Writer's & reader's civilised & serious conversation conference

Horsa

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Did you know that Parkinson's is called the photographers disease, because of their exposure to chemicals in developing photos? Art can be dangerous. I don't agree that "old painters" are better than modern ones. It goes on a continuum. They riff off of each other, and the newer ones try to reinvent the form. And it's all a matter of taste.
No, I didn't. Thank you very much for the information. I guess my aesthetic taste is more old-school than yours but everyone has different tastes & opinions & the right to have & air them. I also think the reason why I love realistic art is because I draw & paint like an abstract artist because I can't draw so I admire people who can. Saying that I love David Hockney's picture of an old lady in a rocking-chair which I saw in Salt's Mill, Saltaire. It's very realistic & just looks like Grandma used to look. I'm not a big lover of abstract art because I like to look at a picture & see what it is automatically. If I want to be made to think I don't look at pictures, I pick up a book or listen to music. I like artists like George Stubbs, Edwin Landseer, John Constable, Michelangelo, Caravaggio & Leonardo Da Vinci.
 
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Horsa

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Today in history Abraham Lincoln & Charles Darwin were born. Not quite in history on this day I was born.
 

Horsa

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Saltaire is near Bradford. It's a town that was built by Titus Salt when he found out what the living conditions of his staff were like. It's called Saltaire because his surname was Salt & it's on the River Aire which they used to transport the textiles his employees manufactured to his customers because it was the age of the canal then which was quicker than horse-drawn transport. In his town he built what his workers really needed as he cared for them. He built shops, a park & a church. His town never had a pub or bookies because they didn't need them. His mill is now an art gallery which shows a lot of David Hockney paintings & a café. It's a nice town.
 

Horsa

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Reader's problems

Their idea of an outdoor activity is going outside in Spring/Summer to sit on a garden swing, chair bench or the lawn with a book & a drink & reading outside instead of inside. Sometimes they take sandwiches outside too.
 

Horsa

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I received some positive, constructive criticism on science forum about my poems that I've been considering. Finding a respectable reply was hard for a start but now for the positive feedback & constructive criticism. I was told that my poems were beautiful & unique & relevant to everyone's life in society today & much more than just poems & needed to be known to everyone whether I wrote them just for myself or not which I responded by thanking the person & explaining that I'm trying to get enough together for a book. It was suggested that I make them into raps & publish them on youtube & the person thought I may get 1 million + views & subscribers. I explained I didn't rap I sung & I have written songs before normally ballads, reggae songs & crescendos. I guess I could challenge myself to write a diminuendo. I know I've got an eclectic taste in music but opera & rap don't feature but I'm trying to be more open-minded in my tastes + if my works could be enjoyed by more people if put across in a different manner would it be worth it to express them differently even if I don't like the way they're expressed? Creative people have to think about more than just expressing themselves. They've got to think about their target audience. I don't like blank/free verse that much but have attempted to write some. I try to keep my poetry simple so everyone can understand it as not everyone understands poetry & I write spontaneously. This works as some people who don't normally understand poetry can understand my poems & like them. I love the elegance of rhyme & try to keep it going even if I have to play around with words to keep the rhyme while still keeping the meaning. My line structure can be uneven though I've used even rhyme structure sometimes.. I have tried the odd sonnet both conventional & unconventional & I've tried the odd limerick. I keep the punctuation & grammar. I don't use iambic pentameter & alliteration like some people who write blank verse or even some who use rhyme too use though.
 
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Horsa

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I'm in the need of a nostalgiafest.

I remember when bus fare was 25p. I remember when mirage was an alcoholic drink sold with Coca-Cola in British pubs. It was lovely. The last time I saw it & drank it I was in Malta. I remember when cups of tea were 50p & cups of coffee were 60p. I remember when packets of Walker's beef & onion crisps were 30p. I remember when you could get drunk on £20.
 

