Clifford O'Connor
Location Ascot, Berkshire.
Activity
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
Edward De Bono is a good source of these type of thinking tools. Perhaps I might include some of his templates. Six hats technique combined with viewing a situation from a particular stakeholder's likely perspective.
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A useful checklist. I liked the reminder that management isn't a one way process.
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Identify stakeholders. Assign status. Manage the relationships according to assigned status. Review status if required.
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
How well am I doing in communicating and engaging appropriately with different groups of stakeholders?
"(Green – you think you’ve got it about right with a particular stakeholder group; amber – room for improvement; red – needs to be addressed urgently)".
I've applied this to recent developments and the result is RED, Red, rEd.
Now I am really glad... -
Interesting; identifying stakeholders and categorising them with a traffic light symbol.
Then either monitoring, keeping informed, keeping them satisfied or managing them carefully, all depending on their 'status'. Perhaps this will all make sense as I progress through this course? -
Clifford O'Connor made a comment
Whilst working for a company that was a subcontractor I realised that there was conflict with passengers, who were not our first consideration, as we had to please the provider of the contract as our main priority.
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
I have been invited to be a stake holder for a research project; working on a steering committee. My role will be to feed back from my experience of the subject matter.
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I'm learning already; so now I am a little more excited about this course than I may have been in the build up to it.
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
My ‘dislike’ book originally published in America, (1952), has been continually in print. It wasn’t sold as a work of fiction back then. Rather it was offered as a reference book that could help doctors to diagnose ‘illnesses’ in mentally disrupted patients. A typical example being a child, who was abused at an early age, who presents themselves to a doctor in...
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
"A 'writer' has permanent access to the best teaching: in novels and short stories. In terms of technique, nothing is or can be hidden: it’s all there on the page. It’s up to the person reading as a writer to ‘unpack’ how a novel has been made".
Surely it is the 'Reader' who has access to the best teaching...
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Your welcome Donna. It helps to keep the cogs oiled normally.
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I think that writing a story is a good first step. If it helps you to get your ideas down on paper then don't worry about starting off with previously developed character(s).
If you need to turn the story into a plot you can always add in emotion and characters at a later stage in the process. I don't think that there are any fixed positions just different... -
Clifford O'Connor made a comment
I was intrigued by Louis De Bernieres's comments about his thought process when building a character sketch.
"...its a bit like being a paranoid schizophrenic but it's under control...you've got all these voices going on in your mind - you just let them talk...they develop quite happily on their own." And previous to that: "...it just turns up at your...
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
In the previous exercise my character was an elderly mental health patient. For this exercise I focused on the doctor who was treating her. This new specialist Psychiatrist challenged what she had been told all her life; that she needed to keep taking her medicine. He challenged that expectation, and suggested that it was the medicine itself that was...
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
An elderly mental health patient who has always been told to 'keep taking your medicine'
is hospitalised and then told by a new specialist Psychiatrist that her medication has been maintaining her discomfort. He decides that in order for her to get well she would have to slowly phase out her reliance on medication. She is further warned that the chemicals... -
Clifford O'Connor made a comment
This is easier said than done. Especially when dealing with different nationalities who tend to have different mindsets. Bigotry is ingrained in the English speaking culture. The Frenchman, the German, the eastern european. They all have a particular mindset. The have a similar cultural backgrounds and experiences. Even expressions, moods, values, judgements....
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Clifford O'Connor replied to Katie Orgill
I agree Barry, I can see the humour developing in this story/plot already.
Katie has a gift for bringing a smile to the face of her readers. -
Clifford O'Connor made a comment
Having looked back at my writing journal, I realised that the character sketches that I have developed have often included flaws, dilemmas, and conflicts. However, I wasn't aware, consciously, of the importance of their role.
For example, one of my characters is a sheepdog. A very anxious sheepdog who dislikes cars and traffic noise. (S)he refuses to leave...
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Clifford O'Connor replied to Christine Bennett
Yes, Christine, it isn't an obvious thing to do when creating a character sketch. That is include flaws and conflicts or challenges etc.
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
I prefer Character + flaw = Plot.
But I can still use the other version. -
Clifford O'Connor replied to Clifford O'Connor
If I remember correctly Plot is the reason why a character did what they did in the story.
