The Golden Hour

I hate to think that Sundays have been reduced to the day to finish all the homework due on Monday, make all the calls and check all the emails that have to be attended before Monday, spend time with the people you love before Monday...

The worst part about Sunday seems to be that Monday inevitably follows. I don't have an easy solution, and this is hardly a lifestyle blog. I'm not even going to give advice or try to life hack or whatever. In my mind, the only way to avoid this is to create an island. The Isle of Sunday.

Even if you're an atheist, Sunday still has that special power to make you think of sleeping in, breakfast in bed, relaxing or laziness. Sunday mornings still have a quality, separate from all other influence, disconnected from time or date, which can make us appreciate things that we might have overlooked.

I had the oddest thing happen to me last Sunday, and I waited this morning to make sure it wasn't a fluke. There was this time, I've heard of it before from friends who are really artistic.

They call it "The Golden Hour".

This is a time that happens at a different angle or time every single day and changes throughout the year. I have one friend who has found her golden hour only occurs in her bathroom between 8 and 9:15 AM only during the months of August through October. Another friend who's very into photography finds that the best time to take pictures at the studio is between 5 am and 8 am January to February.

The term "Golden Hour" is a bit of a misnomer, as the time may only last for twenty or thirty minutes, or perhaps even less. But it's this time that if you look at the light in a place on a long enough time line, over the course of different times of the day, you can tell something just... changes.

I'd never thought of my place as having this magical, mystical sort of "glow" until last Sunday. There was a time between 7:15 and 7:40 AM that I stood in my hallway and the light from the surrounding rooms was pouring in, all the interior lights were switched off and I just caught myself standing in this hall, staring at the color of the light as it hit the white walls. It was a sort of current that seemed to be holding me hostage in one spot, drawing my eyes to the incandescence all around me.

I have seen paintings and art and poetry and theater and I know I'm susceptible to the emotional tidal wave that comes from truly seeing beauty. I had never seen it so unexpectedly, so perhaps I was simply thrown off by the timing or the incongruous location, but in that moment, my unassuming white hallway was transformed. I was captivated by the colors and riveted to the spot by the stunning show that had been laid before me.

What really threw me was the depth of emotion I felt from witnessing this display. I wasn't painting, I didn't take any pictures, I stood and admired for the better part of a half hour. I was alone and I just had this tremendous sense that it was vitally important that I remain rooted to the spot until this experience ended organically. It felt like an insult to move.

That was the feeling I wanted to have every Sunday. That moment where the day just demanded reverence and calm, stillness and appreciation. So, this week, I made sure I stood in the exact same spot and waited. Unfortunately, today was overcast and cloudy and the sun made no appearance, but I still took the time to wait and see if I could recapture a small bit of that feeling, that inner moment. That's all I think we need from Sunday. A moment before the week begins, not to finish everything that is about to come due, but to recharge. So, maybe I make a few more calls or finish some things Friday night or Saturday afternoon. I need my weekly vacation to the Isle of Sunday.

I understand not everyone has a Monday through Friday, 9 to 5 job in today's world, and I respect that. I don't even have that! Sunday just happens to be a day I have off, but perhaps yours is Tuesday or Wednesday. Nothing wrong with that, create your own Isle to suit your needs. Maybe you think this whole thing is silly and you don't need an isle. That;s fine too! But if you ever think you might, just know it's alright to create the space you need to breathe.

Guest Post from Scott McGowan - NaNoWriMo 2015: A Winner's View

A Winner's View of NaNoWriMo

(National Novel Writing Month)

Scott McGowan

Introduction:

Before I begin, I should say that this is my second year attempting the NaNoWriMo challenge. Last year I was only available for a single week so, due to my stubbornness, I attempted to write the full 50,000 words in seven days. This was not a good idea and I would never suggest it to anybody.

