Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Monday, March 30, 2015
Justine's Journal #32
52 Weeks 500 Words
This is how it began: Justine (not her real
name) decided to write 500 words (or as near as), anything goes, per week for 52
weeks. She would then submit it for anonymous posting, via me, her friend.
Perhaps a pattern will emerge from her words, but at this stage it’s more an
experiment I have agreed to share in. I’ll attempt to draw conclusions at the
end of this. Stay tuned if this resonates with you.
Week 32
"The concept anger, that’s what I’d like to address this
week.
We all know it well. That feeling of
frustration/helplessness/aggression/thoughtlessness which is - when you add
them all together - anger. Of course there are more emotions involved than the
four lumped together here, but you get the idea.
Unusually anger is sparked by the frustration of
helplessness. This is when you want something to work so badly and yet you cannot
change it, you have not the power, the power is elsewhere. Those frustrated
feelings then result in aggression, for now you need to express how you feel in
some overt way, and aggression becomes thoughtlessness. You start feeding those
flames so much you no longer give thought to what you’re saying, doing, or who
you may be hurting.
We think we feel better having released the demons of frustration,
but in fact the aftermath can be far worse. Soon we realise we hurt someone or
we broke something or we went too far in some way … and there is no undoing it.
Fixing, trust me, isn't undoing.
Anger harms the angry the most, in my opinion. Not only is
there the aftermath, but there is an inner disappointment. You lost control. You
didn't think first. You were impatient. You were, in fact, selfish, wanting
something to go exactly according to your demands, or someone to react exactly
as you expect them to. So you allowed anger to take root and it solved exactly
nothing.
There is much advice about what to do when an angry person
confronts you or you need to deal with someone in the grip of it. Do not add
fuel to the fire by arguing with them. Walk away, an angry person cannot fight
with him or herself. Some say, listen, and wait out the tirade, and then offer
logical solutions. This may take a while, for a listener is a great scapegoat
for an angry person.
The advice above is for the witness, however.
What about you, me, him or her, the one growing angrier by
the second?
What advice can we offer ourselves to prevent it? Take a
deep breath, they say. Think first, they say. Walk away, change your
environment in some small way to distract you. Have a drink of water, your
mouth will be too busy to speak, and therefore you grab time to calm down.
All of the above have merit, but we are only human and we
cannot always control our aggressive sides. I say use what works for you, try
one tip, then another, until you find the one that makes you stop long enough
to choose another manner of expression. But remember this – we ARE human and we
make mistakes and fail in our intentions even when we try to do the best we
can. So don’t beat yourself up after, apologise if you need to, and try the
next tip … or come up with something that works.
One last point. Anger is a valid emotion, but how we deal
with it makes all the difference. Allowing anger to rule us is not good for
anybody."
Friday, March 27, 2015
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Monday, March 23, 2015
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Justine's Journal #31
52 Weeks 500 Words
This is how it began: Justine (not her real
name) decided to write 500 words (or as near as), anything goes, per week for 52
weeks. She would then submit it for anonymous posting, via me, her friend.
Perhaps a pattern will emerge from her words, but at this stage it’s more an
experiment I have agreed to share in. I’ll attempt to draw conclusions at the
end of this. Stay tuned if this resonates with you.
Week 31
"This may end up being a week to update you all (and me) on
posts previously left open-ended – in fact, it will be J Why, you ask? Well,
that’s what I asked myself, and I realised we’re nearing the end of this
experiment and I may not again have opportunity to clear some things up.
In Week 1 my woe was about my writing, about never trusting I
can do so. Happy to report it’s going well, although now in editing stage.
In Week 2 I commented on the fact that I felt like a
bystander to life. Happy to report that’s no longer so. I feel involved again,
and most of that feeling stems from self-belief.
In Week 4 we discussed my inability to share good or bad
news with equanimity. Again, that is no longer so, for I have learned to trust
myself more.
Week 6 was about examining answers –I do that as a matter of
course now, but not in judgement, rather for proper understanding.
Week 8 discussed people wearing masks. Now this is still a
truth, for I can’t change everyone around me, and I certainly can’t do so for
the entire world. This facet of ourselves is something we all need to address
and make note of.
Week 10 was about a stalker. Thankfully it all went away,
although I do remain wary. I still look over my shoulder all the time. I guess
time will heal this. I hope so.
In Week 14 I spoke about taking it slow (these journal
entries) and how the process aided thinking. Yes, that remains absolutely true.
Week 17 was about honesty. This remains the hardest concept
for most people, and it has to do with the masks we wear. My advice? Be honest
with yourself, for there lays your responsibility.
