This is the ninth blog post in a series titled Wonderful Websites. The first focused on general health and can be read here. The second focused on mental health and mental illness and can be read here.
The third post focused on shopping and can be read here. The fourth focused on money and can be read here.
The fifth focused on gigs, shows and theatres and can be read here. The sixth focused on paganism and can be read here.
The seventh focused on gay culture and society and can be read here. The eighth focused on TV, Online Streaming & Films and can be read here.
Here’s Wonderful Websites for music & radio:
1. YouTube – It’s great for discovering new music. You can watch official music videos or lyrical videos. Plus YouTube will automatically find related videos.
2. iTunes – Podcasts – I love a good Podcast. Podcasts are like prerecorded talk radio shows. Two I enjoy are Desperate House Witches and The Gay Agenda.
3. iTunes – A quick and convenient way to buy and download music. I dislike the restrictions Apple are placing more and more on the music you buy through their store.
4. BBC iPlayer Radio – The great way to listen to and catch up any BBC radio station.
5. Gaydio Radio – If you like dance music you’d love Gaydio. I listen on the odd occasion. However a wider variety of music and some discussion programmes would better represent the diversity in the gay community.
6. Spotify – I got a Spotify Preimum free trial with a phone contract a number of years ago. I loved it. But when the free trial ended the £9.99 per month was in my mind too expensive for a service that you get nothing tangible from.
I tried the free version but the advertising was too frequent and quickly became too irritating to stand. So I don’t use Spotify at all now.
7. Heart Radio – I’ve recently discovered Heart Radio thorough hire car and courtesy car radios as my car has been off the road (see It Comes in Threes).
8. Smooth Radio – I like a bit of Smooth radio as it helps me relax. Even if they do repeat the same tracks far too often.
9. Amazon Music Unlimited – I’ve never tried Amazon Music Unlimited. I bet it’s great if you have Amazon devices such as the Amazon Echo.
Are there any music & radio websites that you think are useful that aren’t on the list? If so leave a comment below and let me know.
In the next post in my Wonderful Websites series I will list great websites for technology.
Victoria Wood Funny Image (from: ‘An Audience with Victoria Wood,’ December 1998)
It is with great sadness that I write this blog post. Today Victoria Wood died, after a short battle with cancer at the age of just sixty two.
Victoria was an exceptionally funny Comedian, Actress and Writer. I feel that we have lost a great source of laughter in the world.
Victoria came from humble beginnings, being born and raised in Rochdale, Lancashire, in the North West of England. Victoria moved down to London to pursue her dream of becoming an Entertainer. In an interview with Victoria she once said that she always knew that she wanted to be a performer.
Victoria had much success and recognition in her career working in the mediums of stand-up comedy, sketches scene comedy, musical comedy and script writing. She has worked on TV, radio and theatre shows.
Through Victoria’s TV work she touched the hearts and resonated with millions of people across the country. This was likely because of her very down to earth and human approach to the audience. In Victoria’s shows she was always ahead of the times. All of her previous work is as relevant today as the day she wrote/performed it.
When Victoria first started out in mainstream comedy, all Comedians were male. It is said by some that Victoria led the way for other female Comedians – the likes of French & Saunders.
In Victoria’s personal life, she married young and has had two children. My thoughts are with her family. Victoria also disclosed and has talked openly about having depression.
My Victoria Wood DVD Collection, along with other DVDs by female comedians.
For me Victoria was and is a constant source of laughter. Proper laugh-out-loud laughter.
Left is an image of my Victoria Wood DVDs. Some of them I have watched so often that I could repeat them to you word by word. Yet they still make me laugh. Victoria was a clever comedian that found the fun and humour in the often otherwise ordinary. I wish she had toured in the last few years, so I could have seen her live.
Victoria Wood is also a source of connection to my good friend Sye. We have often watched Victoria Wood DVDs together and laughed. The laughter helping to cement our friendship through our shared love of Victoria’s comedy and the shared experiences of watching together.
I heard the news of her death on the radio whilst driving home from work. My initial thought was one of disbelief.
I had to check several newspaper websites when I got home from work. Then I sat down in shock. Victoria has often worked with the same people throughout her career, many of whom were older than her. Yet she has died before them. Just goes to show, you never know how much time you have on this planet.
My third feeling and the one that’s stayed is a feeling of sadness. Think of how much unfinished ideas and creative works she wasn’t able to complete. Think of the new jokes and tales of laughter she was planning on sharing. Very sad.
