ISSUE 2
Family Mag
How to be an Organised Writer—page 6
Let’s Talk about your Writing: Using Criticism to your Advantage—page 12
Top Ten Childhood Books that must be read, page 8
Author Talk: Self-publishing Page 22
Summer 2016
Contents page Page 3.
Editor’s note
Page 4.
5 Super Useful HTML Tips for Bloggers—Jess Powell
Page 6.
How to be an Organised Writer
Page 7.
Writer’s Wordsearch
Page 8.
Top 10 Childhood books that must be read.
Page 9.
Issue 1 competition winner—Flash Fiction
Page 10. Interview with the Blogger Page 12. Let’s talk about your Writing: Using Criticism to your Advantage Page 14. 6 Steps to Academic Writing Page 15. Creative Writing Exercise/prompt—Deborah Stansil Page 16. Issue 1 Creative Writing Prompt story —The Door, Deborah Stansil Page 17. Family creative writing activity Page 18. Genre discussion: Horror Page 19. Confessions of a Mother/Writer/Student/ - Column Page 20. How to Write Creatures Page 22. Author Talk: Self-publishing Page 24. Interview with Deborah Stansil: BIBS nomination Page 26. TV/Film versus the Book—The Shepherd Versus Saw— Deborah Stansil Page 28. Teaching others to Write Creatively— The Antagonist Page 30. Antagonist Profile Sheet Page 32. Why Blogging Changed me? Megan Bidmead Page 34. Summer Poetry Activity
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Note from the Editor Welcome, to the second edition of Rambles, Rants, and Writings Magazine. I was really pleased to the responses I received in light of issue 1 in May. Obviously, the issue was published later than anticipated because of the work involved—so much work was involved! This is the Summer edition and I’m really excited about this quarters edition because I was able to look at what we did in issue 1 and think about how to improve. I’ve also had some excellent submissions and we also have a competition winner to announce for our very first competition. A huge thank-you to my contributors this month Deborah Stansil, Luke Strickland, Jessica Powell, and Megan Bidmead. I’m so thrilled that such talented writers wanted to be included in this exciting venture.
I hope you enjoy reading and if you are interested in advertising with us or contributing, please email your article ideas, or fiction and poetry submissions to admin@ramblesrantswritings.com and don’t forget to check out our website www.ramblesrantswritings.com
Janet Cooper x Editor
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5 Super Useful HTML Tips for Rambles, Rants, and Writings is pleased to welcome, talented writer and blogger, Jess Powell. Check out her HTML tips below—particularly valuable for new bloggers. More about Jess… Jess blogs about life, love, motherhood and whatever else captures her interest over at www.babiafi.co.uk. She spends too much time on Pinterest (https://uk.pinterest.com/ babiafi/), and can often be found on Twitter (https:// twitter.com/jess__powell).
HTML can seem irrelevant to the modern blogger; WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, and all the rest have a nice shiny interface which can do it all for you. Except when it just won’t do what you want it to. That’s when a little HTML - or Hypetext Markup Language, if you want to get technical about it - goes a long way.
#5. Make Your Email Address Clickable Bypass the risk of typos, and even the hassle of copying and pasting, with this piece of HTML: <a href=”mailto:me@myemail.com”>Email Me<a> (Note: replace the text in bold with your own.)
#4. Open Links in a New Tab Once people are on your site, you want to keep them there. But, at the same time, you also want to link to other useful pages. You can do both by inserting a little something extra into your link code. A basic link is formed like so: <a href=”http://www.interestingwebsite.com”>Check out this link!</a> To get the same link to open in a new tab you would use: < a href=”http://www.interestingwebsite.com” target=”_blank”>Check out this link!</a>
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#3. Link to a Particular Section of a Post Sometimes you want to link to a particular part of a post, rather than the beginning. You might have written a step by step guide, for example, or you might just like a certain quote. Whatever the reason, you can do just that with a little HTML. First you need to create a name for the part of the post you want to link to: <a name=”Step3”>#3. Link to a Particular Section of a Post</a> Once that is done you can create a link in the usual way, just adding the # sign followed by the name you chose, like this: < a href=”http://www.myblog.com/thisblogpost#Step3”>Go straight to Step 3!</a>
#2.
Add an Image
A picture is worth a thousand words, or so they say. Even if that isn’t true, a picture or two will certainly brighten up your blog and help to break up text for your readers. The good news is that including a picture is incredibly easy to do. First you need to upload your image to a host - your blogging platform, perhaps, or a website like imgur.com - then use the following HTML: <img src=”https://i.imgsafe.org/myimage.jpg” />
#1. Make Your Text Wrap Around Your Image There are times when you want your image and text to be more closely entwined. To get your text to wrap around the image, use this HTML: <img src=”https://i.imgsafe.org/myimage.jpg” style=”float: left” /> (Note: to align the picture to the right just change the style attribute to “float: right”.) If you want some space between text and picture, add a margin to your image: <img src=”https://i.imgsafe.org/myimage.jpg” style=”float: left; margin: 5px 5px” />
RRW, would like to take this opportunity to thank Jess, for contributing such a useful article to the magazine. Please make sure you check out her blog www.babiafi.co.uk—it’s amazing!
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How to be an Organised Writer It’s easy to be an disorganised writer. While some people are focused writers, others struggle to write on demand. Unfortunately, if you are, or want to be a professional writer, it can be very important that you produce high quality written work on demand. Being able to write is a skill and it’s something that can make or break a writing career. If that is the case then it’s important to become an organised writer. Here are five simple tips to get you started: 1.
Be positive! Have faith in yourself, along with a can-do attitude. We all have our down days but this really is an important point because if you constantly think you can’t do some thing, the likelihood is that you won’t because you’ve already given up on yourself.
2.
Spend at least once per week, evaluating your writing work for the next week and write notes to accompany your writing on any ideas you have. If you get writing project details in advance, or if you are working on a personal writing project, you will know in which direction to take your writing. Think about your ideas at least once per week and make notes on any ideas that point into your head. Spend some time working through any notes or ideas you have. You may wish to brainstorm or research your topic/s too. Whether you know it or not, your brain subconsciously mulls over the information you digest so just reflecting on these can make your focused writing time successful.
