The Hunger Games logo
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In less than a month I have read the entire Hunger Games trilogy and watched the first film for a third time. My head is now so full of this stuff that I have to give the trilogy its own post in my popular “social commentary” series. It has been a while since I have done one of these so it’s probably about time I came back to it. Continue reading
I’ve quibbled over the expense for a few weeks about registering Sweat, Tears and Digital Ink as a domain name on WordPress and decided that as it only costs $26US per year, that it was a small price to pay for a more professional looking (and shorter) web address. You may notice it now omits the .wordpress element. The new domain also fits better on the new business card: Continue reading
I’ve received my first formal approach to do something I had already decided I would never do. I’m sure that businesses providing such services will and do pay handsomely for it but I have a major ethical problem with putting my academic and creative writing talents to such projects. To research and write essays for students is, for me, the most unethical aspect of being a freelance writer and I refuse to do it and will continue to do so.
I worked hard for my academic achievements, earning a 2.1 at Bachelor’s level with a 1st class dissertation (probably my proudest life achievement to date) and a Master’s Degree from the same Russell Group university and it irks me no end that there are people out there at top universities who who are either not willing to put in the effort or do not have the capability to be there in the first place. Continue reading
Katniss Everdeen played by Jennifer Lawrence
hungergames wikia
It’s a while since I’ve done one of these despite promising that you would get one every month… I think the last one was October 2012 when I did various portrayals of Satan in film. No matter, well overdue but I’ve now felt the need to do another one. In the last few weeks I have read the entire Hunger Games trilogy so it shouldn’t come as any great surprise that I’ve chosen this particular young lady for my next character feature. Continue reading
THERE ARE SPOILERS EARLY IN THIS REVIEW RELATED TO EVENTS BETWEEN CATCHING FIRE AND MOCKINGJAY. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
And so finally we reach the concluding part in Suzanne Collins’ celebrated Hunger Games trilogy. Just one month has passed since the explosive finale of Catching Fire. Katniss and her family, Gale and Peeta are refugees after The Capitol carpet bombed their District 12 homeland. They were not the only ones to suffer as the tyrannical city that rules the country realised that a plot was being hatched against them in the arena. Continue reading
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I was approached on odesk this week by a US based company looking for a high volume of writers for a variety of projects. They asked me for ‘interview’ which meant a list of questions to ascertain suitability for the type of work they are looking for. I answered them as best I could, sent my email and waited. Continue reading
We might think that the new press regulation standards wouldn’t affect us, the lowly bloggers, but you’d be wrong. Granted, these rules will only apply to those blogs that have multiple authors but there are genuine concerns about the challenge to free speech and freedom of the press in general terms. Continue reading
A hastily constructed post for tonight and I’d rather have not done be doing it under such sad circumstances. British master of horror fiction, James Herbert, has died at the age of 69.
Obituary.
I have read most of his work and still prefer him to Stephen King. Here is his full bibliography.
Continue reading
I don’t mean inspiration, I mean… what prevents you being distracted?
If I’m writing, either copywriting or working on some of my fiction on my laptop, it is all too easy to be distracted by the internet and if I’m researching something it is even easier to get distracted to look elsewhere. Check emails, facebook… ah buggrit I was supposed to be writing a piece of copy and now I’ve killed an hour on facebook reading an argument on a friend’s page. Continue reading
I was talking to an online friend last night about my writing and I happened to mention the rather mixed relationship that I have with my muse. We’re like an old married couple (me and the muse, not my online friend). When we’re strong together we can do anything; I dread the day we decide to take over the world. Other times though, we feel on the edge of divorce when we go for weeks without talking.
At her best she is my rock, my greatest cheerleader though sometimes she is rude and pushy, interrupting me when I am going about my own business. She never lets me finish what I am doing. She’ll even wake me up in the middle of the night and pokes me in the ribs with something sharp. This she does for my own good of course because you can’t put time constraints on creativity. Continue reading