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In a word: Incline

When you first think of this word, it is with a slippery slope in mind.

I’ve been on a few of those in my time.

And while we’re on the subject, those inclines measured in degrees are very important if you want a train to get up and down the side of a mountain.

For the train, that’s an incline plane, the point where traction alone won’t get the iron horse up the hill.

Did I say ‘Iron Horse’? Sorry, regressed there, back to the mid-1800s in the American West for a moment.

It’s not that important when it comes to trucks and cars, and less so if you like four-wheel driving; getting up near-vertical mountainsides often present a welcome challenge to the true enthusiast

But for the rest of us, not so much if you find yourself sliding in reverse uncontrollably into the bay. I’m sure it’s happened more than once.

Then…

Are you inclined to go?

A very different sort of incline, ie to be disposed towards an attitude or desire.

An inclination, maybe, not to go four-wheel driving?

There is another, probably more obscure use of the word incline, and that relates to an elevated geological formation. Not the sort of reference that crops up in everyday conversation at the coffee shop.

But, you never know. Try it next time you have coffee and see what happens.

Featured

Writing about writing a book – Day 2

Hang about. Didn’t I read somewhere you need to plan your novel, create an outline setting the plot points, and flesh out the characters?

I’m sure it didn’t say, sit down and start writing!

Time to find a writing pad, and put my thinking cap on.

I make a list, what’s the story going to be about? Who’s going to be in it, at least at the start?

Like a newspaper story, I need a who, what, when, where, and how.

Right now.

I pick up the pen.

Character number one:

Computer nerd, ok, that’s a little close to the bone, a computer manager who is trying to be everything at once, and failing. Still me, but with a twist. Now, add a little mystery to him, and give him a secret, one that will only be revealed after a specific set of circumstance. Yes, I like that.

We’ll call him Bill, ex-regular army, a badly injured and repatriated soldier who was sent to fight a war in Vietnam, the result of which had made him, at times, unfit to live with.

He had a wife, which brings us to,

Character number two:

Ellen, Bill’s ex-wife, an army brat and a General’s daughter, and the result of one of those romances that met disapproval for so many reasons. It worked until Bill came back from the war, and from there it slowly disintegrated. There are two daughters, both by the time the novel begins, old enough to understand the ramifications of a divorce.

Character number three:

The man who is Bill’s immediate superior, the Services Department manager, a rather officious man who blindly follows orders, a man who takes pleasure in making others feel small and insignificant, and worst of all, takes the credit where none is due.

Oops, too much, that is my old boss. He’ll know immediately I’m parodying him. Tone it down, just a little, but more or less that’s him. Last name Benton. He will play a small role in the story.

Character number four:

Jennifer, the IT Department’s assistant manager, a woman who arrives in a shroud of mystery, and then, in time, to provide Bill with a shoulder to cry on when he and Ellen finally split, and perhaps something else later on.

A photograph from the inspirational bin – 50

What story does it inspire?

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There is always something not quite right when you literally reach the end of the road.

At the time we were looking for a place called Never Never.

Yes, you read that correctly, Never Never. It is a place on the map, and the GPS navigator knew where we were going, and took us to where it thought it was.

That place you can see is identified by the red plastic fencing across the road. The truth of the matter, we were not allowed to go to Never Never.

So, as for inspiration, it seems we have Never Never, the Americans have got Area 51.

And no, I’m not hanging around to see if spacemen and UFOs are coming to visit after darkness falls.

“Trouble in Store” – Short stories my way: Point of view

If this story were being written in the first person, the only perspective or point of view would be that of the narrator.

Since we need to have several perspectives, it is better done in the third person so we can change between characters and try to understand their motivation.

We might look at the first-person perspective for each of the characters later.

The second of the protagonists is the girl with the gun. How did she get it? How did the situation deteriorate so quickly? What is she going to do?

This is a short story, and we need to know something about her, so we must get to the heat of the matter quickly, let’s start with:

Her mother said she would never amount to anything, and here she was, with a broken drug addict coming apart because she had been cut off from her money, dragged into coming to this shop to leverage drugs from his dealer at the end of a gun. It was her fault, Jerry said and made her feel responsible, much the same as her parents and everyone else in her life.

