In reworking my website over the past few weeks, I’ve had a lot of time to stare at my writing, in particular the reviews of films, books, music and games. I realised, quite quickly, there was something really lacking in that department. I never claimed to be a seasoned critic of any kind, but even I could see that the reviews had gotten vague and lazy. It’s all very well …

I have always, always been a cheerleader for blogging in any form. I think the spirit of sharing things, writing things down, just having an outlet and tiny corner of the web for yourself is a brilliant and important thing. In the past, I've come up with challenges to help encourage people to read and comment on blogs, and taken part in other experiments to share thoughts and feelings about …

The Guardian published an interesting post last week about audiobook narration and the impact artificial intelligence could have on it. The post talks to an author who was working with Apple on a secret project that allows AI voices to provide the narration on an audiobook - and evaluates whether it’s any good or not. From sentence to sentence, the cadence of the narrator’s voice glides forward, then snags on …

I'm writing this post in the Ulysses writing app which, I just learned, can connect to Wordpress and publish posts directly without having to interface with the awful Wordpress app. This is potentially the final stage in the "using the iPad for pretty much everything you need to do", for which I have written a post previously and intend to write an update on very soon. And just to fully …

Maggie, aka Mighty Girl, is one of the reasons I started my own Life List many moons ago, and I'm always interested to see her take on resolutions, goals and achievements to undertake. Whilst her resolutions this year may be minimalistic, they are none the less inspiring, particularly this one about putting pen to paper/finger to keyboard. Write and write and write and write. It’s like talking, as much as …

Recently, I’ve noticed a few people lacking motivation when it comes to writing – specifically in this instance about blogging. I thought I’d share a few of my favourite tips on getting back your writing mojo, whatever the project, because it’s a new year and a good time to blow the dust off that keyboard. I’m not an expert, by any means, but I’ve written and I’ve had writer’s block, …

I've been following the progress of Ghost, a new Kickstarter-funded blogging platform, for a while. It just recently went live for self-hosted blogs, which I briefly considered signing up to. I really want to try out and encourage new blogging formats, rather than the same-old, same-old, but having been through the pain of self-hosted, I decided I'd wait for the hosted solution instead. This week, the brilliant Ghost folks gave …

I've kept a diary on and off for years. The first diary I remember writing was in one of those exercise books where half the page is blank and half the page is lines with enormous spacing. We would draw and write about our day. I don't draw well, but I probably didn't write very well in those days either. I also recall later keeping a diary in the back …

Last time I checked, the new Formula One season was still something like 80+ days away. The beautiful off-season stretched luxuriously ahead of us and there was all the time in the world to knuckle down to some projects. Then I blinked. Now there are 20 days left. That's like, three weeks. The off season is all but over and what do I have to show for it? Well, actually, …

Way back in February, I left the comfort of a good job with a vague idea of changing careers. It felt like the right time to do it and I knew I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to leave one job with time to look for another one - the right one - to come along. I went for a couple of interviews here and there, but was …

As if I wasn't already taking over the internet enough, I've set up another domain and site. If you head over to christineblachford.com you will find a quite sparse, but in progress website. That is the place where I'll be specifically posting updates about books and writing and that kind of thing. Don't think I won't talk about that stuff here too, but it felt sensible to nab the domain …

Recently, I have talked a lot about writing. I talked about the process of doing it: I’m quite lucky in that what I’m doing has specific sections so I know how far I am through it. Seeing the percentage creep up each day is really motivating, although the days when it stays the same is less so. It’s also good to say, when I get to this percentage then I …

With this writing lark, I'm sort of at a stage where proofreading comes into play. I'm pretty good at proofreading. I've spent the past several years sub-editing posts on Sidepodcast to check for spelling and grammar and that kind of thing. I've spent plenty of time reading and re-reading posts on here to make sure they at least flow, if not make some kind of sense. I even spent a …

At the moment, I'm busy, busy trying to write the most lengthy thing I have ever written. No specifics, you know how it is, but writing something like this is a process I've read about so often and never really got this far with. Things that help: Being in a different place. I was writing whilst I was off on my alphabet adventure and at the end of the day, …

Sincere apologies for the delay in getting this final part up, I wasn't trying to drag out the ending in a reality show results style, honest. Here's how the last voting of this series went: Sometimes we like to play it safe, sometimes we like to take a risk. Mitch watched as both the cars in front of him peeled off the racing line. In his mirrors, he saw Bruno …

Can't quite believe this is the penultimate part already. Time flies. As Ian mentioned in the comments, I am still chasing that second unanimous vote but it was not to be this time. Here's a bumper edition to see us into the final part nicely. "Come on," Pierre said, pushing Mitch back towards the car. "Do you want to give Mason more reason to consider Diaz?" "What?" "Get back out …

