Chapter 23 by James Garside

James Garside
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A regular series of irregular thoughts. Could be anything. Mostly rants. Warning: May contain traces of sarcasm. Chapter 23 is a multimedia project by James Garside. Journalist, Author, Writer. Part-time vagabond, full-time grumpy arse. Would you care for a cup of tea? I write about everything from art, culture, and politics to tech, travel, and the occult. Sometimes in ways that get me into trouble. I'm also funny — I probably should've led with that. I help writers and artists to do their best work. Let's be part of each other's stories. More at: jamesgarside.net jamesgarside.substack.com

  1. 3d ago

    EP0020 Notes: Generation Hex (Reading) - Chapter 23 by James Garside

    Notes from a book that rewired my brain “If I hear one more person who brags about their trips with Terence McKenna or Timothy Leary I might become what people refer to as evil.”  — Rachel Haywire In the early noughties I read Generation Hex: New Voices from Outside Reality. It was a magick antholocy edited by Jason Louv and published by Disinformation. Back when I was still young, beautiful, and hopeful. Well, at least one of those things. I mean kinda. This is where I first encountered James Curcio and Rachel Haywire. People whose works I still love and admire to this day. I scribbled notes at the time like a normal person. Then years later I published them as a blog post like some sort of deranged anthropologist. This is that post. Best read in a darkened room with the lights out and your eyes shut. I’ve no idea what’s what anymore so please consider it a great big messy misquote and go buy the actual book. Thoth is the god of magick and writing. Coincidence? I think not. Make of that what you will. Come back 2005, all is forgiven. This episode is brought to you by: Nobody. Links: Original: Notes: Generation Hex Substack: jamesgarside.substack.com Medium: medium.com/@jamesgarside_ Youtube: www.youtube.com/@jamesgarside Web: jamesgarside.net Chapter 23 by James Garside. A regular series of irregular thoughts. Could be anything. Mostly rants. Warning: May contain traces of sarcasm. Chapter 23 is a multimedia project by James Garside. Journalist, Author, Writer. Part-time vagabond, full-time grumpy arse. Would you care for a cup of tea? I write about everything from art, culture, and politics to tech, travel, and the occult. Sometimes in ways that get me into trouble. I’m also funny — I probably should’ve led with that. I help writers and artists to do their best work. Let’s be part of each other’s stories. More at: jamesgarside.net Get full access to Chapter 23 by James Garside at jamesgarside.substack.com/subscribe

    EP0020 Notes: Generation Hex (Reading) - Chapter 23 by James Garside

  2. Jul 6

    EP0019 Some Notes on Presentation Skills (Reading) - Chapter 23 by James Garside

    Notes from a public speaking workshop that actually helped “Words are like sweets.” — Jane Oakshott Notes from a presentation skills workshop I took with the wonderful Jane Oakshott. Taken years ago when public speaking used to give me full-blown panic attacks. Now I never speak to anyone. Problem solved. Hold for laugh. Thank you, I’ll be here all week. This workshop included the most useful advice I’d ever received about public speaking. Practical advice on breathing, posture, and voice. How to stop fear from eating you alive in front of an audience. Recommended if you’ve ever had a panic attack in front of a microphone, a keyboard, or both. Some of it works as well for writing as it does for public speaking. Ten percent is what you say. Ninety percent is everything else. Stop monitoring what you’re producing. Start thinking about who you’re producing it for. This advice could save your life. If fear of public speaking is killing you. Not so much if you’re pursued by a bear. This episode is brought to you by: Nobody. Links: Original: Some Notes on Presentation Skills Substack: jamesgarside.substack.com Medium: medium.com/@jamesgarside_ Youtube: www.youtube.com/@jamesgarside Web: jamesgarside.net Chapter 23 by James Garside. A regular series of irregular thoughts. Could be anything. Mostly rants. Warning: May contain traces of sarcasm. Chapter 23 is a multimedia project by James Garside. Journalist, Author, Writer. Part-time vagabond, full-time grumpy arse. Would you care for a cup of tea? I write about everything from art, culture, and politics to tech, travel, and the occult. Sometimes in ways that get me into trouble. I’m also funny — I probably should’ve led with that. I help writers and artists to do their best work. Let’s be part of each other’s stories. More at: jamesgarside.net Get full access to Chapter 23 by James Garside at jamesgarside.substack.com/subscribe