Horsa

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I had a good talk to my Sister yesterday. She was saying how she wishes she was 16 again. That would be nice. I'd be able to make a different choice about what I want to do because I know now I did the wrong thing. I wanted to prove I could do the average job like the average person which in our area is work in a shop which I did for so long before some manager's didn't like it because they thought I could do their job perhaps better than them & made my work life a misery & had to leave & diversify. Friends & family said that perhaps it was for the best as it spurred me on to look at all my options & try other things out thereby keeping all my options open. I just can't turn back time. I'd prefer to be 18 again though because I was put in the office, made a cup of tea & taught how to do shop administration duties & cash up as well as do H & S risk assessments & manage shops & canteens & for the 1st time in my life I felt good about myself & thought I had a bright future ahead of me. It was a good year. It was the new millennium & everyone was partying. I also had a big party & all my family & friends enjoyed themselves as well as me.
 
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Horsa

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A weasel goes into a bar.

The barman said "Wow! In all my years as a barman I've never had to serve a weasel. What would you like to drink?"

"Pop" goes the weasel.
 

Horsa

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I'm loving the new header as I think it's very bright & vibrant but am wondering with the new name will things be the same or are there going to be some changes around here. If there are going to be any changes around here, what are they going to be & how are they going to affect us?
 

Horsa

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Do any very computer savvy people on here know how to share stories as links, please?
 

Horsa

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I'm very sorry for all the emotional outbursts I've been having recently but I got in with a crowd of people who discussed bullying & harassment in the work-place which I've been a victim of before I reconsidered my options with help & worked in a bookshop & library before the library role became obsolete & I had to care for Mother who is disabled because Dad's knees got bad so he could no longer care for her but his knees are better now so I'm reconsidering my options with help yet again. I got told that I've got more skills than I realise & will really have to stop selling myself short & have more confidence though. Maybe that's true as I am quite modest. I'm actually very happy at the moment because it's going better than usual. Last time I was advised to go from normal retail into working with books. Now, I've been told that working with information would really suit me & maybe in the future I might be able to afford to learn horse-riding which I'd love to do as I'm horse-mad as if you haven't already guessed. I said I'd have to lose weight 1st as I'm a bit heavy for all but working horses. I got told another goal for now might be to try to lose some weight. I went asking local business people I know if they knew if anyone wanted someone. They said they'd keep an ear out. 1 who I used to serve almost every day for 6 years said that not only would she keep an ear out but she'd give me a reference too which I was delighted about as most of my referees have either died or moved on. As a result I'm very happy because rather than feeling as though I've got no hope & being depressed & anxious for the future I feel optimistic & I dream of learning to ride horses in the future. It was even suggested that if I get to do that I may even be able to learn to work with horses which I'd absolutely love to do. I finally feel as though I can forget about my harsh past, stop whinging, whining, moaning & feeling sorry for myself & get rid of my victim mentality. I'd also like to thank everyone for bearing with me while I've been such a nuisance & thank everyone who has been my friend & tried to help, advise & encourage me. I guess I now need to have more fun & have a laugh & joke with people instead of being serious, miserable, anxious & on edge all the time.
 
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I've had to control myself. 1 of the reader's groups I'm a member of on facebook has asked if there are any lines from classic books that stuck with me. I just typed 4 though I could have added more. These are the ones I thought of:

"There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. Since breakfast (Mrs. Reed when there was no company dined early) the weather was so sombre & melancholy that any further outdoor exercise was out of the question."

"Why was I always brow-beaten, forever condemned?"

"Reader, I married him."

"Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou, Romeo?"

"I'll look to like if looking, liking, move but no more deep will I endart mine eye than your consent give strength to make it fly."

"My naked weapon is out." (Oops! Sorry for getting a bit bawdy here.)

"All the world's a stage & all the men & women merely player's. Each man in his lifetime plays many parts."

"To be or not to be. That is the question."

"If music be the food of love, play on."

"Tennis balls, my Liege."

"Et tu, Brute".
 
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Horsa

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I asked the question about sharing stories by links because I'm in a writer's group on facebook & they were asking about if anyone had written or was in the process of writing a fairy-tale. I answered I had & could I share. They said not whole unless I had a link. I couldn't get a link as I don't blog because I don't know how to so had to send it from 1 of the forums I joined & had to explain I write on the forum. According to 1 of the poet's on the science forum I joined when I copyrighted the fairy-tale I not only protected it but it was classed as my intellectual property which I have the right to use as I wish so I may share when I like & where I like. As a result I'm going to share it here.
 

