New Story Ideas

Hi, so I've been writing some new story ideas and they've come out more alluring and longer than I first anticipated. I'm trying to stick with fantasy because I feel there is less issues caused by real world logistics in some of the story ideas I had. So here's a small sample and explanations of what I'm currently writing:

• 'Like Clockwork' (working title - furthest in process) - Petrok, a solitary man from an abandoned town, builds his own AI lifeform - a clockwork girl. The girl (currently called Mellyn) wakes one day and though is incredibly innocent to the world, finds that others don't react to her quite how her 'father' does to her. Mellyn's problems only duplicate upon trying to return to the place that she was born.

• 'Don't tell your mother..' (working title - idea set and writing begun) - This one is a comedy and it's a little bit off the wall. It is about a young Preying  Mantis boy who, after realising he is gay, goes to an insect GLBT club, only to bump into his own step-father. *Dun-Dun-Duuuuuun!*

• 'Thistle' (Still on the drawing board as to the plot) - A captive girl named Thistle, attempts to return to her tribe after eventually escaping. Her homeland is snow-filled and baron, so journeys on your own are difficult, especially when they go on for a lot longer than expected. Upon returning to her home tribe, she finds no trace of her family and only one familiar face still exists.

These are all subject to change, and there is no telling how long it'll take to finish any individual story. At least two of them are rather long, which takes much much time to work through. I'm working slowly inbetween university work as well, so I'll let you know how the progress goes.

I very much appreciate any feedback and thoughts on which of these you think sounds more interesting and so on and so forth - So all comments more than welcome. Thanks for reading.

My First Attempt At Non-Fiction

The Racecourse

      Do you walk dogs, or do dogs walk you? That's what I was thinking. Swaying on those swings – rusted and immaturely coloured with reds and blues. Those creaky chains could resist the wind, but not my weight. I wasn't swaying forwards and backwards, it was more of a side-to-side; my mind was peaceful – simple. Childishly noticing the careless smoke from my mouth, I pretended to be a dragon in the way that had always been funny since I was little.

     It was a heavily coated dog, walking a heavily coated man. That's what it was. The dog had a jovial bounce to his step – somewhat of a skipping child on four legs. He was as fluffy and grey as the looming clouds. A dark night threatened. The man tailed a rigid trail behind; he definitely wasn't in control. I stared out to the mass of open space peering closely at the hiding spots: trees that could hold dens or hills to roll down. The Racecourse was so innocent and vague; there were fewer things more sinister.

     Guess who I felt sorry for most, though? Those information signs that act so self-importantly. They sit and tell you things, constantly - sat gleaming their information to deaf ears and dull minds. Who was really going to stop and hear them out in that kind of cold? Must be hard to have a job. Or at least a boring one where you slave away the majority of your waking life to a cause that isn't your own. Those kinds of people probably cross through places like the The Racecourse every day in an attempt at being punctual. I doubt they even stop to look at the monotonous, striving, aimless field.

      The signs should probably quit their jobs. They won't, though, because they work to live their ever extending life. You have to admire their persistence, calling out to happily married couples romancing hand in hand – clearly enjoying the rest of their lives so much more than the signs. I wondered how old they were – when does a sign retire, anyway?

      So many leaves on the ground from the time of year. Some of the leaves had a youthful shade of white spread over them as if trying to dye their 'greying' hair. Hiding from their own mortality. Brown must be a dull colour for a leaf; morbid and dry. Sometimes the wind would carry them speedily along as if chasing a hearse: 'Take me with you' they'd whisper in the despair of the night. At first they lose their tree, and then the death of darkness has to plague them, destroying their fruitless attempts at being innocent and pure. When the scythe strikes, The Racecourse wins.

      I wonder if the dog made his way home? I bet the man got enough exercise. I made my own way home before dark; it's not quite my time, yet.

Defining Philosophy

     When I tell people I do Philosophy there are a few key things they tend to think:

a) "Wow, he must be really clever"
b) "Oh... But that's useless and shit, he'll never get a job"
c) "Interesting... what is Philosophy?"

     The first, is a little annoying. This is generally people who didn't go to university or took college lessons that they didn't think they used their brain for much. The main reason it is annoying is that I do make an attempt at speaking to everyone at the same level, which becomes more difficult when they immediately assume you're cleverer than them - when it's possibly not that true, they probably have specialist subjects just as I do.

Mild Rant Ahead

     The second is a little bit of an irritation of mine. The reason should be obvious enough. These people are generally scientists and other 'intelligentsia' who seem to be ignorant, which is, in fact, much more irritating than someone who is a genuine moron. This doesn't happen very much, but I know perfectly well there is a large portion of the population who both think Philosophy is pointless; doesn't apply to the real world, easy, etc. and they don't have the mildest clue what Philosophy is. These people usually find out that I do this with a condescending smile and then ask me what I want to do as a job. I'd just like to point out that most employers tend to think option a) on the list above, as Philosophy shows you have an ability to quickly learn things and understand them well. It is more than possible to get a job from it - it just doesn't lead into a competitive specific job title. And with more and more people with degrees, I am just as likely to get a job as these people (...it just so happens that I don't want a proper job.) Also, at least I'm enjoying my degree.

Rant Over

      The last group is probably the most common one that I come across, and they tend to think anything of Philosophy and of me, but they're just not entirely sure what Philosophy involves. That is far enough; it's not exactly easy to explain. I would rather have this answer than any other. The thing here is, that many philosophers or Philosophy students do not like this question. The reason being that there is no real answer to it.