One of life’s losers or just a victim? This theme can go in any direction.

Then a moment to reflect on why she was here:

Why had she agreed to go with Jerry? At that moment when she picked up the gun off the floor, she realized it was not out of responsibility or fault, it was out of fear.

That gives us the why; he had obviously tried to make her feel responsible and when that failed, he threatened her. But now there’s a bigger issue, the gun and a situation spiralling out of control. The thing is, she has the gun and the power to walk away or make matters worse.

The problem was that she had outed the shopkeeper as a dealer in front of someone who had not known. That now made him a victim as much as she was.

She looked at the two men facing her, a shopkeeper who was a dealer and a customer scared shitless. As much as she was. Her gun hand was shaking.

The scene is set, and something has to give.

Time for the shopkeeper to weigh in.

“I have no idea what you are talking about. Please, put the gun down before someone gets hurt.”

It’s a typical response from a man who realizes he’s in trouble and is trying to make time while he thinks of how to rescue himself from a potentially dangerous situation.

Time to change the perspective again and explore the shopkeeper.

If only Jack hadn’t come in when he did. He would have the gun, call the police, and brazened his way out of trouble. Who would the police believe a pair of addicts or a respectable shopkeeper?

Now he had to deal with the fallout, especially if the girl started talking.

Next, actions have consequences, building the tension.

This section was rewritten, moving from Jack as the narrator to the girl, and then to the shopkeeper:

Annalisa looked at the two men facing her, a shopkeeper who, despite his protestations, was a dealer and a customer scared shitless.

The poor bastard was not the only one. This was meant to be simple, arrive at the shop just before closing, force the shopkeeper to hand over the shit, and leave. Simple.

Except …

The shopkeeper told them to get out. Simmo started ranting waving the gun around, then collapsed. A race for the gun which spilled out of his hand, she won.

He was getting the stuff when the customer burst into the shop.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, she thought.

Why had she agreed to go with Jerry? It was her fault, Jerry had said, and he made her feel responsible for his problems, much the same as her parents and everyone else in her life.

Her mother said she would never amount to anything, and here she was, with a drug addict coming apart because she had been cut off from her money, dragged into coming to this shop to pick up his score from his dealer at the end of a gun.

She heard a strange sound come from beside her and looked down. Simmo was getting worse, like he had a fever, and was moaning.

The shopkeeper saw an opportunity. “Listen to me, young lady, I have no idea what you are talking about. Please, put the gun down before someone gets hurt. Your friend needs medical help and I can call an ambulance.”

The girl switched her attention back to him. “Shut up, let me think. Shit.”

The storekeeper glanced over at the customer. He’s been in once or twice, probably lived in the neighbourhood, but looked the sort who’d prefer to be anywhere but in his shop. More so now. If only he hadn’t burst in when he did. He would have the gun, call the police, and brazen his way out of trouble. Who would the police believe a pair of addicts or a respectable shopkeeper?

Now he had to deal with the fallout, especially if the girl started talking.

365 Days of writing, 2026 – 64

Day 64 – Pick a side

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Speak Yourself Your Own Way – In Other Words, Pick a Side

“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”
— Coco Chanel

In a world that rewards smoothness, consensus, and “politically correct” chatter, it can feel dangerously easy to slip into the comfortable grey zone of “neutrality.” We skim the headlines, like‑share the most palatable meme, and keep our opinions tucked away in the safety of the private inbox. Yet the very act of living—of showing up in the world—requires us to speak ourselves our own way. In practice, that means picking a side and letting that choice shape the language, the tone, and the conviction behind our words.

Below is a roadmap for anyone who’s ever felt the tug‑of‑war between wanting to belong and yearning to be heard. It’s a call to step out of the echo chamber, sharpen your voice, and own the space you occupy—both online and offline.

