Blog: Mel's Muse - Archive for August 2009

Successful Step Parenting: Three Potential Pitfalls - No 2 Coping With Step Children

Posted: Friday, 21st August 2009

Only a day after doing the BBC Newcastle Breakfast Show, I had a phone call from BBC Birmingham, asking me to kick off the debate on Sunday morning 9.05 a.m. on – guess what – stepfamilies! What’s going on here?

In my blog of a couple of days ago, I identified the three potential pitfalls in a stepfamily as:

1. Relationship between the couple
2. Relationship between stepparent and stepchild
3. Relationship between an absent parent and child

They all seem pretty obvious, don’t they? And without doubt, they overlap and interlink.

Articles on related themes: Relationships; Family & Parenting; Speaking Engagements; Stepfamilies

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Successful Step Parenting: Three Potential Pitfalls - No. 1 Financial

Posted: Tuesday, 18th August 2009

BBC Radio Newcastle, which serves an area from the Scottish Borders to Durham, asked me to speak, this morning, on whether stepfamilies could ever be as successful and harmonious as biological families.

As before, on my interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, I answered a resounding Yes. From personal experience, plus observation of the families I interviewed for my book Stepfamilies, I know that step parenting, while never easy, can be worked at, and blended family challenges are rarely insurmountable.

Articles on related themes: Relationships; Family & Parenting; Speaking Engagements; Stepfamilies

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What Is The Role Of Godparents: Are They Really Relevant Today?

Posted: Friday, 14th August 2009

UPDATED 27th FEBRUARY 2010

It seems strange, in this highly secularised world, that the concept of Godparents appears to be such a hot topic. It makes you wonder if, despite our anti-religious dogma, we’re not – deep down – actually spiritual beings after all.

Well, of course, I’m in no doubt that we are! But the article that follows – first written in August, 2009 - suggests that there does seem to be some strong feeling, plus a good deal of confusion.

Articles on related themes: Speaking Engagements; Family & Parenting; Life, Faith & Other Stuff

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Creative Writing? Active Rewriting?

Posted: Sunday, 9th August 2009

Words are the tools an author can’t be without. Creative Writing depends upon their being carefully chosen and arranged. But what of the letters that make up the words?

Here are some clever anagrams which are making the rounds at present. No credit to me - they arrived in my Inbox. But I thought them too good not to pass them on.

Just rearrange the letters in each capitalised word to make a phrase that describes it, using all the same letters. You'll see what I mean.

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Erotic Photographs & Sacred Spaces

Posted: Wednesday, 5th August 2009

The Diocese of Truro is suing photographer, Andy Craddock, for taking erotic photographs of women inside the 13th Century St Michael Penkivel Church, in Cornwall, in South West England.

Naturally, the self-professed-self-taught photographer denies intentionally causing the “deep offence” claimed by the church.

“I don’t understand it and I don’t see the photographs as offensive, it’s art,” he says.

Given that his website is named Deviant Art, that the photographs in question are hidden behind a “banned” sign, and that access to them is only granted if you sign in as a “Deviant”, I somehow doubt that. In my opinion, this is titillation for the sake of commercial interests.

Articles on related themes: Life, Faith & Other Stuff

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The Basic Rules Of English Grammar

Posted: Monday, 3rd August 2009

I came across the following rules of English grammar and, since no one seems to know where they originated, am reproducing them here for the benefit of writers and aspiring authors.

I’m not sure that I agree with all of them. How about you? Leave a comment at the end if you have anything to add or contradict in the following list.

1. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
2. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
3. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.
4. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
5. Contractions aren't necessary and shouldn't be used.
6. Avoid clichés like the plague. (They're old hat)
7. Also, always avoid annoying alliteration.

   Articles on related themes: Books, Reading & Words; Content

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