     All of these three do seem to have the one thing in common here, though. None of them have the correct idea about Philosophy at all. Group B tend to have an idea that it is some people trying to figure things out that science already knows. Groups A and C just plain don't understand what it is.

Before I continue, I would like to point out, that crappy quotes that are inane, obvious, cheesy, etc... (the type you get posted over an Instagram photo so pretend nerds can try to look clever) - these are what people call 'philosophies', but are not actual Philosophy. Philosophy is a subject, much like any sport or art, that can be done well or not so wel there are levels of ability to it.

When I am asked what Philosophy is I give them the definition of the word, as I feel most accurately describes the subject:

Philosophy roughly translates from Greek to 'The Love of Knowledge'

     Think about it for a second. Firstly, knowledge is knowledge - it works on a system where we like to know the truth and what is right. This does include keeping up to date with worldly knowledge and science.
     It seems, to me, that a wise man is someone who understands that the world is not the totality of things, but: "The world is the totality of facts." (Wittgenstein) - What this essentially means is that the world as we see, full of objects and matter doesn't give a full perspective of what the world actually is - what does give an accurate representation is facts. All facts of things must be true, and therefore make up the world. This means that we can know things not only of what we see and hear, but through logical truths too. Philosophy is purely to hunt down these truths and facts.

     More so than the quest for knowledge given by Philosophy, it is used to aid everyday lives. It also teaches most schools of thought that allow you to be an individual thinking person outside of the 'we are a bag of chemical automatons who need sex purely to procreate.'
     Philosophy aims to give people understanding of their own life and the world around them to make them go about things better. It was the first ever real subject for education and is the root of nearly every subject that exists today. Maths counts as more related to philosophy than anything else, even. It is still used widely today in our politics and legal systems. Society and personal morality. Making sense of perceptions and desires. Making sense of our fear and knowledge of death. A lot of the theoretical foundations and paradigms of science are based upon ideas put forward by Philosophy. Philosophy gave us and continues to give us education and a system of education. Knowledge and appreciation of art and beauty and all of the things you enjoy is made possible because of Philosophy.

     So please never let it be said that Philosophy is dead.
Philosophy is important and plays the role in education that everyone takes for granted. Philosophy is a 'jack of all trades' subject that allows me to understand any subject to a certain level relatively easily. And just because it is over three-thousand years old - it by no means makes it out of date; Philosophy cannot die so long as we have our minds.

And so I bid you, forever more, to be aware of what Philosophy is. A very worthwhile subject.

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below or check out my contact information on the left hand tab. Thank you greatly for your time, and I shall see you again soon. Byeeee!

Things!

 Figured I might tease you with different colours for you visual beauties, you!

     I am well aware that few people are interested in the posts about my life as they slowly trickle in, but they are read by a few and this is mainly for me - somewhat of a diary of the key events. While I'd love to be able to write every single day about things and thoughts - I don't seem to have the motivation for that.

     I suppose if I did try, I'd end up writing them in advance and not write more when they caught up or something, so this is where the problem lies with writing these updates so often. I am quite happy about the amount of feedback I do get from friends and such that do flick through my writings and posts. Most people are afraid to comment on them rather than speak to me personally, however, purely because nobody else comments on them... How ironic.

*****

     Still... I'm back to university after a small break from Christmas and I am likely here until summer now. The work has got much harder and more demanding and somehow I'm more enthused to actually get it done - a boost of desire to make sure I pass. This does mean working and writing every day, however - which means less time for leisure writing.

     That being said, for the exercises in my creative writing module, I will be able to post them up here as I go - therefore creating a bit of entertainment in my busy wake. So that should be exciting. I could also post my philosophy essays, but I'd rather not send you all to sleep just yet with a subject you will not be interest in - I do need to keep some level of standard.

    And on this similar note about people's lack of interest in philosophy - I've been mildly bugged at people's ignorance and distaste towards a subject that they don't understand, recently, as well. So I fully intend to post more about philosophical matters that should be of interest to people - purely in the hope of making people aware of what philosophy actually is more than anything else - it's not lecturing or anything dull that I'll be doing, so don't worry your sweet little cottons about it!

    My hopes and mentions of writing scripts and sketches for YouTube and other such projects are still in the pipeline, but purely post-boned until I have time for them. These kinds of things only can be done in genuine free time, not just the time in between writing essays for university. Too much writing makes it hard to keep up.

*****

    On slightly nicer notes, my Christmas was very nice. I now how a Kindle, meaning I have the entire history of literature on my bookshelf to work my way through. That should take some more time. I've actually been indulging in some sci-fi as well... which is aberrant for me. It is, however, only Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Which is funny, witty, well thought out and very unique. I do like it, and it's probably as far into sci-fi as I will dip. (sorry to disappoint a few friends of mine)

    Last but not least, I have my 21st birthday coming up soon on the 18th of January. I am having a handcuffs party in which everyone picks a partner and is cuffed to them for the night. It's my own idea and I'm very much wondering how it is going to be panned out - not to mention the connotations that come with it.

*****

So, more updates to come and hopefully more often and close between, too. And eventually some real entertainment. (but there are still probably old pieces you haven't read. Look on the list to the top right hand side of the page...*hint-hint*) Because that's the only thing that makes me mildly interesting. Apologies of sincerity go your way for delays. Ta ta for now! Ciao!