I attended comprehensive school from 1987-1992. Prior to that I had the opportunity to visit as I was Joseph in my primary school’s Christmas production (a LOT of lines), but only saw the school hall. The actual scale of the school was a mystery until my first day in September 1987, and frankly…
Category: Journal
Finding a Hole in the Wall
Setting myself the task of writing a blog post every day for a month – which I committed myself to over the weekend, so let’s see how it goes – is a bit foolish when you don’t actually have more than a few days’ worth of material to consider. This is me, essentially,…
Goldfinger Wasn’t Goldfinger
James Bond villain Auric Goldfinger is played by Gert Frobe – but voiced by Michael Collins. Why was the well-known German actor’s voice replaced in post-production?
20 Years On: 9/11 Was the Internet’s Greatest Day
In 2001, the WTC was attacked. From the ashes and death, we discovered instant news thanks to the internet. But did this also bear the fruits of online madness we see in social media 20 years later?
Barry Meat Book Update
Many years ago I hosted a short-lived but apparently popular show on Live365, an online radio station. They offered a range of packages, and of course as a northern cheapskate I chose the free option, which meant zero promotion or storage space. Nevertheless, I constructed a handful of episodes in which I chatted…
Blobs and Fanzines
Recalling The Blob, the hand-written magazine project I lead and edited at school, 33 years ago. Isn’t it lucky I didn’t have access to DTP software…?
Writing for Myself
Exploring the benefits of writing for yourself, rather than to a preconceived idea of what agents and publishers are looking for.
Forever Awesome
I’m awesome, you’re awesome, we’re all awesome. Equally, we’re pretty awful at times. We all make mistakes, carry guilt, have regrets – often for things that have been forgotten by everyone else – and, basically, are human. Social media is a place where mistakes are amplified. Minor infractions seem to get the same…
Lockdowns: Great for Writers, Not So Great for This Writer
It’s been months since my last blog here. It’s funny; I wouldn’t have previously believed the saying “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” but the past 12 months seems to have proven this to be the case. A by-product of lockdowns and tiered restrictions has been home schooling. And where…
More Writing, Less Hiding
I’ve been an awful blogger. I mean, I technically earn a living from it, mostly writing tech tutorials for www.makeuseof.com, but specifically I’m terrible at blogging on my own sites. This is the third iteration of my personal space, but you shouldn’t be wondering about the others (they’re incorporated here one way or…
