Week 6. I’m learning about Grammar. Or grammer, as I once stated to a room full of exec’s on a white board. Not even spotting my mistake. I’m reading. Reading a lot. I’m not writing though. This is bugging me, as I have to wrestle with other words from modules I don’t want to take, and impress people I don’t care about (other students).

Back to grammar… I’m learning that to have a grasp on the fundamentals of basic education, is your first step into getting traditionally published. Before Uni, I sprinkled the shrapnel of state school English class lessons around like grit on an icy road.

Another thing, I don’t think this blog will include any fancy writing. My brain can’t handle it. To be creative during the day, then creative in between the lectures of the day too? A hard ask to task. I will however attempt to record to the language that amuses me:

You-chewb – for example. That interests me. My partner and I, have developed a habit of emphasising the wrong weight of a word. YouTube, becomes You-chewb. Once emphasised, that focus becomes the dominant in conversation and it becomes our little joke. We may ‘chewb’ for hours on end. Or I may ask her to ‘veover’ (to move-over). I’m liking this linguistic fun. It has sod all to do with my writing, but I would like it to creep in somewhere.

I’ve read, Clockwork Orange, Tristram Shandy & Holes.. I’m on the Ipcress File now. All on the Kindle btw, I’m trying not to buy any books… however Ray Bradburys ‘The Martian Chronicles’ the IF, and that isn’t in digital form. Oh well.

Right now, I have a queue of writing and not enough time. Ironic, as I’m camped out in Nero writing a blog post. But I feel it is a resignation of my effort to meet the deadlines. I have a short on the topic of ‘Clocks’ (the timepiece and its associations with my life and connected others). I have a short to write whereby the title must be a cliché… and the story must do it artistic justice. ‘Create a work of Art from it’ I’m told. Fair enough. Sounds like a challenge. I have been given a copy of ‘The Worm In The Apple’ by John Cheever to get inspired from. He did well; I may not.

I have also just finished an academic piece (my first) on the topic of ‘Why It Is Important To Study Media?’. I’m also missing right now a poetry module. Why? Because I need to write this creative ‘cliché’ short. Which I’m not doing. I’m writing this. Ho-hum.

So… lets get on with it. Any questions for a mature student, returning to education after 20 years of work? I’ll answer anything.

Until next time – Mark