Tuesday 23 October 2012

Aids to creativity

Following advice from someone in my writers' group, I've been working on identifying things that put me in a more creative frame of mind. Here's the list I've come up with so far:
Hawkstone Follies - always an inspirational place for a walk
  1. Walking. I've found that if I'm stuck with my writing, there's nothing like a good walk to sort things out. There's something about walking that sends my thoughts zipping along pathways that hadn't occurred to me before. I don't consciously think of my plot or characters, but I'll often get struck by a thought that gives me the key to how my characters are behaving, or reveals a plot twist that makes the story. 
  2. Cycling. As for walking, but I also use it more consciously for fresh inspiration. I'm very lucky to live in Shropshire - one of the most beautiful counties in England (not that I'm biased!) It's predominately rural and filled with historical remains: stone circles, hill forts, Roman ruins, castles and priories...all the way to the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. I don't have to go far to see any of these, and on my bike I get the time to take in the atmosphere of the place and think what the place would look like in Roman times or the twelfth century, how the land would shape the people who lived there. If I've already got characters sketched out, I try to picture them there and look at the place through their eyes. It really helps me to get to know my characters better.
  3. Music. There's something about music that switches on that part of my brain marked 'inspiration'. It puts me in a more receptive frame of mind and whatever I listen to - from classical to rock - always gives me fresh ideas. I have to be careful, though - I once wrote what I thought was a real tear-jerker of a scene, only to find when I read it through that all the emotion had come from the music I was listening to at the time. Without the music, the scene was dead. Until someone invents a way to add incidental music to books, I now plan with music on, but write with it off.
  4. Cross-stitch. Maybe not one for everyone, this, but I find that concentrating on cross-stitch helps focus the part of my mind that's worrying about the everyday niggles, and frees the rest to go walkabout. I've come up with some great ideas, while working on a birth sampler for my niece. Who's now three...
My trusty steed, about to carry me over the Severn at Coalport. How easy was it to cross the Severn in earlier centuries?
So that's my list. I'd love to know what other people do to find their inspiration.

Friday 5 October 2012

Update and SYTYCW

I know I've been neglecting my blog recently. Unfortunately various issues with my family have eaten into my spare time. It'll be a few more weeks until things are back to normal. I'm just glad I hadn't decided to enter the SYTYCW contest. There's no way I'd have had a completed MS ready in time.

I am still making progress - just very slowly. I'm trying to keep an eye on SYTYCW as well. There's some great advice on the site, as well as the entries. I'll confess I find the site confusing though. On the old NV site, reviews were easy to find. Now, unless I've missed something, reviews are just done via Twitter. It doesn't give much scope for an in-depth review.  I learnt so much from reading reviews in the NV contest that it's a shame there doesn't seem to be the same facility on SYTYCW.

Anyway, best wishes to all the entrants. I know how nerve-wracking it is to put your chapter up for all to read, so congratulations to everyone who did.