#poem, #prose, FEATURES Today Features Malc Wright

Ok, so you all know him as «Easymalc«. And we all have enjoyed his writings and learned a lot from the very thorough information he provides in his blog about the places he has travelled to. Well today is a very special day for FEATURES by VALENCIARTIST because our special, special guest is going to tell us a lot more about himself and his writings.

But before we delve into Malc’s interview and bio, I just want to remind you, yes you, the writer, the poet, the artist, the actor, the dancer etcetera, that you too can be on FEATURES by VALENCIARTIST. All you have to do is reply to this post with your email address so that I can send you the requisite information. Cheers.

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These were the three questions asked:

1) Travelling is your passion, when did you realise you would write about places you’ve seen and visited?

2) What parts of the world intrigued you most and how did you define and describe them?

3) What advice would you proffer to others who would venture to also write about their travels?

I’m not sure that I deserve inclusion in Francesc’s list of notable artists, writers and poets, but in response to his request for willing participants, I added my name to the list primarily for anyone who knows me and would like to find out a bit more – and for those who have never heard of me, you can now find out why you haven’t.

In response to the first question, I started writing about walks I covered when I was young, fit and healthy. I added them to a scrap book which I think I’ve still got, but they’ve never really seen the light of day since. It was when the low-cost flights took off that I really got interested in writing about my travels. I made notes along the way with a view to writing travelogues as a sort of diary about the things I did and places I saw.

As we all know, when we’ve got the money we haven’t got the time, and when we’ve got the time we haven’t got the money, and so thinking ahead to when I retired, I kept my notes stashed away until it was time to start writing. That time came when I took early retirement in 2009. In 2012, I joined an online travel group called Virtual Tourist who offered tips to other would-be travellers, but when it was taken over and closed down by Trip Advisor, I decided to do my own thing and start blogging, and that’s when my writing really started. 

The second question may suggest that I’m a world-wide traveller, but financial restraints have confined me mainly to the UK and Europe, but if the opportunity had presented itself, I would have loved to have seen more of the world’s great natural spectacles. Seeing wild animals in their own environment in Kenya was one thing that I did manage to witness, and I’ve never been able to look at zoos in the same way since.

Travel broadens the mind in so many ways though and history is another one of my passions. Fortunately there’s no shortage of  places of historical interest here in the UK or Europe in general, and current affairs also interest me because today’s news is tomorrow’s history. Growing up in the second half of the 20th century has given me an appetite to find out why Europe was the catalyst for two world wars and what came after, and it was for that reason that I chose to visit a fair number of places associated with those events. Like anyone else, I have opinions about places that have been under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, but I try to keep my articles on places like Northern Ireland for example as impartial as possible so that people can form their own opinions.

Not all my travels have been to trouble spots by any means, far from it. I love culture and beautiful scenery as much as anybody, but I don’t overlook the less obvious or my own backyard either. There’s something of interest everywhere if you know where to look.

The third and final question is an interesting one and I had to look at it twice. It’s not asking me to offer advice to other travellers, but to those who want to write about their experiences.

The first thing to say is that everyone should write in a way that suits them. I’m English, and I’ve been criticized for my English grammar by people who aren’t, but do I care? Of course not: Authors such as Robert Burns and R.D. Blackmore who wrote in the vernacular have got away with it, so why shouldn’t we?

Personally, I write different articles for different reasons. Some are an extension of my VT days when I offered practical advice, and some are personal accounts of my experience and more akin to a short story. I think a writer needs to focus on why he or she is writing the article in the first place. The length of it will obviously depend on the subject matter, but it’s not a good idea to ramble on for too long – like I probably am now, but it is a good idea to include humour where appropriate to stop your reader falling asleep.

That last comment now leads me to write a short bio of myself, which it has to be said, may be the most boring part of all. I was born and bred in a working class area of Bristol in England and was lucky to be brought up in a loving, but relatively poor household.

As far as education was concerned, I wasn’t bright enough to go to university, as in those days you needed to pass ‘A’ Levels to even be considered. I did manage to pass the tests needed to become an apprentice printer though, and after 5 years of training, qualified as a journeyman. I spent my whole working life in the printing trade but not in the same place, although always in the West Country. We’ve lived in cities, towns, villages, countryside and on the coast during the process.

I’ve only ever been married once – and still am. We have one grown-up daughter called Nadine, but my wife Kay is shy when it comes to having her picture in my blogs, but trust me when I say that she’s still an attractive lady. You won’t see me featured too often either – but for reasons that you’ll understand when you look at the picture below (which was taken in Rotterdam in 2012)

I’d like to thank Francesc for giving me the opportunity to let people know a little more about me and just hope that I’ve still got a few followers left after this. 😊

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Malc, I certainly do appreciate and greatly value your participation. I am sure there will be so many blogger friends out there that will enjoy it. Cheers my friend.