Epitaphs, by Anthological Poets, Reviewed.

As just one of the seventy-two poets featured in this remarkable volume, I clearly have to declare my interest. Amongst those bards you’ll find university professors, a prince, engineers, social workers, technicians, scientists, teachers and a good number of professional writers and poets. Many of the contributors have won awards for their writing and a most have published in many different forms. They hail from lands as diverse as India, Africa, USA, Canada and the UK. So, this international collection is far from being unrepresentative. I’m honoured to have been invited to contribute.

There are epitaphs here to make you smile, laugh, sigh and cry. The different styles range from the thoughtful to the exotic, the simple to the complex and profound. Suffice it to say that there is something here for everyone.

The fact of death is inescapable, of course. But here we have words to celebrate, express gratitude, proclaim greatness, explain lives unknown and sorrow for those who have left us behind. You may find solace, fellow-feeling, humour and respect amongst the different expressions of grief, loss and love.

Lovers of poetry will find much here to admire and enjoy. For those who are strangers to poetry, this is a gentle introduction to many different poets expressing human feelings in distinct ways. I recommend it unreservedly.

You can by the paperback by clicking this link.

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Ruled by Intellect or Emotion? Tips on Word Choice #4

English: No skinny-dipping Unusual warning sign provided by the East Riding County Council at Auburn Sands near Fraisthorpe, south of Bridlington. Naturist groups have voiced their disapproval at the sign which seems to equate naturism with indecency, and also claim that this stretch of beach on the North Sea coast has long been recognized as a naturist resort. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Certain words/phrases can induce fairly specific responses in readers. As writers, we all know this, but do we use the power of emotion in our work?

For the next few weeks, I’ll be looking at something subjective: how to choose between emotional and intellectual words for effect.

In this series I’m looking at the difference between words that seem intellectual as opposed to those that invoke a more emotional response. How you use them is obviously up to you. The point is that the alternatives have the same, or very similar, meanings, but their effect upon the reader can be markedly different. I’ve made some suggestions here, but I’m sure you can think of others.

Intellectual: Aid

Emotional: Help

‘I am seeking aid for my project on the increasing instances of injustice in Western Democracies.’

‘I could do with a bit of help over here shifting this rubbish.’

Intellectual: Gratification

Emotional: Enjoyment

‘There is a great sense of gratification to be had from performing one’s duty to the high standards one expects of others.’

‘Shirley had great enjoyment skinny-dipping on the secluded tropical island.’

Intellectual: Terminate

Emotional: End

‘Due to the nature of your request for a fair salary in exchange for your labours, we are obliged to terminate your employment with immediate effect.’

‘All I did was ask for a decent wage and the buggers brought my job to an end!’

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Star Maker, by Olaf Stapledon, Reviewed.

Is this the precursor of much of today’s science fiction? The themes, ideas, stories he covers in this long work are multitude. I’ve read developments of these ideas in so many other works. First published in 1937, it is definitely a work of its time. The style, a narrative without dialogue, is dated and I suspect many new readers would find it difficult. But it is well worth the effort of reading the whole work.

The voyage, unexplained in terms of the ‘how?’, is more concerned with the ‘why?’ and deals with this question very well. Multiple imagined worlds are brought alive on the page, alien life is explored and many diverse creatures described.

The author examines the big themes: war, man’s self-destructive nature, religion, relationships, the natural world, and many more. He looks at potential mental development and attempts to get inside the minds of creatures with greater experience, higher intelligence, different moral stances than our own. There is an undercurrent of analogy to the world in which the book was written; a reflection of the concerns and worries engendered by the burgeoning aggression that would ultimately be World War II.

This is a massive work of intellect and imagination. Yes, there are limitations on the science posed by the lack of knowledge at the time of its writing, but there are also surprising references to ideas we still hold dear.

Those who enjoy science fiction for its ability to examine serious themes, to go beyond the guns and rockets and lasers of the gamers and star warriors, will find a lot to enjoy within these pages. Those who thrive on battling superships and military space academicians will be less excited. But this is a work that may well have been seminal for writers who followed. Within its pages are the seeds of many later stories by other writers, and I wonder how many of those seeds began to grow in the fertile brains of developing talent as they read this book.

I enjoyed it and happily recommend it to those who enjoy science fiction with something to say beyond the obvious.

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Writing and Running for ME/CFS

After the first run.

Generally, I cover writing topics on this blog. But some things in the life of this author are only indirectly associated with writing, and the following is one of these.

For 10 years, from November 2002, when I caught an odd viral infection, I suffered from ME/CFS until just after I retired from employment in April 2013. Leaving work, an environment I found stressful for reasons I’ll discuss later, relieved me of the pressures that were most responsible for the continuation of the condition. I feel I’m now fully recovered (or as recovered as possible).

I’m not going into details here, merely announcing my intention to write an account of my period with ME/CFS in book form. I want to share empathy with and hope for those still suffering the condition, and provide help and personal insights for those involved with sufferers. I’ll donate 50% of the proceeds of the book to the charity that helped me from the beginning. Action for ME was there with advice and information right from the start and I want to support this organisation. I chose the charity as the recipient of 10% of revenue generated by my books published by Fantastic Books Publishing. It’s part of the contract with this company that this amount is donated to a charity of the author’s choice, you see.

As a result of the improvement in health, I’ve decided to regain fitness after so many unavoidably sedentary years. I’ve started training for a half marathon. At present, I can’t say which one this will be, as I’m not yet able to register for it, but I’ve registered an interest and await the announcement of the date on which entries can be made. For that run, I also intend to collect money for Action for ME.

The purpose of this post is to let my readers know my intentions. In future, I’ll make weekly reports of my training progress. As a 66 year old who last ran a half marathon in the early 1980s, that time to raise funds for a local hospice in Colchester, I’ve a good deal of catching up to do.

I began training 3 weeks ago, using a programme suggested by the Great Run website. Today, I performed my first real run. It was only for 5 minutes, followed by 2 minutes walking and then 4 sessions each of 1 minute running and 1 minute walking, but it was the first time I’ve spent that amount of time actually running without a pause for many years. I felt that if I could manage this challenge, then I’ve a good chance of completing the first stage of training, which aims to get me running for 20 minutes by the end of the 8 week period.

So, watch this space. Maybe join me in the effort, if you feel so inclined. Some time in the future, I’ll place a link here to enable people to sponsor me for the actual run. But that won’t come until I’m actually registered for a specific half marathon, which may be some months hence.

Sorry for the lengthy post, but I want to ensure that regular readers understand why I’ve decided to do this and why I’m placing the record on this blog. I’ve made a start on the training, and I’ve also made a start on the book, by obtaining copies of my medical records for the period concerned – interesting reading! As my publisher, Dan Grubb of Fantastic Books Publishing, would say, ‘Onward!’

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