Why I Won’t Be Watching American Gods

I first read Neil Gaiman’s American Gods in my late teens.  It was winter time and I fitted it in between college classes and bus stops and it struck such a chord with me.  The book is full to bursting with rich imagination, and images from that first reading that have stuck with me ever since.  Which is why I won’t be watching the new TV adaptation of the book.

Books aren’t necessarily better

I’m not the kind of person to say the book is always better than the film (although it often is).  In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and say I think The Shining is a better film than it was a book, despite Stephen King being one of my favourite authors.  But books and films and television series are different media and connect with you in different ways.  Obviously, screen adaptations are more visual.  A book can throw pages of description at you but it still relies on its reader interpreting that information and forming an image from it.  If it’s on a screen, well, that’s the image that will wind up in your mind’s eye.

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New Year’s Resolutions 2017

Well, as per tradition, it’s time to plan my New Year’s Resolutions 2017.

I’m a great believer in self-development, which is why I like to take this opportunity to look back on what I tried to achieve in the last year – and to see how far I got!  I think that setting clear, quantifiable targets and letting others know you’ve done so is a fantastic motivator for actually doing them.  But it’s by seeing how (or if…) I’ve achieved them that helps me see where I’d like to push myself next. Read More

On Writing (In Public)

I’m an advocate of writing in public.  I find it keeps my writing flowing pretty regularly and encourages me to hit my weekly targets, as well getting me to try out new coffee shops.  Let me tell you exactly why I prefer writing in public places.

It Gets Me Out the House

Firstly, writing in public means I will get out the house and find somewhere to write. Usually this will be a friendly cafe, though I’ve employed bars and pubs as well. Getting out and active prepares me for some hard work. Leaving the house and walking, cycling or even driving somewhere is an ideal primer for writing; you can think about what you’ll be writing whilst you’re getting there.

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Resolutions Reflection: Midyear Resolutions

Back in January I made these New Year’s Resolutions.  There weren’t many – only three – but as the longest day has been and gone and the mid-point of the year is here today, I think now would be a good time to check in on my progress. Which vows will I need to renew? What midyear resolutions should I be re-resolving?

Finish a novel

Finding inspiration in the bottom of a pint glass

Now this one is going well.

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New Year’s Resolutions: Redux

Around this time last year I wrote this post about New Year’s Resolutions, and what I was hoping to achieve throughout 2015.  Without even looking at those resolutions I can already say I’m really happy with the past year and what I’ve accomplished.  I’ve done things that, if not life-changing, are certainly milestones for me in my life.  Let’s take a look at my resolutions of yesteryear…

Last New Year’s Resolutions: 2015:

  1. Maintain my blog.   Well, I resolved to post on liamsdesk at least once a week and, whilst I started off strong, you can probably see that by June I was posting mostly once a month.  A failure then?  Nah.  I made this resolution in order to build up a body of writing and to learn to write on demand.  Just because I haven’t been writing blog posts doesn’t mean I haven’t been writing – which reminds me, let’s take a look at Resolution #2…
  2. Write creatively at least once a week. I’ll give this a tick in the box.  I’ve written pretty consistently throughout this year and I’ve got a lot to show for it: I published The Witching Hours in May.  To say I’m happy about self-publishing my very own book is an understatement.  But I also wrote and released The Patchwork Carnival, my second publication, as a birthday present to myself in October.  Two books to my name is a great turnout for 2015 and I’m desperate to add another title to that list!
  3. Crack the morning jog.   Back in January I would go for a short one-and-a-half mile run before work a couple of days a week.  At the weekend I’d stretch to a three-miler.  Not only have I cracked the morning jog, it’s now actually my favourite time of day to go.  No one is around, the roads aren’t busy.  The sun isn’t too bright and it’s not too warm.  Additionally, using stats I’ve recorded on the handy WalkJogRun, I’ve gone for 69 runs (averages at 1.3 runs a week) and run a total of 246 miles.  My average pace wass 08:58 minute miles; an improvement on last year.  And in November I ran a half-marathon!  Loads of improvement here: I’m really happy with my progress.
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