Posted on by Craig Faulkner
I’ve recently completed the first draft of a new novel. At 89,000 words, it’s not the longest I’ve written, but I’m pleased with how it reads. It still needs editing, and that’s something I’m very inexperienced at, but I’m happy with the overall story and the couple of (admittedly somewhat biased) people who… Read more »
Posted on by Craig Faulkner
I feel I must apologise in advance for what might be a sensitive subject. I mean no offence. In all the years I've been using public transport, I've seen all kinds of characters, many of whom have, at some point, been regular fellow passengers. I could probably write a book, albeit a short one, on their varie… Read more »
Posted on by Craig Faulkner
On my way home on Friday, an elderly gentleman sat next to me on the bus. Straight away, he asked me how old I thought he was. I'm terrible at this, but I would have thought he was in his early seventies. I made a point of not looking for too long and, not wanting to risk offence, offered a guess in the mid-s… Read more »
Posted on by Craig Faulkner
A new house brings a new bus journey and with it new scenery and a whole array of new people to be amused or irritated by. Since moving at the end of last month, I've had time to get used to my new routes to and from work. The journey that from my old house required only one bus that conveniently picked me up… Read more »
Posted on by Craig Faulkner
I was expecting something to happen. The way people talk about it, I thought there would be fireworks or some kind of ceremony. There wasn't. I had a party a few days before. It was fun. Truth be told I'd spent so much of my free time preparing for that, I didn't really stop to consider the thing it was for.… Read more »
Posted on by Craig Faulkner
The act of calling a call centre could fall into several hypothetical templates. There's the one where you're on hold for an hour, then get through to the wrong place and have to call back. There's the one where you're on hold for an hour then end up having a conversation that lasts about a minute. There's th… Read more »
Posted on by Craig Faulkner
On the days it isn't late, doesn't break down and actually turns up, my bus arrives in the city centre in time to have a short wait before making its outward journey. It is during this brief respite that I am reminded of the nine years, while at my previous employer, that I had the chance to witness the wonde… Read more »
Posted on by Craig Faulkner
I'm not sure she understands the complexities of such a word, or its connotations in certain contexts. Quite aside from its origins in the early nineteenth century and subsequent widespread adoption as a result of the rise of the telephone, it is far more than a simple greeting. A poorly considered "hello", u… Read more »
Posted on by Craig Faulkner
There's something about a smile that can do things to a person. To be smiled at by the right person—or even by someone entirely random—can inspire a shift in mood that makes the rest of that day seem all the more bearable. It's said that the very act of smiling can even make you feel better. In various scient… Read more »
Posted on by Craig Faulkner
Somewhere along a rather paradoxical line of thought, I've come to view normal people as being, well, a little odd. I never excelled at 'fitting in', and indeed for the longest time I tried to do anything but. These days, however, my approach has more in common with indifference. And it is from this healthy v… Read more »