Poems by contemporary Irish writers Angela Graham, Al Millar, Steve Dornan, Anne McMaster and myself in the medium of Ulster Scots, to mark Poetry Day Ireland 2023. https://thehamelypen.wordpress.com/2023/04/26/poetry-day-ireland-2023/
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The Forest (poem)
https://youtu.be/JuUOXuz34X0 The ancient Forrest, All are gone, all but a few, to mind they’re gone. The spreading leaf, the red tail bob, the hills and glens, in silence throb. Veins and valleys, streams and paths, each and ever contours craft Beyond our sight, horizon grasped: oaks and elms, chestnut and Yew. Mighty stock, a hundred … Continue reading The Forest (poem)
Joe Wicks (fortitude)
Joe Wicks - the UK’s most famous fitness coach! The live PE sessions during the lock down for kids; the books; the YouTube channel; the public events; the TV appearances; the MBE! Joe Wicks is good at what he does, he has energy and passion, he has fame and success. But for me the main thing is fortitude in the face of rejection and failure. I remember him telling a story about standing outside a railway station in London handing out fliers for fitness boot camps in local parks; and no one turned up, not a single person! He was young, enthusiastic, hopeful, proactive, and pretty much trying to do what he does now! So how did Joe Wicks become so successful? And here I have to look in from the outside, and as Roy Walker used to say on Catchphrase, “say what you see.”
‘Negative Energy’ – Blog snippet
“We all encounter negative energy, though its source and out working will be different for each of us. For me the worst kind is flux. This is when something has ended or finished. Or when your waiting on something, and I mean your specifically waiting on something, normally a decision or a response that is … Continue reading ‘Negative Energy’ – Blog snippet
The Art of Comedy
…the refinement process for public performance is remarkable! The comedian comes up with an idea that might work as a joke, so they think it through and write it down, they tell it to the four walls, they note the changes and do it again, repeatedly, then and only then is it performed to a tiny audience at an obscure venue, and in the full knowledge this must be repeated over and over again, constantly refining, constantly changing, constantly adapting, constantly cutting and dissecting, and constantly being prepared to drop it altogether!
14 days and 6746 words.
I love numbers, connections and patterns. So today after two weeks I am where I should be in one month. I’d better explain that last sentence. As my New Year’s resolution I decided to write 200 words each day through January. This was towards a story I promised to write for my children in the … Continue reading 14 days and 6746 words.
If you quit, falter or stop…
“if you quit, if you falter, if you stop, all the pain will be for nothing.”
Starting the year well
New Year New Opportunities! The 1st of January is just another day, a turn of the calendars page, and in this electronic age it’s not even that! But none the less it does give us the opportunity to re-set or re-focus. It is more mental than actual, but in this case a mental change is … Continue reading Starting the year well
Climbing Mountains (is the easy bit) – Hard Truths For Writers
Mountaineer - image from WordPress It’s like climbing a mountain; all alone and totally untrained. You learn as you go; you work out what to do; you learn how to use the equipment. Then you wing it; you get lucky; you take hard routes, easy routes, bizarre routes. Eventually you traverse the final assent, you … Continue reading Climbing Mountains (is the easy bit) – Hard Truths For Writers
Captain Timmy has set sale!
Okay, sorry about the dreadful pun in the title, I thought it was good, I’m excited, it’s early in the morning! But whatever the title of the post, finally Captain Timmy and the Bobbing Barrel is live and for sale.
Spring Is Now
Spring is far more than the arbitrary turn of a calendar’s page. It is mindset. It is flow. It is process. It is seasonality. It is ceasing to think of then, as if now has no bearing upon it.
Don’t be wasteful!
In reality someone who isn’t wasteful, reuses things and appreciates the world around them, but never thinks of themselves as an environmentalist, is much better for the environment than someone who is wasteful, decadent, and in practice shows scant regard for the world around them, but thinks of themselves as an environmentalist.
