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Friday, May. 3, 2024

8:45pm EDT

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Total Online: 2,468

Toe in the Water

by Beholden

Rated: 13+ · Book · Experience · #2223922

A tentative blog to test the temperature.

Ten years ago I was writing several blogs on various subjects - F1 motor racing, Music, Classic Cars, Great Romances and, most crushingly, a personal journal that included my thoughts on America, memories of England and Africa, opinion, humour, writing and anything else that occurred. It all became too much (I was attempting to update the journal every day) and I collapsed, exhausted and thoroughly disillusioned in the end.

So this blog is indeed a Toe in the Water, a place to document my thoughts in and on WdC but with a determination not to get sucked into the blog whirlpool ever again. Here's hoping.

Signature for those who are nominated for a Quill Award in 2021

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

Beholden

May 1, 2024 at 12:36pm
In response to "After the Game is Over"

You're right - I think we all slept an extra hour this morning. Harnessing the energy - I like that idea. Makes a change to have something to harness after all!

Jayne

May 1, 2024 at 12:28pm
In response to "After the Game is Over"

I agree with the habit thing (and the YouTube & breakfast). I was getting more done in a day before lunchtime than I was in entire *months* before GoT.

...now to find a way to harness said energy. Your strategies seem like a good place to start.

Although, I slept in this morning. I figured I earned an extra few hours for one day lol. We all did.

1 Like

Schnujo is Late to Lannister

Apr 25, 2024 at 7:55pm
In response to "Cliché"

Agreed! I hope everyone congratulated whoever came up with that idea for the episode!

1 Like

Beholden

Apr 25, 2024 at 7:35pm
In response to "Cliché"

Thank you for your kind thoughts, Schnujo. I remember that episode of Star Trek! It was really cool - and hard to get one's head around the idea of talking like that. But it did sound quite poetic. What was it ? Something like in the far land of Angevin, Mortello meets the grivensor. And so on. Brilliant!

1 Like

Schnujo is Late to Lannister

Apr 25, 2024 at 7:03pm
In response to "Cliché"

I love how you look at cliches! Good for you! I agree that they have their place and can be used, so long as we are aware of what we are doing and are specifically using them with the knowledge and understanding that they are cliches.

This entry reminds me of an episode of Star Trek (The Next Generation, I think it was) where they were trying to learn to communicate with a new species. If I recall, they could understand the words (through a translator), but not the meaning until they hit upon the idea that they were speaking in local cultural context, basically using cliches.

I've always remembered that episode and thought that was a fun idea.

BTW, you are a REALLY impressive poet! I don't think I knew that. That's a pretty fabulous poem! Well done!!

Thank you for sharing your own ideas on cliches!

intuey GoT Survivor!

Apr 23, 2024 at 6:48am
In response to "Review, Anyone?"

Quite good is quite a good compliment

1 Like

Beholden

Apr 23, 2024 at 6:10am
In response to "Review, Anyone?"

Ah, now you're asking, Intuey. The truth is that Paddy McGinty's Ghost started out as a sort of misheard version of the song, Paddy McGinty's Goat. I liked the error and decided it could be the basis of a decent story to meet the requirements on a contest that was running in celebration of Ireland. I started with only a title and a picture prompt to go on and just followed the trail from there.

Like most of the stories I write in that way, I wasn't that impressed with it at first. But I liked it better on reading it much later, so I guess you could say it's about middling in my affections now. "Quite good" would be a good way to describe it.

1 Like

Beholden

Apr 23, 2024 at 6:01am
In response to "Music to My Ears"

As my father would say when asked how he knew something, a little bird told me. No, I have no idea where that comes from - it's probably a quote from an obscure movie.

And that is certainly eclectic taste in music. Even more than mine, I think.

1 Like

intuey GoT Survivor!

Apr 23, 2024 at 5:55am
In response to "Review, Anyone?"

As someone who just reviewed an item in your port, I can't help but wonder, Did I pick an item that you'd throw out? I hope not. I thought it was quite good.

intuey GoT Survivor!

Apr 23, 2024 at 5:49am
In response to "Music to My Ears"

Since you asked, yes, my music taste are eclectic. How did you know?

That is if liking everything from a bit of hard rock, classic rock to Bette Midler, Cher, Elton John, the Beatles, Seager, Classical, jazz, the blues, etc... is considered eclectic.

1 Like

August 3, 2022 at 9:33am

#1036055

A Romantic Thought

A Romantic Thought

I read every newsletter that crosses my newsfeed. Well, at least give ‘em a good scan. Sometimes they ask interesting questions and, who knows, I might get interested in trying even the most unlikely genres.

This morning I was reading the latest Romance/Love newsletter when I came across a reference to a contest I’d never heard of before. It went under the title of Awwww - Romantic (I didn’t count the Ws but there were a lot of them). It’s probably impossible to read that title without hearing a voice saying the (alleged) words. Which makes it a good title as far as attracting its intended audience is concerned.

Normally, I would have passed on without a comment but this time I experienced a little revelation as I read the words. In my entire life, I’ve only written two stories of romance. The first was for a contest in WdC years ago and the genre was specified in the rules. And the second was only recently and was entirely accidental, the result of inspiration upon reading the requirements of a contest. To my surprise, it turned out to be very romantic indeed.

That gives an idea of how unlikely it is for me to have anything to say on the subject of writing romantic stories. Perhaps it was the proximity of my second romance that brought about my revelation from the Awww contest. Suddenly I realised what is wrong with the genre.

It’s in that business about attracting the expected clientele to the contest. I’m sorry and all that, but males never say “Awww” about anything. Which means that the audience that expression intends to attract is female. And that’s fine until you realise that men are just as romantic as women but in a different way. They would never admit to it but the fact is that all great fantasy (well, alright, most of) was written by males. The very genre was invented by males.

If not romantic, fantasy is nothing. It is entirely possible that the genre was invented to give men the chance to express their romantic urges. And who are the great romantic poets of the world? Mostly males, I’m afraid. It’s even true that many of the authors of the typical Harlequin romance are male, but they don’t make a big thing about it. There’s a conversation I would love to hear at a sophisticated cheese and wine party.

“So what do you do, Jack?”

“I write mawkish love stories for Harlequin.”

Can’t see it, I’m afraid. But I’ve mentioned the culprit now. Harlequin has captured the genre and turned it into what it is now. Which is fine from a commercial point of view. But it impoverishes the genre when the very mention of Romance/Love brings the image of their sentimental and formulaic output to mind.

That is unfair to all those creating more relevant and important work that should be classified as Romance but has to find refuge in more flexible genres. It may be time for the male writers to have a revolution and retake the ground in Romance that once was theirs.

Word count: 522

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