All the lonely people

I’m in the middle of the first draft of my story. It’s a great idea I had at the time, to use my play for a short story idea. This way I get all the feedback I can about it, turn it first into a short story and then adapt it into a drama production. Easier said than done.

It took two nights to decide where to start after many false beginnings. I decided to appeal to the lowest common denominator: sex. It works well, though. Here is a sample, meant to draw you in:

We all think we know how to receive love. We don’t.

Sandra had known love before. She had lost it. Now, as Filip stroked her thighs, she thought she had found it again. Her legs spread wide, her back arched, Sandra pushed her crotch towards Filip’s face. He kept up a steady stream of verbiage. “You’re my soul mate”, he murmured at her vagina. “You’re perfect. In every way. You’re everything I’ve ever looked for.”

I’m still not sure how much sex to put in. I’ve got around 400 to 500 words of it at the moment. I have to cut it down to 200, with characterisation and a scene setting in there. Argh!

The process of writing is an arduous one. First you vomit onto the page. Then you clean up the vomit. Then you find the nuggets of gold. Then you polish them. Then you melt them. It’s a never ending thing, until you end up with a beautiful jewel.

Hopefully, these chunks you’ve just read will help create something of value.

I’ve recently started blogging for a travel guide blog called The Bloggers Guide. It is a quick and dirty guide to cities around the world. It’s fantastic, and I might be able to use some of my remaining knowledge of cities like San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Toronto, Halifax, New York, Denver and London. Sweet, beautiful London, who calls to me in the long dark teatime of the soul.

Some people swear by New York. Having been there a couple of times, with New Yorkers guiding me around and following my own path, I still think London is it. New York is all about image. London is about style, exterior and interior. Although it fosters eating disorders, I have never been fitter or more frugal than when living in London.

Which brings me to the question: what is the longest journey I have ever undertaken?

I would have to say it was the journey into the murky depths of my own heart. Darkness lay within my heart for many years. My fear of getting hurt prevented me from committing or getting in too deep. Then, one day, I met someone who would never hurt me. I was so suspicious, I pushed that someone away. Since that day, every other relationship has been about delving into the reasons why I pushed.

It has been a long and arduous trip. I think I have almost reached the end. I am almost ready for happiness. Better still, I AM ready for happiness.

David Suzuki. Environmentalist. Personality. Responsible for making everyone aware of our carbon footprint.

I thought I knew what he was on about. I was wrong. I have since discovered his daughter. Another commmitted environmentalist, she has a video on YouTube which was taken in the nineties, when she visited Rio de Janeiro.

She’s blown me away. She speaks to the United Nations General Assembly in the video, exhorting them to do something about climate change, water shortages, environmental degradation and its consequences. It is so powerful. She’s angry. She’s passionate. She’s articulate. And she’s 12 years old. It is so moving.

I’m embedding it here, for future reference.