan to introduce Anne, and Wild Swan to you now… Continue reading

Children’s Book Review: Mikolay and Julia in the Attic.

This book is a charming, engaging, and imaginative story on one level, but with a necessarily darker tone than some children’s books that enables the discussion of the danger from strangers between parent and child. Please read the full review below to find out more…

Continue reading

The Ones Who Do Not Mourn

This is a post-apocalyptic science-fiction piece; Mankind is facing extinction, can they survive?

It was written for a competition on the Kelley Armstrong OWG forum. The brief was that it had to be less than 1500 words, should have a post-apocalyptic setting, could be written from any point of view, and had to contain, “animals,” and, “a forest.”

Please let me know what you think in the comments…

Continue reading

Long-term Project News (3)

My two longer term projects have been paused ‘under review’ for some time. After a little gentle prompting from Twitter friends Sandy and Kirkus I have decided to go back and revisit the short story, where I had been considering abandoning it. As was pointed out, I don’t know if it will ever be ready for publication, but the editing experience I will gain from finding out will be invaluable.

A fantasy novel (no working title), paused at around 60,000 words, it is the first thing I ever wrote. There are plot and pacing issues. I still remain undecided about this one, as there remains a lot of actual writing to do. This goes against my natural inclination, but not just ploughing ahead writing scenes as they come, and using a more considered approach will probably be a more successful method of actually finishing what I started. Now I just need that minor consideration: a plot…

A short story (working title, “Cassie”), which I hoped to publish, has issues with style and content. It covers the subjects of cancer, depression, disinterest and relationship breakup, and hope. It’s ambitious, but I’m (eventually) going to edit it to within an inch of its life, and then I’ll know the fate that I shall decree…

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