Scottish Robs Book entitled 'It's a height thing'

[Scottish_Rob]

Just thought I would let you guy's do a bit of light reading...This is my autobiography, will just put excerpts in for you to get the story line...

Arnold let me know your thoughts on this please...

A quick synopsis...
This is a true story about a young man who left home at 15 years of age, to go to a new home, job and country.  You will get to know about this persons life before he left his homeland, and also get to know about his time spent there, you will hear of his hopes and aspirations for his future.  You will hear about his family, friends, enemies and loves, you will see in your minds eye the situations that made him laugh, cry and totally confuse him.  However, this story is not told in the normal way, it is done through flashbacks, while at the same time, telling the story of what is happening to him now, and how he views things in present day situations.


Chapter one
Well here it is, I'm sitting on a chair in a relatively dingy market stall, in a comparatively dingy market town in the North West of England.  I've been selling an assortment of biscuit tin lid pictures, by that I mean picturesque scenes, all types of art materials, all sizes of mirrors and an hotchpotch of toy's ready in the lead up to Christmas, to a procession of boring unemployed and elderly people.  These people do not really want to buy them, or cannot in reality, afford too, but still they come "That would look nice above the mantle piece (fireplace)", or "Wouldn't Jamie or Sheila like that for his or her bedroom".... sickly too sickly for me (ugh).  I shouldn't actually be annoyed I suppose, these (morons, or should I say) customers, are for the moment, keeping food on my table.  But why am I being all sanctimonious, well lets be honest about it, if people want to throw their money away, they why can they not throw it in my direction, how did I get to this point in my life?  Well this year is 2004 and the world hasn't changed much in my in my 47 years on it, a war not long finished in an Arab country, although there are still insurgents in it, a war that we should not even have been in, we won I think, well perhaps that's not true, nobody really wins a war do they?  Politician's are in-fighting again, there is cries of bribery and corruption, there are people 'starving' all over the world, 'homelessness' is at an all time high (again), 'unemployment' again has peaked, the 'economic' situation is also in some sort of disarray, and the 'drug and gang' culture is rife and thriving on every major street, in every major town and city in Great Britain, so there you go, nothing changes.  Lets start by taking a look at me and my life, both in the present, and in the long ago past, 'I was a contended', I know, I know, it sounds like a boxing term, but seriously, I was...  You have heard it all before, you know the story, young lad leaves home at a comparitivly early age, makes good, gets close to the finish line then mucks up, although in my defense, it wasn't quite as simple as that, I swear if that quote was made someone specific, then it was made for me.

[Vince G]

Your not the only one. :icon_biggrin: I've rewrote it like ten times, so far.


Chapter One
After all this time, there has been many changes in the world. It has come to this? As far back as I can remember, I wanted to do great things. Many times in my life I wondered why I held on to life. I was a good person. Took care of people when they needed help. I was never greedy or competitive and I treated all people fairly. And yet life kept holding me down? This was my Shake, Rattle and Roll, doing everything to keep me from progressing ahead. I found how the past connects to the future as you become the person you are. I don't consider myself an average guy. I've always been different, deep in thought and feelings. I try to hide it from others as well as I can.

The times I have seen. The adventures taken. The memories that swirl around the head and pop up when a song or music triggers it. The friends I have and lost. Those fun times where i laughed so hard. Are they gone? Sometimes i wish i should have taken a different path.

The Nature thing: Lets go back to a time when I was a young boy. Lying on the front yard lawn, watching the clouds and making forms of them. This was life to me in the late 1950's, Hicksville, LI, NY.  There are times even now when I check out the sky or a spectacular multi-colored cloud sunset, It brings me back to those days. I have always had some fascination with the stars, and clouds, and sunsets.

[Arnold]

I think all and everyones Life Story has to be pretty interesting , as not one is the same ... seen through the Eyes of that Person .
I myself like Story's that start sad ( yes like mine ) and come to a very happy ending . Showing People , that don't care how or why you feel the way you do ... live goes on . It does not stop for anybody .

Rob , I have noticed reading your's ( not that i'm an expert ) but your sentences are too long with too many comma's . I use Microsoft Office Word and let me tell you it helps a lot , to get it right . Word's , sentences , grammar ect. .

[Vince G]

It started because of my kids. It wasn't the divorce so much as being scammed by her. I wanted the kids to know the whole story so I started writing and writing and had to put in how things happen this way etc. Soon I realized it was more of a book.