By the third day, lunchtime, of NaNoWriMo 2014, I had written around 17,500 words and my brain decided that enough was enough and shut down. I was not able to concentrate on my writing at all and even found it difficult to create a decent flowing sentence.

Do not try this at home.

Learning Difficulties:

Having a learning difficulty should not dissuade anyone from attempting the NaNoWriMo challenge. I, myself, am Dyslexic and have had issues because of it for most of my life. I have come to a point in my life where I can stand above it and light-heartedly inform people that I’m just a Dalek Sec.

Always remember that the idea of the competition is to see if you are able to write 50,000 words in four weeks. These words don’t have to be perfect or even spelled correctly. The grammar is also supposed to be messed up until after you have completed it. What you write, during the month of November, is only supposed to be a first draft and nowhere near a finished work. In writing this article, I have had to correct a great many spelling mistakes and grammatical errors and, I’m quite sure, Hope has found many more that I missed.

Yet, even with my dyslexia, I was able to complete this year’s NaNoWriMo within three weeks. I have since read through it again and fixed any errors that I could find and have sent it off to the kind Eleanor Watson for proof reading.

Never let a disability stop you from achieving your dreams. Agatha Christie had Dysgraphia; John Irving, Stephan J. Cannell and F. Scott Fitzgerald is/were Dyslexic; George Bernard Shaw and Jules Verne both suffered from ADD; and even Lynda La Plante has always had trouble with the written word, getting every last word checked before it goes out, whether it be a book or simply a letter or email.

Working Space:

I am blessed to have a decent partner desk to work on. It is five feet long and holds everything I need while I write. I have my laptop in front of me with my USB mouse to my right. I find these much easier to use than the touch pad on the laptop. I get very annoyed when my thumb accidentally hits said pad and I start typing into a previously completed paragraph. It is always a pain to have to go back and edit a paragraph again when you thought that you were done with it.

On the other side of my mouse sits my iPad. This is perfect for checking information, studying up on subjects and getting translations. On my left, I have a television screen which has Spotify streaming through it. It is somewhat of a luxury but it helps me.

Below the television, I have a monitor, connected to a separate and very old desktop machine, where I can have my concentrated notes up at all times and don’t have to keep switching between open programmes. I just look to my left and the info is there. I also have on my desk, a tin of juice or a mug of tea, depending on the time of day, and a wee snack-box, holding biscuits and cakes. It is always good to keep your energy up.

Whatever setup you have, make sure it adheres to whatever makes you the most comfortable and free from any distractions.

Before You Start:

A lot of people forget this but it is perfectly alright to plan your NaNoWriMo piece before November hits. It is true that most like to dive straight in, on the 1st, and just see where it takes them. You do not have to do this, if you don’t want to, and there is nobody who would think any the worse of you for it.

In October, around midway, I decided I would write a novella, entitled “The Guild Rally”. I made a few short notes and a list of the first few chapter titles I would need, just to give me a running start. I knew where everything was going to start and end; and I even had a few ideas about what I wanted to happen throughout the story. This gave me a chance to start writing as soon as the NaNoWriMo clock started.

I would suggest that everyone does this, at least on their first try. It really does help and can take a lot of the pressure off of you when you start to write, in November. Also, you only have to maintain a word-count of 1,667 a day. Some days are more fruitful than others but if you can keep to this average, you will be fine.

The Time to Write:

Everyone has busy lives and it is sometimes difficult to find the time to write after all the events of the day. If you are to complete NaNoWriMo, you will need to try and find the time to put into it. I have found it essential to have a specific time in the day when I write. I always prefer to write at night when there are no distractions and no humans running around the place. The world is quiet and asleep and I am able to write.

That being decided, I chose to write from 8pm till 3am every night, where possible. I took the middle two weeks off of work, as a holiday, which allowed me to do this. I found that, in doing this, I was able to get my word-count for the day by midnight and, after midnight, I managed to get a head start for the next day’s count. This worked exceptionally well and I was writing between 2,500 and 5,000 words a day.

