This learner has completed ID verification. Find out more.
Trevor North
Linktr.ee/TrelvisGresley
Location Herts
Activity
-
Trevor North made a comment
This has been very interesting - really started some juices flowing that have only been there in potential up to now. I've received good feedback - would have loved some more as it was so useful. Really given me some confidence to look into further creative writing and develop some ideas.
-
Trevor North made a comment
I could easily have written well over 1000 words so my secondary character ended up being very basic compared to how I would have liked her to be. That is my main disappointment with my final submission but generally I pleased with the story and the feedback I received. This will allow me to develop the scene further.
-
Trevor North made a comment
Interestingly I am still in a similar position I was earlier in the course where I feel if I edit too heavily I am going to lose the emphasis I am trying to create. The only difference now though is I can start to see where I may be overly descriptive of situation and perhaps too light on the description of my secondary character. The next edit I try might be...
-
Trevor North made a comment
I am currently working through The Once and Future King by TH White. I both really like and dislike this book!
This is a challenging read for a number of reasons, the dialogue is deep and complex with use of heavy accents in places, the story can be highly over thought in its descriptions and presume that the reader his an incredibly detailed knowledge...
-
Trevor North made a comment
I think it probably depends on how you want to reveal the character to the reader - if you want them to empathise or instantly understand someone then direct description seems appropriate but I think with first person narration you can stray into amateur psychology of other characters if you are not careful - insights that you would never know immediately know...
-
Trevor North replied to Hilary Gill
Good idea - might try that one.
-
Trevor North made a comment
I based this slightly on an auditor I once worked with whose main hobby was World of Warcraft. I always thought this was a contradiction and used this. I have probably gone a little more extreme in my contradiction and maybe this is too excessive.
There has been a very valid comment below that having something too polar opposite maybe extreme or that polar...
-
Trevor North replied to Robert Hay
Really made me smile. Particularly liked the lines in the first paragraph starting with "his spectacles" - puts over to me a slight nerdy anonymity which really sets up the contrast with the next paragraph.
-
Trevor North replied to Trevor North
Teaching had always been his passion and now it provided the schedule and rhythm he needed. He fought his way from the room and headed to the gym.
Later that evening he arrived at his flat. He parked his racer bike in the corridor outside and turned the key to his door. In one motion he threw down his bag, removed his blazer and hurled himself onto his black... -
Trevor North made a comment
“And that concludes our study of Descartes this semester. Please have your ten thousand words on Cognito Ergo Sum right here, next Thursday.” Aaron Jameson tapped the wooden surface of the desk in front of him and then closed his laptop and placed it in his retro brown leather satchel. He slung the bag over his tweed blazer and it settled on his hip next to...
-
Trevor North made a comment
A leather clad, tattooed biker who is also a Christian Lay Preacher
A professional footballer who is a keen amateur astronomer and talented Physics graduate
A night club bouncer and highly respected primary teaching assistant -
Trevor North made a comment
Warwick is a young leader, born of privilege but humble. He has risen to his position of power partly through the support of other powerful people but also with a good amount of popular backing. He captivates those around him as a fine orator. He is respected by those that follow him and empathises with their motivations and passions.
He is placed in a...
-
Trevor North made a comment
I immediately thought of a Miss Havisham type character from Great Expectations. Lonely, heart broken, with a little flair (hence the matching red) but maybe in this case, low on money or even riding the bus as this is how she met the man.
-
Trevor North made a comment
Journal Note = Morris Man - Sun tanned from a day at a folk festival, he loses consciousness after a few too many pints of real ale. When he wakes the festival is empty of people, as is the local village, and yet nothing else seems to be missing
Dance -Traditional English / Welsh - maybe associated with Moorish - meaning in this case exotic - at least 500...
-
That last point is especially true. I am focussing on science fiction but even in the "weirdest" sci-fi, I think it is the fundamental humanity of these stories that always draws people in.
-
Trevor North made a comment
In some ways I suppose the editing would depend on what you saw happening next - I think the gun is the clear imagination leader here but depending on who Hilary is really depends on your view of the situation. Hilary could be a jealous lover, serial killer, under cover cop/PI or even someone who has intervened against someone she cares about who is one of...
