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Robert John Goddard

Seeheim-Jugenheim

So - who am I? I was born in Thames Ditton, Surrey, in 1952. I attended the local school until 1963, passed the 11 plus exam and went to Rutlish School, Wimbledon. I have a B.A. in History (1976), a Postgraduate Diploma in International Marketing (1990), and a Masters Degree in Education (1996). I have lived and worked in Italy, Portugal, Jordan and Germany. All of my novels contain elements of my experiences in these places. I currently live near Frankfurt with my German wife and 11-year-old son, Anton. I also have a 36-year-old son, Alexander, from my first marriage.

Recent Activity

Inspiration and muse or just another job?

I have heard it said that sonatas, plays, poems, sculptures and even sentences and phrases for our books are waiting for us to find and release them. Apparently, Michelangelo said that he released his David from the rock in which he found him. It certainly looks like the figures in... Continue reading

Posted 6 days ago at Thoughts and words

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inspiration from the man-child.

This individual's story is an inspiration for the struggling writer. His life is a wonderful example of character development and a way to hook the reader to take his side against all the odds. Our story is a classic rags to riches story. Biographies suggest this man was born and... Continue reading

Posted 7 days ago at Thoughts and words

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Inspiration from onions - know them

Reading a variety of newspapers has been a habit of mine since studying History at university. Reading widely offers me a wide range of views and perceptions so that, in the end, I can better make up my own mind and decide for myself. This is, perhaps, the most important... Continue reading

Posted Dec 9, 2018 at Thoughts and words

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Inspiration from the adult orphan

Most parents love their children. I say "most" because I am sure we all know that parents can also hurt and disturb their children. Nonetheless, for most adults, losing parents hurts. And when they are gone, you become an adult orphan and this is something few people can imagine until... Continue reading

Posted Dec 8, 2018 at Thoughts and words

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Who do you think you are - part 2

I wonder if it is the market economy that is persuading people that they can create the person they want to be. Go to anyone bookshop chain and find the self-help section. You can be sure that the shelves will be full of books telling us that life is not... Continue reading

Posted Dec 6, 2018 at Thoughts and words

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Who the hell do you think you are?

Are you fundamentally the same person you were when you were a child and/or a young adult? How, if at all, are you different? These are fascinating questions to approach for anybody and not only writers. And when, as senior citizens, we look back at our younger selves, how accurate... Continue reading

Posted Dec 5, 2018 at Thoughts and words

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Pictures tell a thousand words

There is an exhibition in the nearby town of Bickenbach at the moment. The exhibits are photographs taken by one couple, every year at Christmas, between 1900 and 1945. The couple were Richard Wagner (no relation to the famous composer) and his wife Anna. For me, such photos are inspirational... Continue reading

Posted Dec 2, 2018 at Thoughts and words

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Chasing happiness

They were interviewing motorists stranded in the snow on the M8 this morning. They all seemed happy. It occurred to me that, perhaps, this happiness came from the anticipation of a free day. It also occurred to me that their happiness might stem from the fact that for several hours,... Continue reading

Posted Dec 2, 2018 at Thoughts and words

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When adaptability becomes a problem - be inspired

Many years ago, while living in Manchester, I met a man who changed his identity at the weekends. Given that I only met him at the weekends, this meant that I never knew the "real" person. He usually chose to "be" characters who needed a uniform, for example: soldiers, airline... Continue reading

Posted Nov 28, 2018 at Thoughts and words

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Inspiration from catharsis

I was watching/listening to a performance of Britten's War Requiem yesterday evening in Darmstadt and, while watching, I wondered how much of Britten's inspiration to write this piece came from catharsis. The word "catharsis" means cleansing and composing a requiem or writing a novel, a diary or poetry may sometimes... Continue reading

Posted Nov 26, 2018 at Thoughts and words

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Inspiration from nationalism? Not today, thank you.

