Anita

I think you’re right about meeting your reading needs on this site, and I like what you said about the posts being authentic. I also love reading paper books – smelling the pages, turning the pages and touching the paper (I sound like an absolute nerd!)

As for this book you speak of – ‘The Year Of Joe’, I’m currently at the passive part of the story where nothing of major importance is happening in the life of the main protagonist. Joe is still waking up reasonably early (even on a Sunday), he is still filling most of his time with crazy illustrations made with marker pens and paint, listening to Kate Bush songs a lot and walks down to the library every Saturday where he assists members of the public with computer-related problems and placing returned books back on the shelf. Every night before he sleeps, however, Joe stares at the ceiling and imagines the vast world outside the confines of his small bedroom. He ponders on previous mistakes he has made and how he can avoid repeating them in future. He dreams of wanderlust and adventure in many faraway places he has never been to, and thinks about what needs to be done in order to make those dreams a reality. He also thinks back to where he was 10 years before and sometimes this causes him to worry; it’s gone by pretty darn quickly and he worries that if time just keeps passing him by and he doesn’t start to put more effort into what he wants, he might never get to do the things he wants to in life.

Anita

Joe has many things he wants from life – in the meantime, has many ideas for weird and wacky paintings and illustrations which currently lie in a sketchbook amongst other mad scribblings and doodles which have been scrawled with coloured biros. He is hoping to score some illustration gigs soon and to sell some of his handmade crafts so that he can save up some cash in order to make his dreams a reality. He would also like a part-time temporary job so that he can earn more money to work towards this.

As for long-term goals, Joe still would love to travel – the only viable way he can think of achieving this would be to once again teach English – however, he has decided he would rather teach adults and university students and have the freedom to do as he pleased every day after work, living either by himself or others of similar age at a private accommodation. There are many places he would love to see. Joe also wants to carry on with his crafting and illustration work, and would love to take this with him on his travels as well.

Joe has also forgotten that he once told himself he would love to write more and he would love to update and maintain an online blog to share his musings with the world. Writing things which aren’t just stream-of-consciousness writings and cut-up sentences.

Joe probably has more things he wants but has forgotten about, but he will state them when he remembers what they are.

Anita

Joe agrees that it is very fun to write about oneself in the third person, maybe he should do this more often! As for things Joe wants to write about, he would like to write fictional short stories and semi-autobiographical stories based around some of the people he has known and things he has done. I will be sure to write many things about the mental travels I take every time I daydream.

Joe wants to travel to many places – for the past year or so he has been thinking a lot about travelling through Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, America and particularly would love to visit Iceland or Norway to witness the Aurora Borealis. There are many places in the British Isles he still hasn’t seen, especially Glastonbury, Stonehenge, rural Ireland and Scotland.

Currently Joe is at ease with being single and free of a relationship as this means he is free to do anything he wants, but Joe would love to learn to love and be loved at some point in the future – he wants to try and conquer himself first.

As for the kind of paintings and illustrations Joe creates – he describes himself as a ‘Joe of all trades’ and enjoys working in many mediums, namely inks, markers, watercolours, gouache, acrylics and digital media. His work is some crazy mashup of all the things that have inspired or influenced him – fantasy, creepy gothic art, surrealism, manga and pop art. He has a sample of some of his work on his Flick – https://www.flickr.com/photos/136271080@N04/

Anita

You have made Joe smile non-stop for the past few minutes. If you don’t mind Joe asking, what do you wonder when you see his drawings? Why do you think Joe draws his weird characters without smiles?

Maybe Joe would consider writing stories basing the antagonists on some of his obnoxious relatives but for now he wants to write stories about travel and escape.

Thanks 😀

Anita

Waiting…I guess that’s a word that resonates within me (I feel as though I should speak in 1st person for this now haha) – I think Eckhard Tolle once said that it’s not uncommon for people to wait for their lives to begin, or something to that effect.

I guess I have been doing a lot of waiting…Waiting for what? Waiting for when things will go my way again? Waiting for the things I hope will bring me happiness and fulfilment? Waiting for my escape? Waiting to leave? Waiting to escape the past and move forward with my life? Do I carry on wallowing in this sandpit of my own making or do I find some way to engineer an escape?

I’ve met many people who have described me as ‘neither here nor there’

And I must say, I really enjoy our posts together – I am always fascinated with your ideas Anita 😀

Joe