You can hear the recording here: http://ntslive.co.uk/?p=8672 (I’m on from 30 minutes onwards).

Diddy Wah has an absolutely amazing deep radio voice (I have a thing for deep voices). We discuss love and poetry with a shout out to Poet in the City and their upcoming event on Alfred, Lord Tennyson (did you know he spread a rumour that his relationship with his wife-to-be was forbidden?). I also read my poem, ‘The Sickliest Love Poem‘.

Amongst that, I was glowing in the glory of being on radio and wanted to tell someone. Do you know I’ve just come from a radio interview? I read out a poem of mine? No one looking at me would know.

It struck me then that the stranger whose elbow is digging into my back could be someone who has just got off TV. That person on my side could be a scientist who risks contracting killer virus every day. The person whose hair I’m trying not to eat could be a doctor who saved a life today.

The point is I don’t know their stories. Or they mine. Because of this tradition of people not talking to each other on the tube.

Everyone has stories. The people in front of me suddenly became human shaped containers of words that told their story. Cancer survivor. Husband at war frontline. Achieved a promotion. Just had her heartbroken. Recently saw the wonders of the world. Worried about debts. Is overjoyed at expecting his first child.

It occurred to me then, someone should do a TubeTalk Campaign. Change the shift so that a train will be like a friendly cafe where people talk to each other. Who knows who you could meet that way? Your next diehard customer. Writing partner. Someone whose life you’d transform with your expertise. Your next career. Best friend. The love of your life. Expanding your horizon by talking to people who’d never be in your contacts circle. A laugh. Or just a good conversation.

What do you think? And if you agree, how would you make this Tube Talk Campaign work?

To help motivate me, I’ve decided to make this a sponsored challenge.

Please sponsor me e.g. £1 or 50p for every 1,000 words I write. The money will go towards the Restless Beings One Hundred Kids Campaign (www.onehundredkids.com) to help little ones have somewhere safe to live and flourish.

You can sponsor me now or at the end of the challenge in the Donation Page here. You can join me or cheer me on at my Twitter or Facebook where I will be posting daily word count updates.

I know having this additional responsibility will make me write, whereas by myself I may lax. I really need this motivation to finish my novel! (Since the NaNoWriMo challenged ended last November, I have only written a further 300 words only!)

50 days = Monday 6th February to 26th March 2012

If you will sponsor me, please reply to this with how much you’ll sponsor me per thousand words When the challenge is over, I will contact you to make the sponsorship payment to my Donation Page, dependent of course on how many words I have completed. Or you could make your donation now, to encourage me on my way.

Example:

If you sponsor me £1 for every 1k, and at the end of the challenge I managed the 50k, that’s £50 towards a wonderful cause. Or if you sponsored me 50p, it would be £25. It doesn’t matter how much as long as it’s something – every little helps!

Thank you in advance! ♥