1. Why “Neutral” Is Actually a Position

Neutrality isn’t a blank page; it’s a faint watermark.

When you decide not to take a stance, you implicitly endorse the status quo. If you stay silent on climate change, you’re indirectly supporting the systems that keep emissions high. If you never voice your discomfort with workplace micro‑aggressions, you let the culture that tolerates them persist.

The hidden cost:

Moral fatigue – you expend mental energy worrying about offending, which erodes authenticity.
Lost influence – decision‑makers notice those who speak up; the quiet ones fade into the background statistics.
Identity drift – without a declared side, your personal brand becomes a vague, undifferentiated blur.

Understanding that “neutral” is a covert side helps the first step: recognising the need to speak for yourself, your own way.

2. Discover Your Core Compass

Before you can speak confidently, you need a compass—a set of values that feels as unshakeable as a lighthouse in a storm.

Exercise	What It Looks Like	Outcome
Values Inventory	Write down 12–15 values (e.g., justice, curiosity, humor). Highlight the top 5 that feel non‑negotiable.	A distilled list that guides every decision.
Story Mining	Recall moments when you felt most alive, proud, or outraged. What values were in play?	Patterns that reveal hidden convictions.
Future Letter	Imagine yourself 10 years from now, looking back. What would you be proud to have stood for?	A forward‑looking “mission statement.”

When you can articulate why you care, you’ll know what side you’re picking.

3. The Anatomy of an Authentic Voice

A voice isn’t just what you say; it’s how you say it. Below are the elements that, once calibrated, make your speech unmistakably yours.

Component	Guideline	Examples
Tone	Match the emotion of your message. Empathy for personal stories, urgency for calls to action.	“I feel deeply about this” vs. “We must act now.”
Vocabulary	Choose words that are true to your background—no need for pretentious jargon.	A tech‑entrepreneur might say “scalable,” while a teacher says “student‑centered.”
Pacing	Vary sentence length to keep listeners engaged. Short bursts for impact, longer sentences for nuance.	“Enough.” (pause) “We need change.”
Storytelling	Anchor abstract ideas in concrete anecdotes.	“When I first saw the polluted river, I thought….”
Consistency	Reinforce your side across platforms—social media, meetings, email signatures.	A sustainability advocate consistently shares zero‑waste tips.

Practice these elements in low‑stakes situations (Twitter threads, group chats) before moving to higher‑visibility arenas.

4. Picking a Side Without Burning Bridges

You might wonder, “Will I alienate friends, colleagues, or customers?” The answer is yes—but not necessarily in a bad way. When you clearly declare a side, you attract people who align with you and filter out those who don’t. That’s the secret to building a community that actually supports your mission.

Tips for a graceful side‑pick:

Start with “I.” Frame statements as personal convictions rather than universal mandates.
“I believe we need a living wage” sounds less confrontational than “Everyone must agree we need a living wage.”
Invite Dialogue, Not Debate.
Offer a why and ask what others think.
“I’m curious—how do you see the impact of remote work on work‑life balance?”
Show Humility. Acknowledge you’re still learning; be open to data that refutes your stance.
“I’m still reading up on this, but here’s why I’m leaning toward X.”
Find Common Ground. Even on polarised topics, there’s usually a shared value (e.g., safety, fairness). Anchor your side there.
“Both of us want safer streets; I think redesigning traffic flow is the most effective route.”
Set Boundaries. If a conversation turns toxic, politely disengage. Your reputation benefits more from consistency than from endless argument.

5. Real‑World Examples: When Speaking Your Own Way Made a Difference

Person	Side Picked	Impact
Greta Thunberg	Climate crisis urgency	Became a global catalyst for youth climate activism; policy discussions shifted.
Malala Yousafzai	Girls’ right to education	International legislation and funding for girls’ schools surged.
Simon Sinek	Leadership rooted in “Why”	Companies adopted purpose‑first strategies, boosting employee engagement.
Megan Rapinoe	Gender equality & LGBTQ+ rights in sport	Accelerated NFL and FIFA policy reviews on equality.
John Green (author)	Mental‑health openness in YA literature	Destigmatized depression among teens; inspired school counseling programs.

