Hello all,
My name is Alex and I’m a writer, my fiction being published under the name Alexander M Crow. Along with my stories, I make a living from freelance writing and social media management, format and design ebooks, edit others’ work, design websites and, despite the name, write travel pieces, for clients such as Culture Trip. I am currently transitioning to receiving a larger percentage of money from my fiction than my non-fiction.
As you may have noticed, I originally opened my account here (well, on Steem), some time ago, but have yet to publish or comment. I am hopeful this shall change now — it is true, I like to take time to think things through, but I think two years of a post-less account is perhaps taking it a bit too far?
I am a slow traveller, having left Scotland over three years ago — something I had always wanted to do, but kept putting off. Eventually, I set myself a strict deadline, which I hit, just — watching the sun rise on my 40th birthday from the window of a plane, somewhere high above Burma — and I’m still moving around now. At the time of writing, I am in France, but will be returning to Alentejo in Portugal soon. It is very, very likely I shall talk more about slow travel. I work online and in my notebook and, as such, I can work from most corners of this wonderful planet we live on. This usually ends up being a lot cheaper than staying in the UK (especially with the Brexit nonsense). I am not, however, a fan of the phase “digital nomad”, preferring “globally feral”. I feel I have barely dipped my toe into all this planet has to offer; I love to dive deep into cultures not my own, immerse myself in new-to-me foods and experiences, learn all about different natural histories, or gaze upon architecture unlike anything I’ve seen before. Pushing my boundaries and limits is not something that comes naturally to me, but it is something I find immensely rewarding nevertheless.
My family moved to Orkney (the islands off the very north of Scotland) when I was a child, and this had a huge, ongoing influence on me; Orkney is steeped in myth, history, nature, and culture and it was no surprise I later studied archaeology and prehistory at university. Orkney also left me with a love of islands and wind — give me either and I’m comfortable, both and I’m totally at home. I may have been born in England, in a now dead and disappeared county, but I count myself as Scottish.
In my early thirties, nearly ten years ago to the day, I realised a “proper job” was not for me, caught a train, walked out along the wild western Scottish coast, and spent three months living alone in a shelter I built in the woods, testing myself and my outdoor skills, and generally pondering the direction I wanted to see my life head (spoiler — to see more of the world and write for a living). I kept a journal and took many photographs, and intend to share some of this adventure here in the coming weeks. My bushcraft skills and knowledge are constantly being added to and honed — I see this study as a part of nature, as our place in a vast whole, our ancestral skills we should never have lost. And yes, I can light fire with sticks or stones.
I am very interested in the potential for authors from blockchain technology and feel this is an untapped resource at this moment in time, especially in terms of creating a community. I expect this will change, however. If you like fantasy fiction, and want to read something of mine, you can find my first book, Only One Death, free to download more or less anywhere you can find ebooks. (It also contains a link for a bonus free story, Dust & Death.) (Trivia: the WIP title was ‘Standard Fantasy Quest’, and this started out as a gently-humoured attempt to take some fantasy tropes and twist them into something else but turned out a bit darker than expected.) Here’s a micro-blurb:
“A band of ill-suited, would-be adventurers, searching for a legendary lost city—but the group hides many secrets, and death stalks the wilderness.”
The second, Death and Taxes, also contains a link to a bonus tale, A Clean Death.
“Merie has a plan. It all comes down to one final job, and then she will be free. If it goes well. If not, she shall leave her four children without a parent. But no plan is foolproof — especially when the night is full of those who want her murdered.”
The third, as-yet-untitled book, is due out very soon. It shall also contain a link to another bonus tale. A fourth (with yet another bonus) is due sometime later this year. Here’s a map from the series (entitled The Lesser Evil).
What else interests me?
Having spent my twenties not taking care of my body, drinking and smoking far too much, a few years ago I made a conscious decision to try and turn this around. As such, I now eat healthily, no longer smoke, limit my alcohol intake, and exercise regularly and (I think) wisely, incorporating mobility, movement, body-weight, and strength training. I may not be as fast as I used to be, but I feel in the best shape of my adult life. For several years now, I’ve threatened to share what I’ve learnt about exercising, what works for me, what doesn’t, but have yet to really do this, mostly because I just have too many other words to write. Who knows? Maybe I’ll share that here, or use Actifit to do so, although I’ve yet to work out how?
I read, a lot (reading is like oxygen for the writer. Without it, we die). I also love music and film, with a wildly eclectic and always-open-to-new-things taste. I really enjoy taking photos, with particular interest in land, sea, and sky -scapes, nature, and architecture. I also like finding the strange, peculiar, different and weirdly beautiful, wherever I go.