[Philip]

Hi Rob,
I'm not an expert on novel writing but I have had a few of my plays performed in London theatres, so am always looking for the dramatic hook in stories, that ability to go for the jugular in dramatic terms. In my opinion your recent experience of confronting your ex has all the elements of gripping drama. He wants to tell her like it is, but when faced with her will he? Won't he? The audience are on the edge of their seats, not only that, when he is brave enough to confront her, there isn't a dry eye in the house and everyone identifies with you. It's like the end of Rocky or Shawshank Redemption or any other struggling against the odds story.

But your synopsis doesn't grip me like that - it's like the story hasn't started yet. Where's the drama? Flashbacks are more than normal, they're overused, so need to be used carefully, if at all. As Arnold says, sad to happy is often a good trajectory in a story. If we see our hero (you) experiencing undeserved misfortune at the beginning, we will sympathize with you. A successful autobiography or biopic movie focusses on a particular intense period in that person's life, which, by its very intensity, brings out that person's real character. Quite often, inclusion of superfluous biographical detail detracts from the power of that exploration of a short period of one's life. Correct me if I'm wrong, but now is one of the most intense periods of your life. It's your story, but I think if I were writing the story of my life, there would be a Chinese adventure at the heart of it, then with all kinds of references and yes, flashbacks to other parts of my life.

I hope this makes sense to you and some of it is useful.

good luck, Alex

[Arnold]

Alex , When my Book is finished , I will seek for it to become a Movie for sure . I think it has ALL the element's of a great love story and drama at the beginning , with unbelieveable twists and turn of event's during my last almost three year's . This is the time frame that I'm covering of my Life .
I myself can only encourage other's to write . If they feel ; they have something to give to the world , to learn from or just to enjoy .

[Scottish_Rob]

Yes mate it does, I too have played in many 'Theatres' around the UK, and not just in Pantomimes...

The thing you have to remember though is that this biog was written before my adventure started on Chnlove, as I have said I have the last 6 years to include, which of course will have to start again in the present...  I just want to retype it into the comp first...  There are 2 ways I could write this adventure into it, by using it from the front, or adding chapters at the back where I originally finished, not quite sure yet, but will wait til I see the completed version.  Although it's a biog, most of it takes place in my Jockey years, 'growing up' that I think is where the true story was...

So the synopsis will be rewritten...it has to be hehe

Before the adventure here began, I thought the 'story' will be sad and infectious as you are taken through it, my main theme of it was 'how' I made the grade as a jockey and subsequent reason 'why' I had to stop, i.e. accident, and my fightback to running my own business and into the present with grand-kids...

That first piece I showed was my opening paragraph...When I started I was speaking to a lady that has had a few (5) books published, and the main thing I took from her was, get the audience within the first two pages and you will be fine..After the first two pages, without the 'grip' then all it is is tosh...  The beginning will probably be from me and Keren getting married.

But thank anyway mate, your opion is very welcome...

[Scottish_Rob]

Vince very interesting opening mate, why don't you try and finish now???

[Vince G]

Vince very interesting opening mate, why don't you try and finish now???

I work on it from time to time. One problem I have is naming names? Should I? or shouldn't I? Then there is the "Oh! I should have put this in?" and end up moving stories around so it's more coherent.

Org. it bounced from beginning to end to the middle? Some pages I just added notes to remind myself to put the story on that page? I'm not even up to the 1980's yet? :icon_biggrin:

[Scottish_Rob]

Opening page, Chapter Two...

I awoke at 6pm the next morning when I heard someone come barging into the room and shouting  "Come on.. waken up lads it's time to go".  I jumped out of my bed startled, and grabbed a towel then went to go and get washed and dressed.  Once dressed I then followed David out to the yard.  It looked so different in the morning hazy light compared to the previous evening it was beautiful, it's a sight that I will never ever forget.  The sight of all the trees all green and bright through the hazy sunlight.  The white buildings with their shiny black doors glistening from the sunbeams coming from daybreak.  I will never forget the smell of the morning flowers, or the pungent aroma coming from the horse boxes.  Or the look of the wet morning dew of the grass that carried on the hot breeze that met us as we reached the yard proper.

