Just finished the 2016 Booker-shortlisted work by David Szalay. I have to say that I'm not sure the people who made all the effusive comments on the front/back cover have actually read it: for a start it's a collection of short stories, not a novel... A small number of the stories are impeccably written, and … Continue reading “All That Man Is”
Category: Blog
“The Blackwood Convention” – 100-word challenge
One of their guiding principles was that they would refrain from being too formal: “it will constrain us”, they said. That they started doing particular things in particular ways was probably inevitable, however. Although George was no longer with them, they still followed the approach he had introduced when it came to discussing their work. … Continue reading “The Blackwood Convention” – 100-word challenge
“Carbon Dating” – 100-word challenge
This one is a little different. It was written as part of an exercise undertaken during a workshop at the weekend. The original is 224 words long, and I wanted to see if I could crunch it into 100 words - and what the effect of doing so would be. I also include the original for … Continue reading “Carbon Dating” – 100-word challenge
Turning over an Old Leaf…
We have recently had some work done on our house which has necessitated me packing up my study and returning the room to its naked state whilst it was re-painted and new carpet laid. Then came the exciting part of rebuilding, reconfiguring, 're-imagining' (ugh!! fake news, fake words...) it in a slightly changed context. In … Continue reading Turning over an Old Leaf…
“Hollow Words” – 100-word challenge
Although she believed passionately in communication, she spoke very little. People mistook that for shyness or reticence, ignorance or arrogance. It was just one of those things, of course. She found most everyday conversations vacuous and empty of meaning; they were essentially pointless, leading nowhere, contributing nothing. And language, the ability to convey and share … Continue reading “Hollow Words” – 100-word challenge
“Searching for Simon” – 100-word challenge
Even after all this time there was still a part of her hoping that one day their paths might cross again. They had become disengaged, drifted apart - almost lost - rather than consciously breaking away in any emotional sense, so she never really knew exactly where she had stood. Although it was too late … Continue reading “Searching for Simon” – 100-word challenge
“Quicksand” and “His Bloody Project”
Two more books added to the Reading list. Graeme Macrae Burnet's "His Bloody Project" is superb.
“Noise (or Between God and the Internet)”
Imagine a vast ocean of mirror-still translucent turquoise so clear that you can see its bottom so vast that its edges are become the horizon. Imagine that. One day, from an invisible somewhere, a pebble is dropped into the very centre of the ocean and a single ripple forms. All around the ocean’s edge, … Continue reading “Noise (or Between God and the Internet)”
“Fear (or Politics)” – 100-word challenge
"When people are afraid," he said, "they turn their backs on what they know to be right, become Followers, and seek leaders and solutions that promise to take their problems away from them. They give up some of their freedoms in exchange for what they believe to be security and protection." Shaking his head sadly … Continue reading “Fear (or Politics)” – 100-word challenge
“The Balloon”
The Balloon Against a uniform grey sky, a balloon unexpected in its redness. An escapee from a party perhaps, it seems to float with a purpose not governed by the air at all but as if steering a course to where all such balloons must gather. Mesmerised, you watch it … Continue reading “The Balloon”
Ian Gouge - Writer 