Community developer blogs

Neil Dixon

Recent Posts

• Learning through frustration

  Posted: 04 Jul 2009 at 18:04 by neil

  If this morning was any indication, today threatened to thunder uncontrollably down hill into what all you cool internet types would recognise as a Big Fat Über-Fail! Having this week purchased additional gear to make the most of drawing and sketching on-site (as opposed to snapping photographs and sketches then working purely in my “studio”), I [...]

• Can I borrow your pencil?

  Posted: 29 Jun 2009 at 09:54 by neil

  I am sketching at a nearby church late on Sunday morning (see image), and experience an interesting encounter. Some of the dialogue here may be paraphrased but I assure you not exaggerated. I stand at one side of the gated entrance – the most interesting composition in that particular light – and peek up from my [...]

• Another pet drawing: a cat

  Posted: 12 Jun 2009 at 09:35 by neil

  ---- All rights reserved. nd.com Read on... I had forgotten the challenge of rendering short, fluffy cat fur in pencil! addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fneildixon.com%2Fanother-pet-drawing-cat%2F'; addthis_title = 'Another+pet+drawing%3A+a+cat'; addthis_pub = ''; Tags: art, cat, drawing, pets, portrait Related posts It’s been a while, but here’s a dog (2) Minor Technicality [

• It’s been a while, but here’s a dog

  Posted: 07 Jun 2009 at 20:39 by neil

  ---- All rights reserved. nd.com Read on... The latest batch of artworks are up on my flickr and artBlog. The most recent (above) is something of a departure from previous work there, and perhaps might surprise a few regular visitors.  Before becoming wrapped in the world of the web, I earned some of my crust [...]

• The Writer’s Handbook event blow-by-blow

  Posted: 07 Jun 2009 at 13:32 by neil

  Yesterday’s series of seminar sessions put on for writers by The Writer’s Handbook, was, unsurprisingly, a mixed bag of great and worthless information. Thankfully, the good stuff more than compensated for the bad. Our immediate impression was of a room filed with people who do not get out much. But what else might you expect of [...]

• A writer’s event

  Posted: 06 Jun 2009 at 09:28 by neil

  Today we are attending a day of seminars put together by The Writers Handbook. The very reasonably priced day (just £30) appears to be packed with informative sessions tailored to the fledgeling writer. Sessions cover specifics of the publishing business, talks from literary agents, and appearances by authors willing to share their personal experiences on [...]

• The temptation of social networks

  Posted: 03 Jun 2009 at 07:52 by neil

  What do you do when you come across a list of literary agents and publishers on twitter? That’s right, spam the lot of them! I now follow a number of literary agents who use twitter, thanks to a recently distributed list. It has turned out to be quite an education. Amongst the personal messages and posts [...]

• Minor Technicality 49 - Press gang culture

  Posted: 01 Jun 2009 at 09:29 by neil

  MT49 - Press Gang Culture: The UK MP expenses fracas has me all riled about the media and reminds me why I do not read newspapers. An update on the final episode of Persistent Spirit. Some new projects on the horizon, including a video show!

• A quick negative from an agent is best

  Posted: 24 May 2009 at 10:23 by neil

  A quick update on progress… I mentioned recently about switching tactics and approaching literary agents with an initial query letter rather than a package of letter, synopsis, and sample chapters (based on each agent’s preference).  Some agents make it known that they will respond within a few days, to query letters. My experience so far has been just that. [...]

• The next cycle

  Posted: 12 May 2009 at 16:33 by neil

  The first round of approaches to literary agents are back - all rejections. So it is time to regroup and prepare for the next batch, with a new tactic… I wrote recently about receiving rejections from literary agents. There is always a little disappointment to receive a negative response, after all, you are trying to gain [...]

• Minor Technicality #48 - iphone nostalgia and no espresso for you

  Posted: 09 May 2009 at 11:23 by neil

  MINOR TECHNICALITY 48 - Woe is me, my Zoom H4 seems to have died! Living in Spain and we know where we want to be. Fitness and bike gadgets - getting fit whilst staying safe. Nostalgia and iphone - some surprises on new iphone apps.

• Where is the castle?

  Posted: 07 May 2009 at 07:03 by neil

  I have memories of visiting model villages as a child, little did I expect to end up driving around one. Our typical exploratory excursions, sans GPS, consist of defining a destination or three, making a wrong turn or two, and at least once impulsively detouring to explore something that whispers of old stuff to look around.  [...]

• This is why I love to sketch

  Posted: 05 May 2009 at 20:29 by neil

  We were sat grabbing a café solo (espresso) at our favourite restaurant last week in Dénia: Manduka. Nothing like a few minutes free to grab a pen and sketchbook. There I was, scribbling away nothing more interesting (to most) than the view directly ahead of me, over the nearby tables and along the street towards Dénia’s [...]

• Orange groves with benefits

  Posted: 05 May 2009 at 08:33 by neil

  Holiday for us is soaking up the local culture whilst avoiding most of the tourist traps. Last week in Spain’s Costa Blanca is no exception and led to a discovery of something never mentioned in brochures. Sunday, 26th April: We found ourselves exploring north from our base south of the fishing and ferry port of Denia, [...]

• Officially needing more Spain

  Posted: 03 May 2009 at 16:25 by neil

  Just like Jen, I too left my heart in Dénia last week.  The past week was more than just a vacation, it was a scouting trip. For the first few days we scoured towns in the Valcencia region of Spain, with the aim of appreciating the area more and establishing whether Dénia is indeed the place [...]

• Street photography in Britain

  Posted: 24 Apr 2009 at 08:47 by neil

  I am never one to share the cry of scare-mongers without looking deeper. So when changes to the Terrorism Act appear to have given the Police rather draconian powers against photography in pubic, I wanted to gain some clarity on our regal rights. It turns out those scare-mongers have been at work again. We regularly read [...]

• A new and very unique sketchbook

  Posted: 15 Apr 2009 at 16:39 by neil

  I adore Moleskines. I love them for writing, but I struggle to be satisfied with them for sketching. So the once quiet hunt for the ideal sketchbook recently took a turn for the better. What’s wrong with Molesknes for sketching? The very uniform and predictable paper - which is either a little too heavy or a [...]

• Not one decent shot of Weylands Smithy

  Posted: 14 Apr 2009 at 08:45 by neil

  Sometimes the intent fails but the outcome is far more interesting! A short outing to Weyland’s Smithy (an ancient burial site) yesterday resulted not in great photos of the barrow itself, but what we found when wandering around nearby. ---- All rights reserved. nd.com Read on... Much of my fail yesterday was due to not spending [...]

• GoDaddy coupon codes April 2009

  Posted: 14 Apr 2009 at 06:30 by neil

  It’s that time again for a recap on valid, non-expired GoDaddy promo codes and coupons. MTECH1 : Ten percent (10%) discount from almost any order MTECH2: twenty percent (20%) discount when you spend more than $50 MTECH330: thirty percent (30%) off a .com domain name. This also works when you need to renew your .com domains, and can [...]

• Persistent Spirit Chapter 35

  Posted: 12 Apr 2009 at 21:54 by neil

  CHAPTER 35 - Keynes finds himself at the mercy of his adversary, but it is not only he who is subject to her will as she reveals the darkest of secrets he has hidden for eight years