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
I found Josip Novakovich’s .pdf entitled Fiction Writers Workshop, unexpectedly helpful.
it provoked me to look back at my life and ask myself about my many tragic flaws? The answer to that question led me to consider how important changes are to characterisation.I also noted down, for future reference, the following sentences that were taken from the...
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Clifford O'Connor replied to Donna Brigley
Perhaps we can combine the qualities, (or traits), of multiple characters that we have encountered, in some way, in order to enrich the characters that we create for our stories?
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
Just let me remind myself of this please?
'...I avoided advice and workshops a little too long: some lessons that I learned on my own, I could have learned faster from some good advice.’
This sums up what you stand to gain from studying creative writing.
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Clifford O'Connor replied to Pat Cox
I like to think that I am now developing flexibility in editing. I recently wrote up some group meeting notes. I decided to re-order the sequence of events so that the report would be a more interesting read. The result was that the chronological order made sense on the report. However, in the meeting, we had been discussing things in quite a haphazard way....
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
I decided to combine two character sketches with a common theme that I would have to research. The first character is a Poet and the second a Comedian. Pam Ayes now springs to mind. My research into Poetry has developed my understanding from zero to an appreciation of some poems and my understanding of the techniques of Poetry and it's vocabulary has...
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
I liked the comments about 'deliberate research' being described as a side step away from imagination and that writing is about editing and what you leave out (abstract art).
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Clifford O'Connor replied to Tony Richards
I agree Tony, because I think that the way a story communicates with the reader and the effect that it has on them is more important than the accuracy of the facts. It is fiction after all. If we rely too much on getting the facts right we will lock ourselves out from using characters like a talking horse or frog that turns back into a human after a kiss.
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
I would like to offer a contrast to the references to history and memory. I like to see the writing, that interests me, as offering templates of situations that we can learn from; going forwards. I remember once reading a book called 'Cash'. The cover looked like a wad of cash (dollars) and the book was a financial western. A young man travelling the world...
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
I am finding my writing journal (loosely defined) more useful now. This week, however, I am struggling to convince myself that character sketches really can lead to a more interesting plot.
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Yes, me too Debra. I have also been noting down dictionary definitions and spellings, that I often get wrong, in my writing journal. It can be difficult spelling words like psychotherapist or psychiatrist and if I am not familiar with the terms I have to get a dictionary definition too. That is how I noticed that your profile text may need rechecking?
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I try to note down one idea a day. It helps to develop the writing habit and once the journal is open I very often add much more. I shall try the 250 words approach as well, Thanks Donna.
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I like the idea of having a file for questions / answers, Gillian. I have been keeping a similar file for word definitions.
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
I like the idea that a writer's journal can be a sort of letter to yourself, that it can be a comfort when writers block threatens and a of map of progress, development and ideas for the future. In reality, my journal isn't neatly defined that easily. It was useful for the last story project though when unusually I felt a building sense of writers block....
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Clifford O'Connor replied to Paula Lennon
Your welcome Paula. It was difficult trying to give you useful criticism because it was a very engaging story. I enjoyed reading your style of writing very much.
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
Thanks for my feedback; My character sketch was very weak and the plot lacked drama.
You may have enjoyed my narrative but I was struggling to get started on this project. I found the inspiration in my writing journal. So I'm now fully convinced that it is a good idea to have that journal as a back up. Pre-captured moments of inspiration can be useful at... -
It is nice to develop an understanding of other languages Armida. I think that it helps a writer to develop a writing style that can be easily translated into other languages.
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
Reviewing three stories has helped me to understand where my own flaws and weaknesses might be. Funny how it is easier to notice areas for improvement in other people's work.
Then suddenly, you realise that a lot of your comments could apply to your own work as well. -
347 words.
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Its all very civilised and contained in a china mug. The tea bag is well designed with a couple of cotton threads. Once the tea is brewed a little he lifts out the sachet and pulls the cords apart. Thus the teabag is squeezed nicely and the tea is ready. The design of these cords is a small but significant step towards useful progress.
Inspired by alfresco...
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
The ponderings of a poet.
Its early enough for him to be alone with thoughts; the warm breeze and the shadow of a mature pine tree. His mobile home front door is open but the other humans sleep. He puts his feet up away from the ants, and ponders the joys of being able to relax. Natural bird noise compliments the rustling tree. It’s leaves are quietly...
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Clifford O'Connor replied to Clifford O'Connor
Thanks Ruth. You have made some good points here.
