Greetings!
If you don’t receive this, please let me know. I have had the most dreadful time because the formatting went awry, then the latest version didn’t save —- aaaargggghhh! Ooh, I feel better now. I think I’ve sorted out the problem.
But enough of this persiflage! On with the newsletter.
Terry
Loss and gratitude
Somebody once asked Maharishi Mahesh Yogi whether an enlightened person would be able to remember his past lives. Maharishi said “Yes. But when you are rich, why remember the time you were poor?”
I think that’s a reasonable attitude. Nevertheless, I’m glad to be no longer living through some really bad times, and I hope you have something to be grateful for too. I mention this only because remembering the time you were poor in some respect or other compared to today can be very helpful. At least, I find it so.
As it happens I came across a post about gratitude by
which I thought was interesting and thought-provoking:Poison pen letters
And now for something more chortlesome. This episode of Tony Hancock’s comedy programme is quite funny, but I’d like to draw your attention in particular to what I think is a superb piece of acting — and in which nothing is said for at least a minute. The context is that Tony Hancock has been receiving several nasty letters accusing him of all sorts of things, so he has taken them to the local police station to ask them to find the culprit. Go to the video below, and start the video at 11 minutes and 47 seconds. It will give you a good laugh!
Supporting writers
recently wondered, in a comment, “should I not follow people I can't pay? Or should I follow them just to support them in general.”My view is that all support is important, especially commenting, recommending and sharing. Payment is lovely, but it’s not the be all and end all.
Then comment was made in an article listing the 20 best creative writing newsletters, by
A Puzzle
Here’s a word puzzle with a hidden three-word message. You should be able to see the message once you have crossed through all the words listed.
Two clues: It has nothing to do with persiflage, and everything to do with Oulipo.
On the subject of puzzles, do check out
’s newsletter, which is full of puzzles. Here’s an interesting one:(Almost) 50 shades of color trivia
Also, my most recent ‘experiment in styles’ features a cryptic crossword!
Empty photos
Or, to be more accurate, photos depicting emptiness. I really like them. Here are a few I’ve taken:
You might like these stories by
, inspired by a couple of my bleaker pics: London Streets: NightOther links:
My most recent letter to Rebecca included some serious bits that might give you food for thought, as well as the more usual jocular fare. Subscribe to Rebecca’s newsletter to make sure of seeing her reply.
If you like hardboiled fiction, you might like this ‘experiment in style’: Hardboiled.
My ‘experiments’ extra post for paid subscribers discussed the criteria I apply to the experiments when deciding whether to use a particular style or not. There’s a free trial available there.
I enjoyed this Jane Austen essay by
- writes about how much car miles she saves by cycling — and a lot more too! I find that quite often cycling is faster than either car or public transport. Here’s a nice post about squirrel-shaped cookies.
- , is a good read. I don’t understand it, but I liked it.
Similarly, Wolf Oconiro, by
, reads like an episode from One Step Beyond, and I don’t understand that either. It has a nice feel to it though.Doctor Who is 60 years old! Elaine and I met a dalek a few years ago, and here’s proof:
Read about the history, and more, here: Emergency Temporal Shift!
~~~
I hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter. Don’t forget to look out for Rebecca’s reply to my epistle. Subscribe to her newsletter here:
Rebecca’s most recent post was about watching fireworks in her pajamas, which I don’t think should be allowed, but still.
Please comment, share, or subscribe, or all three. Thanks!
Another awesome start to the week, Terry - I always look forward to these posts and the many excellent discoveries I make following your links. Thank you!
Loved the dive into Hancock! Galton and Simpson had such a beautiful touch with their writing, and Hancock's performances were always top notch.
😊 And thank you so much for linking to my newsletter - you're very kind. There's a great bloke I write to on Substack sometimes - I think you'd like him. Oh, hang on... 😉
Thanks for the mention, Terry.
I very much enjoyed Jim's piece the other day, so pleased to see you give him a mention, too :)
I just made a Windows Snipping Tool snippet of the puzzle so I can easily strike through the words using my stylus :)
Glad to hear of some spreading of gratitudes. I hope all is OK.