    EP0019 Some Notes on Presentation Skills (Reading) - Chapter 23 by James Garside

  3. Jun 29

    EP0018 Why Do You Write? To Show the World its Own Dreams (Reading) - Chapter 23 by James Garside

    My answer to a question you should never try to answer “All writers are shamans and creativity is a magickal act.” — James Garside This was the closest I ever came to writing a mission statement. It was a long time ago, I promise! What do you write? Why do you write? There are questions no writer wants to answer. File next to: “Where do you get your ideas from?” “Have you written anything I’ve heard of?” And “Do you like Harry Potter?” I want to show the world its own dreams. That’s the phrase I came up with when forced to explain why I write. I know how it sounds. But I said what I said. This piece was my attempt to explain what I meant without making things worse. Which is a hard line to walk when your philosophy sounds like it belongs on a t-shirt. Magick shows up. Shamanism shows up. Bill Hicks shows up. Whether any of it lands or not depends on you. Are you the sort of person who growls when asked why they write or do you have a two-hour answer ready? I’m a bit of both and / or neither depending on the day. What do you write? Why do you write? Answers on a postcard please. This episode is brought to you by: Nobody. Links: Original: Why Do You Write? To Show the World its Own Dreams Substack: jamesgarside.substack.com Medium: medium.com/@jamesgarside_ Youtube: www.youtube.com/@jamesgarside Web: jamesgarside.net Chapter 23 by James Garside. A regular series of irregular thoughts. Could be anything. Mostly rants. Warning: May contain traces of sarcasm. Chapter 23 is a multimedia project by James Garside. Journalist, Author, Writer. Part-time vagabond, full-time grumpy arse. Would you care for a cup of tea? I write about everything from art, culture, and politics to tech, travel, and the occult. Sometimes in ways that get me into trouble. I’m also funny — I probably should’ve led with that. I help writers and artists to do their best work. Let’s be part of each other’s stories. More at: jamesgarside.net Get full access to Chapter 23 by James Garside at jamesgarside.substack.com/subscribe

    EP0018 Why Do You Write? To Show the World its Own Dreams (Reading) - Chapter 23 by James Garside

  4. Jun 22

    EP0017 The Post-it Notes of a Non-writing Writer (Reading) - Chapter 23 by James Garside

    Deranged monkeys, shiny things, and the madness of writers not writing “A non-writing writer is, in fact, a monster courting insanity.” — Franz Kafka There’s a specific misery of wanting to write and not writing. What that does to a writer. If you know, you know. If you don’t, you will. Kafka said it better than I ever could. I only quoted him so that you’d keep reading. This is a handful of fragments. Post-it notes from inside my head. It isn’t a polished piece. That’s sort of the point. What do you mean lazy? I’m not lazy. I’m efficient. There’s also a monkey. Did I mention the monkey? Look at the monkey! This episode is brought to you by: Nobody. Links: Original: The Post-it Notes of a Non-writing Writer Substack: jamesgarside.substack.com Medium: medium.com/@jamesgarside_ Youtube: www.youtube.com/@jamesgarside Web: jamesgarside.net Chapter 23 by James Garside. A regular series of irregular thoughts. Could be anything. Mostly rants. Warning: May contain traces of sarcasm. Chapter 23 is a multimedia project by James Garside. Journalist, Author, Writer. Part-time vagabond, full-time grumpy arse. Would you care for a cup of tea? I write about everything from art, culture, and politics to tech, travel, and the occult. Sometimes in ways that get me into trouble. I’m also funny — I probably should’ve led with that. I help writers and artists to do their best work. Let’s be part of each other’s stories. More at: jamesgarside.net Get full access to Chapter 23 by James Garside at jamesgarside.substack.com/subscribe

    EP0017 The Post-it Notes of a Non-writing Writer (Reading) - Chapter 23 by James Garside

