Let me tell you about my son. My son who wouldn’t put his coat on outside even though it was minus 3 celsius this morning. (Eventually I managed to persuade him to be carried so that I could keep him vaguely warm with my body heat.) My son who had to be carried from the … More Don’t Rush Me
I have nothing to write. It’s a bit like being stuck at a railway station when your train is cancelled. You’re used to jumping on an idea and riding the bumpy journey until you get off – or are thrown off – at a random narrative juncture. Instead your muse didn’t show up today, now … More Nothing to write
[Read Part 1 here] [Read Part 2 here] Sometimes, when it’s night time and I just need to think, I’ll leave the lights off in the lab. Let the glow of the emergency exit sign guide me; the corridor light that spills through the window, the 60Hz pulse of the computer monitors, the night light … More What Became of Cylandria, a short story – Part 3 (conclusion)
[Read Part 1 here] Sophia took me out for drinks and backgammon one evening shortly before her stint with me came to an end just under a year ago. “We have had another letter from the Centre of Scientific Enquiry,” she began, raising her eyebrows. (She said ‘of’ but I knew she meant ‘for’; her … More What Became of Cylandria, a short story – Part 2
Or, how to create a world in ~44,000 hours I made a world last month. Or, more accurately, following >44,000 hours in the lab, I concluded my final experiment last month. 44,000 hours ought to be enough to achieve something as great as planetary creation. I seem to have become a little distant from some … More What Became of Cylandria, a short story – Part 1
My friends at Resound Worship have just released a new book. Joel Payne and Sam Hargreaves host the wonderful Resound Worship Songwriting Podcast which every month offers thoughts on the songwriting process, interviews and other content including my favourite segment, ‘dissect a classic’ – which is pretty much what it says on the tin. There’s … More New Book for Worship Songwriters
“I like lists”, one prominent worship songwriter once told me in passing after glancing over my shoulder during a songwriting conference. (I’ll leave you to guess who.) Lists are great. Lists are options. Lists are brain dumps. Lists are low investment, high return. You can have a list for everything. I don’t just mean your … More Songwriting: The secret power of lists
Darkened sky,Barren hill –Bloody field,Deathly still.Circling cryRings the sky,High aboveThe scarecrow. Hanging head,Flapping wind,Tortured mouth –Weight of sin.All who passLaugh at him,Passing byThe scarecrow. Limp in limb.Heavy eyesDrooping, seeAll that lies.Not a word,Not a sound –MercifulThe scarecrow.
Behind the scenes It might be erroneous to advertise that I can give a full behind-the-scenes tour of the writing of this song, as frankly it has been a couple of years since its genesis, and I can’t remember much of how it started. I don’t know which part was the first idea to come. … More Behind the songwriting process for ‘Spring Rain’ (with lyric video)
Continuing my attempted trend of blogging about the books I read each year (here’s 2017 . . . that’s it so far), here’s how 2018 shaped up – and it was a pretty good one. First of all, in 2017 I managed 10 books; this year I was somehow able to bring it up to … More The 15 books I read in 2018
Ben David Trigg 