Again, the time you choose is entirely up to you. Find a time that suits you the best. Maybe it’s a couple of hours a night, after the kids have gone to their beds,; maybe it’s a couple of hours before you would normally get up in the morning; or possibly it’s an hour at lunchtime and another hour or two at night. Pick a time that allows you to put yourself fully into your story and have no foreign influences.

Day One:

On the 1st of November, at 00:00, the fun begins and you are allowed to start writing. If you have your brief notes, drink, snacks and, if you partake, tobacco, you are more than prepared to begin.

I would suggest to everyone that they take their time. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar, although the wee red squiggly lines that appear all over my text can be annoying. You can take a breather, every so often, to quickly fix these, if you so wish. The main idea is that you create your scene and get your stage set.

If you don’t manage the 1,667 words on your first day, do not be concerned. Everyone starts off at different speeds and you have plenty time to catch up. NaNoWriMo is a marathon, not a sprint and should be attempted as such. Because I took a couple of weeks off in the middle of the month, I was able to knock out a higher word-count than required and so completed it in three weeks, instead of four. It made things easier, not having to worry about having to go to work or any of the other things that I would usually have to do. Any housework or shopping could be done in the afternoons and the evenings were left for writing into the early hours of the morning.

Not everyone is able to do this. With many people trying to use their paid holidays up at the end of the year, it can be difficult to get the time off that you were looking for. Also there are some who have young families and so need their holidays for time away with them. If you can’t take time off, it’s still very rewarding if you are able to find a couple of hours each day to attempt this challenge.

The Writing:

Once you begin, you can feel like you’re pushing a boulder up a hill. Don’t worry, there are other’s out there to give you encouragement and help in any way they can. Thousands upon thousands of people, all over the world, participate in NaNoWriMo and many of them are on Twitter, tweeting their daily scores and how their doing with the overall task, so far. They are all open to random people messaging them their questions or asking for advice. Many of them enjoy helping out other writers. It is a strong community and you should not be afraid to join in with any conversations you see going on. Comment on other people’s posts, ask them questions or maybe even provide them with a piece of knowledge which they’re looking for. You may know something that others don’t.

If you wish to utilise Twitter, you can see other people’s posts by typing “#NaNoWriMo2015” into the Twitter search bar. If you are unsure how to do this then ask around to see if someone can show you. It can be a great daily boost to see how others are faring in their own progress and getting daily words of wisdom from previous winners throughout the month is superbly uplifting.

Completion:

When you get to the end of the month, it is hoped that you will have found your writing muse and have 50,000 words completed. If so, once you copy your text into the validator, you are an instant winner and can have all the bragging rights that come with it. Achieving the 50,000 mark is an extraordinary achievement and you should be very proud of your accomplishment.

However, if you have not managed to complete your work on time, please do not fret. There is nothing stopping you continuing, as you have been, and finishing the story. There is always another year of NaNoWriMo coming up, too, and the excitement as the time rolls over for the arrival of another November, is almost as exciting as the event itself. Never give up, never surrender and always make sure to get back up on that horse again.

I am so delighted that I have managed to complete my NaNoWriMo 2015 challenge. It was a lot of fun and helped me in my writing a great deal. I will be attempting it again next year and the year after that and so on and so forth, until the day my typing fingers have no more to give.

Lastly and most of all, enjoy yourself. NaNoWriMo is designed to be a fun event and I have found it to be that and so much more.

Good luck for the 2016 event, if you decide to give it a go, and may all the words come a flowing. Come find me at my Twitter handle, ‘@AuthorMcGowan’, when you do.

Cheerleaders and STEM? MTP

I ran across this on Tumblr and I couldn't post my reply on the reblog for some reason, so I'm placing it here.

It’s vital to encourage little girls (and little boys too) to pursue careers that make them happy and satisfied. This may be the wrong way to do it.