3.
Assess your daily writing objectives and priorities each day. This is a simplistic point but make sure you assess your writing objectives and priorities for each day so you know what you need to do. Having your focus for the day clear in your head can mean you work more productively. Just ensure your workload for the day is realistic—don’t ever set yourself up to fail!
4.
Schedule your time and really consider when you write best. Everyone has a specific time in the day when they are more productive. Some people find this is early morning, or even late evening. Others find after a meal or exercise. Only you can figure this out, so make sure you fit it in with your schedule. Being organised is very personal and it’s important to do, what works for you!
5.
Make the most of your ideas, inspiration and creativity. Any writer needs to be creative and have lots of ideas. It’s easy for ideas to pop into your head so make a note of these, even if it’s just a prompt. You can text yourself or more traditionally, write it down. If you see an image that gives you inspiration you can even snap a picture, just make sure you record your ideas, because you never know when they will come in handy. Most writing guidance tells you to write what you know, and you know so much, so record it and use it! 6
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Author Blogger Fiction Poetry Science Fiction
S
Confidence Fantasy Horror Publish Writer 7
Top 10 Childhood books that must be read! Reading is an important part of life. It’s how we learn and it can help us to become cultured.
Comprehension is so important because we start to make
sense of life.
Re
ad ing = Le ar Cu ning ltu re
This is a countdown of 10 books that every child should read: 10.
Stig of the Dump—Clive King
This is an excellent story about a young boy who lives in the rubbish dump from prehistoric times. Great fun to read! 9.
Of Mice and Men– John Steinbeck Good ol’ classic story—aimed at teenager level. Sad, powerful story of acceptance in society and the failed idea of the American Dream idea.
8.
Aesops Fables—Aesop Want to teach your children important life-lessons? Remember, slow and steady wins the race!
7.
Horrid Henry—Francesca Simon & Tony Ross Who doesn’t love Horrid Henry! Most parents have one of their own!
6.
Goosebumps—R. L Stein. Goosebumps if a fantastic, yet light kids horror genre. Excellent books for those children who like the Supernatural. The series is also available on Netflix.
5.
Classic Fairytales—Hans Christian Andersen Fairy tales send important messages to children—often a warning message. Different places over the world have their own fairytale versions and it’s a great way to stir-up imagination and bring the magic alive, whilst learning.
4.
Diving In—Kate Cann Definitely for the older child—this book looks at first relationships with hormones and feelings. It can help a child come to terms with how they feel about others, including understanding their first relationship.
3.
Grimm Fairy Tales—The Brothers Grimm Another example of fairy tale enjoyment, originating from Germany. Little Redcap and Rapunzel are excellent and the brothers Grimm were one of the first people to record their home-land and family cultural stories.
2.
George’s Marvelous Medicine—Roald Dahl Roald Dahl is a fantastic writer and it was hard to choose just one. The Twits, and The Witches are both fantastic childhood stories to remember but George is fantastic in this humorous tale. The BFG is out at the cinemas which is excellent news as this is another epic Roald Dahl tale (as they all are). Your child will never be disappointed!
1.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (in fact, whole series) —J. K. Rowling All of the Harry Potter books are thoroughly enjoyable. Children now grow up with Harry Potter and it’s a literary subject that can also be looked at in school these days. Enjoying literature is important, and Rowling’s final book is really amazing—but you should really read the first 6 books first (even adults). Amazing series of books that should be read by all! With Harry Potter and the Cursed Child now released, it’s the perfect time to read them all (again).
There were so many wonderful and influential books to choose from and it was really hard to narrow it down to just 10. Other influential childhood novels are The Secret Garden, Black Beauty, The Railway Children, Robinson Crusoe, and Little Women. Books can help us to learn and make sense of life from a young age. Learning about relationships, stranger danger, anxieties, bullying, as well as different cultures and beliefs is really enriching and rewarding.
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Issue 1 flash fiction Competition Winner
Secrets, by Jessica Powell The trip doesn’t make sense, and it certainly isn’t convenient. That’s the power of tradition for you. Still, he makes the journey every year without complaint. Stops off at the same dreary little town, and purchases the same limp looking bunch of carnations. At least he makes the effort. Nobody else ever visits, that much is obvious. The grass is unkempt, and the weeds overgrown. You would never know, he thinks. Never guess that this is the final resting place of the woman he had once loved beyond reason. Fourteen years, and there is no marker, no headstone. No police tape. She had never loved him, he reflects, even as he turns his back on the spot he had so carefully chosen and returns to the car. If she had, who knew?
Well done to Jessica , who won £10.00 Amazon Gift Voucher and The Fireman by Joe Hill.
Perhaps he wouldn’t have to keep secrets.
You can catch up with Jessica Powell, Blogger by clicking the links below: Website: www.babiafi.co.uk Email: jess@babiafi.co.uk Twitter: @jess_powell 9
Interview with the Blogger is a regular slot in the Rambles, Rants, and Writings Magazine. If you are a blogger and would be interested in featuring here, please email admin@ramblesrantswritings.com This issue’s interview is with Luke Strickland from www.lukestrickland.com and he also creates inspirational podcasts an his Podcast channel: The Potting Shed First, I asked Luke to introduce himself: I like to describe myself as a writer, muser, blogger and dreamer! I wear lots of hats, so as well as all that I’m also an Environmental Consultant, a dad, husband and award-winning podcaster. I write non fiction, and key themes are about personal creativity and growth, with a sprinkle of faith in there for good measure. I love the natural environment and growing giant pumpkins on our allotment too! 1. Give three reasons that first attracted you to the world of blogging? That’s a good question. In the very beginning I wanted an outlet, a kind of online diary, which I did for a few years but it wasn’t all that good and nobody read it! When I restarted blogging I was more intentional, it was about developing my writing skills, helping me to crystallize my thoughts and also to encourage and inspire people to be the best expression of who they’re made to be. 2. How long have you been blogging? I started in 2006, so ten years now! 3. If you could use three words to show how you feel about your overall blogging experience, what would they be? i) Cathartic – I find blogging a good way to get my thoughts and sometimes frustrations out. ii) Development – I’ve developed as a person as I’ve been blogging, but I’ve also developed my writing skills and technical skills. Iii) Fun – I find it fun to do and I’ve connected with lots of people as a result. 4. Name three things you like about blogging. i) The freedom to write anything I want ii) Getting feedback from readers iii) Getting into a regular writing habit 5. Name three things you dislike about blogging. i) When you write an amazing post but no one cares! ii) Some of the technical issues iii) I can’t think of a third one!
