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Chaucer - the PhD

11/28/2011

Geoffrey Chaucer

Just received word that Edinburgh Napier University has accepted me onto its PhD programme. My research project will involve writing a series of 'Lost' Canterbury Tales chronicling Chaucer's pilgrims' return from Canterbury back to London.

Amongst other things, I'll also be looking at how a narrative poet / storyteller oganises and puts together his ideas to form cohesive short stories. The biggest challenge will be to examine the creative aspects of The Canterbury Tales rather than viewing them from an academic viewpoint as is usually the case.

To say I'm excited is an understatement!

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Nursery Rhymes: 'Jack and Jill'-style

11/21/2011

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Blender

I thought I'd invented a new style of nursery rhyme poetry until someone pointed out the rhyming scheme was the same as Jack and Jill. Drat! Anyhow, it's a style I like (and more importantly my kids like), so I'll stick with it.

Nigel Neath lost all his teeth
by eating too much candy;
he threw his toothbrush in the bin
and thought it rather dandy.

But now he cannot chew his food
or else his gums get tender;
so everything he wants to eat
his mum puts in the blender.

Above is one I wrote a couple of years back on a microbus trip to northern Sudan while everyone else was asleep - er, and yes, the nursery rhyme does involve a blender.

This poem has seen the light of day in two paying markets - Kuwait This Month magazine (as a stand alone nursery rhyme) and The Weekly News (as part of an Alice in Wonderland style story exorting the benefits of oral hygiene!).

I've recently written a couple more of these two stanza nursery rhymes, one of which is below. I hope you like it:

Fanny Firth ate piles of earth
till grass sprung from her nose;
then flowers sprouted from her ears
and mushrooms from her toes.

Her back became a veggie patch,
in spring her mum would sow her,
whilst on her front there grew a lawn
which dad cut with his mower.

See you soon!

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'Spooked' Bombs in Round 4 of the Slingink Short Story Competition

11/14/2011

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Suit of Armour

Well, it couldn't last forever. My fourth round entry to the Slingink Scribbling Slam (Slingink's annual short story competition), Spooked, did not impress the judge one bit. She found the characters caricature-ish and the action corny; it came in eighth.

That said, I still have high hopes for this story of a haunted Scottish castle and reckon it'll eventually find a market because it's fun. Last year, one of my competition entries came bottom out of about 25 competitors, yet it sold easily.

I'm also thinking that I'll have to pull something a bit special out of the hat for the final sixth round - perhaps a 'lost' Canterbury Tale.

Anyhow, my fifth round entry is in, and I have high hopes for it - but then again, I had high hopes for round four.

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'Creature of Habit' Wins Round 3 of the Slingink Scribbling Slam

11/8/2011

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Wall Safe

Who would have believed it? When I won both rounds one and two of the Slingink Scribbling Slam I figured my luck was living on borrowed time. Yet lo and behold, I've clinched Round 3 to make it a hat trick.

The third winning story, titled Creature of Habit, is about Harry Dalton, a London criminal who becomes bored with his luxurious existance after he retires from a life of crime. Hankering after his old haunts in south London, he revisits his stomping ground where he faces up to his treachery and betrayal of his ex-wife and former best friend.

Yet with all his ill gotten gains safely locked away in a wall safe, how can the betrayed couple exact their revenge on Harry?

Sorry! No spoilers! But if you join Slingink, you can read this and my other two winning stories:

http://slingink.com/

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Limerick Illustrations Coming Along

11/4/2011

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Welshman Limerick

My project to illustrate the limericks I write has reached a new stage - but alas, not the final stage!

Instead of two illustrations, I've decided to have at least four pictures accompanying each limerick.

To the left is a limerick I composed in my head several years ago when I lived in Saudi Arabia, during a five-minute walk to the post office. Isn't it strange when and where you get inspiration?

Instead of writing out the limericks by hand, I think I'd do better to print them on a piece of coloured paper, so I'll let you know how it works out.

Oh! In case you're wondering why I'm posting my blog a couple of days later than usual, It's because my Internet connection box is located in the upstairs flat (don't know why!) and the guys upstairs turned off the electricity and went on holiday!

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Chaucer - the PhD

Nursery Rhymes: 'Jack and Jill'-style

'Spooked' Bombs in Round 4 of the Slingink Short Story Competition

'Creature of Habit' Wins Round 3 of the Slingink Scribbling Slam

Limerick Illustrations Coming Along

Paul A. Freeman

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