-
Trevor North replied to Robin Melhuish
Interesting question - I took it as a prayerful gesture, lots of hidden meaning about meditating on what had or was going to happen. But actually I suppose it could simply be a way of transferring the focus of the reader from the large (the sky) to the small (Hilary) in which case it could be considered extraneous I suppose. Just scene setting.
-
Trevor North made a comment
The heavy black and blue winter sky groaned awfully with rain clouds. The rush hour bustled round her as Hilary looked upwards at those thundery heavens, whilst concealed inside her voluminous coat was the gun.
-
Trevor North made a comment
I tend to have that slight panic moment after anything I have written when I realise that I have massively overwritten on word count. I think - "there can't be anything to remove as it covers everything I wanted to say". The next bit is where I can sometimes lose the rhythm of my writing and so my editing is going to be the most challenging part of this course.
-
Trevor North made a comment
I didn't really write a story but an opening to a story. However I found that limiting myself to 500 words meant when I edited my first draft I lost the essence that I wanted to put over. I think my characters were there but in the extreme of what I wanted them to be - again I think I felt I needed to make more of an impact in the short space than was actually...
-
Trevor North made a comment
I have just re-read what I wrote - it's been about 5 days and I am really not happy with it at all. I managed to put an enormous emotional rollercoaster in 500 words and lost any kind of rhythm. So - work to be done.
-
Trevor North replied to Trevor North
... “Oh. Oh, thanks.” she replied slightly caught off guard. “My mum taught me that move.” She paused, “I’ve never had a fan before.” His face relaxed into an admiring smile.
“I guessed. About your mum I mean” he recovered. “I’ve seen the video from Brands Hatch in ’87 on You Tube. She was a helluva racer.” A poignant silence existed between them for a few... -
Trevor North replied to Trevor North
...“You’re Samantha Iverson right?” he rallied, quickly trying to get over his embarrassment.
“That’s right” she replied. “What gives it away? The racing overalls with my name on or am I, shock and horror, the only woman in the paddock wearing them again?” she quipped only half joking.
Her whole racing life, the sight of a young, pretty, curvy girl covered... -
Trevor North made a comment
“Nice wheels”, said the young Marshall as he walked towards her. “Early Mark 1 Escort. Racing trim. Awesome!”
“Thanks.” replied Sam as she locked the driver’s door. “Repton’s my baby. I inherited him from my Dad a few years back. He restored him back in the early 80s.”
A twinge of sadness seeped into her sociable smile as she recalled her Dad’s face in... -
Trevor North replied to Tane Hannah
I think the amount of emotion you have conveyed in 3 sentences there is very impressive. Funerals are naturally full of emotion but the sensation of grief you put over here is even more difficult to convey.
-
Trevor North made a comment
I remember the first time we danced together at that party. The instant awkwardness passed almost as quickly as it arrived. It felt right, normal, as correct as the sun rising or the birds singing. Could I explain it? No. We just connected and as the song ended and the next begun, we hung on to each other as a Koala grips a trunk. We've never let go.
I...
-
Trevor North made a comment
Emma said that she seriously disliked lilies. It wasn't the look of them but the smell, she said, a pungent odour that set her teeth on edge and her stomach into tumble drier mode. Of course, at her age, there was very little concern as to whether the people in the room may be offended, Her friend Sarah produced a bunch from behind her back with a lacklustre...
-
Agreed - music really can help stir an idea of a character or a scene. I have a little section in my story notebook of music and what it makes me think of. 2 examples are Michael Jackson's track Give in to me, which has a real powertrip aspect to it and Radiohead's Pyramid Song which is deathly morbid and could form the back drop to a tragic death or similar.
-
Trevor North made a comment
I was thinking about this sort of thing earlier today quite randomly. My sister posted on Facebook about a strange and amusing incident that occurred to her and I thought about how effectively social networks are their own little journals of characters and the strange things that happen can provide really interesting plot points. I hadn't thought about it as...
-
Trevor North made a comment
My main character I have explored to now is a young man, kind, almost innocent in his approach to others and yet I feel he wants to appear harder, tougher and more mature to his peers. Even in his weekend job at a local steam railway where he can be himself he adds flashes of a style that he thinks will make him "cooler". Dark "Hells Angel" glasses, wearing of...
-
Trevor North made a comment
Interesting - I've never really thought about the idea of expanding on a single image. I've always thought about character interaction but I can see that in some ways the situation can help unpack the character. Will need to think about this...
