martinflett

Ok, now listen up.

I've just created a new blog on Wordpress.  (Shh..don't tell the admin guys...)  

But don't panic - I'm not deserting this ship (although, would you notice the difference anyway?!  When was my last post??!). This blog will remain for my writing course/general thoughts...

My new blog will be specifically about my music, linked to from my website etc etc.  It can be found here - martinflett.wordpress,com

Hope to see you all there! 



 

So, it's amazing how many things one can find to do to put off the act of actually writing anything..! 

Here is my top ten. in no particular order, for the evening....!

1) Watch old episodes of Friends on DVD.
2) Go and post a letter.
3) Take out the rubbish.
4) Write in your blog.
5) Watch old episodes of Phoenix Nights on YouTube.
6) Search for bands on Spotify
7) Stare into space and pretend you're, 'looking for inspiration.'
8) Read a book and pretend you're, 'looking for inspiration.' !
9) Contact someone you haven't seen in ages - you couldn't possibly pass up the invitation should they wish to meet up....
10) Make a cup of Chai, then decide you'd rather have Green tea.

M

I thought it was about time I posted something here!

Last week I was very rock 'n' roll. Having played Leamington last Saturday, I then toured off to London, where I played another gig at my mate Rich's church. The night was great fun, although I didn't feel like I did myself justice with my performance. I'm probably predisposed to feel that way though, and it probably isn't true...thankfully, none of you will ever know!! Hah!

Anyway, I've been meaning to mention that there is now another Zebedee in my life...



Yes, Zebedee the Polar Bear made his debut appearance (sans the hat (or should I say, "bar t' 'at!") for most of the evening!) to..well...rather tame applause to be honest. But there you have it.

On the writing front, I have begun working on a new song, and also (probably more importantly...) on my next assignment. I am doing an autobiographical piece about my experience of moving away from home, And that's about as much as I can say here through fear of making it available to the public (something no assignment can have already been!)

I was very pleased with the writing I did for the next Ventures bulletin at work - 3 short articles about 3 different leaders. They came out very well and probably rank alongside some of my best work-work to date. I only wish I didn't have to do the admin stuff that goes along with it! (Or make the scary phone calls and stuff before I actually do the writing...or get up in the mornings and actually go....!)

Finally, there will shortly be some actual writing I can share with you!!  I intend to do a short story for a competition in a magazine (cos I don't have enough to do... :-s) and hopefully a poem for a different competition as well!  Hurrah!  Zebedee is bouncing off the walls with glee (well, actually, he's sort of half-gliding through them and then pretending to bounce....but you get the idea...)

Ciao for now!

M :)

 Here I am again folks

Not much writing going on at the moment, as I'm preparing for two gigs next week. Well, one on Sat, and one next week.

I did have a really interesting/great meeting with one of my writing colleagues last night...it was fascinating and hopefully informative on both sides!!  But it was nice to meet with someone else doing creative writing who could critique my work without fear of it ruining a friendship..lol Apparently you're not supposed to show your writing to your friends, cos they won't be honest.....all I can say is, whoever said that, clearly doesn't know my friends!!!!!!!

Anyway, tonight is housegroup, and I kinda (ok, really) don't wanna go, but I have to be committed....that's committed in the sense of 'dedicated' rather than sent to an asylum...though some would probably say I needed that as well...!!

M

Simon and Garfunkel were (are?) clever men....

Anyway, today (so far) I have mostly been working on Life Writing , which obviously Zeb can't help much with, being dead 'n all...

But yes..I think I have a subject for my TMA (Tutor Marked Assignment), and an idea of the form it will take. It only needs to be 1500 words, which on the one hand is easy, but on the other is hard. I may need to shorten my timeframe, but we'll see,

Other plans for the day include making some progress on my ECA (which I'm not sure what it stands for, but is the final assignment of the course - think of it as a dissertation, only far shorter!! (2500 words)). It's worth something stupid, like half the marks of the entire course..so I really need to spend some considerable time writing it, otherwsie all that has gone before will have been pointless.

However, the good news is that my story can be researched through socialising. Hehe. Convenient eh? :-p

M :)

 Ok, so I've been writing a set list tonight.  This requires a different sort of creativity to that which is normally provided by my ghostly friend, so Zeb has gone to the shops to scare some old ladies.  (He's a bit like that sometimes...)