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‘For me my biggest achievement is getting into the habit of “showing up” each week – so since I changed emphasis in 2014 I’ve by and large written a new post each week, which I’m really proud of’ Luke Strickland 6. What is your favourite blog post you have written? I’m a big fan of buzzards, and I wrote a post in 2014 about how we should all embrace our inner buzzard, which is one of my favourite posts: http://www.lukestrickland.co.uk/2014/11/embrace-your-inner-buzzard.html 7. If you could write a blog post for anyone in the world, individual or company, who would it be? Well, it would need to be an organisation or person that I respect and who has an audience that would appreciate my content – hard to pick one really but I’m a big fan of both Malcolm Gladwell and Rob Bell so perhaps either one of those! 8. What is the best comment you have ever received in relation your blog or a blog post you have written? Any comment where someone has been inspired to take action or do something differently in their own life. I’m always grateful for any comments on blog posts, but there are definitely some posts that connect with people more than others. 9. What is your biggest blogging achievement (this can be a personal achievement or if you have received praise, or a blogging award)? For me my biggest achievement is getting into the habit of “showing up” each week – so since I changed emphasis in 2014 I’ve by and large written a new post each week, which I’m really proud of. Alongside that, off the back of my blog I’ve published two books and started two podcasts, and I’m proud of those too! 10. What’s next (do you have any future plans for your blog or blogging in general – maybeyou have been asked to write for another blog or company)? What’s next? Well I’ve got another book in the pipeline. My first two are about making space for our dreams and goals, and then being able to see them more clearly. This next one is a slight departure, and will be a book about connecting with the natural environment – and with a focus on my local buzzards! You can catch up with Luke here… Twitter: @lukestrickland Website: www.lukestrickland.co.uk Podcast: The Potting Shed Podcast (available on iTunes and elsewhere)
A huge thank-you to Luke, for agreeing to feature in Rambles, Rants and Writings...
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Let’s talk about your Writing: Using Criticism to your Advantage Using criticism to your advantage is difficult and yet it’s so beneficial to the development of your writing. I would even suggest that learning to use criticism to your advantage is a skill, because you have to change the way think about criticism as a whole, to be able to use it effectively. Sometimes it is difficult to accept criticism. There can be nothing more disheartening than trying your best and then one expression, sigh, or word can make you feel like a failure.
There are a lot of articles that talk about positive thinking and that’s This is our culture! great because I’m a great believer in positive thinking, however, it’s That’s right, the reason you feel not always what you want to hear. like a failure is because of the Writing doesn’t just become good world we live in. We all want to or even great because you think it do exceptionally well on our will—but if you are positive about working hard for what you want, first attempt—sometimes it’s that actually act that makes the without trying as hard as we could have and other times when difference. we’ve tried the hardest. Although this article is meant to be When writing, if there is one motivational, it’s meant to help thing that I learned very quickly you to make a step towards making a change in the way you view critiwas that I was never going to please everyone. Everyone has cism. Allow yourself to have a different writing preferences: bad day now and then if you feel styles, tone, genre, everything. that way, just be mindful of the Something that one person fact you aren’t having a positive thinks is exceptional another will day. Sometimes self-awareness is think needs a lot of development just as important. work. When we hear the word criticism, So, how should we be a little alarm bell goes off in our head because we don’t want to be handling criticism? criticised. Someone looking at your written work and judging it is You need to change the whole really daunting. If you have put way in which you view your heart and soul into writing, criticism. Essentially this means you don’t want to hear that it changing your whole mindset. requires further work, do we?
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Wrong! If you feel like this then you need to change how you are viewing criticism. Someone once told me that writing is always a work-in-progress. A writer is never truly happy with their work and if they read it again years later, they can think of how they would improve it. As I progressed as a writer that statement really hit me and stayed in my mind. I read my writing and criticism from the beginning of my degree, 5 years ago and cringe. What was I thinking? In those days, I took criticism very personally—as an attack almost. I had to mature in my writing before I learned to cope with what I thought was harshness. First of all, in order to get criticism, someone has actually taken the time and effort to read your written work for some reason, and often if you receive feedback, that person is much more experienced than you are. If they are giving you criticism
because you are learning and growing from this. There may be some points you don’t agree with completely but if you learn just one thing that helps you develop your writing, then it was worth it.
Think of criticism as a constructive teaching tool to help your writing develop. it means that they are actually taking the time to read your work. They are not saying you are a lost cause—they are actually saying you are worth commenting on and you can become great, if you work hard!
submitting your work. Make sure you perfect your work—edit and proofread your work a couple of times. Think about other authors that write in the same genre and consider how you are similar/different.
Criticism is actually a compliment—someone has taken the time to comment and thinks you can improve and develop!
You should also ensure you research into publications, preferably before you submit. Read their publication if you can and ask for their submission guidelines too.