These figures didn’t shy away from controversy. They picked a side early, refined their message, and let authenticity drive their influence.

6. Action Plan: 7 Steps to Speak Yourself Your Own Way Today

Write a One‑Sentence Declaration – “I stand for ___ because ___.” Keep it visible (phone lock screen, notebook cover).
Pick One Platform – Twitter, Instagram Stories, a team Slack channel—choose where you’ll post your first statement.
Craft a Mini‑Story – Share a personal anecdote that illustrates why that side matters to you.
Invite Feedback – End with a genuine question that prompts others to share their view.
Schedule Follow‑Up – Set a reminder to revisit the conversation in a week; iterate based on responses.
Audit Your Presence – Look at past posts; remove or revise anything that contradicts your declared side.
Celebrate Small Wins – Did a colleague thank you for your perspective? Did you feel lighter after posting? Acknowledge it.

7. Overcoming the Fear of “Being Labelled”

The biggest mental block is the fear that once you pick a side, you’ll be pigeonholed forever. Remember:

Labels are tools, not prisons. “Activist” can open doors to collaborations you’d otherwise miss.
Your side can evolve. As new information arrives, you can pivot—just be transparent about the change.
People respect consistency more than conformity. A brand that constantly flips its stance loses trust faster than one that stands firm, even when unpopular.

Closing Thought

“Speak yourself your own way” isn’t a call for loudness; it’s a summons for honesty. It’s the invitation to pick a side, not because the world demands it, but because your inner compass demands it. When you do, you carve out a space where others can find you, understand you, and, most importantly, choose to walk alongside you.

So, what side will you claim today? Write it, shout it, tweet it, discuss it over coffee—just make sure it’s yours, unmistakably and unapologetically.

Your voice is the most valuable currency you have. Spend it wisely.

Ready to take the first step? Drop a comment below with your one‑sentence declaration. Let’s start a dialogue that proves speaking for yourself, your own way, really does change the conversation.

What I learned about writing – Do you have a pet writing project or subject

In my case, I do. The history of my family. This had only become a project in the last few months, and it is one of those things that we would all like to know something about, and probably think it’s too hard to do.

After all, time passes, the first-hand sources of material die, and you have to go the hard road and start digging for information. I’m lucky in a sense, my older brother has been doing this for a few years now and has been visiting the places where we came from.

But, from my standpoint, this is an excellent exercise in characterisation, especially if you want to write historical fiction. It has led me down a path of searching for records in the most unlikely places, discovering just how much information from the past has been digitised and is accessible.

It has also led to the discovery of newspaper archives, one of the more interesting sources of information, and just a little thrill every time I uncover another snippet about one of my ancestors.

And no, not yet, have I discovered a true gem of a discovery, though one path led to a possible connection, very remote, to J R R Tolkien, and another to Harriet Beecher Stowe.

They have yet to be proved, but I don’t think we could be that lucky.

‘Sunday in New York’ – A beta reader’s view

I’m not a fan of romance novels but …

There was something about this one that resonated with me.

This is a novel about a world generally ruled by perception, and how people perceive what they see, what they are told, and what they want to believe.

I’ve been guilty of it myself, as I’m sure we all have at one time or another.

For the main characters, Harry and Alison, other issues are driving their relationship.

For Alison, it is a loss of self-worth through losing her job and from losing her mother and, in a sense, her sister.

For Harry, it is the fact that he has a beautiful and desirable wife, his belief that she is the object of other men’s desires, and, in particular, his immediate superior’s.

Between observation, the less-than-honest motives of his friends, a lot of jumping to conclusions based on very little fact, and you have the basis of one very interesting story.

When it all comes to a head, Alison finds herself in a desperate situation, and she realises only the truth will save their marriage.

But is it all the truth?

What would we do in similar circumstances?

Rarely does a book have me so enthralled that I could not put it down until I knew the result. They might be considered two people who should have known better, but as is often the case, they had to get past what they both thought was the truth.