Week 21 mentioned again reconnecting with my brother. And in
Week 28 I told you of my paranoia and how it ended up as a premonition about my
brother. At this time I still can’t explain how that happened (and I don’t want
to get all esoteric here) but know my brother and I remain firm friends and we
can’t wait to see each other again.
Week 25 was about celebrating life and nature, and that is
something I do daily. Even when I need to get around with the help of a walking
stick!
Last week (Week 30) we talked about the fires in our region.
Sadly, more did erupt and we still live on the edge of expectation here. It has
rained (last night) but not enough to entirely remove the threat. Please remain
on guard, friends of the south.
And that’s a bit of recap. Looking at this I realise I would
love to do a post on the premonition issue. Would you read it? I think I may do
so before this session of journal entries close. Stay tuned, and thank you for
reading so far." J
Friday, March 20, 2015
"... a fascinating cross between a post holocaust tale and high fantasy ..."
As you may know my previous publisher commissioned stories for an anthology. The Secrets of Castle Drakon has been shared and aired here on Writing World, but Thorstruck has now closed and the tales are no longer available in one book ... but they are as individual stories (some of them, with more coming!).
The anthology was nominated for the British Science Fiction Fantasy Awards, as were a few of the stories contained within, among others - Ancient Illumination.
Below is an excerpt from a review posted for the anthology on the British Fantasy Society's site:
The anthology was nominated for the British Science Fiction Fantasy Awards, as were a few of the stories contained within, among others - Ancient Illumination.
Below is an excerpt from a review posted for the anthology on the British Fantasy Society's site:
Ancient Illumination is republished!
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Secret Remedies
New Release from Your's Truly!
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In Secret Remedies peek around the corners of a large tale
to discover the bits hidden from plain view, for always there is more to a
story.
Every sage saying from the Lore of Arcana series is gathered
in one place, along with the hidden history of Ardosia, the real Pendulim
mission, the beauty of Pilan, character interviews, and other surprises.
Secret Remedies (Arcana) gifts the reader greater insight
into the Lore tales and what causes the main players to endure in a world on
the brink of annihilation, as well as being a companion work for future
reference.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Monday, March 16, 2015
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Justine's Journal #30
52 Weeks 500 Words
This is how it began: Justine (not her real
name) decided to write 500 words (or as near as), anything goes, per week for 52
weeks. She would then submit it for anonymous posting, via me, her friend.
Perhaps a pattern will emerge from her words, but at this stage it’s more an
experiment I have agreed to share in. I’ll attempt to draw conclusions at the
end of this. Stay tuned if this resonates with you.
Week 30
"I’m sure you’re aware I live at the southern tip of Africa
(if you didn't, you do now!) and it is summer here in the southern hemisphere.
Yes, technically, if you want to name months, it’s autumn, but trust me it’s
still very much summer. It’s hot, dry and very windy and fires have erupted all
over the region. Many mountain ranges have now burned to nothing, all
vegetation and little creatures just gone. Fire fighters put up a heroic effort
and have been well-lauded locally. A few were injured and one helicopter pilot
lost his life. It has been a time of a thick pall of smoke over everything, the
sun battling to get through. When it did, it was a strange orange-red globe we
could stare directly at.
Two weeks ago I watched the mountains across the bay go up
in flame and this week I saw the range across the valley from us go up as well.
This is a truly sobering sight. It reveals the power of fire. It has also
revealed to us the spirit of people, for every man and woman who went out to
tame these blazes is a true hero, the majority of them volunteers.
A new fire can erupt at any moment and destroy more mountain
vegetation and its wild inhabitants; we live in fear of it, we live in hope it
won’t happen. Some are talking of deliberate arson, politically motivated, a
complicated subject of which party is control of what region, or simply some
folk hoping to keep jobs they otherwise wouldn't have. I can’t say whether any
of that has truth, but I do know a lit cigarette tossed from a moving car into
the over dry bush is able to start a blaze of note. A small barbecue fire, left
unattended, can spread swiftly in the wind and cause havoc.
I’m asking that folk be careful, be vigilant and let us keep
what is left. Heroism is one thing, but this is something that can be avoided
and should be avoided. We live here; let us keep what we have, and nurture our
environment.
And here’s to proper autumn arriving and the approach of winter!
The moment it starts raining is the moment we may again breathe a sigh of relief.
Those blackened moonscapes will have a chance again to sprout new growth and in
time encourage the little creatures to return, and the dry landscape for the
rest of us will transform into a green paradise once again. Be vigilant until
then, please."
Friday, March 13, 2015
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
A review day on Writing World - something for everyone!
Romance, fantasy, history, contemporary, horror ... take your pick!