  5. Jun 15

    EP0016 If I Wasn’t a Fraud or Afraid (Reading) - Chapter 23 by James Garside

    The wish list I wish I didn’t need to write “I’d gladly trade a long life for a life well lived.” — James Garside Fear is the only thing standing between you and the life you want. Hesitation in the gap between knowing what you want and having the nerve to go after it. This is a list post. Which I hate. Ok it’s less a list and more a confession with line breaks. I mean that in a good way. Written years ago. Back when the gap between who I was and who I wanted to be was so wide you could lose a horse in it. Several horses even. So it could just as easily have been last Tuesday. What would you do if you weren’t a fraud or afraid? Spoiler alert: In my case quite a lot. Apparently. Including moving to Japan, paying my taxes, and brushing my teeth twice a day. Some of these things have happened. Some of them haven’t yet. I’ll leave you to work out which is which. If you’ve ever made a list of excuses instead of actually doing the thing then this one’s for you. This episode is brought to you by: Nobody. Links: Original: If I Wasn’t a Fraud or Afraid Substack: jamesgarside.substack.com Medium: medium.com/@jamesgarside_ Youtube: www.youtube.com/@jamesgarside Web: jamesgarside.net Chapter 23 by James Garside. A regular series of irregular thoughts. Could be anything. Mostly rants. Warning: May contain traces of sarcasm. Chapter 23 is a multimedia project by James Garside. Journalist, Author, Writer. Part-time vagabond, full-time grumpy arse. Would you care for a cup of tea? I write about everything from art, culture, and politics to tech, travel, and the occult. Sometimes in ways that get me into trouble. I’m also funny — I probably should’ve led with that. I help writers and artists to do their best work. Let’s be part of each other’s stories. More at: jamesgarside.net Get full access to Chapter 23 by James Garside at jamesgarside.substack.com/subscribe

    EP0016 If I Wasn’t a Fraud or Afraid (Reading) - Chapter 23 by James Garside

  6. Jun 3

    EP0015 Writer’s Notebook: Read Once and Destroy! (Reading) — Chapter 23 by James Garside

    Raw drafts and the fear of people reading them “Typing up old notebooks is a bit like injecting heroin into your eyeball — addictive, painful, and not very good for your eyes. Fun though!” — James Garside This was a list post. Back when I laboured under the false assumption that Medium was like a blog and that people read my work. It’s about as much fun as it sounds. It wasn’t worth writing. It isn’t worth reading. I don’t even recommend listening to it now. But I’ve committed to reading everything that I published on Medium out loud at least once. If only to train the software before I’m cloned by AI and can go live on a beach somewhere whilst the robots write for me. This piece is about the terror and strange joy of revisiting old notebooks. Or it would be if it was an actual piece and not a list post. Highlights include don’t be silly there are no highlights. Writing is hard. This is what I’m saying. This episode is brought to you by: Nobody. Links: Original: Writer’s Notebook: Read Once and Destroy! Substack: jamesgarside.substack.com Medium: medium.com/@jamesgarside_ Youtube: www.youtube.com/@jamesgarside Web: jamesgarside.net Chapter 23 by James Garside. A regular series of irregular thoughts. Could be anything. Mostly rants. Warning: May contain traces of sarcasm. Chapter 23 is a multimedia project by James Garside. Journalist, Author, Writer. Part-time vagabond, full-time grumpy arse. Would you care for a cup of tea? I write about everything from art, culture, and politics to tech, travel, and the occult. Sometimes in ways that get me into trouble. I’m also funny — I probably should’ve led with that. I help writers and artists to do their best work. Let’s be part of each other’s stories. More at: jamesgarside.net Get full access to Chapter 23 by James Garside at jamesgarside.substack.com/subscribe

    EP0015 Writer’s Notebook: Read Once and Destroy! (Reading) — Chapter 23 by James Garside

