Tuesday, 23 June 2015

On writing, writers and surprises



23 June

This morning I was up in time to phone for an appointment with the GP; however, by the time I got an answer, I wasn’t in time to get one today. I did get one for Friday at 3.50, the last one available for this week. Jan needs a fasting blood test done so I booked that for her too. They only do blood tests on Fridays, and the first one available for that was 9.10 on the 10 July. She could get it done at the Hussy, but again she would need and appointment but it’s the parking fees that she would have to pay to get it done makes it a costly exercise. So much for our free NHS at times to suit you eh.

That Morgan Rice book I’m reading on me tab, Rise of the Valiant, if you’re fancying it, don’t bother! One of the main characters is a 15 year old girl named Kyra, who has some sort of power that enables her to beat 10 ruffians in an inn, and to do so with just a staff. That staff of hers must be magical too. It is a normal looking staff but somehow some has managed to get an iron centre in it. It can be split to show a blade on each end. She uses that to kill one of the ruffians, but then leaves the inn without picking up the staff. She then uses the staff to break open some cages holding a load of 18 year old lads who were destined for service in an area where the soldiers are too afraid serve. A couple of chapters later she uses it to kill an octopus just before she falls over a 100 foot waterfall, presumably without her staff. Again, a couple of chapters on she takes her staff and goes chasing a strong band of enemy soldiers who were abducting a wagon load of young girls. That is one magical staff folks! Parry Hotter could have used I’m sure.

In Clash of Kings, there are now four kings all claiming the Iron Throne. OK, fine … there’s a 13 year old who is the current sitter on the throne but two of his uncles are also claiming it is there’s by birth rite, not the boy. At least one of them has a legitimate claim though. You see, his dad was not the just dead king, no, his dad was … ah but no, just in case you are one of the few who haven’t read it or watched the series on the telly. The fourth king is Robb Stark who is calling himself the King of the North. And just to stir the already dirty water, off shore there is the daughter of the king deposed by the newly dead king … no wonder me ‘ed aches. Give me a simple murder novel methinks.

Much better news for me was that yesterday while Jan was out and about I actually got to write, and I do mean write, not type, around 2000 words for Arathusia. The story has moved on a good bit now and I can see a bit more of where it’s taking me. Oh yes folks, so much fun being a writer and not really knowing what is going to happen next. If it surprises the writer, then hopefully it will surprise and please the readers and keep them coming back for more. It’s nice to dream I suppose.

And so for a photo … 

A rather nice godwit, a bar-tailed I think.

Today’s funny …

At New York's Kennedy airport today an individual, later discovered to be a public school teacher, was arrested trying to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a square, a slide rule, and a calculator. The Attorney General believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-gebra movement. He is being charged with carrying weapons of math instruction.
"Al-gebra is a very fearsome cult, indeed", the Attorney General said. "They desire average solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on a tangent in a search of absolute value. They consist of quite shadowy figures, with names like "x" and "y", and, although they are frequently referred to as "unknowns", we know they really belong to a common denominator and are part of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country.
"As the great Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, there are three sides to every triangle." When asked to comment on the arrest, President Bush said, "If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, He would have given us more fingers and toes."

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