Pragmatic R&B song

Here is a song I co-wrote with These Men, a barbershop quartet from Leeds, and one of my favourite local bands. Morgan from the group told me once that they struggled a bit for lyrics sometimes, and we talked a bit, and decided to collaborate.

This song, which doesn't really have a title other than 'Pragmatic R&B song', is about a chap trying to get off with a lady. Rather than promising to 'make it last all night' or 'take her to heaven' or whatever, he promises that he'll always do his share of the housework. You can't say fairer than that.

This video was taken at the launch of These Men's EP, "Four Short Songs About Love."

Currently reading

100 Years of Solitude Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Platforms are overrated

"As a recent MFA graduate who’s wading into the world of publishing, I’ve been counseled to start a blog, scare up a couple thousand Facebook friends, consider Twitter. This pressure to promote myself, in addition to writing a book and working full-time, could break my will, make me consider giving up writing altogether. Except that my full-time job is at an ad agency, and for the last six of the almost twenty years I’ve been in this business, I’ve worked at a company that specializes in digital media. So I feel lucky to recognize this advice about “platform building” for what it is: bullshit."

"Platforms are overrated": an excellent piece on how to prioritise your time as a writer, from Stephanie Bane. 

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The Man in the Picture Susan Hill 

Winter Wear for Writers

As the nights draw in, and conditions in your writing hole become icy and untenable, you are going to want something warm to wear as you scratch away at your work.

These gloves were very much on my 'last season's wear' list, and they are such a strong look they will certainly continue on into A/W 2015. Items like a warm aran glove, along with a strong thermal jodphur, and a fleecy onesie, are certainly must-have wardrobe items for any working writer this winter. Because as we all know: heating is expensive, and most writers don't earn enough to be able to afford to switch it on.

The really on-trend writer this season is going to want to pair these cute gloves with a bobbly Peruvian hat (worn indoors), two pairs of socks, a hot water bottle, and as many cups of tea as they can humanly drink.

I knitted mine from this pattern; if you're an experienced knitter, they're very easy, and really simple to modify. Rather than knitting the fingers all the way to the ends, as it suggests, I knitted my fingers an inch or so long each, and then bound off when I reached the desired length.

Now go forth and shiver.