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Clifford O'Connor replied to Sheila McGoran
Yes Sheila, I like the phrase 'Become your own best judge: the aim is to discover your kind of writing.' and also 'Be bold and make a start.'
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
I tend to try and craft things to perfection but I have realised that in order to achieve that I have to release the work for feedback before it is perfected. The best results are achieved by bouncing ideas off of a partner or critic. So it is important for me to understand what is essential and what I can be flexible about. It is quite annoying sometimes but...
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
A useful check list to keep handy when editing. Thanks.
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
I still prefer my interpretation of the chapter that was edited. I felt it was a richer text.
'The winter rain clouds were about to fall on people who were strolling about in rush hour. Hilary concealed, inside her coat, the loaded gun and she alone looked upwards to the thundery heavens.'
I felt that the descriptive words like 'the rain clouds' could be...
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Clifford O'Connor replied to Stephanie white
I edited it into two complete sentences. I copied the text to be edited into a file and then selected important words by making them stand out as BOLD. After that the sentences seemed to write themselves.
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
In my version, I have decided to include that 'she looked upwards to heaven'. I like to think this enhances the story as she seems to ponder the consequences of the expected action....
My version;
'The winter rain clouds were about to fall on people who were strolling about in rush hour. Hilary concealed, inside her coat, the loaded gun and she alone... -
Yes Martin, I get your point. However well trained this commander was, and I am in no doubt he excelled in life, he like the rest of us had a breaking point. As an expert in being resilient his thresh hold was higher but 'being resilient' turned out to be his weakness. He was unable to ask for support; for fear of being seen as weak. In a competitive...
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Clifford O'Connor replied to Ann Wood
Me too. Ann your description is the closest to mine that I could find. However you got there first. So well done from me.
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
I was taught to leave the writing overnight and re-read it with fresh eyes before sending it off. This has turned out to be good advice.
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
It must be better to get the criticism over-with earlier rather than later in a project. Not too early though because often creativity needs to be nurtured. I have been learning to take criticism on board as it is free feedback. Some of the best writers work in writing partnerships.
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Clifford O'Connor replied to Brenda Solarsh
This is what I did with my 500 word story as well Brenda.
Great minds think alike. -
Hello Martin, Although I have written up the story in my own words. The facts, of the story, that I have gathered as research are all as reported in the New York Times. I haven't used his name, of course, but there aren't too many SEAL commanders in the world. As they are elite troops they are trained for more than just underwater covert operations. They are...
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Yes Kathryn, It seemed more authentic to describe this character from a distance.
He was an elite American Naval Officer who mysteriously died in Afghanistan. Two worlds that I know nothing about. Also he distanced himself on purpose.He was very isolated. He couldn't get advice from his superiors for fear of looking weak. He couldn't share his concerns...
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
I was surprised that the first thing I heard on the radio could be turned into a story so easily.
The story was about what happened to a real character. The structure was that each paragraph hinted a little more about the character and what had happened to him.
The character wasn't there at all. Third parties and government organisations described him in... -
Clifford O'Connor made a comment
Each paragraph hinted a little more about the character. The surprising thing about word usage was that the character’s military title ‘Commander’ was used as his name. Elite troops prefer this type of invisibility.
‘For Fear of Looking Weak’, the title of my 500 word story, became ‘Death by Deployment Stress and Exhaustion’.
Celebrated for ‘pulling off... -
Clifford O'Connor made a comment
This should be a useful week for me. I have been trying to get started for 3 years now.
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Clifford O'Connor replied to Deby Ann
Good luck, Deby. Often writing about the stresses in life can help to clarify the situations that surround us. Remember though that even the strongest characters have their breaking points when it comes to handling stress. Please ask for support from other people if you get out of your depth. There is no point in you becoming unwell as well.
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
Enjoyed this week. I ended up inspired enough to write a story based on events in Afghanistan.
The story was inspired by a news article. It isn't a subject I would have thought about before this course. However, it was the development of character sketches that were of most interest to me this week. -
Great tip. Thank you Martin.
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Thanks for your comments Alanna. Free free to criticise though. We are all on a learning curve here and you are right that compliments don't really help us to grow. I wouldn't have realised what I was trying to achieve in my writing if you hadn't commented.
Hope your move goes smoothly. -
Clifford O'Connor made a comment
The commander of elite troops had ‘expectations’. His counterparts, team 6, had been celebrated for pulling off daring missions; killing Osama bin Laden and rescuing Captain Richard Philips from Somali pirates.
