Another good yarn

Posted by Avril Rhodes

What a relief! After fretting that I would never be able to contribute to the Fuse blog (I mean what research have I ever done?) but feeling vaguely under pressure to produce something, along comes “Knitty Problems” focussing on knitting and meetings, two things that I definitely have a PhD in by virtue of longevity. 

Until I joined Fuse I thought I was a member of an almost extinct breed, knitters, which would go down the evolutionary cul-de-sac of many a humanoid predecessor, known only for leaving strange artefacts behind (like circular needles) which archaeologists of the next millennium would think were instruments of torture. 

Believe you me there were no knitters in my old job(s) in the NHS – the last refuge for knitters was older ladies making action man clothing for premature baby units. No-one respectable knitted and certainly not if you had a real job. I kept my secret well hidden for years. In fact when I once lapsed and admitted to having knitted a Christmas crib, a colleague I still manage to call a friend was paralyzed with laughter at the thought of the knitted baby Jesus. What’s funny said I? Haven’t you done the diversity course?

Natty knitted nativity

However after decades I can now come out, because Fuse, and Parkside in particular, is full of academic knitters. My first inkling of this was when someone I didn’t know too well, asked me if I knew a good wool shop in Middlesbrough. These knitters knit in front of TV, on public transport, they even have to remove balls of wool to retrieve mobile phones, and they are happy to discuss patterns and stockists without batting an eyelid. 

But would they knit in meetings??? I’m not sure. I have seen people knitting before a carol service (well actually one person on one occasion) but knitting doesn’t seem to chime with the need to appear fully professionally engaged, or in the case of a carol service respectfully attentive. I personally harbour a desire to knit in conferences and seminars (following the rules, of course as I’d just get frustrated if I got stuck in the middle of a pattern) not because I’m not listening, but to do three things - to take up the spare brain power not focusing on the subject being spoken of, secondly, knitting really helps you not to go to sleep at the wrong times, and, thirdly, it ensures you don’t reach for the sweets or biscuits that still creep in when the public health police are engaged elsewhere. I challenge the reader which is worse – the gentle rhythmical clicking of needles, the embarrassment of snoring in the post-lunch presentation or someone trying to eat a hard biscuit noiselessly? The latter two are insufferable and will do much more reputational damage than being able to show off your latest scarf in the real break time as you virtuously sip water.

So, thank you Jean for helping me join the open-science blog!

From book to stage

How do books get turned into theatre productions? Actually, I know precious little about it, but I can tell you how it has happened/ is happening to one of my novels.



Because, yes, hoorayishly for me, Fleshmarket has been acquired for stage adaptation. I have signed the contract and, if all goes well, it should begin a run in a London theatre by the end of next year. The only reason I am able

Poster "Pesona Lombok"

Berawal dari saudara Asdhi Yoga Prabanto yang memberitahukan kepada kelas saya bahwa di kampus diadakan berbagai macam lomba, salah satunya desain poster dalam rangka Gelar Seni Mahasiswa Gunadarma (GSMS) 2012 yang diadakan oleh Bidang Kemahasiswaan UG, saya tertarik dan ingin segera mendaftarkan diri. Tapi pendaftaran ditutup 1 hari setelah informasi ini saya dapat (Kamis, 3 Mei 2012), dan karyanya dikumpulkan 2 hari kemudian. Bergegas lah saya mendaftar kan diri dan ternyata saudara Ahmad Lutfianto juga berminat untuk mengikuti lomba ini.

Pada malam Jumat saya mencari-cari inspirasi untuk menggambarkan dari tema yang telah ditentukan yaitu Pesona Lombok. Kemudian jam 8.00 malam saya mendapatkan konsep dari tema ini untuk digambarkan di poster ini. Tinggal mengumpulkan bahan-bahannya saja, lalu saya googling untuk mencari beberapa informasi tentang Lombok. Setelah semuanya didapatkan, saya mulai mengerjakannya di laptop, software yang saya gunakan yaitu CorelDraw X5 dan Corel Photo-Paint X5. Untuk mengcrop-crop kan gambar yang didapat dari google ini menggunakan Corel Photo-Paint, lalu Peletakan nya dilakukan di CorelDraw. Setelah beberapa kali bereksperimen dan meminta pendapat dari beberapa teman untuk menyempurnakan poster ini.

Keesokan harinya (Jumat, 4 Mei 2012) setelah shalat Jumat saya dan Lutfi mendatangi tempat pendaftarannya di kampus D Margonda. Lalu setelah pulang ke rumah, saya memikirkan lagi untuk memperbaiki poster yang dibuat sebelumnya karena masih ada kesempatan sebelum besok dikumpulkan, eksperimen pun kembali dilakukan, lalu saudara Riko Arfian memberikan beberapa saran untuk memperbaiki poster ini, setelah saya pertimbangkan dengan cukup matang, poster ini pun terselesaikan. Mungkin masih terdapat beberapa kekurangan tapi karena sudah malam dan saya mengantuk, akhirnya saya putuskan untuk istirahat.

Berikut adalah hasil akhir posternya:

Pagi tadi (Sabtu, 5 Mei 2012) saya segera bersiap untuk mengumpulkan poster ini, karena syaratnya dikumpulkan berupa softcopy dan print out di kertas A4 beserta deskripsi dari poster ini sendiri. Setelah semuanya siap saya berangkat dari rumah (Bogor) menuju kampus D Margonda sendiri, poster karya Lutfi juga ada pada saya karena dia tidak bisa mengantarkannya. Sesampainya di kampus D, saya langsung menemui panitia dan menyerahkan poster saya dan Lutfi ini.