  7. Apr 22

    EP0014 R.I.P Graffiti Living (Reading) - Chapter 23 by James Garside

    There's gold in them there hills “Then I read my blog and realised that most of it was shit. Luckily, I have no shame.” — James Garside This episode is the sign-off for the original home of my writing on the net. It’s a self-deprecating bumper index of every post I ever wrote there — prefaced with the admission that most of it was shit. The definitive guide to the archives of my old blog. Dead but dreaming — and still out there on WordPress if you know where to look. The original post is organised by theme with links to everything worth reading and some stuff that isn’t. Dirty tricks for writers, notes from the trenches, photos of Japan. All that good stuff. This episode is brought to you by: Nobody. Links: Original: medium.com/graffitiliving/r-i-p-graffiti-living-1d47a989f835?sk=7388eb2afe3e22fc0a5b5f8b9ad87c49 Substack: jamesgarside.substack.com Medium: medium.com/@jamesgarside_ Youtube: www.youtube.com/@jamesgarside Web: jamesgarside.net Chapter 23 by James Garside. A regular series of irregular thoughts. Could be anything. Mostly rants. Warning: May contain traces of sarcasm. Chapter 23 is a multimedia project by James Garside. Journalist, Author, Writer. Part-time vagabond, full-time grumpy arse. Would you care for a cup of tea? I write about everything from art, culture, and politics to tech, travel, and the occult. Sometimes in ways that get me into trouble. I’m also funny — I probably should’ve led with that. I help writers and artists to do their best work. Let’s be part of each other’s stories. More at: jamesgarside.net Get full access to Chapter 23 by James Garside at jamesgarside.substack.com/subscribe

    EP0014 R.I.P Graffiti Living (Reading) - Chapter 23 by James Garside

  8. Apr 15

    EP0013 Notes from the Trenches - Ask Me Anything (Reading) - Chapter 23 by James Garside

    An open invite to ask me anything (preferably about writing) “Ask me anything. Over to you.” — James Garside Back when the internet was a much friendlier place I put out an open invite to ask me anything. It went better than you might expect. This episode is proof that sometimes the best way to figure out what to write next is to chat with your friends. I returned to my blog after a hiatus and threw open the doors to questions about writing and whatever else people wanted to know. What do you mean I was out of ideas and hoped that my audience would do the work for me? For the record, people asked lots of smart, witty, intelligent questions. It was a happier time. The internet is a trash fire now, and my days of being chatty are long gone, but for the handful of people who still care there’s an easy way to get hold of me. I don’t have all the answers but I do have lots of half-arsed opinions and that’s almost the same thing. Want to chat? Buy me a coffee and you can ask me anything: buymeacoffee.com/jamesgarside This episode is brought to you by: Nobody. Links: Original: medium.com/graffitiliving/notes-from-the-trenches-ask-me-anything-2fece9e3c165?sk=f1a5ef27435ba49bab888eb7608ba6c9 Substack: jamesgarside.substack.com Medium: medium.com/@jamesgarside_ Youtube: www.youtube.com/@jamesgarside Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/jamesgarside Web: jamesgarside.net Chapter 23 by James Garside. A regular series of irregular thoughts. Could be anything. Mostly rants. Warning: May contain traces of sarcasm. Chapter 23 is a multimedia project by James Garside. Journalist, Author, Writer. Part-time vagabond, full-time grumpy arse. Would you care for a cup of tea? I write about everything from art, culture, and politics to tech, travel, and the occult. Sometimes in ways that get me into trouble. I’m also funny — I probably should’ve led with that. I help writers and artists to do their best work. Let’s be part of each other’s stories. More at: jamesgarside.net Get full access to Chapter 23 by James Garside at jamesgarside.substack.com/subscribe

    EP0013 Notes from the Trenches - Ask Me Anything (Reading) - Chapter 23 by James Garside
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A regular series of irregular thoughts. Could be anything. Mostly rants. Warning: May contain traces of sarcasm. Chapter 23 is a multimedia project by James Garside. Journalist, Author, Writer. Part-time vagabond, full-time grumpy arse. Would you care for a cup of tea? I write about everything from art, culture, and politics to tech, travel, and the occult. Sometimes in ways that get me into trouble. I'm also funny — I probably should've led with that. I help writers and artists to do their best work. Let's be part of each other's stories. More at: jamesgarside.net jamesgarside.substack.com

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