When I (girl who liked physics) saw this, all I thought was:

“Well, obviously cheerleaders can have STEM careers because they’re hot enough to balance out the brains and still get sexual and/or life partners if they want one.”

Boys don’t like girls who are smarter than them, other girls don’t like girls who are smarter than them; it’s hard enough finding someone to be with when you’re a genius, if you add unattractive it’s nigh on impossible. Having the body and looks of an NFL cheerleader would be the panacea to distract potential mates from the brainpower.

If anything, this seems more geared toward young boys, trying to convey the message that it’s OK to find females associated with “science” sexy, and that’s missing the point entirely.

Why YOUNG GIRLS don’t pursue STEM careers is the double whammy of not enough encouragement and the clear prejudice against girls who are smart, unless they happen to be gorgeous, as is the case here. Then they can do anything because the physical appearance covers a multitude of intellectual sins.

Honestly, for young boys they probably don’t care what these young women do in their lives, because they are still incredibly hot and NFL CHEERLEADERS. They are attractive enough to pursue any career and still find a mate, which is really all most people end up wanting in life. I’m not saying this is good or right or even what should be, I’m just saying this is the world we currently live in and showing girls hot women doing science may backfire and contribute to not only them choosing a less demanding career path, but later, body image issues as well.

tl;dr

If I had seen this ad when I was younger, not only would I have been reminded that I wasn’t hot enough to be a cheerleader, but also that I should not pursue science because I wasn’t hot enough to be smart either.

Author Interview Scott McGowan

Have you ever been curious to know what writers from other countries are like? I certainly am, so this week we are delighted to interview Scott McGowan, a fabulous scribe from Scotland. He has a bit of a thing for Dwarves, and a fantastically precise style (just look at this layout here, entirely his work), and I loved reading every word. I think you will too!

Hope Woods' Author Interview

With

Scott McGowan

Question 1: What are your top 3 favourite foods?

Answer: If the opportunity arises, I will always go for a nice juicy rump steak (Cooked

Blue) with onion rings and mashed potato. Dianne sauce is a must.

Second on my list would have to be Viennese whirls. They are the

world’s best shortbread based biscuit and I can go through a couple boxes of these all by myself.

Thirdly, I think I have to go for Thornton’s mini caramel slices. They are divine and everyone should get in there quick, if they’re at afternoon tea in my house.

Question 2: What are your top 3 Movies or Tv shows?

Answer: My favourite movie, of all time, has to be “Withnail & I”. Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann are exceptional as the two out of work actors and, guest starring the roadie from Wayne’s world, they topped it off nicely.

Secondly, I did rather enjoy “In Bruges”, starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and, Voldemort himself, Harry Watters. It’s a black comedy and not everyone will see the humour in it but I loved every last second of it.

For my third, I have to say “The Princess Bride”. It is a classic and always will be, I hope. The, “My name is Indigo Montoya…” line will always be lovingly stuck in my memory. Bit parts for Billy Crystal, Peter Falk and the kid from “Wonder Years” made perfect castings, alongside Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Andre the Giant and Robin Wright, the cocky blonde.

Television wise, I cannot miss a single episode of Supernatural. I live in Scotland (Uk) and I still make sure that I see the new episodes, within twenty-four hours of it being released in The States. It is the best show on television at the moment and the cast, crew and writers all have my upmost respect.

For my second, I have to go with “Doctor Who”. I have been watching it since I was a child, my first Doctor being Colin baker, and still love it to this day.

Thirdly, I have to stick to another little Moffat themed programme called “Sherlock”. The work that Steven Moffat, Stephen Thompson and Mark Gatiss have put into building the show; the perfect castings of Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman; and the introduction and demise of Andrew Scott’s rendition of Moriarty have been incomparable and there is nobody who could have done a better job.

This list only lasts as long as “Firefly” is off the air. It ended all too soon.

Question 3: Who are your top 3 Authors and Why?

