I am not entirely sold on the idea that movies have to have a good story to engage people. I used to believe the most important part of a movie was the script but the more I listen to people describing their favourite movies the more I hear less about plot and more about a…
White Space
I do not consider I understand fine art very well. I was told years ago that all figurative painting is about understanding and controlling light. In a similar way to which non-figurative painting is more about controlling colours. The whole field of design which I have been involved in through my books also seemed to…
If Only
I get so much spam telling me how to make millions. I even get some telling me I’ve already made millions I just don’t know it yet. I used to just get mail telling me every morning if I wanted to insure myself for millions and so far that’s the only change e-mails have made…
Out With The Old
Traditions can be temperamental things. No sooner does one generation discard them as irrelevant than the next picks them up as rebellious. But sometimes people ignore the traditional simply because its convenient. My first children’s story was written in 1982 and I was told at the time it was too like C S Lewis, and…
Singing Is Breath -Taking
They say having a good sing-song is good for the soul. It brings people together and takes one back to the world of lullabies when singing was all about be comfortable and cared for, and it bonds individuals together. Two weeks ago I was invited to help out at an improvised opera on publishing with…
Quiz Me
There are any number of opportunities for people to test their knowledge on all media, most famously I suppose is the crossword puzzle but there are ancient stories around riddles and many games that were played from early times which are all about solving clues. We are told humans are problem solvers and we know…
Pyramid Power
Human society has always followed the pyramid principle, though the problem with pyramids is that the top is so far from the base it often doesn’t know what’s going on with its foundations. In the past this never mattered with the human race being at the top of the natural ladder because as the foundations…
The Criminals Who Are Free
I agree with all those who condemn the actions of the thugs who are stealing and destroying on the streets on the UK this past few days. I do however have something to say about white collar criminals who have given these thugs an excuse for their opportunism. Although the thugs complain they have been…
The Eternal Crisis
Just as we sometimes forget that everyone who has ever lived has been a modern so we occasionally get so wrapped up in the events of the day we do not comprehend that ever generation has faced its own series of crises, be they political, social or financial, and every country feels the sway of…
The Horror Of Spectating
I wrote somewhere here about how I thought being a spectator at sports events was ridiculous because the whole idea of sports was to exercise and participate in the game though I left most criticism to sitting in front of the TV. I return to the topic because for most of the events on this…