Some publications simply decline your offer and are unable to give feedback, so criticism can actually be a blessing. Criticism is an opinion—usually it’s one person’s opinion and they are telling you how you can improve your work by giving you examples. Just because your writing doesn’t fit with a specific publication, does not mean it isn’t suitable for another. All that person is telling you by rejecting you is that your piece doesn’t fit with a specific publication or taste. Your whole mindset of criticism should not be negative, but positive—you are honoured that someone has read your writing and gave their honest opinion! You should start preparing for criticism as soon as you put pen to paper and decide you are
Always be prepared to make changes—even if your written work is accepted, you can be expected to make changes in line with editors demands. Don’t take this personally, it’s all to help you get to grips with the theme of the magazine. If you do this you may be asked to submit further. Remember, that your written piece may not be what the commissioning editor wants so think of receiving criticism as a bonus, rather than criticism. Write a list of bullet points from your feedback and what the person commenting suggest. Learn from this—read through it and compare it to your work to see if you agree with some of their comments.
How can you improve in light of this? By doing this you are using criticism to your advantage 13
We all strive for perfection, yet nothing is perfect and you need to use what you learn in life from those more experienced than you. You owe it to yourself to challenge your abilities. Writing is a dog-eat-dog kind of career and only the very best make it. You can guarantee that it’s the people who dedicate themselves to their writing . We all have weaknesses that we need to work on and this should make us more determined to succeed.
Accept criticism, be thankful for it, use it! Look forward to getting your comments—someone has read your writing and thinks you can perfect it with some hard work. That’s certainly nothing to be ashamed of, but something to be proud of! Practice your writing daily, and even request feedback. Ask yourself, how can I improve this? What is the person commenting telling me? Criticism works both ways and if it doesn't give you examples and is all negative, then it isn’t worth the paper it’s written on!
6 Steps to Academic Writing Academic writing is a skill. You have to write professionally and be able to articulate well. It’s important that your academic essay or paper is well researched, clear, and of a high standard. Here are my 6 simple steps to successful academic writing: 1.
Make sure you have researched your topic area well—you need to research well because your essay/paper depends on it. You need to show a high level of knowledge , comprehension, and insight to form a solid opinion and argument.
2.
Decide on your argument and make sure it’s clear —ask yourself, what
3.
Make an outline plan—what topics will you cover? How will each topic relate
am I arguing? Your argument forms the basis of your essay. It gives you focus because throughout your essay or paper, you should remain on-topic by constantly referring to your original argument. back to your argument? What topic will you cover first?
4.
Ensure you have strong critics—try to find some who you agree or disagree
5.
Make it clear where you stand in your introduction/literature review—state your argument and what you think. It’s always important to say what
with. You may find you agree with part of their argument, but not all. That’s absolutely fine, either way, just ensure you know who the critics are and what they say. Also how and why you agree or disagree?
you think and where you stand within your argument - what do you think?
6.
Edit your assignment at least twice. Editing your written work is very
important as it represents you, your academic abilities and your writing skills so this is very important. Preferably leave it at least 24 hours before doing the final edit.
Academic writing can be learned best by reading the professional academic writing of others. You must be able to communicate through clear, structured academic writing (like that you see in the essays/ journals) and know your topic well. You can’t write in-depth about a topic if you don’t know and understand it in detail. You have to have studied and analysed the information you are writing about and have an idea of what theories you might apply to this before researching. Being able to write academically opens so many doors for you and it’s definitely worth learning and developing. If you are completing a degree, writing well can be the difference of gaining a first class degree, or not. 14
Creative Writing Prompt The Prompt Are you all fired up to write but need a little inspiration to get the words flowing? Let’s go!
The Room You wake with a start to find yourself sitting on the floor in a room. It is dark but as your eyes adjust you see a man in the corner. He appears to be dead or unconscious. You don’t know if he’s a friend or a foe. There’s a table in the centre of the room containing a knife, a box of matches and a calculator. There’s a chair and a wheelchair. There’s one window but you don’t know where it leads. What do you do? I would love to read what you come up with! Email me your stories, up to 1000 words, (randommusings29@gmail.com) and my favourite one will feature in the next edition.
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Creative Writing Story from Issue 1—Prompt
The Door, by Deborah Stansil Following the prompt from issue 1 of RRW Magazine, Deborah Stansil has written a piece of flash fiction based on the prompt and RRW is proud to publish this contribution on her behalf. As I stood watching, the door slowly opened as though it was inviting me in. I didn’t want to go in, but my feet seemed to move of their own accord. I can’t begin to describe what I saw in there. It was like every experience I’ve ever had, everything I’ve seen or done, every thought I’ve ever had. They were all there behind that door. It was like total sensory overload. I opened my mouth to scream but nothing came out. Then I saw it. A black gelatinous blog. My darkest desire. My deepest secret. I reached out and my hand was sucked into the sticky stuff. I dragged it back and not a trace remained. I knew why the door was sent to me now. I had to get this out of my mind before it consumed me. I picked up the blob and carried it back through the door and out into the sunshine. I felt it disappear from my head as it disappeared from my hands. I span around looking for the door. It was gone. *** “Are we still going to kill him? Asked my best friend that night. “He deserves it after what he did.” “It was just talk, I was angry.” “It sounded like more than that to me.” I decide she got a bit carried away, and I move the conversation to a happier subject. Something niggles though. It’s almost as if I did have a plan and someone plucked it right out of my head.
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For issue 2’s family creative writing activity, we are going to consider the concept of a fairy-tale. Fairy-tales were, and still are used, to warn children of a particular danger. They are enjoyable stories that children and adults enjoy reading. There are many adult adaptations of fairy-tales too—Angela Carter for instance wrote a variation of Little Red Cap (or Riding Hood) originally by the Brothers Grimm. Try our fun family creative writing activity by following the steps below: 1.
2.
Agree on a fairy-tale enjoyed by all the If you do this each week, family. on a regular basis, why not record your adaptations Read the story—you can often access inside a scrap book until fairy-tales online if you don’t have the you have a whole collection book. If you have older children, talk of stories? about what the message is within the story.
3.
When you have read the book, you need to write a short adaptation of the tale. If it’s a long one, you may choose just to write a certain part of the story.
4.
Everyone needs to change at least one aspect/feature of one of the characters (you could change personality, appearance, gender, age— anything you like). You also need to change the end of the story.
5.