So his burdens in Afghanistan felt especially heavy. His men called it ‘a cursed deployment’ (Afghanistan). Everything seemed wrong......(Based on...
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
(I remember) the instructor's last words of advice before the final practical examination and the elation that followed. (They) will never leave me I am sure of that.....
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Your welcome. I am trying to improve my writing too. So even participating in these conversations is good practice for me. It helps me to increase my output and gets me used to handling the dictionary and formulating sentences. It is also interesting to read about other cultures and opinions. Just like me you have managed to work out how to add a picture to...
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Clifford O'Connor replied to Michele McConnochie
I agree Michele, Clever technique. I don't see many comments about poor old Joe here in the comments today though. The Samaritans often use the name Joe when they are supporting people in crisis (according to the publicity). So in that case I would think that Joe's advice would be rather interesting stuff.
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
I am glad that I participated in this course now. I think that this is a brilliant technique.
Using a person's voice as the prompt for ideas to surface. The only problem I have is with the narrated result. When the comments are attributed to a person you can be more forgiving of them. When you take away the person then they appear like facts rather than... -
Hello Jane, as we are all in this together; can I request that you set yourself the goal of doubling your output as well ? (ie. contributions and replies to comments). You obviously know what you are talking about and your comments add value to the learning process. Thanks.
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Yes Kat, I must admit that my journal resembles a collection of scraps of jotted down thoughts rather than a 'formal diary'.... I have one of those too, of course.
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Agreed Ian. I often start writing from a pre-existing document or template.
So the writing is already there. Once I start cutting away chunks, editing and updating it, I find I naturally start to get into the writer's work zone again. -
Clifford O'Connor made a comment
"Inspiration is....the result of habit, of getting into a rhythm of work, and of setting yourself goals...the determination to finish a piece of work is a great source of inspiration. So set yourself a realistic goal each time you sit down to write. Find out how much you are comfortable writing each day. Achieve that. Then extend and...double your...
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Clifford O'Connor replied to Emma Miller
These comments remind me of a World War 2 film; when a Spitfire pilot parachuted into an ordinary quiet garden and landed on the shed which collapsed. A schoolboy rushed into the house and came back with a cigarette box and offered the pilot a smoke after his ordeal.
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
Every person has their own story, (that they are keen to share with the world).
At least, that is what salesmen tend to say. So I expect every character has their story too.I have read Creativity Inc. (a book about the animation industry Pixar/Disney). They try to inject emotion into the storyline. This brings the characters to life and allows the...
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Clifford O'Connor replied to Roz Dixon-Burnett
Me too, Roz. I often have to figure out some motivation. Reaching an audience, making money, finishing a piece of writing, or just writing what I would like to be reading. Having fun as we go along is always worth it I think. Anyway, thanks for making that point.
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Hallo Almudena, I think that it is always interesting to have contrast in a story. Opposing forces or characters. You may bridge the gap eventually but to start with some provocation may act as a catalyst with which to motivate the characters.
I like stories where some unreasonable provocation turns out to be reasonable when the perspective changes and you... -
Clifford O'Connor made a comment
I think that it helps to be writing for a particular target audience. Or a particular market.
This will help form the writing into a manageable task. The length and shape will be more predictable. I suppose it's a bit like writing a speech that you will have to deliver. Its best to be clear about what you are going to say and to whom. Of course, you may be... -
Just thinking out loud here but I wondered if you could have used another word for smile. So that the reader would have to work out what you were referring to. Perhaps her facial expression stretched around the room?
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
He entered a library and looked at the around wondering why all the paper was stacked vertically. He noticed someone splitting the paper and just staring at the insides. He tried to copy the action but just didn't get what the fascination was. They all seem to be in some kind of trance state. Perhaps they need a helpful slap on the back to bring them out of it...
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I often have to leave an e (with umlauts) out when writing in the German language. So I find this remark quite interesting. Umlauts are the two dots over the top of an e which don't appear on an English keyboard as standard. They also have a different keyboard set up. The y key and z key are swopped over. This makes typing yahoo become zahoo. Difficult to...
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
Each of us has our own unique and original perspective. Words are just tools that we use to explain things to others. We have to define the words intended meaning. Expecting the rest of the world to understand your perspective can be quite funny sometimes. For example the word 'gift' when said verbally conjures up pictures of past presents. A 'gift' when...
