Things for which I am grateful #276 – Writing

I’ve always loved writing, ever since I was a boy. Genre never seemed to matter. I’ve tried my hand at most things: poetry, short stories, screenplays and novels.

Whether I’ll ever be good enough to make a living out of it is another matter.

Even if I should fail in that endeavour, it won’t stop me writing. But I am going to take a little breather as I’ve just finished typing the final words of my second novel, Peripheral Vision.

I hope the first draft isn’t quite as bad as Mr. Hemingway predicts. Though, I do appreciate that the hard work will begin when I come to do the second.

Right then, a little jaunt to the off-license, me thinks, for a cheeky bottle of Shiraz to celebrate.

If you’d like to read any of my other work please feel free to click the links:

Love is Blood http://amzn.to/1bEApBh

Let me fail in Sunshine http://amzn.to/17Fa0FP

Woman’s Best Friend http://amzn.to/17AZUWk

Novels for which I am grateful #195-230

Writers feature quite a lot in my Things to be grateful for. So far, most of them have been poets.

But, if I were to be stuck on a Pacific island with Bear Grylls and a camera crew, with only stagnant water to drink and feisty looking caymans to nibble on, I’d make sure I packed my rucksack with a few decent novels. And a Glock 10mm. (So I could shoot and eat the camera crew, not the caymans.) ((I’d hang on to Bear to make a fire.))

I’m not saying these are the greatest novels in the world, but they mean a lot to me and I’m grateful to the writers for having shared them. Obviously, there are a lot of classics not featured here. Some I’ve probably read, others I definitely haven’t.

As there are quite a lot, (I did try to limit it to my top 10, but that was impossible), I’m not going to write synopses for them. You’ll have to take my word for it and, if any tickle your fancy, check them out on Amazon, (or the retailer of your choice).

Some common themes on show are: love, death, war, history, humour, satire, loss and hope. Not to mention some great writing.

They should keep me going ’til the rescue ship arrives. Now, where’s that cameraman…

Punic Wars trilogy

Technically a poem rather than a novel.

 

Whoa! How did that get in there? 🙂

Damn, almost forgot this one. (This is going to go on and on.)

Sorry, but I have to add a few more. Still, if the rucksack aint big enough, I’ll have to take a Kindle.

The Antagonistic Protagonist

I was reading a rather excellent blog on ‘The roots determining the structure of your novel’, by Sara Toole Miller.

It talks about ‘left brain’ planning and ‘right brain’ writing. But before I’d made it halfway through the post, I had to pause to write a little poem.

So, thank you, Sara. It might not be an 80,000 word novel, but it’s a start.

THE ANTAGONISTIC PROTAGONIST

By David Milligan-Croft

I am the protagonist of my story.
(As you are in yours.)
But in my story,
What you have to decide,
Is whether you are an ally,
Or an antagonist.

Before you decide,
You should know that,
As it is my story,
Rest assured,
I shall prevail.

Anyone who knows me, might say I’m actually the Antagonist in, not only my own story, but theirs too!

Even if you’re not planning on writing a novel, but do enjoy writing, it’s good advice.

http://saratoolemiller.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/the-roots-determining-the-structure-of-your-novel-novel-writing-prep-series/

Book Cover Designs

Book cover designs for my own work. I am fascinated with fractals, how they are echoed in nature. Their intricacy, their colours, their self-replication [similarity]. And whilst they might not be pertinent to the content of the books, they are pertinent to me. And they do set a ‘house’ style, in the same way Penguin have always done.