Each family should then share the story, or at least what aspect/feature of the character they would change and how they would change the story ending. The world is your oyster here as you could make the story a parody, humorous, and even scary. For older children again, you might like to talk about how the message has changed in each adaptation.
6.
Enjoy your family time!
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Genre discussion: Horror reflection of the times we live in, when nothing is certain. Horror, essentially needs to be horrific. It needs to shock! In order for it to do this you need an antagonist: a bad guy. The worse your bad guy is the better. This can be a
Horror is a very popular
characters and the film itself
genre. We like to be
has been under a lot of
scared, to be frightened.
criticism and the movie it-
The fear factor is pushed to
self is a little cliché,
the limit as writers and film-
however, the end is
makers attempt to scare us
intriguing. When I was
just that little bit more. But
studying for my degree, I
what makes a horror story
was always told that you
good?
had to end your story. I wrote a short story for my
Horror on the whole should
assignment and the lecturer
always include death, often
commented that your
of several people. Usually a
audience doesn’t like to be
group of people die with
cheated out of an ending.
only the antagonist
This could well be the
surviving. Horror plays on
case, because when I first
our fears—from The Exorcist
wrote a short story and it
for instance, to the Saw
was published, the lady
films, we are always finding
died in my original ending
ways to be frightened.
and that ended up having
Of course it isn’t
to be amended. From my
compulsory for the antago-
own point of view, as a
nist to survive. Films like
horror fan, I quite like the
Wrong Turn 4:
fact of there being no
Beginnings has no surviving
survivors. I view it as a 18
male or female monster, and by this I mean it can be a supernatural monster or a person who is regular in human appearance, yet a psychopath. Horror has some of the traits that crime fiction has: death, again a monster/killer. In horror, rather than investigating the killer the antagonist is trying to escape the killer as they are often being hunted. In a horror film, the monster can either be killed by the antagonist, or can survive which leaves room for a sequel.
Janet Cooper
Confessions of a Mother/ Student/ Writer There is nothing more challenging in life than children, right? We love them unconditionally, but they are challenging. Well, for all you parents with young children, it gets a little easier for a short time, but when you’ve been tricked into thinking that everything’s okay, and you’ve been lulled into a false sense of security, your child gets hormones—yes, that’s right, hormones. I was going to write about teenagers, however considering that my child is only 11-years-old, it seemed pointless, because the turmoil begins, beyond common preconceptions, you don’t have to wait until the teenage years— it starts early! Angel (as we will call her in this column) can be the sweetest girl in the world but she can also be the worst. Her world revolves around herself and she likes to be a victim of something or other. The latest instance occurred because I wanted to walk to the Post office to send a special document. Fifa (the name to represent my eldest son) wanted to come because he wanted to find a Poke-stop for Pokemon Go. I don’t let the children go out on their own currently, and my son had just got a device for his birthday especially to play Pokemon Go (I know there is a lot of controversy over this game so I make sure he is responsible and respectful when playing his
game). Angel wanted the game too but her devices were not compatible with the game. Of course she had to attempt to make Fifa’s birthday about her and how unfair she was treat the day before because she didn’t have it. My daughter has a mobile phone but it is a windows phone and you can’t download it to her device yet. My husband contemplated swapping his Iphone for her Lumia so that she could have the game but we were waiting to see how she behaved. I took the boys for a walk as my younger son Lolly-pop wanted to come too! He doesn’t like walking so I was surprised but agreed he could come along. He walked there but started moaning. I had a pound so I spent 50p on some sweets to distract him on the way home. It worked! Fifa and Lolly-pop still had sweets left when they arrived home. I had asked Angel to pick up a few things as there was some washing that needed bringing downstairs and a wrapper under the couch. I also asked her to take any pots from the lounge into the kitchen and her dad would wash them as he was Clearing and tidying up after lunch in the kitchen. When we arrived back she noticed the sweets and started being cheeky. She hadn’t done the jobs I had asked her to do either. She started saying that we love the boys more, they get more than her, etc… etc… I informed her that unfortunately the sweets were bought on our walk and weren’t planned. Plus I didn’t know what she wanted and as I do everything wrong, I would have only bought something she didn’t want. I had planned on giving her 50p as we 19
live close to a shop. I took some deep breaths and sent her to her room. At first she wouldn’t go but after stern words she did., stomping up the stairs, slamming doors, screaming ‘aaargh!’ at the top of her voice now and then. I calmly stood at the bottom of the stairs and informed her that she would face further consequences if she maintained her behaviour. After stomping on the floor several times causing loud bangs, she was stripped of her chance to swap her to the Iphone, her kindle, and her money for the carnival later in the week! Handling this behaviour is difficult! I hate arguing and it’s far more effective to ignore and have consequences for poor behaviour rather than getting flustered and having an argument and feeling stressed. I don’t know how she got like this with me, and it’s a recent change! I love her so much—but I have to teach her she can’t get away with this behaviour and needs to have respect for me! It’s not easy—I’m dreading the real teenage years! ***************** BONUS STORY—Boys are dirty! On the way to the Post Office, Lolly-pop decided to pick up a random bottle of Lucazade off the ground. I explained to him that it could have belonged to someone dirty and to put it into kids language I explained someone could have scratched their bum and then touched it, meaning that he could now have that on his hand. My intention was to disgust him— so he wouldn’t do it again! His response: ‘I don’t have dirty bum on my hands Mum, because I’ve just sniffed them to check!’
BORK!
Creature-characters can be interesting additions to our stories, They are most common in fantasy (including gothic) and science fiction genres. A creature could be something like a dragon, a werewolf, or even something like a mermaid. Mythical creatures can be really interesting characters because you can do what you want with them—the possibilities are endless. Tolkien wrote creatures including elves, hobbits, orks, and dwarves, even making his own language. J.K. Rowling writes wizards, witches, goblins, and elves and George R. R. Martin writes white walkers, dragons, dire wolves, giants, and children of forest. These are all versions of successful creatures used in fiction effectively. A creature is often a representation of something: a metaphor. In Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf represents a stranger—stranger danger in fact as the wolf attempts to lure and trick Little Red. Creatures can certainly help a writer put forward an important method, powerfully!