Last, but absolutely not least, I believe in kindness, inclusivity, and patience — and I get exasperated by those who try and compartmentalise us, split people into “us and them”, rather than revel in the whole glorious mess of humanity. Too often, kindness and peace are mistaken for weakness which, as any decent martial arts devotee will tell you, is certainly not the case. I believe in hope — but also keep testing and honing my wilderness bushcraft skills, just in case.
I’ll shut up now.
Hi welcome to the chain,
There's a few Brits about, a few travellers too, I know @shanibeer curates writers, so you might want to check her feed out for info on writing on Hive.
I look forward to hearing more.
I'm driving down to Portugal from the UK in a couple of weeks to off-grid, so I might catch you down there.
Well met!
Thank you for the mention :)
Looks like you may have another hiver neighbour (well in the same country, at least)!
!ENGAGE 25
Quite possibly, looks like a pretty interesting dude too!
Posted using Dapplr
ENGAGEtokens.Hello and many thanks for your welcome!
I have duly followed @shanibeer and, indeed, your good self.
(I also appear to somehow have 30+ Hive tabs open to read now, there is a wealth of interesting posts I need to catch up on).
I intend to keep posting and interacting, fixing the habit into my routine (I find this takes me a few weeks to settle, as with any new habit, but then it sticks), so you'll definitely be hearing more from me!
Whereabouts in Portugal are you headed? We're down in Alentejo, which is pretty rural, but only a few hours from either the Algarve or Lisbon.
Thanks again,
Alex
You must have a super computer with that many tabs.
I'm heading to Penamacor initially then I'll take it from there, so a bit north of where you are I think!
I am forever indebted to whoever invented lazy-loading tabs! It really does help!
Fantastic region you're heading to! I follow a vlog on youtube, Our Portuguese Homestead, and I think they're based up that way. I'm guessing you might have already seen their videos but, if not, they are well worth a peek.
Cheers, I will check it out!
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Do not miss the last post from @hivebuzz:
Welcome to Hive. Globally feral! I rather like that description. Can we ever be wild if we were raised domesticated? It's probably a more accurate description for those who have re-attained some level of freedom. I like that we see a lot of wanderers on here. Something I may have done myself had I not ended up in a relationship.
Thanks for your comment! You are right about the domestication thing, too often people use the word 'wild' for things which aren't exactly wild at all (I try and be very conscious of this myself, but sometimes it slips through). Freedom is definitely the operative word too. I was very lucky in that I met my (French) partner several time zones away in Chiang Mai, so we both have that love of wandering deep within us, both previously having tried to fit in with the 9-5 thing and both failed (or, more pertinently, succeeded in finding something different?). The older I get, the more I realise there are so many different paths in the world, and not one single 'right' one, even for the individual; over time, things can change. Certainly took me 40 years to visit a different continent.
Thanks again for reading and commenting, looking forward to reading your own words too. Alex.
Thanks for taking the time to reply. So many drop an intro then never return.
I've delegated 50 HP so you've got a few more RCs to keep activity up until your own Hive Power builds.
I thought globally feral was fitting! Thanks for stopping by and checking his post out, hopefully we have another solid addition here!
I noticed your username right away for some unknown reasons!
You look like a jolly bloke. I'm gonna follow you and see what comes out of it. :) Welcome to hive!
Good luck with the upcoming books!
Ha! We 'Not A's have to stick together!
Many thanks for reading, commenting, and welcoming me. I am still finding my feet here, still reading through the guidance posts, and still trying to schedule the habit of visiting here. Getting there though!
Thanks again.
Alex
Hey mate, thanks for such a cool, and informative intro.
It seems you've had a few adventures in your day, and are planning to have some more, so I'm sure you'll have no shortage of something to write about. I hope you'll also engage with others, on their posts, as that's the best way to put yourself on the radar, get yourself known. This will attract them to you where they'll fond no end of excellent and interesting posts to read...This is where relationships start and, with some nurturing will deepen. In my opinion relationships here are key, so I look forward to seeing you around.
Feel free to hit me up with any questions but generally just go out and have fun, post and engage with passion, personality and effort. I think passion and personality are two things you'll have an abundance of - Judging by your post here.
Welcome, and enjoy!
Appreciate folks coming over here and giving him a good intro! I just got him a delegation so hopefully he will get to some comments!
I asked a few of the lads to show him some hive-love. They did.
Hello!
Many thanks for reading and commenting. Although I'm still finding my feet here, it is wonderful to feel welcomed, to have people read my posts and reply, and it is also fantastic to see the wealth of other things for me to read.