Answer: My first and foremost has to be the late great, Sir Terry Pratchett. His books were a great influence to me and my writing and is, no small part, the reason for me entering the literary profession. His books and worlds are full bodied and show humanity at its best and worse, through these worlds. He was a genius and I will always have the sad feeling that I never got to meet him. Secondly, I must go for the king himself, JRR Tolkien. What can you say about the man who gave us “The Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings”? He, along with his friends, CS Lewis (“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”) and Lewis Carroll (“Alice in Wonderland” & “Through the Looking Glass”), led the way for many a thousand fantasy novelists and they will always be legends in their field.

For my third, I think I have to say Douglas Adams. His, five book, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” trilogy was superbly imagined and, again, he spurred on the imaginations of many, many other writers. The fact that it all started as a small funded BBC Radio show and rose to be one of the best loved stories in the world, is amazing and should give us all hope. He never stopped there, bringing us also, “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency”, “Starship Titanic” and even wrote for “Doctor Who” (Tom Baker’s incarnation, I believe).

Never has a book cover experienced
a beard so epic.

Question 4: Where can we find your previous work?

“Curse of the Anti-Santa” (UK)

“Curse of the Anti-Santa” (US)

“Short Stories and Allegories” (UK)

“Short Stories and Allegories” (US)

“Bjorn & Bread” (Bjorn Trilogy - Book 1) (UK)

“Bjorn & Bread” (Bjorn Trilogy - Book 1) (US)

“Bjorn Free” (Bjorn Trilogy - Book 2) (UK)

“Bjorn Free” (Bjorn Trilogy - Book 2) (US)

Question 5: What have you been working on more recently?

Answer: In November, I completed, “The Guild Rally” for NaNoWriMo and, after editing, will be offering it to St Andrews Press for possible publication. If they feel that it isn’t for them, I will be self-publishing it in the middle of 2016.

At present, however, I am about 25% of the way through completing the third and final book of the Bjorn Trilogy, “Bjorn Again”. I will have the writing part done and dusted before June and, again after editing, I will be self-publishing at the start of November 2016. There will also be a one-off spinoff novella to be released, hopefully in November 2017.

Question 7: How long have you been writing things that you let others read?

Answer: The first real stories I wrote were in my last couple of years in High School (1996/1997). They were a collection of horror stories that were from the viewpoint of the reader. I liked this style of writing as it gave the reader more of a part in the story and helped to draw them into it; everything was happening to YOU.

Question 8: What was the first book that you really enjoyed reading and why?

Answer: The first book that really spoke to me was Sir Terry Pratchett’s “Reaper Man”. It was dark and humours, both at the same time, and dealt with the theme in a way that I had never read before. The world that he had created was so elaborate and fully thought out, that he was able to bring me into that world and, metaphorically, wander around.

Question 9: What sort of Audience do you write for? YA, Adult, Both..?

Answer: I tend not to write for any particular age group. Come one, come all. I want my work to be enjoyed by as many different people as possible, from many different creeds and cultures, and try not to limit my work to any particular group. I feel that a good book is one that can be read and loved by anyone who picks it up. That being my premise, I write essentially for myself. If I’m not enjoying a scene then I have to change it or cut it altogether. If I’m reading it through again and find myself smiling at something I’ve written then I know it’s a winner.

Question 10: From what I’ve seen, your latest series is a bit Norse-y. What is your favourite part of writing for that type of setting? What is the best thing that you can do in that setting that you can’t in other realities?

