Ignite What You Write

What Air Freshener taught me about writing

Air freshener taught me about writing. The car didn’t go so I didn’t want to sit in the front of it. I opened up, I sat tight. It was clean, I was suddenly happy to be there. All the things I needed were across the window screen. It smelt of orange, an old air freshener that had been screwed up ready to be binned kept on going. It kept giving and the orange thing was committed. The plastic would not shift. It believed. It sat in the front if the dashboard wear it swung. It should have been up higher then all the world would see what a committed air freshener looked like. Then it got its just desserts because if truth be known it smelt good. It was sustainable because it never stopped looking back. There is no need to throw plastic away. Up it woke, it smelt nice and you can’t have more than that.

Enjoy Asa’s Adventures at Brighton Fringe Online

What Corona taught me about milk

That life quality rests on a one dollar packet of paracetamol. The tablets are so mild and generic but oh so clever as they work.

That simple things are king to a humanity that has gone after complexity with every breath in their competitive body. I don’t know how we will come out of this. But Talking to an online sales support team, we both agreed that snacks never tasted so good. The basic instant noodle meal with a sachet of fake flavour is now gourmet.

Everything is breaking down in the best possible way. And the fact that we will get to build again is sublime. The last time I rebuilt an empire was in childhood and I think that once, I was playing with lego and I did not know it would be for the last time.

Even though these few weeks seem to have landed upon us in an extreme way really there is nothing but subtlety and gentle change around us. We will not know when we are doing the last moment of isolation. It will lift like evaporating milk out of an open can. And the milk will taste so sweet. Forever.

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What obituaries taught me about writing

There is always time to start something. Nothing is truly the end. There is beauty craft and art even in endings. Maybe especially in finales. We can make stories more magical with resonant endings. It’s all here for us to explore.

And to look close at endings. Maybe they aren’t all that they seem. Some encourage the story to unravel and adds a layer of mystery with a new unexplored truth.

Find the unexpected in the end.

Bit.ly/envymyreview

Tips on New Story Writing

Walking along the Strand in London to Trafalgar Square to try on a costume I become someone else.

Through the darkness I sense the character of a lady of Henley who met her death hung on holy ground in 1757.

Mary was not granted the right to appeal her conviction for poisoning her father.

She fed him a powder her lover gave her so that the father would let him marry her.

I have written a show to explain other problems created a difficult situation for Mary that were not considered at her 15 hour trial.

The 18th century prison cell she stayed in for almost a year was harsh. Is imprisonment enough for the worst of crimes?

Mary paid with her life. I spent time at historic Oxford Castle Prison to walk in her final footsteps. When I portray her I feel her strength. And now the costume completes the woman.

Hear my work and the story of Mary in Brighton Festival May 10-12 12pm here

What big disappointments taught me about writing

Big. Are there any other types of disappointment? Like fun size candy bar. The experience is in the size.

Make of what you will.

And that’s the point. It is what you want to be. Mind altering champion making vertical wall scaling growth.

I learnt a lot today.

New channels opened. Opportunity gals so huge my head is happy.

Am I crest fallen yes. Of course.

The magic here is in the power of saying yes to the world. Taking a chance and going for something.

Like drinking strawberry milkshake it may not be everyday

However seeing the flip side of things.

That is what big disappointments taught me about writing.

What coffee taught me about writing

It’s aspirational. It says so on the job ad. I sit drinking coffee so linked up it’s got to be full of cream.

A girl swings by literally as her loose heavy back pack comes within an inch of my face. She apologizes. There is no need. As I tell her. I know the feeling.

She is beautiful, unmade up, hair scrunched up and a big puffer around her body. She has her life in her bag and she’s sharing a tea with an older relative. She’s living on the bounce in a nomadic style taking her world and career with her.

Our dreams are meant to be lived e dry moment. So I pick up my own and write.

That is what coffee taught me about writing

Write with me?

What Chaos taught me about writing

I haven’t kept a list for years. Least of all ticked off my progress. And I understand the point of structure. I just don’t have it. Then today picking up my Zara pack of cut price sakes clothing I checked when the next would arrive. Then I saw my wicker shoe basket I ordered from John Lewis was in store and I realized. My phone apps were organizing me. My technologist was automatically creating a list. And guess what I am already addicted to my phone well I check it hourly. So what is that. That is beyond the point of fondness.

So moving from task to task as promoted by my phone I realized I’m keeping a list and my chaos living side saw this and rebelled with a cheeky coffee and cake. I relaxed. I enjoyed the silence more amongst my steady stream of productivity. The luxury of chaos felt infinitely more inspiring in the middle of order. And that is what chaps taught me about writing

What Zara taught me about writing

Standing in the queue for things I already bought. I get told to go downstairs. On the way I pick up trousers way too big and the wrong kind of weave for me or anyone over 30. They stretch but in all the wrong places. I wonder if stretch is a good thing. Maybe we look better with structure. It fits us in. It creates a beautiful shape. Who wouldn’t want that through life and in their writing?

So I return to the rules of grammar. The ultimate structure. A subject at the start of a sentence is a commitment. Whatever the verb in that sentence is, this is what is done to the subject. I realize I can be too fancy. This is my second reason for putting the brown cord ruffled trousers back in the hanger.

I go to the till downstairs to pick up my shopping. I read through what I have written. I have learnt about the need for structure today and also broken that structure in the paragraphs above.

Maybe you have to learn to rules to break them cleanly. That is what Zara taught me about writing

What going out of date taught me about writing

Sprouts. Fresh or in chocolate. Are in bags boxes and sacks.

Some in date others not. Some cheap some deluxe. All are sprouts and are eaten the same way.

However you write whatever words you use they are the same for us all.

Art has a common language. and that’s what makes it part of our culture and able to comment on our shared humanity.

And sprouts have a taste that goes on for days.

Like words.

Write often

What friends taught me about writing

Jobs create a time suck in life. The better you get the smaller your social life.

To be good you may not always be see. As good.

Or be liked.

And that’s how writing moves you forward.

I caught that from talking to pals.