The date I started was April 1st, all fools day! I really don't know if that was an omen, you know, am I a 'fool' for leaving home and doing this.  Even at that early age I thought about mad things like that so I was hoping and praying that it wasn't.  As we walked into the square yard you could hear the chattering of the birds, the chickens clucking, the horses neighing and some kicking the doors.  The yard (visulise this) had three sides that connected to each other, each side had 15 boxes each with a horse in it,  in the middle of the yard was a large oak tree.  In the corner one of the boxes had been converted into a feed house, this is where the head lad was to make up the individual horses feed and or medication.  In the other corner there was a passagway that led into an even bigger yard.  Well when I say yard I mean area, in this area were two rows of twenty boxes and another row of the same amount in the process of being built.  There was also a road that led from the top 'main yard' down to this area and another one that led out to the main road.  

While still in this bottom area and to the right of the road, out towards the main road, there was a machine that I was to learn later on, was for injured horse and for those that needed some (not a lot) exercis.  This was called a 'horse-walker', I cannot be sure, but I think it was an American invention.  David introduced Colin and I to the 'head lad'.  His name was Joe White and was as I discovered later that month by chance, an alcoholic.  Although we were told he was just a heavy drinker I don't think we realised just how heavy a drinker he actually was.  Joe was about 56 years old, gray hair, with a big reddish nose and a weather beaten face, and was quite skinny I thought.  He was sacked a few years down the line because of his drinking and the way he treated some of the lads from the stable, he used to shout at everyone "YOU LEARY FUCKER", when he was inebriated.  However in his defense, when he was sober he was quite a nice guy.  I'm not sure about Colin, but I found all this (that was happening to us) exciting and also frightening at the same time.  We got introduced to everyone connected with the stable later that morning when we were to go for our breakfast, there were nine people in total not counting the 'other ones' who came in just to ride out, of which there many.

[Arnold]

Very nice read Rob . It really makes one be right there with you and seeing it all through your Eyes and thought's . Makes you want to read on / more .
One thing I've noticed ... in Scotland , the morning's start at 6pm haha

[Scottish_Rob]

Ha ha arnold 'have' you not been reading...DUH the stable is in ENGLAND...lol:angel:

[Arnold]

Rob , yes I know from your first Chapter it's in England . But didn't you start writing this in Scotland ? Anyway , isn't it all the same time - zone in the UK ? Oh ... I get it , your writing it for the American's ( 9pm is 9am in Hawaii ) . Smart !!!:icon_cheesygrin:

[Scottish_Rob]

Sorry guys thought I would give you all a little taster...lol:icon_biggrin:

Excerpt from Chapter 3

"Grandad... Grandad, can we go to the beach?" These were the words that greeted me as I came in from the market.  "Tell nana to get the car keys then" I replied, so we all get in the car and tried to settle them down, but they're too excited.  "Is the donkey on the beach Grandad?" asked Robbie, "Yeah... donkey, donkey, shouts Josh, Susan and I look at each other and just laugh contentedly as we finally set off.  We get to the beach and the boy's are laughing, and shouting and screaming, until I showed them the donkey's.  "Me want one" Josh informs me while tugging at my trousers.  "Nana can I get an Ice - cream please?" Robbie ask's, "AND ME NANA" I say, laughing with the boy's.

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Excerpt from Chapter 4

Because the weeks passed quickly this made me feel that I did not want to go back to the stables, however, 'deep down' I knew it was really what something I wanted to do.  The day I was leaving to go back, it was only Jenny that went with me to the station.  We both broke down and cried after i put my case on the train.  I think we 'knew' that it was really finished, however, I did not know it then, but my exploits with her where not quite done yet, this I will explain later.  The journey on the trains back to the stable were quicker.  Once I had reached the stables, I felt that I was 'Home', you know the old saying 'home is where the heart is', well my heart was at the stables.

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Excerpt from Chapter 5...

 I was as 'happy as Larry' that night and got so drunk celebrating, that I never made it into work the next morning.  

This was due to staying at Trevors who lived a few miles away. As far as I can remember we had 'walked' (staggered more like) home - they (the girls we were with) lived near him, we stayed up late that night.  It would be ungentlemanly of me to discuss what went on, suffice to say, that was the night I 'bacame' a man. (finally haha).  If Jenny was to find out what Trevor got up to with this other girl, she would have 'slapped' him one, this was before I stared going out with Susan 'properly'.  When I started back to the stables in the morning, all types of thoughts were going through my head.  I hoped the 'string' had gone to Neardown, rather than Mandown, that way I would not bump into them on the way home to the stables.  Unfortunately this was not the case. half way back I spotted them coming along the road.  The Govnor, just trotted up to me and scowled "Get into the yard, I will see you later !!!...," oh hell I thought, I am for the high jump!

[rockycoon]

I could never get passed :  " It was a dark and stormy night..."