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High Flying Quarter One

With Easter just around the corner, I can barely believe where the first quarter of this year has gone.  Clearly I am a believer of the expression “Time flies when you’re having fun”. With articles being published, new web pages being created, the chance to interview some rather interesting people and a whole lot more besides, Written Right has had a good deal of variety in flight this quarter; even including the chance to record a little drone footage to supplement a recent digital article. Now that’s something I didn’t think I’d be saying a couple of years ago! How technology keeps us moving! So if you’ve got some content that would benefit from the spring in my step, or something a little bit different that needs some creative crafting, I’d love to hear from you.

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New Year, New Goals?

So 2022 is getting off to a pretty good start here at Written Right, as we unswervingly maintain the momentum built up last year.  But New Year wouldn’t be New Year without taking a moment to reflect, take stock of all that has passed and contemplate hopes and aspirations for the future too. One thing which has struck me is how lucky I’ve been to be involved in so many varied projects over the last 12 months; from writing articles, books, book reviews, websites and newsletter content, to being a bit more creative with poetry too. I feel genuinely lucky for the new relationships this has allowed me to build and my growing network too. I’d love to keep this momentum growing throughout 2022, so if you too have been reflecting on aspirations for your own business and need a hand with crafting some content, I’d love to hear from you. Happy New Year!

 

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First Kindle Release

Today I launched my first Kindle Ebook. It seems odd to be a publishing a book version that will never touch paper; but given the ever increasing presence of our virtual world, I decided to take the leap. Not that I’d ever personally condone completely replacing the good old fashioned  paperback of course; it’s just a case of catering for everyone’s personal choices.

As I navigated my previously unchartered waters of digital book publishing, it struck me that joining the ebook revolution means content creation very quickly becomes more than the What, Where, How, Why and When and now needs to consider the design, layout and importability of content too. How will the content look on the page? Will it be accessed on an ereader? A tablet? A phone? And will the formatting change for each device? Hmm. Definitely lots to consider. Then there’s font style and size, which seemingly are now left to a readers’ customisable choosing.  A small part of me can’t help but feel that somehow an author’s message might get a little lost in translation somewhere along the way. That said, on balance letting readers choose what works for them has got to be a good thing, making texts as accessible as possible to all. The idea of reading is, after all, about losing yourself in a text, allowing your mind to emphathise with the author and reflect upon what you read. No two people will ever take quite the same from a book and so it seems fitting in some way that an ebook, with it’s customisable experience allows the same accessibility choices too.

If you’d like to read In Our Shoes, the ebook version, please visit the link below

 

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Easing Up

 

May 17th,
Twenty twenty one.
Some indoor meeting,
Is now back on!

A giant leap forward,
For England’s pandemic,
Slowly we’re crushing,
An unprecedented epidemic.

In a few days we can meet,
Up to  6 people indoors.
And to hug other households,
Will be illegal no more.

Uniform including masks,
Mandatory at high school,
Will be enforced no longer,
An old fashioned  rule.

Overnight stays,
Allowed once again,
In our local area,
We don’t have to remain.

And although care and caution,
We’ll need to employ,
New changes are bound,
To reenergise with joy

 

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Book Launch

Over the last year or so, I’ve found myself writing about an eclectic range of topics, including local events, documenting history in the making with COVID 19 and bespoke, requested poetry to name but a few. It’s been a busy but very rewarding year and I wouldn’t have it any other way! But I’ve also thankfully found some time in between to work on a very personal project too; a poetry book documenting my own family’s struggles as my daughter tragically battled with leukaemia.

I couldn’t be prouder to launch In Our Shoes, which not only details Jess’ story but also our heartbreaking process of dealing with bereavement.

It’s available to buy on Amazon, with all profits being donated to Children’s Cancer Charities. I can’t promise it won’t bring a tear to your eye, but if you can spare a bit of cash and would like to have a read, you’d be helping a good cause. Click here to see more.

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Life Through the Right Lens

When you’re on the cusp of something new,
Being brave it sometimes the only thing to do.
Listening to Experience, Reason and Pride too much,
Can keep great new things out of touch.

Instead I prefer to listen to Attitude,
Who seems to be of a more optimistic mood,
And recognises that beautiful  things can grow,
From challenging the status quo.

 

 

 

 

 

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World Poetry Day

It’s World Poetry Day; I thought I’d write a stanza or two,
To raise a metaphorical glass to the clever things poetry can do.
A shapely expression of language; the form can take so many styles,
A quick limerick, varied verse, or perhaps just something to make you smile.

Some poems use figurative language, describing in a non traditional way,
Some poems prefer rhyme, adding pattern to what they say.
Some poems play with meter, giving structure to their length,
So many styles of poems, each with their own strengths.

But one of the wonders of poetry, in my mind anyway,
Is there are no hard or fast rules, to how you say the things you say.
So happy World Poetry Day to everyone far and wide,
And by toasting World Poetry Day, we’re somehow all allied.

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Thought of The Week – Happy Mother’s Day!

If you can be a little pedantic about grammar like me, you may be wondering whether today is Mothers’ Day (as in the day of multiple
Mothers) or Mother’s Day (as in the day of a mother). For once, I’m quite relaxed about it, either can make sense I think.

It’s not often I’ll be so relaxed about things being written right, but when mums (and dads), come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and guises, and so often help us keep going when all else around us feels chaotic, somehow it feels quite apt. 😀

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Not Dropped A Balll…..

I’m not normally a football stadium attendee,
In fact I’ve only been a couple of times – two, maybe three.
This time I went, not a ball was in sight,
My support today was for the COVID 19 fight.

I marvelled at the vaccination hub, so incredibly set up,
I’d say far worthier than football for a winners cup.
Swiftly I moved from check in to jab,
Efficient, organised and generally fab!

The wonders of science delivered through a quick sharp scratch,
From something so small, protection can hatch.
An incredibly great development, hopefully will end our isolation,
The race now on to vaccinate the nation.

Vaccination card in hand, I was quickly outside,
I took a moment to reflect and hope so many are filled with pride.
For what the NHS have done to support us all,
I’ll remember forever the football stadium trip, with no sight of a ball!

 

 

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Thought of The Week – What’s Happening With The Word Queue?

The pronunciation of the word ‘queue’ is curiously unchanged when the last four letters are taken away. So what’s the point of the last four letters? Those linguists amongst you may want to form an orderly queue (!) with explanations of the origins of language, but I prefer to think there’s a more subtle lesson in there waiting for us to figure out. Understand there is always more to something than meets the eye. Exploit the time you spend queuing to do something else whilst you wait. Think about it and repeat!