This is the third and final part in a blog post series, where I’ll be sharing some of what I’ve learned about creative writing over the last few years. The first blog post in the series was Creative Writing: Beginning and the second blog post in the series was Creative Writing: Middle.
1. Carry a Notebook for Ideas
Ideas often come at the strangest of times and in the strangest of places. I’ve had ideas come to me in the bath and had to jump out, dripping wet, to write them down. So be prepared. Carry a notebook with you everywhere that you go. Keep one on your bedside table. Any ideas you get, good, bad or neither, just write them down. It might be a plot, or a character, or a location. The idea might not be fully formed. It doesn’t matter. Just write it down.
2. NEVER Delete Anything
Never delete anything that you write. Save everything. One day, you might want to go back to it. Even if you don’t continue where you left off, but instead start the creative work again with a completely different angle. You’re going to need the original beginnings.
3. Editing Checklist
Most writers spend more time editing than they do writing. It is advisable to click Save As… and save another version of your work with every edit, so that if you want to go back you can. Here’s my editing checklist:
First Read Aloud. Any sentences that you struggle to read or make sense of usually need further work.
Check for appropriate use of capitalisation, commas, semicolons, full stops and speech marks.
Check for typos.
Grammar and Spelling Check.
Cut Overwriting & Repetitions.
Re-write sentences that don’t make sense or are unclear.
Second Read Aloud. Any sentences that you struggle to read or make sense of usually need further work.
Consistency Checks: Tense, Perspective, Description, Characters and Plot.
Consider plot and pacing. Are there any plot holes? Is the pacing of scenes, chapters or even the whole work to slow, to fast or about right?
Third Read Aloud. Any sentences that you struggle to read or make sense of usually need further work.
Put the work away for a few weeks, then go back to it and start the editing checklist again. A break from a creative project gives you distance and allows you to spot mistakes or problems that you didn’t see in the original writing or editing stages because you were to close to the work.
4. Reader Feedback
Reader feedback is great. But you have to be open to any constructive criticism about your creative work. If you ask friends or family to read your work, ensure that you have a relationship with them that allows complete honesty. Ensure that this honesty doesn’t damage your relationship. I read a good friend’s creative work on a regular basis, as he does mine, and we are completely honest in our feedback. We can do this because we both know that the feedback we give and receive is given with kindness, and is aimed at helping one another to create the best work that we can.
You should always appreciate and appraise reader feedback from any source. Appreciate that someone has taken the time to read your work and give feedback. People who give feedback are often working on their own creative projects. They have taken time out of their creative work to give you feedback on yours.
You don’t need to agree on all the points that they raise, or change everything that they suggest needs changing. You are the creator of your own work, so use your own judgement. But consider the feedback, especially if you are getting the same feedback from several different sources.
Some Writers come together in local Writers groups to get feedback on their creative work. These days there are probably some Writers groups online. Some Writers find these groups useful, others don’t. The best way to see if this works for you is to give it a try.
5. Publishing Options
You can send your work to agents and publishers. To the larger presses or smaller independent ones. You can self-publish on Amazon and even get your self-published printed on demand (POD). I don’t have loads of knowledge about publishing or the experience to advise. All I would say is people with little or no experience manage to get their work published all the time.
6. Promoting Your Work
Some great ways to promote your work include:
Get a good book cover designed. Book covers are the first thing people see about your work. A good book cover design can make the difference between people buying your creative work or not.
If you’re writing the blurb on the back cover, make sure it is written in a way that sells your creative work.
Use social media. Facebook, Twitter, goodreads and Instagram as a minimum.
Approach appropriate bloggers, vbloggers and ask them to read & review your creative work.
Send copies of your work to appropriate News Paper Entertainment Columnist, Magazine Writers, other Authors, etc. requesting they read & review your work.
Attend literacy events and be involved with the literacy community (both locally and online).
Do interviews with anyone that is willing to interview you.
Try and be in the Media: TV, Radio, News Papers & Magazines. Even if it isn’t directly about your creative work, you’d be surprised how many people will see, hear or read what you say/write and go on to seek out your creative works.
Do readings.
Contact local libraries, book stores, etc and arrange signings and/or readings.
Encourage people to write Amazon Reviews.
Have a book Giveaway – people love the opportunity to win something.
Hire a Marketing Company, there are many out there that specialise in the PR and marketing of books.
7. Some Great Books About Creative Writing & Publishing
Yesterday, I was driving in the car when the news came on the radio. I heard how a Warrington band called Viola Beach had died in a car crash, along with their manager in Sweden where they were on an international tour. The News Reader mentioned how the band were on the cusp of making it big. So sad, especially for their loved ones.