This week has been a bit manic, playing catch-up with work after travelling back to Portugal, but I'm very much looking forward to interacting with others on their posts, as you say. As you say, any location to meet others (whether physical-world, or internet) is built by relationships, mutual respect and interest and, indeed passion and personality. You hit the nail firmly on the head with that.
Looking forward to talking more, thanks again!
Alex
Clearly you know how to write and have interesting topics which is great!
All I'd say is work on under 1000 words. It's difficult, I know, but super-long posts can be difficult for the community to consume. Maybe do the part one, part two, part three thing. I've done up to six parts of 2500-3000 words each on occasions, historical and other various content, but that was more just for the fun of it rather than for others. If that's what you enjoy then that's fine of course, however bite-sized pieces are more readily digestible generally, especially when trying to build a following.
It's your choice of course, I'm just throwing suggestions into the mix.
Passion, personality and effort is what I look for when curating and you inject all of them, so keep that up. The engagement, relevant and interesting, you do will help as well.
It's good to have you around and I hope to see you some more. Let me know if you have any questions, I'm always around.
Great intro dude, welcome to the Hive:)
Many thanks! It already feels like a very welcoming place, full of interesting people. Can't wait to explore more.
Alex
Hey mate, welcome to Hive and based on your post here, I think i will give you a follow and see where you go with it - Looking forward to it. Have a great time here - there is a lot to love :)
I think this will be an interesting "ongoing side project" to fill in around the other words. I do know the feeling though - so many words, so little time ;)
Hi and many thanks for reading, commenting and following!
I'm very much looking forward to interacting more here, from what I've already seen it is exactly what I've been looking for (reminds me of earlier internet days, where people actually talked instead of just leaving a thumbs up).
I have several draft posts about the exercise/fitness/health thing, and I think you are right that this would fit nearly here as a side project - watch this space!
Thanks again!
I have found it a more natural place to interact, which is interesting considering many do it for reward :) Although it can be a challenge at times depending on how many comments you receive, it is always nice to get replies. One of the benefits at this stag is that there aren't that many people here, so there is a chance to build lasting relationships with all kinds of authors and personalities. Have a good evening. =)
Hi ya! Welcome.
You feel to me like a bit of a kindred spirit except for fiction. I'm a generally shitty fiction writer. It's not the imagination or the ideas, it's the freaking words. They never seem to cooperate.
I hope that doesn't qualify as us v them :)
You need to contact @tattoodjay . He is the absolute expert on making posts on actifit. Pro grade photographer that uses that platform to publish to. I certainly don't know.
A couple other things in common. Reading. I'll have a go at yours (sounds very interesting) but you are in the line. Next up is a friend that I owe a review to, and there's at least one more in line... Plus my 50 year re read of Steinbeck.
Bushcraft. Until I hit my 60s I boasted that you could drop me naked in the middle of a wilderness area and I'd walk out fine. Particularly if I could carry a knife going in..
I could keep going, and I'd have some ideas about publishing here if you'd like. I really look forward to seeing you in my feed from time to time.
Thanks for a great intro.
Ah jeez! Thanks Tom!
I too have a decent imagination... Sadly now I cannot get rid of the vision of you naked in the bush!
Although... I didn't know you were in your 60's... Lookin' good man, not sure about where you decided to stow that knife though dude!!! 😁
Ahahahahaha. It looks like my socks are wrinkled, but I'm not wearing any!
I'm just about done with the 60s. Next birthday is another decade. I wonder if I'll do another 1000 mile day on a motorcycle? Maybe :)
I'm old. Not much to see!
Just a number man, but you knew that already!
That motorcycle trip sounds like a pretty cool aim, I say do it!!!
I have always believed that one of the greatest attributes that aids aging well is a solid sense of humour, you must have a good 112 years left ahead of you Brother 😁
Always great to cross paths Tom, always raises a smile.
That's 1000 miles in 24 hours :) Called an iron butt ride. I don't know if my poor old pathetic butt has another in it, but you can bet I'll find out.
Not many have done one in their 70s. It's a younger man's game.
I'm 48 in the coming week, trust me it's not this 'younger man game' lol.
You put me to shame Tom, although if anyone was going to do it, I'm glad it was you lol :D
Sounds like you should go on the TV show naked and afraid lol
Thanks for checking this newcomer out! I appreciate it! I hope to see his posts in my feed as well for sure!
Hello and many thanks for the welcome!
Oh my words also rebel from time to time. When I was young I used to think writing was all inspiration and very little editing, now, however, I think most of my work is 10% inspiration 90% redraft, redraft, edit, edit and more edit. The secret, for me at least, is to trick my mind into enjoying the editing process as much as the initial brain-dump/draft. Sometimes things just flow and others, not so much (is probably putting it mildly).
