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Tips for Beginning the Writing Process to Avoid Writers Block
May 13, 2013
This post is from 2009 when I had just started writing Weave of the Ride. My writing is going well. It is a new challenge and I’m enjoying it. I feel my writing has become less stylised. I am hopefully writing something that will have a wider appeal than my travelogue-style blog posts. So far I have written an introduction which covers where the idea for the journey came from and the memorable, important, and notable events from the build up to leaving.
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How I Created A Writing Manifesto to Get My Writing Process in Shape
May 6, 2013
Get up early in the morning to write. I usually write between 6.30am to 8.30am. I tried writing late at night and got into a counter-productive routine of falling asleep at 10.30 pm, waking up at 2 am and working for a couple of hours. Maybe that’s your ideal time to write but I’ve found the morning best for me. Give yourself the chance to write the ‘rubbish first draft’.
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Weave of the Ride Book Launch Speech
March 31, 2013
Weave of the Ride is close to me as it speaks about my personal encounters and conversations with different cultures on my journeys. My travels can be split into 3 major journeys between 2007 and 2010; Europe to Georgia, Georgia to India and Mongolia. I currently work as an open source software developer and write books and work on design projects. I live in London but I was brought up in a small Leicestershire village running around the fields having adventures.
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Weave of the Ride - A Book About Cycling Across Europe with No Idea and No Budget
March 31, 2013
Having graduated from university, I was lucky to get a job, but I felt life had more to offer than the daily commute and hours on the computer. I hatched a plan to hit a trail of adventure by combining my passion for cycling with a thirst for adventure. Having enlisted the help of an old school friend, we set about preparing the most audacious trip we could think of - to mountain bike around the world.
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3 handpicked moments from the Weave of The Ride
March 31, 2013
From ‘Frozen Lands’ Chapter 60 We departed at sunrise the following day. The bitterly cold air became gradually less polluted as we cycled along the Mtkvari river and out of the city. The snow and ice-laden ground reminded me that we still didn’t have winter sleeping bags. I hoped we would find a warm place to stay. From ‘A Typical Turkish Town’ Chapter 38 A baker gestured us to stop at his bakery and we watched him baking bread.
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Why Write a Book About a Defining Time in Life and Why You Should Too
March 31, 2013
I have, in my hands, a book that contains stories of a myriad people and places, woven together to animate and illuminate a section of life-lived. I can open the book and read about my own sense of idealism and energy. I am excited again by the place names that are familiar yet exotic. Each line I read evokes a new response to that event. “Those were the days”, “Hmmm…. maybe I don’t see it like that so much any more.
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10 Thing I Learnt From Writing A Book So You Can Write Your Own
March 31, 2013
I usually keep a daily diary anyway but when I travel it captures all the details of that day. I have then been able to read back through my diary and write it up into a fully fledged travel book. The story evolves from the events. Writing an entire book can be quite a daunting task. Going over the experiences that you are writing about provides huge personal value. If you do little and often, eventually you will have a full manuscript.
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Encouraging Quotes 3
February 3, 2013
Buddha Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads you to wisdom. Jocko Willink Don’t count on motivation, count on discipline Anon Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it. You can’t expect to get brutal honesty if you are not brutally honest All living systems create themselves
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Up to the Lake District to Visit Tom and Tenny
November 10, 2012
Tom and Tenny moved to the Lake District so I got on the train to go and see them.
Tags: UK
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Maker Workshops at Harts Lane Studios
August 31, 2012
A couple of workshops at a space in New Cross. migrated from the WeQuest Research blog: I was preparing the Hart Lane studios space with Rebecca for the Why Make workshop and a guy came in and said he was looking for the person who ran the space because he wanted to help his friend put on a workshop for local residents in New Cross to make their own solar panels.
Tags: UK
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Workshop at uscreates about Future of Bike Touring
August 19, 2012
I attended a great workshop tonight at uscreates near London Bridge, ran by Jonathon Pye-Finch (pye-finch.co.uk | @jonpyefinch) it was a great opportunity to meet some cool people and discuss ways to get more people bike touring, particularly those considering going on their GAP year travels to persuade them to go cycle touring instead! Many bases were covered including: how do people become aware of the possibility of going cycle touring, what puts people off, how do people feel prepared enough to leave, what you need when you are on the road, and how to make a living, explore and deepen the experience of being open to possibilities and opportunities on the move.
Tags: Design
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Sonar 2012 Music Hack Day
August 2, 2012
migrated from the WeQuest research blog August 3rd, 2012 5:41am: Another research opportunity presented itself when I attended the music festival ‘Sonar 2012’ in Barcelona. http://www.sonar.es/en/2012/. This festival runs every year and sees the likes of the top musicians in the electronic genre attending. There was also a ‘Music Hack Day’ where a developers, engineers, and musicians came together to participate in a 24 hour ‘hack’ session to come up with a new app or musical instrument.
Tags: Spain