The good news is that, in his absence, I have managed to write a provisional set list for Cafe Create on the 28th.  (Oooh that rhymes!  Zeb must have returned.....!)  I now have to decide if I want to do a different set in London (probably) ...which therefore means more work (and more danger for the OAPs of Leamington on the nights I choose to write it...)

Today, I joined Twitter..but I haven't used it yet.  I can't really see the point when I have Facebook, but work are on it, so I thought I'd better at least make the effort to boost their followers a little.  

And now I shall go...

M

 Well, it's been an eventful day in the land of Zebedee...

Firstly, let me apologise for my absence lately. This is not due to me losing interest, or indeed to my untimely death and uniting therefore with ol' Zeb, or anything else of that nature. It has been entirely due to the following:

a) I had nothing to say for a week, as I was having a week off from writing
b) I was busy and stressed the following week
c) The last two weeks have past very quickly.

So, anyway....without further ado...

I got 71% for my poetry assignment!!! Woohoo!!!!  This officially puts me in the 'good pass' bracket, which says things like. 'a good read' and 'show a great deal of promise and technical expertise.' hehe!!  

I was prompted to write a song this week, by looming gig type things.  I felt I needed another faster song, so I sat down with Zeb and came up with one.  Unfortunately the lyrics came out a bit..ranty.  And so I may have to work on it some more...

The most exciting news of the day is...I have bought myself a new website!!!  Yessirreee...www.martinflett.net will shortly be up and running (as if I didnt have enough to do in my so-called 'spare' time at the moment.....) ...y'all get excited now.

M :)

Upon the escalator's of Birmingham Bullring...

Is it a ghost? Perhaps a lady-friend for ol' Zeb here?

Or maybe a poltergeist? Mischievous and menacing....

Or...

More, likely....a flippin pick pocket.  

I had my wallet nicked tonight, which is highly annoying...

 But anyway...

More importantly, I have finished my poems for my latest writing assignment, and just need to finish my commentary.  Which sadly has nothing to do with pretending to be John Motson.

Tomorrow's the deadline.

And I'm knackered. Who'd have thought a week of writing could be so tiring???   But, I allowed myself some time off last night, and you know what I did to relax?? I wrote something...(a song actually)...lol

Us creative types are a bit strange.

M :)

A productive weekend for me and the ghost
Two poem's down - better than most!

Ahem...sorry, I've been working on poetry all weekend...which has gone very well :) I need 40 lines by Friday, and I have one completed 16 line poem, and another third draft at 14 lines...this leaves me with 10 lines to find - and I have a first draft of one that might do the trick stashed away...

I find it interesting actually, as I feel I have had to rely less on the 'ghost' this weekend (Zeb personifying my usual inspiration/muse type thingy)...and it feels quite rewarding to actually 'craft' something, rather than simply sitting down and it flowing out of me as usually happens.  Honing it and chipping away at it creates an entirely different animal (and probably a more pretentious one at that :-s) but yeah - it's quite rewarding.

Anyway, I also managed to find a magazine to purchase - Writers' Forum.  It looks ok, though I haven't had chance to read it yet.  It seems to be purely about fiction though, so I might try one with a more general bent next month....

Which brings me to my final point:

The magazine I will try next month is called: "Writing magazine"

I would have thought that a magazine by creative writers, for creative writers, would have had a more....creative...title....

M

So...today, Zebedee and I went to discern what writing magazines are available...

Arriving at the magazine stand in Sainsbury's at lunchtime, I found my view block by two blokes,  who wouldn't even turn around long enough to be sppoked by Zeb here, who went off in a huff, leaving me to discover that Sainsbury's, at least, doesn't have any writing magazines.

Bummer.

Anyone know any?  Help me out??

Zebedee is tired tonight anyway, which is unhelpful as I have a poem to write before the 28th February (or is the 27th?!) and his tiredness makes me feel like I don't have a clue how.  Shoulda studied more earlier in the month, saith Zeb. (Seemingly tiredness makes him grumpy too...Honestly, I'd shoot him if he weren't already dead.)

Bummer.

Help me out??!!! 

Martinho :)