It’s me again. Sin. I’m feeling a bit rough today. I have a cold. That’s right, Man-Flu. Now, you ladies may mock, but ‘Man-Flu’ is a particularly virulent strain which only affects the male of the species. Course it is... Anywho. Amid the sniffles and tissues (thanks Mickey), we have a new visitor. What’s your name?
Jordan Dyball
Hi Jordan. Where are you from?
Cleethorpes, somewhere in the North East Lincolnshire part of England. I never was particularly good at geography…
I know Cleethorpes. Miles of sandy beaches and muddy waters. Do you like living there? If not, where would your favourite place to live be? If yes, where would you least like to live?
I love it here! So many relaxing locations where I can just sit and think about my story ideas in peace! Of course, I bet you get a lot of time to simply think in the asylum! Perhaps too much…? But anyway, the place I would least like to live is in a busy city like London, as I prefer the relaxing nature of silence much more than the hustle and bustle of city life! Although, it would provide new writing ideas!
I’ve found London ten times busier at night than Grimsby or Cleethorpes at rush hour! I don’t think I could live in a place like that. Of course the asylum is mostly a sea of tranquillity, with random ripples of lunacy to break the waters. Anyway, if you’re a writer, is this your ‘day job’?
I wish! Currently, I’m only a student, but I’m taking a Creative Writing course at college to help me improve my writing and hopefully to find many opportunities for new story ideas!
That’s great. I know someone who could have done with a creative writing course. It might have smoothed my journey a little! Don’t tell him I said that, though. Tell me about your latest project.
It is set in a faraway galaxy which four siblings rule. When a galactic war is started, it is up to these four siblings to restore peace and harmony. However, chaos erupts and the galaxy is destroyed. The story follows the journey of one of these siblings who believes she is the only survivor of the galactic war, and seeks to make peace with a new planet that sees her as a threat. Along the way, she discovers that she isn’t as alone as she once thought, and an ancient threat is reawakened…
Those ancient threats! They do have a habit of awakening, don’t they? Look at Connors – though he’s not ancient. Nor is he awake. Well, that comparison didn’t work, did it?! How do you feel about bacon? A crazy person once said it was the food of the gods. OK, I admit that person was myself...
I’m not particularly fond of it. I eat it when I’m presented with it, but more out of being polite than that I actually want to eat it. Maybe I actually deserve to be in the asylum…
Not. Fond. Of. Bacon? And they callme crazy? What is your favourite film?
It is very rare that I watch a movie, because I always prefer reading books. That being said, though, almost anything by Jim Carrey is great. Especially The Mask, that movie is simply hilarious!
Very true, it was. I enjoyed Liar, Liar too. And Yes Man. Something about a man being forced to something he can’t control... Have you always wanted to be a writer, or is it something you found yourself doing one day?
It was more something I always did for fun and for personal entertainment, and never really thought about doing it for others to read! I always loved poetry, and have written many poems of different topics, from how amazing and unpredictable life can be, to the effects of war on a survivor’s mind. A few years ago, I started to think about short story ideas, and one day I thought to myself, how about actually writing something other people will want to read? It was also the day I started coming up with the idea which has steadily evolved into the project I’m currently working on!
Cool. Do you have so many ideas they dribble out of your nose if you don’t get them down, or do you have to hunt around the floor and the back of your sofa to find where your Muse is hiding?
Generally, I don’t have a problem with story ideas. In fact, most of the time I have too many! I’m constantly comparing different directions my story could go, and trying to find the best one which would make the most sense! The only problem is that the times I can’t think of a good idea are normally the times I’m actually writing!
Oh ain’t it always the way? And when you get the ideas, you’re not in a position to write them down! If you were in an asylum, what would your particular delusion or psychosis be?
My delusion would probably be living in my own stories! Meeting my own characters, talking to them and even maybe traveling with them would be simply amazing! I could quite easily become deluded enough to actually believe it is possible! In fact, I might already believe it…!
Hmmm... You do know I’m not actually real myself, don’t you? Or so I’m told anyway – though I am in an asylum, so I wouldn’t be too sure. What genre(s) do you write?
Something between science fiction and fantasy, leaning more towards fantasy. I just love creating my own worlds and working out how my characters would react to all of the weird creatures that live there!
Sounds a lot like the asylum... and school! What genres(s) do you read?
Science fiction and fantasy books! I do enjoy an occasional change every so often, and sometimes read a mystery book (Sherlock Holmes is a particular favourite from that genre) but always go back to a book from the fantasy or science fiction genre!
That’s how that Shaun Allan bloke started out – with science fiction and fantasy stories. He moved on to darker things later. If these are the same, what attracts you to them? If they’re different, why do you think that is?
I suppose it is that I just love the thought of other worlds and mysterious species! Dragons, elves and dwarves are all intriguing species for me, and I love how different authors present them in different ways!
I’m so with you there. I know a poem, called Escape, which talks about such things. So. Bacon – just cooked or crispy?
As I said before, I’m not particularly fond of bacon, but if I had to pick I would definitely go for just cooked. Crispy sounds like you’re eating the abandoned skin of a snake which it has recently shed or something equally disgusting!
I figured your answer would be something like that. I was just hoping you might have changed your mind or realised you were mistaken. And don’t diss the shed skin. It’d be like finely cut crisps. Yum. Now you’re in the asylum with me, how do you aim to get out? Do you have an escape plan?
Possibly bribe the guards, or pretend to be sane for just long enough to get out. It probably won’t work, but ah well. If one try doesn’t work, might as well try again later!
I am sane, more or less, and I pretend to be insane to stay in here – you might be on to a winner there. Good luck, anyway!
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I (that’s me, Shaun, by the way), met Jordan whilst giving the poetry workshop at the wonderful Humberston Academy in June (the results of which are on this blog). He seriously impressed me with his work, both fictional and poetic. I loved how his own love of writing in all forms was promoted and encouraged by the school. I’m very sure we’ll be hearing a lot from Mr. Dyball in the future. It was a sincere pleasure to meet him.
You can find Jordan in Twitter at @Jordan_Dyball
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