“The interview: Interview your favourite fictional character.” When I first saw this latest of WordPress’ ‘365 Days of Writing Prompts’ looming on the horizon, I must say that it sounded quite interesting. After all, in the sixty-odd summers that I’ve been shuffling around this mortal coil, I’ve read a fair number of works of fiction and…
“Morphing. Language evolves. The meaning of a word can shift over time as we use it differently….” This latest of WordPress’ ‘365 Days of Writing Prompts’ goes on to invite me to give a common word a new meaning, explain it and use it in the title of the post. This is a temptation to…
“Your time to shine: Early bird, or night owl?” There’s a lot to be said for mornings. Nothing’s gone wrong yet and there’s not so many people about, which means less misanthropic scowling to be done. Certainly, I’ve always thought of myself as much more of a morning person than a night owl. Or at least…
“Earworm: What song is stuck in your head..these days? Why does it speak to you?” The latest instalment of ‘365 Days of Writing Prompts’ provides a handy excuse for another in my occasional ‘Dawn Chorus’ posts. This is turning out to be a rather eclectic series, because following on from the improbable ‘Lambeth Walk’ and…
“Million dollar question: Why do you blog?” Well, it’s certainly not for the money. And frankly it’s a bit depressing that I can remember when the million dollar question was only the sixty four thousand dollar question. I started this blog about eighteen months ago, since when I have published 94 posts (this will be…
“The satisfaction of a list: Who doesn’t love a list?” Who doesn’t love a list indeed? They are apparently one of the most popular genres of posts in the blogosphere, almost guaranteeing more views than might normally be expected. This fact alone is enough to explain why there are so many. I’m quite partial to…
“Imperfections – in things, in people, in places – add character to life. Tell us about an imperfection that you cherish.” Nothing that actually exists is perfect, and nothing should be. The master masons who built the great cathedrals of Europe always deliberately left something unfinished so as not to be seen as trying to…
“Alma Mater: You’ve been asked to speak at your high school alma mater – about the path of life. Draft the speech.” Firstly, let me say that I am greatly honoured to have been invited to talk to you all on my old school’s Speech Day. I well remember attending these events myself when I…
“Does a messy home…make you anxious and cranky, or is cleaning something you just do before company comes over?” Among many quotable quotes attributed to Quentin Crisp (aka, to British readers at least, ‘The Naked Civil Servant’) is this – well, you could probably describe it as a diamond in the dust: “There is no…
“Competition: what activity, task or game brings out your competitive streak?” Apparently, it was the American sportswriter Grantland Rice (no, me neither) who coined the phrase “He writes – not that you won or lost – but how you played the game.” With all due respect: bollocks. I am far more in agreement with the…
the only deadhead in the hameau 