It’s been a while; a time of change and discovery…
The last time I blogged was to celebrate the victory of English rugby in the Six Nations. A lot has happened since then, and I’ve been hard at work; both in my personal life, and in my writer’s life. I’ll keep this brief; like many stereotypical creative-types, I’ve been hard at work as I try to reinvigorate my personal circumstances and steer my ship of life in the course and direction that’s happy and fruitful. Many changes have occurred. In fact, today was supposed to be the day of my wedding. Thank god that didn’t happen…
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Well; that game got the rugby world debating, didn’t it? The win was sealed and the boys grabbed a TBP, but the game was not without its controversy and ups and downs. England were poor for large parts of the game, and Italy turned up with a rather unique game plan to try and make a dent in the reigning champion’s hopes of a consecutive Grand Slam. (Image from England Rugby Facebook) Whilst their tactic was not a new thing, what was unique was employing the “no ruck” tactic throughout practically the entire game. And it all caused one heck of a stir. I take a short break from editing my current project to write this piece, because today has filled me with the growing sense of achievement I get from writing.
So, here’s where I am: I work full time in a busy career in the legal industry; I have an avid love of rugby; I’m in two bands; yet, aside from all that, I still find time to write. I started in 2014 and literally haven’t stopped. I have two “shelved” manuscripts; one fully finalised manuscript; and plenty of words of others in the pipeline, plus the current baby I’m working on. As I work on trying to get my fully finalised one published – whether it’s formally, or through self-publishing – I work on my newest project. I wanted to share my journey, which has been long, and will continue for years to come because, basically, I love writing! Writing can be a long and difficult process. I knew from an early point when I properly began my writing journey back in 2014 that it would take years to get where I want to be.
With any long journey, there are good days and bad days; great days and horrendous days; twists and turns; elation and the blues; and all manners of emotions. Coping with the writer’s blues, and writer's block can be a huge part of the journey, I think, and it’s something any writer must strive to overcome. Which is a great deal easier than it sounds… So, my first finalised manuscript will be published at some point – whether that’s through professional means via an agent and publisher, or whether it’s self-published, I don’t yet know. I’ve been properly writing now since 2014, and it’s become my primary hobby away from my busy career and my love of rugby. My story will be told – I just don’t yet know by what means. But when I headed down to London on a business trip, I stumbled across the very pub I’d used for the inspiration that cropped up in my novel several times. Naturally, it was quite an experience to be there. Getting knocked out in the group stages of the World Cup you're hosting made for a messy bit of PR for England Rugby; AKA the most “hated” rugby union nation on Earth for absolutely zero legitimate reasons by the plastic fans and trolls. Notwithstanding the fact that England are actually not the first host nation to be knocked out of their own World Cup in the group stages (do your homework), the events thankfully sparked an idea in the minds of the powers that be to do something about it. Low and behold, they gave us Eddie Jones; a man who single handily proved what Stuart Lancaster had failed to do during his tenure in charge of England – make the men in white a dominant world beating squad once again. I'm still in the process of completing the transition from my Wordpress site to this one, and I'll be using proper domains I have ready for the site shortly as well.
Until then, it'll be quiet on the blog front, but I don't want to miss out on any opportunities to connect with people in the meantime. You can connect with me on Twitter here. I haven't read a Chris Ryan novel in a while, so when I was sorting my current reading list, I put one straight to the top of the pile. I've always had a fascination with the SAS, and Chris Ryan certainly hits the spot when it comes to gritty and realistically written stories about the events of the characters he creates; all of whom normally share his former occupation as a soldier in the British Special Air Service. Undoubtedly, his experience has taught him a lot, and has naturally gifted him with the ability to write SAS fiction through basing his characters and their interactions on his own accounts of being a solider. So: here's why you should read this number one bestseller, Blackout! Foot drop - or drop foot as it's also known - is a rare condition that few people have any real knowledge or understanding of; save for sufferers, or those working in medicine. Until I suffered a serious knee injury, which also permanently damaged a nerve, I too had never heard of it; and I am quite versed on medical conditions as I deal with medical law in my career. The reason I wanted to write this blog was twofold - firstly, to raise awareness for those who are not in the know; secondly, to help others who are suffering with this life-altering condition. Both sufferers and sufferer's family - I welcome you to contact me. I wrote a piece on Red Hot Chili Peppers at Leeds, as they were the band I primarily bought my ticket for. I wanted to see Skindred, but we missed most of their set due to getting there late, and Parkway Drive were on my list but pulled out for family reasons. This didn't leave me with a great deal of variety in my day, but we hung around the main stage and decided to watch Slaves. I'd heard of them before, and vaguely knew a track or two, but I really didn't know a great deal about them at all. Happy to say - those chaps absolutely blew me away! |
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