-
Trevor North made a comment
My iPhone earphones create a stark contrast to the dark wood table on which they sit. No matter how carefully I place them down, the winter morning grey cables tangle in a spaghetti puzzle. The wink of the lamp that stands over them glints in the ear buds turning them into frosted bubbles. The nickel silver of the miniature rocket shaped jack disappears...
-
Trevor North replied to Trevor North
Thanks - good feedback. I'll take that on board.
-
Good spot! Made me think of it.
-
Trevor North made a comment
I feel they are talking about subtlety that allows you to interpret situation. It is almost the most fundamental part of language as it removes ambiguity and gets you on board with exactly what is imagined. "Spot has a ball. A big ball. A big, red ball". All about context from minute one.
-
Trevor North replied to J Mo
I really like your scene setting here. I could really get on board with the feelings generated by your observations.
-
Trevor North made a comment
The faint smell of cooking onions whispered its way through the air, teasing his taste buds with the promise of a hot burger on this cold day. "No, come on, concentrate" he said to himself as he felt his mind wonder to the prospect. As this point he became aware of the noise around him. It grew louder, full of the mutterings of comment on the day. A large man,...
-
Trevor North made a comment
I find music of certain types really supports my mental processes but it can't be anything too "wordy". So sometimes classical or more chilled/trip hop style music but sometimes I need something with a good energy to help me through it. Complete silence I often find difficult, particularly as then any small noise becomes really distracting.
I look at the...
-
Trevor North made a comment
I'm very much an owl as opposed to a lark so the evening approach works better for me. The idea of writing down everything I find almost distracting. I like to focus my mind at specific tasks at specific times but mentally I have already tried to improve my observation since week 1
-
Trevor North made a comment
Really interesting first week. Biggest challenge it has revealed for me is thinking time outside of the tasks themselves. I need to focus on my observation and thinking time for the following weeks.
-
Trevor North made a comment
I remember in Media Studies always being asked to talk about the denotation and connotation. There is something about analysing these characters reminds me of this. There are the characteristics, the birthmark and the hair style for example, but then there is what is implied as a result of these characteristics and then the elaboration of their actions. You...
-
Trevor North made a comment
"Tickets please" chirped the young man, as he leant through the small door of the undersized, narrow gauge carriage. He smiled, an innocent smile of simple contentment. This settled for a while on his long face that was framed by a light patchy, stubble, typical of a man in his early twenties. I had had the same grin on my face all day, one of the pleasure of...
-
Trevor North made a comment
They mentioned a mix of motivations but three points emerged for me; A love of language, growing up with a family of storytellers and, in some way, writing for a while.
As good story tellers, they all construct a good monologue about how they came to writing and their influences. I don’t feel any of this is inaccurate or designed to mislead, but clearly...
-
Trevor North made a comment
The woman sitting next to the man on the phone: "I've had enough" she thought to herself as he took yet another business call. "This firm was supposed to be a good thing for us, independent from someone else's whim. 6 months in and we are in the red and a simple trip on the park and ride has turned into another major drama with a failure at a customer." She...
-
Trevor North replied to Christeline Booysen
Hi Christeline. I could tell you had given it some good thought - it was the clearly the first paragraph as part of a larger plan.
My challenge is going to be dedicating the time that I would like to the course. Hence I
found this task produced a strange reaction as I have a number of stories running round my head and yet for some reason I immediately... -
Trevor North replied to Les Dangerfield
That's really interesting - that's exactly how I reacted. You want to almost get the factual out of the way and then let the fiction kick in.
-
Trevor North replied to Christeline Booysen
I really like the Every morning paragraph. There's definitely a good story behind that.
-
Trevor North made a comment
1 fact 3 fiction
In the corner sits the TV. Sleek, modern and defined by my Mum as "just a little too big for the room"! The leather of the sofa opposite is cold, black and squeaks uncontrollably. The dog loves it though, particularly when we drape our old, green, woollen blanket over him.3 fact 1 fiction
My passion for watching football is only... -
Trevor North made a comment
Interesting video - particularly liked the pink hairband observation - makes you think about the subtleties and how the smallest thing can take you down a particular train of thought. Need to start taking my people watching more seriously I think!