I was secretly hoping for a repeat of the unanimous vote achievement, but this one was not quite so straight forward. A couple of people are concerned for Mitch's welfare, but most want to see him back behind the wheel. "I'm in!" Mitch yelled, bursting back into the motorhome with glee. He stopped abruptly, when he realised a group of fans were being shown around. Melissa hurried over to him, …

I thought I would throw this poll open as it was great fun when we did that last time. You guys didn't disappoint. Sandro was the top answer, the obvious choice really, I suppose. I do love the options, although I'm not sure Mr C has a super-licence at the moment. Also, I'm quite intrigued by Mason's cousin. Would that make him Uncle Mortimer's son, and what kind of family …

Party people! It's only right to celebrate, no matter what kind of a headache you've got! See? Let us see what a Mortimer celebration is like! Mitch sat at the hotel bar, watching the celebrations going on around him. Mason and Bella were entertaining a large group of mechanics, regular bursts of laughter drowning out any other chatter. He sipped at his orange juice. Melissa appeared at his side, and …

I'm not sure we've ever had a unanimous vote before, how exciting! I hear ya! Mitch brought the car in, stopping perfectly inside the Mortimer GP pit box. He was hoisted up on jacks, the crew changed his tyres, and out of the corner of his eye he spotted an extra mechanic having a closer look at the rear end of the car. It felt like he was stationery for …

Here are the results of the gridwalk poll: As noted in the comments, Mitch is normally painted as the good guy, and I had thought the gridwalk would be a sure thing, but as a die-hard racer, Mitch is more professional than that, and Pierre wins his attention. So, on with the chapter. Mitch waved a hand at the cameras and offered a positive thumbs up, but turned his attention …

You're all so adventurous! I will not chatter too much now, except to say the wiki page is pretty much done, so head over and have a look at everything you could possibly need to know about Life in the Fast Lane. Don't go yet, though, we've got a chapter to get through. The dry tyres were on, and Mitch's car was lowered to the ground. He could see the …

Ahh, I missed this. Mitch and Mason and them all. As my favourite lady of the moment would say: Such fun!I must point you towards the brand new section of the wiki dedicated to Life in the Fast Lane. It has all kinds of crazy information about characters and plot points, plus some fantastic livery designs from Lukeh. It's a work in progress but it's going to be excellent. Anyways, …

"WHERE IS IT?" Mason roared. The mechanics nearby jumped, and rapidly turned their attention to minute tasks. Mason glared at them, but getting no response, he began stomping around the car. "What's going on?" Melissa asked, approaching Mitch with his drinks bottle. They watched the spectacle from their side of the garage. "Mason has it in his head that he needs his lucky wristband," Mitch shook his head. "It's a …

I'm currently in the process of sorting out and organising my writing notes. This sounds a lot grander than it really is. When I used to write, I started dozens of notebooks, scribbled on scraps of paper, and created quite a few Word documents. They were saved all over the place, both in terms of hard drives, and boxes. When I started writing again, I began a new system, and …

Sorry this final part has taken so long to appear. Perhaps sub-consciously I just did not want to say goodbye to our characters. Either that or I was really quite busy. However, we must say goodbye, and here is how we're going to do it - the results of our final vote. Melissa's future caused quite a bit of discussion but we have a definitive answer: Mitch sat in the …

Well now, that was a really fun experiment! For a long time Mitch was leading the vote, but Bruno snuck up from behind and took glory. Only Mason was chosen twice out of the various Other suggestions. I am intensely curious where the idea of Damon Hill came from. Anyway, on with the story. "Bruno," Melissa sighed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "What are you doing?" "I just wanted …

I am very impressed with how good and honest you all are: Let's see how she takes it! Also for today's poll, I thought we'd try out the "fill in your own" option. Much fun! "Come with me," Mitch said, taking her by the arm and leading her through the crowd. They slipped out into the corridor and Melissa followed Mitch as he rounded the corner and walked ahead. He …

I needed a few days for this one to come to fruition, but we're getting there. Now we are on part seven and beyond, I know where I'm going with each outcome. We have some end goals in sight, people. Here are the results for the last vote: I thought it might be closer than that, but interesting voting, nonetheless. Now for part 7: "I'm not going to race you, …

We're entering into the second half of our story now, and things are hotting up. Old rivalries come to the fore, and new relationships are tested. There, that ought to look good on the back of the book. Here are the results of the vote: That Mitch, he does like handling things himself. "Don't make any calls, Mason. You sound like you're in the mafia." "You never know," Mason chuckled. …