We’ve established that writing creatures into certain types of fiction can very beneficial, but how do we write a good creature? You need to decide what genre you are writing first of all, and secondly, your creature needs a setting. A setting is important because you need the right surroundings for your creature. Think about if you are writing your creature within a human world or a creature world first of all and also is this their world, a world they belong, or a world they don’t. If they are in their own world, then you need to build the world they are in and ensure they are comfortable with their surroundings. If your creature doesn’t belong in the world they have been placed in, you need to ask yourself some questions, like do they keep themselves hidden from others and if so how? Or are they accepted into the world by everyone, or just a select few? You have so many decisions to make! How did they get to the world that they don’t belong in? 20
Once you are aware of the setting for your creature you can then begin to describe your creature. You should ask yourself the following: 1.
What type of creature is in your story?
2.
What does it look like?
3.
How does your creature behave?
4.
What creature trait does it have that makes it differ from humans?
5.
Does creature have any friends or relatives?
6.
Does your creature have any specific items or objects that they use or that means a lot to them?
ACTIVITY i) Write a description of your creature. ii) Then write a description of a setting to place your creature. A place they are comfortable, like were they live, or a place they are uncomfortable, like were they are held captive. iii) Write a sceneâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;introducing your character within one of the scenes. You now have the beginning of a story, so think of a plot and write. Go! Go! Go! 21
Author Talk: Self-publishing A popular topic of conversation amongst new, and sometimes more experienced authors is whether to self-publish. Places like Amazon Createspace make self-publishing easy, however, a lot of experienced authors and publishing firms suggest that self-publishing is of little value.
Having an agent and a publisher is very useful for an author. The problem is that the competition is high and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s difficult for talented new writers to become noticed. Although there are drawbacks to self-publishing, there are some benefits too. Benefits of Self-publishing The benefits of self-publishing is exposure. There are people who selfpublish for this reason and I know of success stories in which an author has become published by a publishing firm and gained an agent because of a self-published book. It is very cost effective to self-publish. You can choose what you write and if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have money to spare, you can edit, proofread, typeset yourself and this means very little cost to you. If you do choose to do the editing, proofreading and typesetting yourself, you are giving yourself invaluable publishing experience. You can also market the book yourself which again means further experience. If you do an excellent job at writing, editing, proofreading, typesetting, and marketing your book, then it is likely that you will be noticed for the right reasons. There is also flexibility as you are able to write and publish anything you want. 22
Drawbacks of Self-publishing Self-publishing obviously isn’t as credible as being published by a firm and having an agent. Usually, authors are published because a publisher likes their work, however, if you self-publish, you haven’t had professional acceptance of your written work. This doesn’t mean it’s poor, but it does put you in a stronger position if it has. Another drawback of self-publishing is because the production of the book rates are high, there is very little chance to make money through this. If you have to pay others to edit and proofread your work, and also market your book, you could find that it is expensive yet still not credible. If you self-publish the book poorly, it could reflect on your professionalism for a long time as you would always be linked with that. Publishing through a company or having an agent means that there are editors and proofreaders to check your work and this is an extra safeguard. So, what’s the verdict? The answer to this question lies within yourself—because it depends on your personal circumstances. If you can edit, proofread, typeset, and market your book, as well as write it, then self-publishing could be of benefit for you. If, however, you do have some opportunities to gain an agent and/or publish through a specific company, then it’s certainly worthwhile thinking about professional publishing. Self-publishing does have its benefits and drawbacks overall, and it can be beneficial if it’s done well. The individual knows what they want to get from the publishing experience so if you want to make money from publishing a book, it’s unlikely that you would from self-publishing, however it isn’t impossible. Getting an agent means you have someone with experience and connection and this can make success more likely. If there is one thing for sure, there are no guarantees in writing and publishing. So make sure your work is outstanding before you decide!
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Interview: BIB Awards —what it meant to be nominated? RRW Magazine, invited Debbie, from www.myrandommusings.co.uk to be interviewed about being nominated for the Brilliance in Blogging Awards ran by Brit Mums. She was nominated in the Reader’s Choice category and although she didn’t win, she made the shortlist and this is a great achievement in itself. Debbie talks to us about her experience and what it meant to be nominated! Tell us a little about the BiBs and what they mean to you? The BiBs are blogging awards ran by Brit Mums and they have been described as the blogging equivalent of the Oscars. They mean so many different things to different people. To me, they mean that your blog has been recognised. What category were you nominated for? I was nominated in the Reader’s Choice category, which is the category for blogs that don’t fit any particular niche. How did it make you feel to be nominated? When people were telling me they had nominated me, it felt so good. To know that my words had touched someone enough that they took the time to nominate my blog was such a boost. How did you feel to make the shortlist? Words can’t describe how happy I was. When I logged on that day, I had some tweets and Facebook messages congratulating me. I remember thinking they had sent them to the wrong person. I double and trebled checked the list on the Brit Mums site. We all put a lot of time and effort into our blogs, and to be recognised this way is beyond amazing. It means that all the hard work is totally worth it, because it shows that people really do like your stuff. 24
Where you disappointed not to make the final? I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed, but I honestly didn’t expect to even be shortlisted, let alone make the finals. I know everyone says that, but my blog is only just over a year old and I feel like I’m still very much finding my feet in the blogging world. The category was really tough with some amazing bloggers! Who is your favourite nominee? This is a cruel question lol! Everyone who is there deserves to be there, they are all great bloggers in different ways and there are so many blogs here I read on a regular basis. If I have to choose then I have to choose two – I just can’t pick between these two: Becky from www.cuddlefairy.com who is nominated in the Inspire category. Becky’s blog is a beacon of positivity and Becky’s social media tips posts are fabulous! She is always quick to offer help to other bloggers and always spreads the blogger love! Prabs from www.absolutelyprabulous.com who is nominated in the Best Writer category. Prabs is hilarious, but she can also be serious. Her posts can go from making you laugh to making you cry and back again seemingly effortlessly. This girl could write about the most boring thing you can think of and make it sound like something you need to go and do right away. I could go on, there’s so many other worthwhile candidates who I love, but if I keep going I will end up mentioning them all! Thank-you to Debbie for agreeing to this interview, it’s been great working with you!
