Taking it easy

After a month and a bit the momentum has somewhat gone in my blog.

Rather than forcing myself into writing something every day I'll go back to my original goal of using this as an outlet for things that interest or inspire me.

So the next time something interests me (such as the youtube video in the previous post) I'll whack it up here. The same goes for the next time I start to write something of merit. As an example I started to write a couple of articles at the weekend for a new magazine that comes in the summer. When they're done I'll write up a reduced version for the blog. But until then, expect things to be a little more sporadic...

Oh and isn't that cartoon 'hilarious'? No, it's just apt.

TheAppeal.co.uk

Back in my late teens and early twenties I was what local newspapers or radio stations would call a “budding comedy writer”. On two occasions I made a little bit of progress through BBC Talent and did various other bits and bobs, I'll do the full ego-trip some other time ... you lucky lucky people!

For now I just want to remind myself that I do like writing and I want to get back into the habit of writing comedy regularly again. Hopefully I'll read my own blog in a few weeks time (because I'm a bit weird like that) and it'll spur me on.

The reason behind my prompt is firstly that a new satirical website is starting up in May, theappeal.co.uk, and I was contacted by the bloke behind it to submit stuff to it prior to it going live.* We've stayed in contact with each other after both falling at the penultimate hurdle of a BBC Talent scheme a few years back. The second reason behind my forthcoming (potential) burst of writing is that a new show is soon to start on BBC 7 and it's open door.

I used to write pretty much every week in my teens and uni years, but my Masters put pay to that and for some reason I never quite got back into the swing of things afterwards with the occasional odd burst, as it were. I'm fairly certain I'll never try stand up again though...

Don't forget that this blog is mainly to allow to me to write stuff down that interests or inspires me before I forget it. If you happen to enjoy what I write even better. I am the key demographic, bully for you if you're enjoying the ride!

* Until it goes live the link won't work of course.

Humour me

Goodness only knows what prompted me to start this but I guess it makes sense. Almost every day I'm inspired to write something but never know quite where to start. Well most days this is where I'm gonna start. Some days I might just write about something that inspired or tickled me, other days it could be the embryo of something I'd like to expand on some other time. In which case humour me.

As a rule I don't like blogs as they often bring out some worrying character traits: egotism, inflated-self worth, a filtering system that allows us to self-edit our lives to present it in the way you wished others would see you, introverted naval gazing and missives on topics that 101 other people would be better placed to comment ... and no doubt in a more eloquent way.

I'm sure I'll fall into each and every one of those pitfalls at some point. For starters 101 to the power of 101 people could have written the above paragraph far better than myself. Getting back on topic (not that there is a clear topic in this instance) I've felt the need to write for a decade or so now. I kept diaries during various parts of my life, I started writing sketches when I was 15 or 16 and still try to write them from time to time, I went though a poetry writing phase in 2001 and occasionally revisit it, I wrote a sitcom during a productive week in 2006 and keep meaning to rewrite it or start on a new idea, I wrote a short radio play a little while ago even but just ended up being a rather ham-fisted introverted way of getting a message across. My point is I keep writing bits and bobs and I doubt that desire will every go away.

I have a very strong faith and the temptation would be for me to try and convince you to believe the same as me. I have some Christian friends who see their blogs as a form of evangelism. I'll be frank: I wholeheartedly would love to see each and every one of you embrace the passion I have for my maker and have that same relationship with Him that I'm eternally thankful for but that is not the aim of my blog. There will be times when my faith is mentioned obviously, God is my biggest inspiration, but there will also be times when politics might inspire me or my love of comedy, my armchair rugby fan side might rear it's head or maybe one day I'll you about my subbuteo past...

Things interest and inspire me every day, it'd just be nice to write some of them down before I forget them. If they interest, inspire, encourage or tickle you then even better.