I thought that the notion of inspiration to write through feelings of nationalism or patriotism might be a good idea. After all, when I was a boy in the 60s, I devoured the adventure books written just before or just after 1900. The writers of these books, for example: G... Continue reading

Posted Nov 23, 2018 at Thoughts and words

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Inspiration from oddities - Germany and World War 1

Take a look at the photo below. It was taken at 6.00 on the morning of Sunday 11th November 2018. The pipers in the photo are celebrating the signing of the armistice by playing, "When the Battle is over." Where do you think this photo was taken - Scotland, Ireland,... Continue reading

Posted Nov 20, 2018 at Thoughts and words

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The falling leaves drift by the window - autumn and the secret of happiness

Autumn is often associated with melancholy. I suppose this season is viewed as the end of something both warm and pleasant and, at the same time, as the beginning of something cold and wet, something that will only get worse and worse and darker and darker until the middle of... Continue reading

Posted Nov 16, 2018 at Thoughts and words

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Pictures speak a thousand words - Goldschmidt Park, Seeheim-Jugenheim

Old and ruined buildings and gardens have fascinated and excited me since I was a child. Aged just 8 or 9, I often spent happy hours wandering around the residential areas of Thames Ditton and Kington with their beautiful, but often dilapidated, Victorian mansions. I did not know it then,... Continue reading

Posted Nov 14, 2018 at Thoughts and words

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Inspiration from first love - Alte Liebe rostet nicht. First love doesn't rust, or does it?

It goes without saying that a "first time" for anything can only happen once. The first time we went to school alone. The first time we drank alcohol. The first time we fell in love. Ah, yes - first love. It never rusts, does it? Or does it? Until recently,... Continue reading

Posted Nov 13, 2018 at Thoughts and words

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Inspiration from the politically correct

There are advantages and disadvantages of ageing. The ability to observe social change is one of these advantages and to identify the development of social irresponsibility is another. It might be argued that one of the duties of writers is to write about social irresponsibility. We will all have different... Continue reading

Posted Oct 30, 2018 at Thoughts and words

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Inspiration from stains on character... Helle Nice.

It seems to me that the name Helle Nice is largely unknown today. Strange when we consider that Until WW2, she was one of the most famous women of her day. However, allegations of collaboration with the Nazis in France during the occupation finished her. Despite the fact that the... Continue reading

Posted Oct 16, 2018 at Thoughts and words

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Inspiration from dance

I started learning to dance about 3 years ago and, until now, I have not used this new joy of movement in my books. One of my favourite dances is the Tango and I am considering using its steps, turns and rhythm to suggest sexual attraction between the two principal... Continue reading

Posted Sep 19, 2018 at Thoughts and words

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The stuff that dreams of made of...

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. It seemed to me I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive, and for a while I could not enter for the way was barred to me." Writing about your dreams may be of interest to a writer but... Continue reading

Posted Sep 16, 2018 at Thoughts and words

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Inspiration from the process of writing

Writing fiction has a variety of side effects. Jumping at will out of the head of one character and into the head of another and asking yourself questions concerning how a person feels or how a person might react in a certain situation has made me develop empathy to a... Continue reading

Posted Sep 13, 2018 at Thoughts and words

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All the world's a stage...

Now is the hour - now is my moment - now is my time to write it. After all, we have all had a few days to reflect on England's performance in the World Cup and although I am not qualified to write about football, I have reflected on other... Continue reading

Posted Jul 8, 2018 at Thoughts and words

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Treasure box of your life.... Here is something to...

Treasure box of your life.... Here is something to inspire any would-be author! An exhibition in Wiesbaden with the theme: "Treasure box of life" or what people have put in boxes to pass down to future generations. Given the chance, what would you put in yours? Below is the website.... Continue reading

Posted Jun 25, 2018 at Thoughts and words

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Inspiration from the unfashionable

Cecil Roberts (1892-1976) was an English novelist, poet and dramatist. His books include: A Terrace in the Sun and the Pilgrim Cottage trilogy. When I was around 16, I read A Terrace in the Sun. This novel introduced me to the idea of the past returning to haunt or delight... Continue reading

Posted Jun 13, 2018 at Thoughts and words

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Inspiration - to visit or not to visit Zeppelin Field?

Of course, the only wrong choice, perhaps, is not making one. Anyway, who cares whether or not I go to Nuremberg, visit Zeppelin Field and stand on the podium on which Hitler and other high-ranking Nazis stood while presiding over the rallies held there between 1923 and 1938? Actually, I... Continue reading

Posted Jun 7, 2018 at Thoughts and words

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Inspiration from discovering a new author - Patrick Hamilton

At first, The Slaves of Solitude by Patrick Hamilton (below) does not appear to be a novel about war. Appearances notwithstanding, it is a novel about WW2 but the war is revealed from a different perspective. The year is 1943, but there are no descriptions of combat, of troop movements,... Continue reading

Posted May 30, 2018 at Thoughts and words

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