WRY T’INGS
I set up Wrytings as a place to share my thoughts, learnings, experiences and pure moments of wonderment (good and bad) about the world we live in – as recorded in verse and prose. Part museum, part holding-pen, part showroom.
I varied the spelling – adding a ‘y’ – out of an unshakeable but reasonable addiction to puns (delivered subtly). As well, a lot of what I come across, that catches my attention, involves the wry twists that occur in life…so – wry t’ings.
I believe a writer’s job is to observe and reflect, bring lightness to the experience when it’s needed, but also truth – which may not be so light. If what happens to me, or what I encounter seems to carry some value as experience recounted, for even just a few people, that’s the payback – the bonus – for me.
ABOUT ME
I’m a kiwi writer in my 60s with a long career in English teaching, journalism, and communications management and consulting.
I’ve worked in-house and in agencies and have experienced the hustle and bustle of a lot of chunks of the business and social world – from the arts to finance, engineering to not-for-profit, computing to energy, transport to tourism…you hum it, I’ll play it.
I’ve been a fan of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) since they put a pencil in my hands really.
It’s been an abiding core skill that has sustained me through my professional life, but I’ve also been able to write in my own time throughout – mostly poetry and the odd short story, and blogs.
But the head’s been full of words and ideas for books for ages and on turning 60 I decided to punch out my first book (in 2018) – Talking With Your People, which recounted my personal journey through internal communications – perhaps better known as employee communications – and the learnings I accrued on that journey.
A much overdue volume of poetry was next off the mark in 2019 – Houses of the Small Sea Dead.
In 2020, I propose to bring out a book on Woodturning and Meditation, while a second edition of the internal comms book is also planned this year, along with another volume of poems.
And beyond that lie a semi-completed novel or two, a text on corporate writing and maybe a play. As I head into retirement, writing for myself and publishing and marketing my own works will be my second career.
I’m a family guy – married with a beautiful wife and two adult sons. Outside of work, besides writing I like to practise yoga, turn wood and meditate (as my next book suggests), torture a few cover songs and originals on my guitar, surf on my 5’10” “fish” and read – voraciously. Some of what I read and concerts I attend and enjoy I like to review.
I’ve produced a choral CD, run a month-long health and safety campaign, managed workplace yoga classes – big on wellness me as you might gather, peddled CV risk-assessment programmes, and promoted a myriad other things…and all the way along, writing has been the heart-blood.
I value clarity, concision, accuracy and honesty in writing – and the importance of having your own “voice”.
I hope you like mine.
