Writing on Tablets

As a writer although I finish off a lot of writing on my laptop etc nowadays previously it nearly all was wrote on a little note pad enabled with a pen of course and then finished off on my laptop or PC.

In some ways it has to be said it was easy and could easily be set up in just a few minutes and then I could scribble to my hearts content. 

However I started going to a new writing workshop near where I grew up in Stretford things and recently had a change in perspective there. In this workshop which was the first I had gone to which I hadn't ran in years or hadn't being online (where I do most of my writing on my laptop) and for the first time I found myself struggling to keep up with the excercises.

It wasn't because they were difficult they weren't but I simply couldn't write quickly to give them the attention they needed which of course caused a rethink.

I could have took my laptop but considering I was on public transport afterwards going home that simply wouldn't have being practical. I considered doing what my wife Amanda did at the workshop by writing on my mobile but that was simply too small for my eyesight to manage (perks of rotten eyesight).

I considered buying a netbook before then trying my kindle only to dismiss that when it became apparent that although it was great for reading much beside it was simply too slow.

The use of a tablet came by chance actually as I bought one last year as a top up to go with my mobile upgrade for next to nothing and I got it thinking it as a backup for both my laptop and kindle. I didn't think it would ever prove as important as my kindle and my ipod.

First of all the one I use isn't much more bigger than the A5 ring binder little books I had been scribbling away for years on and while the text is a little smaller than I was used to using on my laptop but was better than my mobile certainly but once I got used to the predicted text element off it, it wasn't perfect but it enabled to get ideas down quicker. 

Second despite the constant issue with automatic text and the fact because of the size of the keyboard it has resulted in me typing one handed quite a bit instead of both handed it has helped me increase what I am actually writing . 

Now of course this doesn't mean what I have wrote is always any good as it certainly hasn't being but it's stopped me worrying about it if it is any good as much bizarrely enough as doing it this way has helped me with the editing side of it a little. (Of course whether this means I will share them is another ball game of course).

Whatever next things has certainly changed. 

New Music / Writing Publication / Radio appearance

 

Some new bits of music and writing have being released.

First of all, the amazing Alta Mabin has published three of my new haikus in her June 2022 'Haiku for the Soul'

This can be seen here

Two pieces of my Prose "Grief" and "Conversation with myself" have appeared in the June Magazine in Alta's other magazine 'Poets Unlimited' which can be found here

On the music side of the spectrum, a new unreleased Ocean in a Bottle track has appeared on the latest various artists album by camembert electrique 'Sitar on Sitar' called Out of tune Sitar by Ashton Market. This is a pay what you want download here

On my Andy N productions page on bandcamp - My archive page of unreleased and rare ambient / noise projects etc for June there is two new releases:

Grey Ear, White Noise - Instrumentals / Dub versions - 2007 - 2010 - out-takes and instrumentals from Grey Ear, White Noise. Pay what you want here

Distance - Steve Reich Remixes.  Done for fun in 2008 I seem to recall. Pay what you want here

After a few months break. I have sorted out some new tracks for my Piano project 'Piano in a Bottle' too on the series of Fragments. Volume 1 is here on pay what you want.

Lastly, I am on All FM between 4pm and 5pm on Sunday 04 June 2022 on Ruth O'Reilly's radio programme. This can be streamed here 

Birth of the Author (How to finish a novel after forty years after numerous attempts Part 5)

 

(Moon Knight @ Marvel)

It was never intended to stop talking about my author series like I have done here over the past few months but in more than a few ways it is what has happened here over the past few years and certainly pre changing the way I write (I am now writing a lot of stuff fresh on my tablet instead of struggling handwriting) with the way I write this book and indeed series. 

I remember the way I used to write when when I first tried this story remember clearly writing the second draft and rewrite segments constantly on the bus on the way back from Bolton University back home. 

It was a nightmare honestly trying to focus on stuff everything I ever wrote on those those days let alone produce 25 thousand words all hand written mostly on 9 months on a sometimes noisy bus.

My wife Amanda a few of you know if you ever have seen het at a writing workshop would see how freely she writes on her mobile. I've tried it I will admit but I'm not comfortable whether it is down to the size of the screen or my large fingers or crap eyesight I'll let you decide for yourself but I couldn't manage in particular when trying to edit large segments of a novel. 

I've being using my tablet for the better part of a month and a half now and have yet to drag across my author series over to it but am looking forward to it when I get chance as I have being enjoying writing every morning going to work at 6.30am where I have a lot quicker typing all kinds of new bits and pieces (nothing the size of a novel but rather short, short stories, flash fiction and a few new poems).

Amanda teases me a little not because of the way I use it but rather sometimes u can see me with a phone a iPod my Kindle and this tablet in my bag all the time. Its quite different from the way I used to cripple my back with tons of books and it makes me think of my character frequently. 

In my forthcoming book on the author, there is little to no mention of him actually writing as most writers I've found if they really get going never really tend to  stop writing, perhaps i should introduce a segment of him writing some poetry before he goes off to fight a horde of barbarians or demons as he does. Perhaps I should but I couldn't see him writing on a tablet like I am on the way to Bradford to see Amanda's family.