New Kids Book “Captain Timmy & the Bobbing Barrel”
I’ve got that, “it’s nearly finished feeling!” I’m about a week or so away from ordering an authors proof of Captain Timmy & the Bobbing Barrel! I’m really that close to the line - whoop, whoop! Normally at this point I’m thinking about what to do next, and I do have a few things in … Continue reading New Kids Book “Captain Timmy & the Bobbing Barrel”
Act pro with your time – Hard Truths For Writers
Life speaks to every person who would make, create, design, paint, illustrate, sign write; who would be an author, a writer, a poet, a composer, a singer, a musician, a performer; but will we listen, and then will we do?
How Helpful is Men’s Self Help?
I’m not sure how helpful mens self help is. Specifically that which exists within the hierarchical structure of social media. These influencers were perfect fits: they looked right, they sounded right, and they understood the system. Some have a genuine interest in trying to help others, some wanted to tell their own story, some used … Continue reading How Helpful is Men’s Self Help?
Ashamed
Someone said to me lately I was very open about my dyslexia. I probably am, but I couldn’t help thinking: why?
Residual Ulster Scots
The following article was written in January 2021. This is before the publication of ‘Lock Doon Poyams.’ Over the last while I’ve been suffering from a wild dose of imposter syndrome. Two things have done it. If you would have told me a year ago I’d be on the radio [on Kintra] reading one of … Continue reading Residual Ulster Scots
Hard Truths For Writers – loss of motivation
I haven’t written a “hard truths for writers” post in ages. There’s a lot of water under the bridge since the last one, life changing stuff, not as bad as it could have been, but totally transformative. This time I want to think about: a lack of motivation, a loss of motivation, a waning motivation, … Continue reading Hard Truths For Writers – loss of motivation
A 7 year old, COVID-19, PIMS and ICU For Christmas.
To ad-lib “COVID-19 is very dangerous”. Well COVID-19 isn’t very dangerous for everyone but can be very dangerous for some people! Covid-19 went round our house, I had a bit of a temperature and was tired for a while. Without a positive PCR result, I’m not sure we would have noticed that our youngest child … Continue reading A 7 year old, COVID-19, PIMS and ICU For Christmas.
Hard Truths For Writers – Momentum and Traction
Momentum and traction aint the same thing! I can create momentum, I’ve got a system, a routine that works, that works for me, up at twenty past five (every single morning), dressed and teeth brushed straightaway (every single morning), coffee maker turned on and sit in silence for five or ten minutes (every single morning), … Continue reading Hard Truths For Writers – Momentum and Traction
Hard Truths For Writers – Writing and Selling
Okay, here comes a slightly controversial opinion, writing a book isn’t that hard. Anyhow that’s what I’ve found. But quickly I need to add, that doesn’t mean it’s easy or takes no effort, because it is gruelling, and takes copious amounts of time.
Bugs and Books Launches (29/11/21)
I’ve had Covid, it wasn’t really that bad, I was only at mild flu level. But the tiredness and fatigue was unreal. The bigger problem was it being in the house for a wee bit over three weeks. That was, and for a few more days is a problem. Normally I’m very organised, active and … Continue reading Bugs and Books Launches (29/11/21)
James Finlay Bruce – interview
Tales Frae the life o James Finlay Bruce What inspired you to write Tales Frae the life o James Finlay Bruce? I’ve always been interested in place, in history, in what people do. In Northern Ireland there’s two great living history museums, the Folk and Transport Museum in Cultra and the Ulster American folk park … Continue reading James Finlay Bruce – interview
Dyslexic Bookview
I’m not sure if a dyslexic worldview is a thing or not? (Although I think it is.) But I’ve suddenly realised that there is a ‘dyslexic bookview’, and if a ‘dyslexic bookview’ didn’t exist it does now! This isn’t about reading, or genre, or style or anything like that, this is about how you view … Continue reading Dyslexic Bookview
Underachievement?
Underachievement is an oft quoted but little explained term, my understanding is that it is achieving less than you were capable of. I underachieved at school, that is I achieved less than I should have. Looking back I know full well that I did not get what I could have but did get what I … Continue reading Underachievement?
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