Category Archives: short stories

Deliberately Bad Writing

And The Logical Place For A Jar Of Coffee is …

As an author, my mind sometimes wanders from the matter in hand and focuses on my writing. Yesterday I was making coffee. Not a difficult job as it merely entailed opening a jar of instant, spooning in coffee, adding milk and pouring boiling water into the mug. Yet I still managed to complicate this simple process.

“Why is there no milk in my coffee?” I asked myself.

On opening the fridge I discovered a jar of instant coffee comfortably ensconced next to the milk. Now I distinctly remember taking the milk out of the fridge. However instead of pouring milk into the mug I had returned it unopened to the fridge together with the jar of instant coffee!

On another occasion so intent was I on contemplating matters of a literary nature that I added both a tea bag and instant coffee to my mug. Now I am a relatively adventurous soul and am always willing to try out new things. I did, however draw the line at coffee mixed with tea!

I would be interested to hear from authors and readers. Am I alone in my odd coffee making habits?! I suspect others fall prey to the distraction of the book they are working on or reading and do bizarre things. Would you care to share what they are?

Kevin

Oh For A Paper Dictionary!

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In September 2014 I wrote a post entitled “Come Back My Little Oxford”, (http://newauthoronline.com/2014/09/28/come-back-my-little-oxford/). In that article I lamented the giving away of the Braille edition of my Dictionary and explained that the work is no longer available from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

I am frequently reminded of “The Little Oxford” when writing poetry and short stories. I wish to ascertain the meaning of a word or phrase, break off from my writing, go online and look it up. What is the problem with doing this? I hear someone ask. Surely the internet provides a wealth of information and unlike paper reference books, online material can be updated in the blink of an eye thereby ensuring the person in search of knowledge has the most up-to-date data at their fingertips

I agree with much of the above. It is impossible to deny the ease with which online sources of reference can (and are) updated. My problem with online reference material falls into 2 main areas:

By going online I am distracted from the writing process and fall prey to the desire to check email or social media while connected. Additionally many online reference sources survive by using advertising which can be distracting when all one wants to ascertain is the definition of a word or phrase.
I enjoy the physicality of books. Its pleasant to turn the pages of a hard copy work rather than search Google or other internet engine for the meaning of words.

It could be argued that I could avoid being distracted by carrying out online research prior to starting the writing process. Would that things where that simple. Admittedly I could, while writing note down words I wished to look up and research them online once the writing process has finished. However this can entail using a word and/or phrase of which I am unsure, marking it up for checking at a later point in time and continuing on with my writing. It is, in my experience easier to check as one is going along rather than using a word in the wrong context then, at a later point discovering one has done so.

In conclusion the world of online reference possesses many advantages, not least among them the ability to find meanings which may not have filtered down into paper works due to their newness. However this is, in my experience cancelled out by the distractions of the online world. As I said back in September 2014, “come back my Little Oxford”.

Of Books And Fruit

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I had hoped to receive a further stock of my book, “Dalliance; A Collection Of Poetry And Prose” on Friday 19 June. However on telephoning Berforts (the publisher of the print edition) on Thursday 18 June I learned that the little elves who print books are all on strike. Well, to be honest it is a little more prosaic than that. The machine which prints the books has broken down and “Dalliance” will now be printed and shipped in week commencing 22 June.

On Monday I am scheduled to break the camera as my photograph is being taken to accompany the author interview a colleague conducted with me on Monday 15 June. The interview appeared here on 16 June and will be published on my employer’s website in the next couple of weeks. I had hoped to have a copy of “Dalliance” to hold up for the camera, however I have no copies, meaning the picture will be dallianceless (well if Shakespeare can make up words so can I)!

On Thursday evening I popped into my local supermarket and purchased a substancial quantity of oranges and apples. I had just reached home when a dull thudding sound reached my ears. “how odd” I said to myself “perhaps I have kicked a large stone”. I bent down to investigate only for several thudding sounds to follow on from one another in quick succession. Putting my hand to the thin plastic bag provided by the supermarket I discovered the cause of the problem – a hole had developed allowing my fruit to cascade with gay abandon all over the car park of the flats in which I live! I did briefly contemplate letting my trusty lab/retriever guide dog Trigger loose in the hope he would follow his retriever instincts and bring the fruit back to his master. I quickly dismissed the idea as Trigger is fond of apples and while I’m sure he would have retrieved them the fruit would have been conveyed to his rapacious stomach rather than my eager grasp. All ended happily as a neighbour kindly retrieved my apples and oranges. The moral of the story is to never trust to those flimsy plastic bags provided free by supermarkets but to bring one’s own carrier or invest in a “bag for life” which many stores now offer.

I wish you all a very fruitful weekend!

(for my author interview please visit http://newauthoronline.com/2015/06/16/interview-with-author-k-morris/).

Update to my ‘About’ and ‘Reviews of my books’ pages.

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I have, at long last, added images of my book covers to my ‘About’ page (http://newauthoronline.com/about/).

I have also updated the ‘Reviews of my books’ page to include the recent reviews of ‘Dalliance’ (http://newauthoronline.com/reviews-of-my-books/).

