Blogs

Closed at 10am, With customers outside, Opening at 12pm, By then the interest's died. *Sometimes I feel as a blogger, like a shopkeeper with no customers. It isn't that I want people to buy anything, but it would be nice to have a few folk wander in and browse for a while. We may not have free WiFi, but we could always just talk to each other.......

This is a stage play, a successful stage play, so successful that my mate Sharpy went to see it and he doesn’t usually go to plays, but it’s about the Old Firm and bigotry, so that’s alright then, but reading a play and seeing a play are a bit like looking out the window at midnight and wondering how cold it is outside. I read the whole book in about an hour, which includes the review of Dillon’s other books (some of which I’ve read) and the...

In Vitro Electric by MJG and The Box Room by Canonette get my vote this week - both brilliant pieces - do read them if you haven't already: http://www.abctales.com/story/mjg/vitro-electric http://www.abctales.com/story/canonette/box-room The Inspiration Point is here: http://www.abctales.com/inspiration-point-ip Finally, do take a look at Vera's new Poetry Monthly theme and have a go if you can - everyone welcome. I hope you have a great weekend!

I didn’t know Janice, nor her son Gary junior, nor her daughter Linzi, or grandson Jack, so it can seem a bit silly that I attended her funeral. But I do know her husband Gary. I shook his hand in O’Donnell’s pub afterwards and offered the usual platitude, ‘that at least there’d been a lot of folk there’. The kind of no consolation, but a consolation prize of a gazoo. I was there because I like Gary and always have. I got to know him quite well...

As the light dims it feels natural to turn back to writing where summer's inspiration can be hammered in to something sensational. I look forward to seeing your creativity darken readers this month in all its rich shades. Remember to make full use of peer critiques to improve your work and also, please do share poetry monthly via social networking and word of mouth - not only for new participants but to encourage old friends to rejoin us. Satire...

A reminder—if we need one— how Dangerous boxing can be is the Sunday Mail front-page headline: ‘My baby has lost his daddy, I’ll never let him fight,’ with a prominent picture of Chloe, holding her infant Rocco, with an insert photo of her partner, and the baby’s father, twenty-five-year old Mike Towell, crouching in a standard boxing stance and fighting Dale Evans on Thursday evening at St Andrew’s Sporting Club. Towell lost more than the bout...

Our picks this month have been chosen by another of our brilliant editors - love_writing. Many thanks to her and big congratulations to the two writers: There is so much rich and wonderful talent on abctales and this month has proven to be exceptionally brilliant. I am thrilled and honoured to say that the two pieces which I remain absolutely captivated by are; Trifecta - Maggyvaneijk: http://www.abctales.com/story/maggyvaneijk/trifecta This...

https://soundcloud.com/robert-craven-649922687/get-lenin-audio-upload-2016 Using a free to download app (Audacity) I've created a post reading the opening of Get Lenin. copy & paste the link above & let me know what yout think. My question is - is an audio excerpt a good idea?

A total gem from Maggy van Eijk makes it a no brainer for Poem of the Week: http://www.abctales.com/story/maggyvaneijk/trifecta A bit of fun on Happy Island is the pick of the Stories: http://www.abctales.com/story/other-terrence-oblong/nudism-problem And an IP that should make you shout at the dog/cat in your life: http://www.abctales.com/inspiration-point-ip Cheers, Tony

Watching Celtic is like going to chapel, but you want to be there and you’re a believer- even though, secretly, after getting humped 7-0 by Barcelona and facing another squad worth a quarter billion pounds, that’s won ten on the bounce, you don’t really expect miracles. Yet, you do, otherwise you’d be ffafing about watching Coronation Street. Belief isn’t optional, it’s part of the tapestry of football, against all the odds (or even 10/1) your...