In Search of Substance: Themes in Writing
Gareth Long Gareth Long

In Search of Substance: Themes in Writing

What gives writing substance? Essentially, we’re talking about what the story is about rather than what happens (plot) or how it’s told (narrative). We’re talking about themes.

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Bottling Egos - short story
Gareth Long Gareth Long

Bottling Egos - short story

I know, I know. I hear your charge.
It's not my place to be alarmed
By matters of ecology
That’s not what I’m supposed to be.
A charlatan, you say? A fake?
Well listen up and hear my case
All you ”good” people gathered here today...

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Future Clues and Past Excuses
Gareth Long Gareth Long

Future Clues and Past Excuses

“It’s been a long and twisting case. Nearly two years incognito, following leads and committing to the legwork. All the usual stuff: research, writing, and more research; editing, editing, and editing again...”

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A Dream Diary #8 - September 2022
Gareth Long Gareth Long

A Dream Diary #8 - September 2022

Three dreams.

Just three dreams remembered over the whole the month.

Three dreams. Twenty seven nights with no escape. Nine without sleep.

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A Dream Diary #7 - August 2022
Gareth Long Gareth Long

A Dream Diary #7 - August 2022

The magpies double-crossed me!

I grew suspicious after posting last month’s diary, but the first week of entries for August confirmed it: most of my dreams are repeats!

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A Dream Diary #6 - July 2022
Gareth Long Gareth Long

A Dream Diary #6 - July 2022

What a month! I feel entirely energised, as if new blood is pumping through my veins. My dreams have returned in force and, what’s more, I remembered every single one of them, every day, for the entire month.

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A Dream Diary #5 - June 2022
Gareth Long Gareth Long

A Dream Diary #5 - June 2022

How is it possible to feel so tired without ever missing a night’s sleep? It’s as if the fewer dreams I have, the more tired I become…

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A Dream Diary #4 - May 2022
Gareth Long Gareth Long

A Dream Diary #4 - May 2022

I moved house at the beginning of the month, moved away from Cambridge for the first time in over fifteen years. There has been much to think about, and little time to spend trying to remember dreams.

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A Dream Diary #3 - April 2022
Gareth Long Gareth Long

A Dream Diary #3 - April 2022

It seems quite definite now – the more I try to remember my dreams, the harder it becomes. I can feel the threads of them in my mind; images of places and people; hints of sensations, feelings, emotions. But any details of events or motivations are hidden beneath. Most of the time, no matter how much I claw at my memories, I can pull nothing from them.

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A Dream Diary #2 - March 2022
Gareth Long Gareth Long

A Dream Diary #2 - March 2022

I’ve noticed this month, while trying to remember and record my dreams in writing, that the most difficult thing to remember is the order of events. Usually, there is no clear chain of cause and effect, and rarely any logical reason for events to occur.

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