You can catch up with Debbie by visiting www.myrandommusings.co.uk
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The movie, Saw, versus The Novel, The Shepherd Welcome to our regular feature TV versus Book. Today, Deborah Stansil, compares the movie Saw, to the novel The Shepherd. When I first saw The Shepherd by Ethan Cross, I wondered if it was the book Saw was based on. It wasn’t. Saw was released in 2004 and The Shepherd wasn’t released until 2011. That doesn’t stop them from being frighteningly similar at first glance. The tag line on the book is even “Do you wanna play a game?” one of Jigsaw’s most famous lines from the Saw franchise. Both of these centre around the idea of playing games with other people’s lives. Both have a killer who believes it is his right to take the lives of other people. Once I started reading the book though, I found they were quite different to each other.
In Saw, Jigsaw believes he is justified in his actions because he only takes people who he feels deserve to die, and in fairness, there is always a way out of the game, even if it unimaginably horrible.
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In The Shepherd, Francis Ackerman, isn’t so fussy at first. It’s more a case of if you get in his way, you’re in the game.
Part way through the book, Francis Ackerman starts to question what he is doing and explores the morality of it. Jigsaw doesn’t. Jigsaw is a lot cleverer than Francis Ackerman, and a true sociopath. Francis Ackerman is more your garden variety serial killer. I did thoroughly enjoy both the book and the movie. I’ve watched all of the Saw franchise several times, and I love them. Although they actually end up being quite different, they share the central theme of the game playing. I find that really interesting; how the killers’ minds work, and how their victims try to think their way out of the situations they find themselves in. Francis Ackerman’s end game is to kill, where Jigsaw genuinely wants his victims to choose life. He thinks he is teaching them something about the value of life, and as such making them more moral, better people. I love that twist. I like having a “bad guy” that’s intelligent and there is a certain twisted logic to his theory. I would have to choose the movie if I had to choose between them, but I would recommend them both.
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Icebreaker Exercise For this exercise, you want the class to say their name, then tell a truthful fact and a lie—the class then have to guess which is the truth and which is the lie. You can go first if you wish. This is a good, light, icebreaker.
Teaching creative writing needs to be interactive and although all stories need a protagonist, there is often an antagonist too to cause the conflict within the plot of the story. A protagonist’s function is inevitably to antagonise a person or situation within the story. I’m sure we can all think of a time when we have been antagonised, so this topic is relatable to your audience. It’s important to know as much about the antagonist as you do the protagonist, because in stories and novels, we need to get to know our characters.
Ask your audience to think of situations in which a person has caused conflict in their life.? Get them to jot down their ideas.
Conflict peak
Co
nf l ict B
uil d-u p
The plot of the story is important—you have the beginning of the story and as we progress through the story, the conflict builds and builds.
Beginning of story
A story usual follows this structure and you can give examples to your learners for example in Little Red Riding Hood, Red it the protagonist, the Wolf is the antagonist. The beginning of the story begins informing the reader that Grandma is ill. The conflict builds from the moment Red enters the forest, because of the warned dangers—staying on the path, don’t stray for example. 28
Task Think of a antagonist character for a story. Why is that character an antagonist? How do they antagonise in the novel/story? Give your antagonist a name and share your ideas within the class. Get the students to note down any useful ideas suggested to them by the other classmates.
ACTIVITY Why not get the students to complete the antagonist profile on the next page and write an introductory scene of their antagonist character?
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Antagonist Profile Although this is named this Antagonist profile, you can complete this for any character that would appear frequently in your story really, including the antagonist. Sometimes it’s good to get into the head of your antagonist too! If you write like George R. R. Martin, from the point of view of many characters, this might be really useful. PERSONAL DETAILS Full name, including any middle name: Address: What type of property is this (house, flat, apartment, or mansion)? Describe the area it’s in (expensive/cheap) and how it’s decorated or organised (nice, undecorated, messy, or organised)? Date of birth:
Age:
Male or female:
Does your character drive?
Favourite colour:
What vehicle?
WHAT DOES YOUR CHARACTER LOOK LIKE? Hair colour:
Eye colour:
Skin colour:
Tall or Short?
Fat, thin, broad, sturdy? Religion:
Any distinctive features: Career/job title:
IS YOUR CHARACTER IN A RELATIONSHIP? Partner’s name:
Age:
How did they meet?
How long ago?
BEST FRIEND Best friend’s name:
Age:
How did they meet?
How long ago? 30
OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION TO CONSIDER Describe your character in their favourite outfit:
Describe your character’s attitude:
What are your character’s hobbies?
What are your character’s favourite places to visit?
What makes your character tick?
LIST ANYONE IN YOUR CHARACTER’S LIFE—FAMILY, FRIENDS & ASSOCIATES Name
Relationship to character
Why not send a summary of your character to be published in the next issue of RRW magazine? Email admin@ramblesrantswritings.com
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By Megan Bidmead Megan Bidmead, from www.whispertoroar.co.uk talks about why blogging changed her. This is an insightful and thoughtful article that focuses on developing your writing through blogging, based on her own personal experience. I have been blogging since November 2012. Three and a half years. I started my blog as a way of reflecting upon my life and faith; I still mostly do that, although it has grown a bit since then. I should start off by saying I'm not a very good blogger in a lot of ways. I am rubbish at social media. I don't have one particular topic that I stick to writing about. I don't vlog (tried it, hated it). I don't know how to grow my blog in terms of views or stats. I don't go to blogging events. Maybe one day I will start doing this kind of thing more - who knows? In the meantime I do it because I love writing and it gives me an outlet to do that. I started writing for me: a personal, insular thing. I didn't expect it to change who I am as a person. But it has, and here is why: 1) Blogging has taught me about community When I started joining in with linkies and blog hops and engaging more on social media, I was always flabbergasted when people actually responded. Now? I still feel really excited whenever I get a comment on a post or a retweet. It turns out, the blogging community (particularly the parenting blogger community) are very supportive, very friendly, and very welcoming. Everyone, from all walks of life, is invited to participate - and it is fascinating and lovely to build genuine connections with people that I have never met in real life. 2) Blogging has taught me to be more committed Blogging is just for me - my own personal hobby. Having a child means time for hobbies is stripped right back. So blogging takes place when she isn't around. That means in the evenings now, mostly. Some evenings I really don't feel like it, but do you know what? I have to. I made a commitment to post twice a week - a Tuesday and a Friday - and frankly I don't have time to be lazy. I've learnt to write through writers block and push through the fear of a blank page.