I shall definitely have a better look at Actifit (and have also followed @tattoodjay).
No rush with reading my stuff, I have a habit of saving books to read at just the right moment but, if someone asks me how I know it's the right moment, there's no way I could answer. It just is. But this does mean I'm never one to rush anyone else into reading anything; I'll certainly make suggestions, but whether they read them immediately or in a year or two really doesn't matter. And Steinbeck is illustrious company to share a paragraph/reading list with!
What you say about the knife is a key thing, it really does make all the difference. In recent years I've been trying to challenge myself by improvising, using stone and bone instead of steel and the difference is substantial. I think making stone blades makes me appreciate my knives even more.
I'm looking forward to reading more of your own words, and talking more too!
Thanks again,
Alex
I have to say, I’m really, really happy with the comments and votes here — as a writer, one of the best things in the world is knowing your words are being read and appreciated. Pretty simple, I know, but it is a lovely sensation.
This weekend has been spent travelling back to Portugal — it was strange, how empty Paris CDG was, how quiet and a little eerie the absence of people felt. As such, I’ve barely had time to work or check here, beyond quick scans of the comments left on this piece, which left me humbled and delighted — thank you all. Your interactions truly justify the decision to post here and make it more than worthwhile.
I’m still reading the FAQs/how-to’s for Hive, still unsure exactly what the commenting/voting power means, but I’m getting there, just having to catch up with work first! (The beginner links are going to be invaluable, thank you so much). I intended to reply to everyone who commented individually today, but work took over, hence this comment. However, I will get to this ASAP and I cannot wait to check out all there is to offer from the communities and individuals mentioned — I certainly intend to be involved as well as post (I did work on another post over the weekend, which I'm hoping to get up today, seeing as it talks about things that happened ten years ago, to the day.)
@stevenwood @bigtom13 @tarazkp @revisesociology @galenkp
Saw his comment here and since you awesome guys dropped some comments on here, I wanted you to see it! Really appreciate you guys coming over to check his post out!
Alex take your time, there's a bit to get to know at first so please take your time and focus on dropping some posts and comments. I think I got you enough resources to do a bit of both without hitting limits.
Voting doesn't matter for a while on your end, so don't worry much about that. Resource credits are the most important thing right now, that is what lets you post and comment.
This community of people, if you decide to join us for the long haul, is incredibly tight knit and an awesome group of folks from around the entire world. We are all from different backgrounds, regions, and interests but we all come together on this little corner of the internet we call our virtual hang out. There's a lot of laughs, learning and passion that happen all in the same place! It's an incredible find to get, truly.
I shall have to get better at tagging people!
I really do like what I've seen here so far, it feels varied, fresh, and engaging. I think a big part of this is also down to what you say, about the different backgrounds, regions and interests; such diversity can only be a good thing.
You're welcome! Just an FYI I absolutely wouldn't tag people in the beginning. I tagged those guys because I converse with them regularly and I knew they would be interested that you wrote a comment back.
I definitely appreciate that you responded to everyone! There's one thing that is a pet peeve of many and it's when they check out your post, leave a comment but get nothing in return. Just shows a mutual respect for each other when you can get a little conversation going!
I look forward to hearing more of your story, it's entertaining for sure!
You're welcome mate, and feel free to ask questions, I'm always around.
Thanks! I shall!
Hello and (belated) welcome To Hive :)
I see a couple of other comments have mentioned The Ink Well founded by @raj808, a writer like yourself, currently taking a break from Hive, and where I'm part of the editorial team along with @stormlight, @jayna and @carolkean.
We are looking to develop The Ink Well as an alternative source of income for writers. When you have an opportunity, you may find the following useful: The Ink Well June Newsletter and some background research I've done towards a proposal for external investment funding to help develop an audience for The Ink Well.
I'm just back from holiday and we're finishing the judging for a Writing Prize, so things have been a little quiet, but everything will be starting up again soon. Look forward to seeing you when you are ready and would love to have a chat with you about your ideas.
Best wishes!
Hello and thank you so much for this.
I'll have a read of the links you highlighted, and I've joined the Ink Well community (I think, I'm still getting used to this!). I find it's always a good thing to talk to other writers and it always proves surprising just how much can be gained from doing so; I'm very much looking forward to reading others' posts and chatting.
Many thanks!
Alex
Welcome to Hive @notatravelwriter! It's great to see another writer on the platform!
Hello and thank you! I've followed you and I'm looking forward to reading some of your own words.
Alex
You’re welcome! Likewise!