K Morris reading a selection of his poetry.

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Me reading a selection of my poetry.

Interview With Author K Morris

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Conversation with Kevin Morris about ‘Dalliance’

Thank you to Annis for taking the time to interview me. A version of this article appeared on my employer’s website.

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Where did your latest collection of poems and other pieces in ‘Dalliance’ come from? What is your inspiration for writing?

I write poems that I publish on my blog. Then I collect and publish them in book form. I’ve published several collections of self-published short stories. ‘Dalliance’ is a collection of poems, vignettes and short stories about the ‘grittier’ side of life. I get inspiration from internet news reports. The inspiration for the poems comes from imagined conversations in my head which have been going on since I was a child – and from nature.

Poets tend to have better senses than the rest of us but your sense of touch and sound is very sharp. I loved your lines about the ‘eternal’ wind : ‘Eternal force blowing forever on ancient peoples and now on me. You care not for civilisation; your gusts of laughter shake the bending trees. You blew before these buildings came. When all is gone, you will remain’.

I also liked lines about the touch of acorns ‘I have always had an affinity with these great trees. I love the smooth feel of the outer shell of the acorn and how it contrasts with the softer seed within’. What is the background to these lines?

I have always been close to nature. I collected acorns with my grandfather. I loved the natural world from the time that I started stocking the nature table at school. I live overlooking a semi-rural park in south London. Bird song has always been special to me, particularly the song of the thrush. I love Hardy’s poem “The Darkling Thrush” as well as Blake, Ernest Dowson, A E Housman and Charles Causley. In my sitting room I hear the animal noises and calls – and I feel the wind on my face.

How do you feel about the shape of a poem, on the page? Often that matters to those with sight, when they see a poem for the first time.

I think there is no ultimate ‘rule’ for the shape of a poem. I believe it is the feeling and meaning of a poem that really counts.

You surprised me a bit by appreciating beauty, say, in women. Does beauty mean a lot when one has sight impairment?

I meant beauty in the essence of a person. The smell of, say, a flower can be beautiful, also the smell of certain trees.

You work in the environmental field fighting climate change. Is that connected to your love of nature?

I would probably say ‘yes’ – writing is part of my feeling for nature.

You have quite a dark view of the modern world and also write about loneliness. You get inside hard issues, such as someone finding out whether they are HIV positive.

I am quite a serious, introspective person even though I have a lot of friends and thoroughly enjoy the pub and humour. I guess I write poems when I am on my own, meditating. I think the world is quite a dark place judging by reports on the internet. Personally, I am fortunate to have a loving family. I have been well treated in the workplace.

You get good 4 and 5 star reviews for your writing, e.g. on Amazon. What do you plan to do next?

I publish new poems on my blog and I read my own and other poetry on You Tube. I would like to do an ‘open mike session’ at The Poetry Society in Betterton Street. However, these take place during the afternoon on workdays, so it is quite difficult to go.

Further information:

Kevin’s poetry blog newauthoronline.com
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) have published ‘Dalliance: A Collection Of Poetry And Prose’ in braille.
‘Dalliance: A Collection Of Poetry And Prose” by Kevin Morris can be found on Amazon at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dalliance-collection-poetry-prose-Morris-.
‘Dalliance’ is also available as an e-book, also with text to speech enabled allowing visually impaired people to read it.

Links

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dalliance-collection-poetry-prose-Morris-ebook/dp/B00QQVJC7E

http://poetrysociety.org.uk/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Dowson

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._E._Housman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Causley

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67lcMKnJHPI

3 Quotes Challenge Day 2

Why Flashbacks Ruin Fiction

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An interesting post arguing that in almost every instance flashbacks ruin fiction, (https://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2015/06/12/why-flashbacks-ruin-fiction/). Do people agree?

I use flashbacks in my book, “Samantha” to explain how Sam becomes embroiled in the world of forced prostitution. None of my reviews mention my utilisation of flashbacks so, in the case of “Samantha” they where, I hope employed successfully.

“Dalliance; A Collection Of Poetry And Prose” Is Now Available In Braille

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On returning home yesterday evening I was excited to open a package from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and find it contained my book, “Dalliance; A Collection Of Poetry And Prose” in Braille. Although “Dalliance” is available as an ebook with text to speech enabled, allowing visually impaired people to read it, I wanted my own copy in Braille and requested that RNIB transcribe “Dalliance”. It is a wonderful feeling to hold a braille edition of “Dalliance” and know that the book will be made available for other Braille readers to borrow.

RNIB advise that “Dalliance” will be added to the library catalogue, (http://www.rnib.org.uk/services-we-offer-reading-services-rnib-national-library-service/library-catalogue). This does not appear to have happened yet. It is however early days and I am sure the book will soon be available for RNIB library members to access.

(”Dalliance; A Collection Of Poetry And Prose” can be found on Amazon by visiting http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dalliance-collection-poetry-prose-Morris-ebook/dp/B00QQVJC7E. A print edition is also available from me. For enquiries regarding the print edition please email newauthoronline (at) gmail dot com).