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3) Blogging has taught me how to write - and how to push myself It sounds like blogging should be limiting as a writer - as you're only really writing short pieces about your own life - but actually there are a wealth of options out there. I have learnt to write posts of different lengths and styles. I have learnt to write reviews. I am currently exploring more creative writing blog linkies and prompts, and I plan to start a series of interviews on my blog very soon - again, a new skill. Also, every time I sit down to write, my writing skills become stronger - and I start to feel more daring. I am working on two projects at the moment, both different from each other and both totally new to me. I wouldn't have had the confidence to attempt either of them a few years ago! 4) Blogging has opened my eyes to other perspectives If you write a blog, you will have to read other blogs too - and I have found reading blogs to be a really enriching experience. I love reading about other people's lives - perhaps that's nosy! Seeing other people's perspectives, especially when it comes to parenting, has been really useful. Even if I don't always agree with other people, I like being able to understand the thought process behind a different opinion to mine. I also love seeking out blogs that are totally different to mine - on a variety of subjects just for a breath of fresh air, and for inspiration. 5) Blogging has taught me that truth matters to people One of the main aims for me in my blogging life is to be honest. I have nothing to sell and nothing to prove; I don't want to show off a lifestyle or a particular way of living. I just like to be totally, completely honest. In the midst of having a tiny child, I found glossy magazines about parenting totally overwhelming - and so in response started writing as honestly as I could about what it really means to be a parent. People have responded to that over the years and as far as I can see, even if you disagree, one person being totally honest about their experiences really resonates with people - and although challenging, it is lovely to be able to be totally open about who I am and not to be afraid of being judged for it. You can catch up with Megan, by visiting:
Hopefully over time I will become a more efficient blogger - but in the meantime, I am so grateful for my blogging journey so far.
http://www.whispertoroar.co.uk meganbidmead@gmail.com https://twitter.com/whispertoroar 33
Summer Poetry Activity
Summer is all about warmth and positivity. Our senses evoke powerful feelings and it’s a perfect time to create a simple senses poem. Even if you aren’t a huge poetry fan, this activity is great, because all you need to do is relax, and fill in the blanks. Imagine it’s a lovely summer day and you feel fab! You are at your favourite summer place, life couldn’t get any better! Now fill in the blanks below: I I I I I
can can can can can
see …. (what can you see?) smell … (what can you smell?) feel … (you touch something, what can you feel?) hear … (what can you hear?) taste … (what can you taste?)
For issue 2’s competition, submit your 5-line senses poems to admin@ramblesrantswritings.com The closing date for entrants: 01/10/2016 and there are no limits to the amount of times you can enter. 1st prize includes a £10.00 Amazon voucher and signed copy of Deborah Stansil’s novel, The Joker, released in August 2016. The winning poem and a runner up poem will be published in issue 3. 34
Why not submit some of your creative works Initiated from this magazine? Maybe you have some article ideas that you would like to publish? Any submissions should be emailed to:
Luke Strickland Are you in need of inspiration to make space for your dreams? Do you want some inspiration and encouragement to see your dreams more clearly? If so then Luke Strickland’s books Life Space: Give Your Dreams Room To Grow, and Sight Lines: Clearer Vision, Closer Dreams could be what you need! Both are available to download from your local Amazon store.
admin@ramblesranstwritings.com
RRW are looking for someone to feature in our Interview with the Blogger series!
For weekly creative inspiration why not tune in to The Potting Shed Podcast, where Luke explores how we can all be more creative and live the life we’re meant to. Twitter: @lukestrickland Website: www.lukestrickland.co.uk Podcast: The Potting Shed Podcast (available on iTunes and elsewhere)
If you would like to be interviewed, please email Janet! admin@ramblesrantswritings.com
Twisted Tales is a collection of twenty-seven short horror stories. Ranging from crazed stalkers, killers, dealing with the Devil and everything in between, this collection shows the darker side of human nature in all its black glory.
Rambles, Rants, & Writings are always looking for submissions of fiction, poetry, and article ideas.
Available Now on Amazon Kindle
Submissions should be sent to admin@ramblesrantswritings.com by 1st October, 2016 in order to be commissioned in time for the October edition.
Journey through the twisted minds of the central characters as they make their choices, and watch their lives spiral out of control. Hate them, empathise with them, and stay on your guard. There’s a dark streak in all of us just waiting to come out.
Issue 3: Due for publication 31dt October, 2016
Get your copy of Twisted Tales here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/ dp/B01H94D1MS
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Look out for Issue 3, out October 31, 2016
Thank-you to Jess Powell, Deborah Stansil, Luke Strickland, and Megan Bidmead for their contributions to issue 2 of RRW Magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;I hope to work with you all again soon! www.ramblesrantswritings.com Twitter: @RamblesRW @dementedjan Facebook: www.facebook.com/ramblesrantswritings/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/ramblesrantswritings/?hl=en Stumble Upon: www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/RamblesRW/ Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/ramblesrw/ Blog Lovin: https://www.bloglovin.com/people/janet821-13207063 Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/115373484361161999060/posts
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