Friday 31 October 2014

My writing

When I talk to people about how to approach writing, the simple answer is "Write". Keep practising and it will get easier and hopefully the results will be more satisfying.

That's what I'm trying to do here. I make no guarantees about the quality of the output; I will consider it a success to get a single decent phrase out once in a while (at which point I should thank Jan for the comment about "blown-ink trees", that one first appeared in my head more than 15 years ago). The chances of getting a whole piece, even if it's as brief as a haiku, that is fully satisfying are pretty remote at this point. Maybe I'll never write something that I'm completely happy with, but if this blog has any function then it is as a place where I can try and keep trying.


Edited 28.11.14 to remove waffle and metaphor/analogy confusion.



Kogumaza

Two guitars plus drums
Ten minute epic noise-fest
Throbbing crescendo


31.10.14
Impression of the support act at the Hookworms gig last night

Thursday 30 October 2014

Blown-ink trees

Outside, blown-ink trees
Inside, winter’s bite; we sought
Coins for the meter


29.10.14

Wednesday 29 October 2014

Fonts, layout and the like

I'm still deciding on what font I want to use and how to italicise dates and comments.

Expect inconsistency.

Dusk, rain clouds

Dusk, rain clouds sidle
Coalesce and dissipate
Sun’s indigo veil


29.10.14
Inspired by the sky seen while waiting for the bus at Cribbs last night

Fear has strangled me

Fear has strangled me
Bound up by thought, the Coward
Seeks escape through this


17.10.14

First line was good, it went downhill from there though. Could be re-worked, I suppose. The "this" on line 3 is particularly weak.


White light, leaf shadows

White light, leaf shadows
Dance and run over my hand,
Glimmering water

28.10.14

What's all this 'ere then?

Why have I created a blog? Because occasionally I like to write. Mostly in the form of haiku, for an extremely limited audience and using a medium which didn't allow me to archive anything, so it's all pretty much been lost.

I thought that was rather a shame; I remember writing the odd thing that I was somewhat pleased with and regret not having a record of it. So I started writing stuff on Google Drive which worked all right for a short while (2 days?) but then it was suggested I try a blog instead, as I was intending to try and make writing a regular thing.

So here it is. Let's see how long it lasts.

Blog name

Is the blog title and domain any good?

"Staining or covering with blood" - that's the definition, but not why I chose it.

It's taken from A. E. Housman's More Poems, XVI


How clear, how lovely bright,
How beautiful to sight
  Those beams of morning play;
How heaven laughs out with glee
Where, like a bird set free,
Up from the eastern sea
  Soars the delightful day.

To-day I shall be strong,
No more shall yield to wrong,
  Shall squander life no more;
Days lost, I know not how,
I shall retrieve them now;
Now I shall keep the vow
  I never kept before.

Ensanguining the skies
How heavily it dies
  Into the west away;
Past touch and sight and sound
Not further to be found,
How hopeless under ground
  Falls the remorseful day.



Source: http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~martinh/poems/complete_housman.html#MPxvi

You must construct additional pylons

First post, wonder what it will look like.