Carolyn go and me (aka Gerlingo and Me)

after the west block (After the last blog)

… using Siri I was recommended another free speech to text

… App to try out. 

Siri and me

Source: http://www.cultofmac.com/

today’s blog is going to be a little bit different from normal because I’m using the help of Siri on my iPad. (why no capital letter?) I’m not going to edit any of what I’ve put in today (I have added edits in brackets) and it will have all the mistakes that Siri has made. This is my second attempt at trying to write the blog because

…Siri keeps freezing just like that. I never had to use speech to text while I was at university. My particular dyslexia makes it harder for me to read rather than writing. 

#AmWriting

I had a strange dream yesterday morning which inspired me to start writing a short story. I haven’t written any stories since I was at school, though I have had plenty of ideas for writing books that I am collecting together. This story is completely unrelated to the fictional book that I want to write and which I have mentioned on the blog before.

The title at the moment is ‘Howard’s Gaol’ which is a fictional creation from my dream yesterday morning. I am hoping to have a first draft by the end of the week so I am going to finish this blog, drink my cup of tea and work out what music to listen to that will keep my within my creative state of mind.

The story currently has no real structure to it or an ending. I have my character who is currently very 2D with a name and a little bit of background. I’m just writing to see where the story goes and to see where I need to start improving in my storytelling if I seriously want to start writing fictional books.

I will keep you all posted on my progress. So far I am over 1000 words and have a rough introduction and two draft chapters that I am adding to. I am not giving anything other than the title away for now…

Dyslexia and Me: Treading Water

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/cassano0580/steampunk

There are only so many hours in a day…

I have been finding myself very overwhelmed the last few weeks. I started a new job, which is the best job I have had and I love it a lot. I am only working part-time so I have loads of spare time to do other things like blogging, genealogy, listening to music, writing reviews, writing ideas for my books, pulling together questions for #DDChat, joining in other Twitter chats, watching Game of Thrones… 

Dyslexia and Me: STEM – Engineering – John Britten

John Kenton Britten

John Kenton Britten from Christchurch, New Zealand, was the founder of the Britten Motorcycle Company. He built his first motor powered go-kart at the age of 12 and at 13 he and his mate restored a motorcycle they found in a ditch. He went on to develop motorcycles that set a number of world speed records.

Although John struggled at school with dyslexia he completed a four-year mechanical engineering course at night school. He worked in the UK for four months with Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners on a design to link the M1 and M4 motorways. He returned to New Zealand and became the sole design engineer for Rowe Engineering where he designed off-road equipment and heavy machinery.

You can find out more about John Kenton Britten here: http://www.britten.co.nz

#blogging4charity – The Apollo Mission

Source: http://www.space-images.com/

For my next #blogging4charity challenge, I will need help from all my readers and followers of Dyslexia and Me! Yes, that means you!

I want to raise as much money this year as I can for the British Dyslexia Association by boldly going on my very own Apollo Mission!!! 

#DDChat Questions 14th May 2015

After an absence last week (because I was travelling home when it was meant to be on) #DDChat returns to Twitter this evening!

If you would like to join us then head onto Twitter and look for the hashtag #DDChat!

This week’s questions are listed below. 

Dyslexia and Me: Genealogy, Poetry and Degrees

Source: http://www.lushland.co.uk

Genealogy

In the last month I have been doing a lot of genealogical research. I find it highly addictive and I am sure that between myself and my mum we have spent a small fortune on delving into our family’s history. I love trying to put the bits of the jigsaw together and find it more relaxing than tasking. I think the only thing I find highly irritating is the amount of misinformation people have on their family trees on Ancestry which takes you off down the wrong path completely.

A great example of this was when someone had assumed that our common ancestor, who was a shepherd from Fife in Scotland, was somehow linked to a lord and lady and linked through generations to Charlemagne and the Roman Empire. Actually there were two families with very similar names, both the husband and wife, who were married within a few years of each other in Fife. One was the family of a lord and lady, the other was the family of more shepherds. Think it’s safe to say which one my family was tied to, but there were several family trees that had gone with the misinformation. 

Dyslexia and Me: STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Part 1

I found this clip very interesting as we had discussed Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (or STEM) on #DDChat the other week. When people discuss dyslexia, they usually mention how creative or entrepreneurial people with dyslexia may be and point to a list of artists, actors and actresses, musicians, filmmakers and business owners. So what about STEM?