The Mysterious Traveller

It's rather challenging to write a book.  It is difficult to keep (and maintain) a rhythm or a consistent flow of writing. The word is that you need to write something everyday, regardless of its merit. I believe this to be true, as you cannot edit an empty page, and yet I have recently gone many weeks without writing a single word. Factors, excuses, delays and other jobs are the usual culprits. Self doubt and imposter syndrome soon follow. So ultimately, it can become yet another shelved project that fades into the ether of once great ideas. I cannot let this happen with my book.  I began officially planning the story in August of 2024, with an outline, character profiles, storyline and general plot and chapter breakdown. The writing came naturally after this, with a real passion and understanding for what I wanted to achieve. But the problem with basing the main protagonist on yourself, alongside an emotional journey that mirrors that of your own, is that it evolves into mor...

It seems particularly strange to come back to my blog after months of writing for other projects; writing that has fundamentally been in the same  style as my blog. Therein lies a kind of paradox, where my blog has been applied to other ventures like the fictional novel and script writing (I am currently doing) and it could become a little overwhelming. Is the blog taking over everything? Perhaps, but that's just my style. And fortunately, I haven't gotten sick of it yet!  It is the end of 2024. I am heeding the temptation to write a review of the year, because that means thinking about everything again (and I don't particularly want to do that). But there have been highlights and positives that I can build upon and go forth into the new year, possibly with a little more focus and less of a self conscious, self destructive mindset. My creativity has flourished from the good and bad times, which gives me strength and purpose. This was something I lacked recently, but after...

As I gorge through a packet of Maria biscuits alongside an ill-timed mug of coffee (it's after 18:00) I consider my options. Having a mental list of things is no good, due to the inevitable subconscious winds of change that blow priorities right out of the other side of your head. I need a physical list. Something that I can pin to my laptop or wardrobe door to remind me of the outrageous number of tasks, jobs, projects, ideas and adventures I try to juggle all at the same time. I say outrageous; perhaps others deem it healthy? Healthy to keep busy and follow such keen interests and hobbies?     I cannot deny this, of course. Those who choose a career in the arts are blessed with a creativity that can touch many hearts whilst subsequently earning a (relatively modest) living. But I digress; back to this list of mine! Although my love of list-making is surpassed only by that of tea-making, I can honestly say that my current (yet to be physical) list has overwhelmed me beyond re...

It has been ten months since my time concluded on My Grandfather's Demons (Os  Demônios do meu Avô) where the final puppet was rigged and the last tie-down was painfully screwed into the bottom of Rosa's foot. These characters bear the visual aches and tears that the majority of the team felt throughout this production. This is by no means a slight against the film; it is simply the nature of such scale of work. But when you frantically start to use super glue to fix props to a puppets silicone hand, you know that things are looking bleak. For the record, we normally take the time to screw said prop into the 2mm access point in the palm of the hand, but on that particular day I definitely remember thinking fuck this shit (I can this perfectly in Portuguese; it's a frequent saying). The feature film itself has been greatly received across the globe, being part of numerous international animation and film festivals including A nnecy in France and Fantasia in Montreal, Quebec ...