Answer: When I first started writing the Bjorn Trilogy, I started the whole thing off with the idea that a high number of Dwarves, who have moved down south to the big city, have gone missing and a military unit would be sent out of the Dwarf King’s mines to discover what happened. I have always believed that, in fantasy, a Dwarf should have either a very Norse name or something Norse-esk. From there, I built the whole world around Norse, Scottish, Irish and Native American mythology. These are four nations that have incredibly in-depth mythologies and a long history of Folklore. I have always loved writing about the odd beings and creatures that you used to find in all the best fantasy stories, “The Grimm Brothers” for example, and so I include Dwarves, Trolls, Leprechauns; Elves, Witches, Wizards, Evil Lords, Heroes and so much more. They may all be strange characters but I try to use them in such a way that they mirror real life. I may, one day, write some urban fantasy. It’s not out with the realm of possibility. I enjoy all genres and, for instance, my NaNoWriMo entry for 2015, “The Guild Rally” was women’s fiction and when I write short stories, I delve into as many genres as possible. The only other person I can think of who has published a multi-genre collection would be Neil Gaiman with “Trigger Warning”. Everyone should read that book!

Question 11: I know that all your books on Amazon are available in paperback. Do you think it is important for readers to have a physical copy?

Answer: I do. eReaders are all good and well but there is nothing like holding a good paperback book. Turning the pages yourself; the smell of the paper; being able to turn the corner of the page; and, most importantly, the book doesn’t break when someone accidently sits on it.
I appreciate that people like eReaders because they can have hundreds of books at their fingertips but I would much rather stand in the middle of a room and have all my books around me, perfectly filed on old mahogany shelves. If you check the stats, I think that the popularity of eReaders is actually dropping, too. There are many readers deciding that, yes, they do prefer holding a nice paperback in their hands, instead of the impersonal eReader.

Question 12: On one of your books, “Bjorn Free”, you feature a large bushy beard, title, author’s name and nothing else. Can you tell us what the significance is?

Answer: I design all the covers myself (some are better than others) and I like simple covers. The only real exception to this rule would be Paul Kidby who drew Sir Terry Pratchett’s. He’s an artitsè without compare. However, because I like a nice modest book cover, with the first book I used a white background and, since the book was staged in the year of the disabled wasp, the image used was a wasp. For the second book, I wanted a black background (Red for the third). As the book is all about Dwarves and the finding of their kin in a city that noticed their arrival straight away, I felt that a big beard would do the trick. The cover as a whole is simple but the beard is very detailed and, if you look at it from the right angle, an evil witch queen can be seen. It seems to work and people do tell me they like it. The cover for “Bjorn Again”, the third in the trilogy, will be designed and drawn by a real artist, all things going the direction they are.

Question 13: Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Answer: Definitely a night owl. I tend to write when everyone else has gone to their beds and can still be at it in the late hours of the morning, depending on the next day’s schedule. I find that it helps that the world is asleep and there are no distractions. I open my laptop, load up Spotify and away I go. I am totally unable to work, if there is anything else going on in the room. I get distracted too easily and so I lock myself away in my own wee writing room and shut the world out.

Question 14: What would you say your week looks like?

Answer: I am, at present, one of these struggling artists you hear about. Due to this, I have to have another job in order to make sure the heating doesn’t get cut off and that I can enjoy other luxuries such as food.

Because I have another “real” job, I try to make sure that, when I get home at night, I get as much writing in as possible. The next time I get to write may not be as fruitful.

Question 15: Do you have a website or social media, for anyone who would like to find out more?

Answer: I am mostly on Twitter, updating and sharing tips and tweets. My blog can also be viewed on Wordpress and there you will find snippets from some of my books as well as info on when new releases are due. I post the links to the blog on Twitter each and every time so, if you follow me there and set the notifications to ‘on’, then you will not be left out when the new blog entries are released…

eMail Address: scott.blake.mcgowan@gmail.com

Wordpress Blog:  https://authormcgowanblog.wordpress.com/

Twitter Account: https://twitter.com/authormcgowan

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Scott-McGowan-Esq-113144208706760/

Question 16: Are there any upcoming events that you are excited about?

Answer: At present, I am still excited about the release of “Bjorn Free”, second in the Bjorn Trilogy, which was released in November. It is a book that I put my whole self into and I am immensely proud of the result. Just remember to read “Bjorn & Bread”, first in the trilogy, as well.