Nah.. intinya saya ikut lomba ini bukan karena semata-mata ingin juara, tetapi hanya menyalurkan hobi, walaupun poster saya masih belum sempurna, tapi saya senang karena menyalurkan hobi saya dan menjadi salah satu peserta pada lomba ini.

Dan alhamdulillah pada hari Selasa (9 Mei 2012) kemarin pengumuman pemenang lombanya, dan saya berhasil menjadi juara 1 yang berarti lanjut ke babak PEKSIMIDA DKI Jakarta yang lombanya diadakan di kampus Gunadarma Sendiri.

Creative writing degree course?

Are you considering taking a creative writing degree course? If so, I thoroughly recommend a blog post by Danuta Kean. Do read it and then come back here, please. *taps fingers while waiting*


Isn't there a lot of good advice there? I particularly draw your attention to this: "Any course promising an agent and a publisher should ring alarm bells. Writing is incredibly competitive, and, in my

Writer's block

Posted by Helen Wareham

Writer’s block is something I think everyone can relate to.

I had hit a point in my PhD where I really needed words down on paper. I’d neglected my introductory literature and systematic review chapters for too long and I had to do something about it. So at the end of March, refreshed after a week’s holiday, I made myself a cup of tea, cleared some space on my desk and sat down ready for the words to flow...

There were moments of sheer elation where it all seemed to be coming together and words would flow onto the screen.



Writing god

These were unfortunately followed by moments where I was sat staring at a screen for hours wanting to cry or set it all on fire in despair.

So here’s the big question: how do you get over writers block?

My partner completed her PhD last year and impressively seemed to have days where words just flowed, churning out 5,000 in a day at one point! But, I remember these days well. Entering her PhD shed (yes we had to build an outdoor office so she could work without distractions in isolation) I would be faced with empty bags of Haribo, bourbon biscuits wrappers, empty boxes of pro-plus, the odd glass which had contained a large measure of alcohol and Kirsty hunched over her laptop with a look on her face something akin to a squirrel on crack.



So whilst I was desperate, I thought it might be best to leave the avenues of excess sugar, caffeine and alcohol for my final months (I don’t want to peak too early).

"You’ve just got to get on with it Helen. Just keep going and if something helps go with it", were Kirsty’s words of wisdom.

What transpired for the last month was me working in different locations (including other peoples offices), succumbing to drinking masses of coffee, writing some despairing facebook statuses and various other little things to try and get through that mental wall.

Am I over my writers’ block? Have I found a magical fountain of inspiration? No, is the simple answer. But every day the word count went up a bit and eventually I hit the word target I’d set myself. What I’ve written isn’t amazing but I have words on a page and that’s what I need right now.

It’s seems a bit stupid to be so at the mercy of a simple brain freeze and it’s frustrating to not have any idea why and how these things happen or when they are going to pass. But I’ve come to think that the key attribute needed for success in completing a PhD is shear bull-headed unwavering persistence that you’re going to get through it. If along the way simply grasping desperately to anything that remotely helps, however silly and destructive, is what works then I’m just going to have to go with it and get on. My closing confession as to what helped the most over the last month...this picture and Britney Spears greatest hits on repeat.

Genre-crossing

I was helping someone with her synopsis recently. (Please don't be tempted to ask me to help you, by the way! This was a special situation. To you, I will merely say, "I wrote Write a Great Synopsis - BUY IT!" )

Anyways. During the conversation, this arose:



The writer: "The other main question you asked was is it a romance, sci-fi, thriller etc. Do books always have to be one or the other?"

Knitty problems

Posted by Jean Adams

My name’s Jean and I’m a knitter.

I am also a crocheter, sewer and quilter. I’ve tried my hand at upholstery and if anyone ever bought me a spinning wheel, I imagine I could get quite into that too.

I do these things because I like making stuff. I don’t always like the things I make. But I really like the process of making. Sometimes I like making things that require all my concentration and attention. Other times I’m happy just to mindlessly plod through a simple pair of socks or ripple blanket.

One of my many crochet blankets

I can totally mindlessly knit a sock and, at the same time, leave substantial brain space free for conversation, watching TV, listening to the radio, or doing the crossword. Obviously I would have to put my knitting down to fill in the crossword, but that’s not impossible. Me and my knitting aren’t absolutely inseparable, you know.

So here’s the question: would it be appropriate for me to knit in meetings?

Obviously, I’m not suggesting that I knit during a meeting that I’m chairing, taking notes for, or being asked to make some other types of substantial contribution to. But those sorts of meetings make up only about half of the things I go to.

Think of all those meetings which you just have to go to, but you learn almost nothing and almost contribute nothing. Knitting in these feels like a sensible option – at least I’ve used the time efficiently. Unlike the next best alternative of playing on my phone, at least when I’m knitting I can also listen, keep track of what’s going on, and contribute if I need to.

Then there are the things like seminars where I often learn something really interesting or useful, but again I don’t really need to contribute anything. Surely it would be okay to knit in those too?

It’s not like there aren’t other people who do crafty things in meetings – with very productive results. There are even other academics who knit in meetings in a very public way. And rules for how to do it right.

Sounds like I’ve almost talked myself into it, doesn’t it?

But the problem is, I’m worried about what other people would think. I guess there might be all sorts of responses to meeting knitting, but the one I’m most worried about is that people might think it’s unprofessional. Somehow playing on your phone can indicate that you’re a very busy person with important other stuff to be doing. Which just reinforces how very professional you are. Whilst knitting indicates that if you weren’t here you might be baking fairy cakes. Which is not what us serious academics should be doing at all.