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Horseland




Once upon a time there was a very old king who had a long, grey beard & moustache. He was called Harry. This king lived in a palace of pure crystal that sparkled & flashed in the sunlight like a great, big block of pure ice. The palace stood in a great, big garden & in this garden where all his people lived because he was such a nice king, there grew oranges, pears & wild cherry trees & tulips, roses & lilies-of-the-valley blossomed there & bright-coloured birds sang. All the birds in his Kingdom were bright-coloured & Pegasus lived there & there were unicorns & ponies, horses & donkeys in Horseland because he used to have a lovely wife called Angela who used to love horses but was turned into a fairy by an old witch who she defeated but could never regain her human appearance & all the other animals had turned into the ones Angela loved most. Pegasus is a winged horse. On nice, bright, sunny days Jack used to ride Pegasus over his palace & garden to admire the lovely view & visit a land a few miles away from him called Beachland where there were lots of lovely sandy beaches & he could paddle in the nice, cool, relaxing water which was that clean you could see the fish swim over your feet or lay on the nice, clean sand which was as white as snow & listen to the birds singing & go to sleep until it got too cold. In the palace gardens were lots of large fountains which sprayed right up to the top of the highest trees you can imagine & 1 of these fountains was a water fountain. There was also an orange juice & apple juice fountain as well as a cola & lemonade fountain. To cap it all, there was a milk fountain & a chocolate fountain. These fountains produced the nicest tasting drinks ever that just quenched your thirst then made you want more.

Harry had only 1 son who was heir to the Kingdom, a little boy aged 7. His name was Mark. He was a good boy & always went to bed early & got up early, he never did anything wrong. Mark had blonde hair & he could play any instrument you can name & he danced & acted well but couldn't sing very well. Every time Mark sung the ice shattered & the birds flew away except the peacock. He was very artistic & very clever indeed.

When Mark got to the age of 16, he went to the neighbouring country which was very similar to the 1 his father ruled but was full of all different kinds of dogs because he used to have a wife who was the wicked witch that Angela had defeated called Eve. Eve's land was under a spell that changed all the other animals into nice dogs until her daughter found a handsome prince to marry. If anyone was ever cruel to the dogs they got turned into dogs themselves. It was called Dogland. Dogland was ruled by a King very much like his father but he only had 1 daughter. This King was called Don. His daughter was called Dawn. Dawn was the same age as Mark but she had dark hair which was very curly. She made mistakes sometimes though & although she was very clever & could sing & act couldn't dance or play any musical instruments. The mistakes she made were due to her not being very good with her hands. She broke cups, saucers & plates every time she washed up. Every time she sung though everything she broke repaired itself. Now as soon as he 1st saw her he fell in love with her & she felt the same way. They both spoke to their parents who agreed to pay for their wedding.

He got married in a kilt suit & had pipers playing at the wedding. She wore a gold dress to the wedding. Her ring was encrusted with every single gem you could mention. They had a gold horse-drawn carriage to take them to the church where they married. The page boys wore formal suits & the brides-maids wore Amethyst coloured silk dresses. Everyone had the biggest party you could imagine afterwards & were so happy & both Kings built a new palace in between the Kingdoms. This palace was solid gold. They assembled a band which made the most beautiful music you could dream of. The band was very successful & made lots of money. They had beautiful children & lived happily ever after.

The end.
 

Horsa

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I've been asked for a teenage & an adult version of this so I'm working on it. Friends have said I need to try to get it published & I've been told where to find publisher's details. The only constructive criticism I received other than being asked for a teenage & adult version was to extend it. They want to know more.
 

Horsa

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I thought this adult colouring craze was supposed to relax you. The patterns send my eyes funny & rather than de-stressing me it stresses me out. I wish there were more animal pictures. I prefer painting.
 

Horsa

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I wonder if anyone has any travel dreams. I have the travel dreams of Edinburgh which is a place I've been to many times, Edinburgh Tattoo where I've been twice, the Lake District where I've been twice, Shetland, Connemara, Exmoor, Dartmoor, the New Forest, the Camargue, Iceland & that place in America where I heard they've still got mustangs running wild.