Later on, while driving they played one of Viola Beach’s tracks. The track was great, they were undoubtably talented and the sound reminded me of Manchester band The 1975. So I have bought all of Viola Beach’s 3 tracks on iTunes.
You can listen to Viola Beach’s tracks on SoundCloud below:
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Are you a Doctor, Nurse, Healthcare Assistant or Other Healthcare Professional? Or a Student?
Ways The Human Body Can Go Wrong covers every system of the body, what can go wrong when the body malfunctions or fails, symptoms (including why these happen) and cures/treatments available.
It includes knowledge around essential skills for Clinical Excellence such as Assessment, All Age Observational Norms, Models of Care, Communication/Handover Tips, the role of Specialities, Medication Tips, Dealing with Errors, Documentation Advice and a list of Useful Resources.
It is written in plain English, but highlights important medical terminology. It has been written at a level where someone from a non-medical background can pick it up and learn, but that it is still valuable to those with significant Clinical Experience.
My dear friend Roy decided to follow in his family’s footsteps and enlist in the Royal Navy.
I wanted to maintain our friendship, to continue to support Roy, to make him laugh and to entertain him. So I came up with the idea of sending him a weekly email on random topics.
These emails were on a variety of topics, always being entertaining, sometimes being interesting, sometimes funny and occasionally being serious.
Topics included: Jokes, Puzzles, Inspirational Quotes, Future Technology to Be Excited About, How to Fight A Shark, How to Woo A Turtle, Some of the Most Amazing Jobs in the World, Facts About Castles, Do Aliens Exist?, The Kindest Humans, A List of Cakes, 13 Weird Body Facts, 20 Super Space Facts, Ancient Egyptian Curses, 10 Weird Olympic Games, The Great Emu War of 1932, Quiz: Flags of the World, Legendary Characters from the UK and others.
My Royal Navy Friend is a copy of these emails. In total, there are 52 emails. Dispersed throughout the book are also Royal Navy facts and stories.
This workbook has been designed for anyone that is struggling with alcohol or has struggled with alcohol in the past.
It is written in a Motivational Interviewing style, one of the key therapies used to support people with alcohol issues. It has been designed using a trauma-informed approach and is strength–based.
What you will find in this book is more than just worksheets about alcohol. You’ll find all the tools someone needs to get into recovery from alcohol and stay there. It’s a therapy-based book, not an alcohol-based book.
SpellCast is a comprehensive compendium of spells, oils, charms and talismans. It is purely a book about magic, folk magic for the 21st century. The spells are ones that are tried and tested, with some that will stand the test of time.
In SpellCast you will read about the power of Instant Magic, of Banishment & Bindings, Blessings, Cleansing, Communication, Death, Employment, Finance & Money, Fertility, Friendship, Happiness & Joy, Health, Love & Relationships, Luck Magic, Protection, Transformative Magic and WishCraft.
This book will change your life. Your life will be abundant in all meanings of the word.
This book contains everything that you need to know about mental health and mental illness. Mental Health Wisdom is divided into three sections.
Understanding is section one and is all about the facts of mental health.
In section two, Empathy Through Lived Experience, the author shares his personal experience of mental illness.
Life Hacks is section three. It’s all about self-care and quick and easy ways to improve your mental health, prevent mental illness or relapse of mental illness.
Mental Health Wisdom contains everything that you need to know about mental health and mental illness.
Mental Health Wisdom is divided into three sections.
Understanding is section one and is all about the facts of mental health.
In section two, Empathy Through Lived Experience, the author shares his personal experience of mental illness.
Life Hacks is section three. It’s all about self-care and quick and easy ways to improve your mental health, prevent mental illness or relapse of mental illness.
If you find my blog educational or entertaining, please consider making a purchase or donation on Ko-Fi.
Hi Sofia, Thanks for the comment. I bought that in Glastonbury and he was a real find. I bought him…
Hi! I know this was posted ages ago and so a response may be rare but my dad has been…
Hi Ruth, Thanks for the comment. He might well have been. A x
Hi! Watching video and interviews with Charlie Watt, it had me wondering if he might have had Aspergers/ been on…
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A great introductory article on candle magic :)
Hi Sofia, Thanks for the comment. I bought that in Glastonbury and he was a real find. I bought him…
Hi! I know this was posted ages ago and so a response may be rare but my dad has been…
Hi Ruth, Thanks for the comment. He might well have been. A x
Hi! Watching video and interviews with Charlie Watt, it had me wondering if he might have had Aspergers/ been on…