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
I somehow managed to tick all of those boxes in the character sketch that I did originally.
Knowing what I now know; I think I would have used the characters own thoughts a lot more to illustrate the circumstances that she finds herself in and to illustrate how she intends to reveal her character in dealing with them. I could also perhaps contrast her... -
I currently a fan of ruthless editing that condenses the text into more of a literary piece than that of a ramble. I haven't quite mastered all that of course. But I aspire to and that is what counts.
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I wish I could interpret figurative language that easily. I got that he was internally distressed but didn't manage to decode much more than that.
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
I enjoyed both methods of portraying characters. The first was someone struggling in the present. A troubled mind taking a walk. The second a more reflective character. Wondering how he ended up in his present circumstances. I was more comfortable with the second method as a means to learn about a character. I didn't much like either character though. So this...
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Hello Ruth. A lovely piece of descriptive writing. Thats a compliment from me because I'm not a fan of that sort of detail in books generally. You lost me on the last sentence though.
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Hello Louise. I'm not sure if you intended to cut the last sentence into a cliff hanger (no pun intended) but you have had that effect on me.
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Sorry Coralie, but the first sentence doesn't really work for me. I would like to see some preamble and a first line that captures the interest of the reader. Hope that is constructive and helpful. Perhaps I should have used some preamble myself?
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A lovely crafted piece of writing Jennifer. Sorry that I have no more criticism for you than that.
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The underlined title would read 'in a Strange Culture'.
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
I liked my original story; the double life of a refugee foreign student.
‘Ms Lee’ survived. Others didn’t.
Now as a ‘foreign’ student, in a strange culture, the irony isn’t lost. It surfaces during meditation.So now, by adding more detail, I could enhance the original story and illustrate the differences in culture through noticing details of the new...
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Some interesting questions Louise. I'm sure that I don't have all the answers; at least, that is what the folks around me say. It is best not to know sometimes. Then you have more options.
However, I think it is easier to use your senses as a participant and take an overview as the observer. I'm sure writing reflects the trend that independent people can...
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I like it when an author like Bernard Cornwell invites us into a world (historical setting) that we probably couldn't imagine with out the help of his research into the period of time that we have no personal experience of and yet can make us connect with the characters on an emotional level. We could both have been there doing that if we had been born then...
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Stephanie I liked your comment because it made me question the boundaries of limiting a writer to just 5 senses. I'm sure with imagination we could expand on that. I have heard of a sixth sense and perhaps even more than that.
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Building a strong emotional connection is what story telling is all about (according to Ed Catmull who authored a book with Amy Wallace called 'Creativity Inc. subtitled 'Overcoming the forces that stand in the way of true inspiration'). Its all about Pixar Animation and Disney animation. The emphasis is on making the story emotional. So that viewers care...
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I suppose this is where the audience makes an appearance. Are you writing to record events for some future generation and for your own enjoyment or to please the trends and market forces of the day and benefit that way?
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I agree, we could reframe the same scene, by focusing on different details, there by communicating a different perspective of the event each time. People of different ages or genders or abilities will witness the same event in completely unique ways. These type of moments may well be useful to a writer.
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Yes, I liked this comment. Perhaps we could expand that idea further. If the detail served as significant for the story. If a nervous character looked down at the floor and started describing a loose brick, for example, it may make sense in retrospect when the brick ends up being used as part of the plot. We meet the object again at the scene of a crime...
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Clifford O'Connor made a comment
To me, Michele Roberts, sees herself as a 'witnessing camera' recording facts and descriptions. Those observations help to ground her imaginative side and it makes her writing more believable. However, I liked the way Tim Pears describes language as a 'strange symbolic form'. Earlier we talked about writing in the early morning and late at night because of the...
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I liked the peaceful place that you created by the sea and would have liked to read a bit more about this. Perhaps the sound of the waves washing back and forwards up the shore. The smell of fresh sea air. Even the taste. The feel of a lucky stone picked up on a coastal walk. Thank you for those lovely thoughts.
I also like the description of your bedroom... -
Thanks for your comments Alanna. I won't try to defend my punctuation mistakes because you are right, of course. Punctuation is not a strong point for me either.
If I did try though; just for the sake of argument then I would say that I was trying to create a sense of delay. Of time being wasted. So that the reader (ie. You) feel empathy for the delayed...