Could be interesting thou.. 

Playing Trumpton Cover Versions with Freddie Phillips at Stonehenge (New Publication)

 

Playing Trumpton cover versions with Freddie Phillips at the edge of Stonehenge my latest published poem is a labour of love for a whole host of reasons.

Taken from a forthcoming poetry book 'changing carriages at birmingham new street' which has being in development for a number of years,  the book is a book about a affair which finished between a imaginary couple and their adventures all over the Uk.

Trumpton is a British stop-motion children's television series from the producers of Camberwick Green. First shown on the BBC from January to March 1967, it was the second series in the Trumptonshire trilogy, which comprised Camberwick Green, Trumpton and Chigley.

Trumpton was narrated by Brian Cant, and animation was by Bob Bura, John Hardwick and Pasquale Ferrari. Scripts were by Alison Prince and is a spellbinding programme whether you are children or adults now.

Most of the charm for me if I am honest personally is the music however done by Freddie Phillips. 

Research into Phillips reveals the following from Wikedpia which says “Mainly a classical guitarist, Phillips worked and performed in the fields of opera and ballet, including with The Royal Ballet, and with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. His television career began with providing musical scores for a pair of short films by Lotte Reiniger, and composing short pieces for use in television continuity. Around this time he began his involvement with the animator Gordon Murray, firstly with A Rubovian Legend, and later the Trumptonshire trilogy of children's TV programmes. Phillips wrote individual songs for the characters in the latter programmes for Brian Cant to perform, as well as the title music. “

Writing this poem is a personal favourite off mine as it lets me explore my love of music set in a location which has also interested me Stone Henge, and how my two characters would react playing music outside Stone Henge under the influence of well…

I’ll say no more and encourage you to simply read the poem for yourself.

https://www.literarycocktailmagazine.com/issues

(I’m in Issue 1 on Page 7) 

Speak Easy Reading List June 2022

 

Below is the confirmed list off readers for our next 'Speak Easy' Event (Spoken Word Open Mic Night) at Chorlton Cum Hardy's Dulicmer (567 Wilbraham Rd, Greater, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester M21 0AE)  on Thursday 09 June 2022 (Please note that this is the second Thursday in June not the first because of bank holidays). 

Night will start at 7.30pm as always and all readers will have the opportunity to entertain everybody there (Both public and readers) with 4 minutes of their work.

All slots have gone and we are now operating a subs / cancellation list.

Email Andy N on aen1mpo@yahoo.co.uk if you wish to go on that / you think I may have missed you off the list (I am not perfect lol). 

Readers are:

Andy N

Amanda Nicholson

Steve Smythe

Roy Page

Antonia Fusaro

Regi Agulha Jr.

Gordon Zola

Eve Nortley

Dazza Lee Grime

Amy Langley

Sean McGlynn

Selina Halliwell

Karen Lewis 

Anna Percy

Terry Caffrey 

Sarah Attwell 

Michelle Hussey 

Leslie Cunningham

Leon Johnson

Grant Curnew 

Angela Whitely 

Sarah-Clare Conlon

BBC Manchester Radio Upload Programme Appearance

 

I was on BBC Upload Manchester last night with the wonderful David Scott where I talked about Dyspraxia, Poetry, Speak Easy (The Spoken Word Open Mic night I co-run with Amanda and Steve), my ambient music with Ocean in a Bottle and loads more.

You can hear this here... I'm on around 70 minutes into the programme. 

I've done a audio edit for my segment and if you want to join here that - its here

Speak Easy thank yous / details of June show

 

Thanks to everybody who attended May’s Speak Easy last night at Dulicmer.

Again, it was another large turn out and we would like to thank everybody who attended to watch – we had a great night and would like to thank all of the following who read:

1) Michael Burton

2) April manderson

3) Sean McGlynn

4) Eve Nortley

5) Amanda Nicholson

6) Cookie Love

7) Perry Gasteiger 

8) Roy Page

9) Selina Halliwell

10) Karen Lewis

11) Steve Smythe

12) Gordon Zola

13) Amy Langley

14) Dany Bowen

15) Isabelle Bryne

16) Siobhan Hoy

17) Andy Cash

18) Rebecca Kenny

19) Andy N

20) Leon Johnson

21) Regi Agulha Jr.

Amanda has kindly uploaded the pictures from the night here at this link:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set?vanity=speakeasymanchester&set=a.2138154233017835

I am uploading the audio as I type, should be up in a few hours time at https://andyn.bandcamp.com/ marked up as Speak Easy May 2022.

The date for our June owning to bank holidays for a one off will be Thursday 09 June 2022 starting as normal at Dulicmer, Chorlton as always at 7.30pm.

Bookings will start this Sunday from mid-day by facebook messaging me (Andy N) or email at aen1mpo@yahoo.co.uk. In the interests of fairness, please do not email me before.