Certainly a very tricky situation, and how will Mitch try and get out of it? Mitch slammed his foot on the brake but knew that stopping wasn't an option. The track was slippery and grip was almost non-existent. Bruno was inches away. Mitch jerked the car left, as hard as it would go, and held his breath. Bruno steered the other way, but his out of control Shuttleworth continued sideways. …

My timing seems to have gone all wonky now. I closed the poll late, and this post has appeared later than I'd hoped. I can only apologise. Here are the results for the poll on Part 3: Quite the majority! Awww, you guys. "Wow!" Mitch said, hugging her quickly. "Congratulations. I'll have to take you out for a celebratory drink." "I turned it down," Melissa said. "A commiseratory drink?" "I …

Oh, wow, I have wrestled with this next section. I wrote it. Then I wrote it again with about six different endings. Then I went back to the original ending. It may still not be right yet. But let's go with it. "This is nice," Melissa said, as the waiter offered her a menu. Bruno smiled. "Wine?" he asked. "No, no, just a sparkling water for me. Can't drink on …

Yay for the return of Mitch and Friends. If anyone wants a quick catchup on everything that has happened so far, or wants a reminder of which character was which, I created a Life in the Fast Lane page with all you need to know. Now, the results of the vote for Part 1: I am glad that everyone on the list got some votes, I thought it might be …

So, here it is. The return of Mitch and his friends. I wanted to write a ten-step story on a different topic but I wasn't inspired by anything else, and I missed Mitch. Marilene sent me a tweet and suddenly the sequel was there in my head, as though it had always been there. So thanks to Marilene, and thanks to you for reading. I hope it's okay! Melissa took …

I can't quite believe we've reached the final part already, and yet, so much has happened to Mitch in just nine short chapters! This final vote was a very interesting one for me, and as ever, I was surprised at the voting. Not necessarily at the result, but at the margins and at the fact that the lead didn't change hands once. I want to thank everyone who took the …

Once again, the voting on the last poll really surprised me. For a long while, the daredevil answer was winning - don't listen to the team, just go for it. However, a more sensible approach seems to have won: So, Mitch is ready to do what the team wants, but on his own terms. Where will that lead? Today's vote will be the last one, and whilst I'm sure it's …

The vote for part seven was interesting because the conservative approach was winning to start with, but then all the rebels appeared and gave us the answer we now have: I had to explain the difference between the two qualifying approaches to my mother who said she can't wait until I have a less motorsport related story going on. For now, though, we're about to qualify in Monaco. “Just wait,” …

I really enjoyed the last round of voting. Instead of a moral decision, or something that defines Mitch as a character, it was simply a "what obstacle shall we throw in his path" and you got to make that decision. The voting changed drastically throughout, but there could only be one winner. It seems as though Mason has got under everyone's skin, whether it is for good or for bad! …

And thus we begin the second half of our story, and part six is here. The voting was down a little for the last section, but I am not surprised. It's not really a difficult choice between partying and studying, is it? Ah, it was closer than I suspected. Good stuff. However, it is party time in Monaco, and Mitch and Bruno are ready to hit the town. Please note …

We have reached Part 5 of our story, halfway through, and I still have no idea how it’s going to end. I’m starting to get a vague sense of direction though, which is always good. Fun, isn’t it? The voting picked up again for Part 4, which was lovely to see, and the winner was also quite an outright favourite from the start: It’s interesting that Mitch didn’t get to …

Here we are with part four of our story, a day later than expected. Sorry about that, there was podcasting to be done. So, how did the vote go for part three? I was quite surprised with the result: I thought perhaps the voting would be more adventurous, this is fiction after all and anything can happen! It seems as though reality was more convincing though, and we all know …

Here we are with Part 3. The pattern seems to have evolved to a chapter being posted, voting for a day, and then a day-ish for writing. I hope you're enjoying the story so far, I've certainly been impressed with the voting. Speaking of which: I thought love was a bit of a long shot, but with Valentine's Day just around the corner, you never know. Anyway, rivalry it is, …

Hi, my name's Christine and I'm a blogaholic. My global dashboard in Wordpress is looking pretty scary right now. I started a brand new blog called Ten Step Stories [link defunct], and it's fiction. This is quite a big deal, although I don't know why. The basic premise is a story, told in ten separate parts, and at the end of each, you get to decide what happens next via …

Thank you to everyone for all the encouraging feedback following Ten Step Stories’ debut. I haven’t really written fiction for a couple of years so it was a bit of a push to hit the publish button. I’m glad I did though. Thank you. The voting was close. On the first day, it looked as though Mitch would be heading over to beat the living daylights out of his rival, …