And the moral of this story, if it could be said there is one, is that nothing is ever what it seems.

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Available on Amazon here: amzn.to/2H7ALs8

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An excerpt from “Echoes from the Past”

Available on Amazon Kindle here: https://amzn.to/2CYKxu4

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With my attention elsewhere, I walked into a man who was hurrying in the opposite direction. He was a big man with a scar running down the left side of his face from eye socket to mouth, and who was also wearing a black shirt with a red tie.

That was all I remembered as my heart almost stopped.

He apologized as he stepped to one side, the same way I stepped, as I also muttered an apology.

I kept my eyes down. He was not the sort of man I wanted to recognize later in a lineup. I stepped to the other side and so did he. It was one of those situations. Finally getting out of sync, he kept going in his direction, and I towards the bus, which was now pulling away from the curb.

Getting my breath back, I just stood riveted to the spot watching it join the traffic. I looked back over my shoulder, but the man I’d run into had gone. I shrugged and looked at my watch. It would be a few minutes before the next bus arrived.

Wait, or walk? I could also go by subway, but it was a long walk to the station. What the hell, I needed the exercise.

At the first intersection, the ‘Walk’ sign had just flashed to ‘Don’t Walk’. I thought I’d save a few minutes by not waiting for the next green light. As I stepped onto the road, I heard the screeching of tires.

A yellow car stopped inches from me.

It was a high powered sports car, perhaps a Lamborghini. I knew what they looked like because Marcus Bartleby owned one, as did every other junior executive in the city with a rich father.

Everyone stopped to look at me, then the car. It was that sort of car. I could see the driver through the windscreen shaking his fist, and I could see he was yelling too, but I couldn’t hear him. I stepped back onto the sidewalk, and he drove on. The moment had passed and everyone went back to their business.

My heart rate hadn’t come down from the last encounter. Now it was approaching cardiac arrest, so I took a few minutes and several sets of lights to regain composure.

At the next intersection, I waited for the green light, and then a few seconds more, just to be sure. I was no longer in a hurry.

At the next, I heard what sounded like a gunshot. A few people looked around, worried expressions on their faces, but when it happened again, I saw it was an old car backfiring. I also saw another yellow car, much the same as the one before, stopped on the side of the road. I thought nothing of it, other than it was the second yellow car I’d seen.

At the next intersection, I realized I was subconsciously heading towards Harry’s new bar. It was somewhere on 6^th Avenue, so I continued walking in what I thought was the right direction.

I don’t know why I looked behind me at the next intersection, but I did. There was another yellow car on the side of the road, not far from me. It, too, looked the same as the original Lamborghini, and I was starting to think it was not a coincidence.

Moments after crossing the road, I heard the roar of a sports car engine and saw the yellow car accelerate past me. As it passed by, I saw there were two people in it, and the blurry image of the passenger; a large man with a red tie.

Now my imagination was playing tricks.

It could not be the same man. He was going in a different direction.

In the few minutes I’d been standing on the pavement, it had started to snow; early for this time of year, and marking the start of what could be a long cold winter. I shuddered, and it was not necessarily because of the temperature.

I looked up and saw a neon light advertising a bar, coincidentally the one Harry had ‘found’ and, looking once in the direction of the departing yellow car, I decided to go in. I would have a few drinks and then leave by the back door if it had one.

Just in case.

newechocover5rs

Searching for locations – Port Macquarie – Day 3 – Part 1

The Maritime Museum

The three houses that make up the maritime museum used to be the pilot’s houses. They were built between 1896 and 1937. There used to be four but one was relocated to another part of Port Macquarie.

In between two of the buildings is, of all things, a sea mine

they also have several model ships which are up for sale.

They have sailors dressed in the way they were back in the 1820s

A cannon of one their warships

And models of the ships that brought the soldiers, convicts, and free settlers to Australia

There is an interesting collection of flags that were once used to communicate from ship to ship or shore, before the advent of radio.

365 Days of writing, 2026 – 64

Day 64 – Pick a side

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