Imagine being kidnapped in the Tardis by Doctor Who ~Involution – An Odyssey reconciling Science to God by Philippa Rees.

Imagine being kidnapped in the Tardis by Doctor Who ~Involution – An Odyssey reconciling Science to God by Philippa Rees..

Over on the ‘other’ site and reblogged from Vivienne Tuffnells post this Monday morning a most perceptive and generous review!

Good Writing is like Amber

This is reblogged from Vivienne Tuffnell’s post of February 14th 2014. It appeared on Women Writers, Women(s) Books

A very vivid and pithy post on good writing- it’s origins and distillation.

Good Writing is like Amber

February 4, 2014 | By Vivienne Tuffnell | 4 Replies

The gash in the bark fills slowly with thick aromatic resin, clear and golden; it seeps out and spills over, precious droplets that catch the light. Tiny fragments of bark and leaves and mosses, a gossamer-light wing of a fly, all are caught and enveloped as the tree bleeds sap to seal the wound. Years pass and the sap dries and hardens and the open wound becomes smaller beneath the resin.

One day the tree finally falls, becomes a part of a layer as the forest ceases to be a forest, and is pressed down and down by more debris. Time unknowing passes and endless chances before I see it, shaped and polished and set in silver, laid on blue velvet in a jewellery shop window.

I’ve always loved amber but I didn’t get to buy my first piece until around the same time the price shot up as a direct result of Jurassic Park. Since then I’ve got quite savvy and found excellent pieces for decent prices. It’s pretty much my favourite stone (even though it’s not a stone) because it’s so light and warm to wear.

But it has always made me conscious of how good writing is like amber. Good writing is about more than simple story, more than the he-said-she-said of snappy dialogue, the literary fire-works of cunning vocabulary. Good writing reaches deep into the soul of the reader and leaves an impression.

Amber starts with a wound. Trees that produce resin bleed it to seal and protect open lesions in their skins. The sap contains all sorts of compounds that fight infections and fungi, and forms a sticky barrier to stop further loss of sap and prevent entry of micro-organisms. The emotional wounds we all experience in life can turn us bitter, or we can in essence bleed out because there is nothing to stem the wound.

That’s the first healing power of writing: to staunch the wound and prevent the bitterness sneaking in. It gives you the chance to encapsulate some of the pain, and keep it from hurting you more. Read more

Jury Called for First Verdict

Jury Called for First Verdict.

Arthur Koestler at the Witness Box- well maybe?

Arthur Koestler at the Witness Box- well maybe?. White ( Write) knight for the Defence? Cross examination of a first supporter.

Terry Pratchett RIP

Terry Pratchett’s legacy of courage humour, inspiration and generosity

A tribute to Terry Pratchett on Erica Verillo’s Blog, with interview and pithy quotes. Such as these. (Link http://ericaverrillo.com/1/post/2015/03/terry-well-miss-you-quips-quotes-and-courage.html) More biography and interview on Erica Verillo.

Tribute to Terry Pratchett.

“The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.” ― from Diggers

“The whole of life is just like watching a film. Only it’s as though you always get in ten minutes after the big picture has started, and no-one will tell you the plot, so you have to work it out all yourself from the clues.” —from Moving Pictures

“Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.” —from Hogfather

“I’d rather be a rising ape than a falling angel.” —from the Guardian Book Club

“It’s not worth doing something unless someone, somewhere, would much rather you weren’t doing it.” —from the foreword to The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy, by David Pringle

“Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one.”

“Fantasy is an exercise bicycle for the mind. It might not take you anywhere, but it tones up the muscles that can.”

“The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they’ve found it.” – from Monstrous Regiment

“It’s still magic even if you know how it’s done.” – from A Hat Full of Sky

“There are times in life when people must know when not to let go. Balloons are designed to teach small children this.”

“The entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks.”

“If you don’t turn your life into a story, you just become a part of someone else’s story.” – from The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents

“The truth may be out there, but the lies are inside your head.”

“Goodness is about what you do. Not who you pray to.”–from Snuff

“I have no use for people who have learned the limits of the possible.”

” So much universe, and so little time”