Showing posts with label #inspiration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #inspiration. Show all posts

Thursday, July 25, 2019

A travel that wasn't meant to be.

I  am a traveler, and generally, I am going to plan my trips very carefully.
This is because the places I visit are everything but easy.
They are either in conflict areas in Africa or other not tourist
My thirst for knowledge is the driving force that attracts me to those places, and I want to know all the aspects of different cultures in the first person.
I love to ask people that have been living a particular conflict, a critical political period, or other interesting events.
Nevertheless, this time, the situation seems to slip from our hands.
The journey I am going to undertake together with my husband will bring us on the road between Lagos, Nigeria and Accra, Ghana. We will be driving through Benin and Togo stopping for a few days in each country.

The problem was (and still is) obtaining the Visa for Nigeria.
We made the first application for a multiple-entry visa, but we received only a single entry one (for the unrefunded price of the multiple-entry. Oh well, T.I.A. This Is Africa).
Finland doesn't have a Nigerian embassy, so everything was handled by the one located in Sweden. When we explained on the phone that we also needed a re-entry visa, they told us that we could obtain it better at the Nigerian embassy in Ghana.
"You have nothing to worry about," were their final words.
I wish I didn't listen to them.
We waited, and a couple of weeks ago, we contacted the Nigerian embassy in Ghana, explaining our situation and asking to fix already an appointment to get the visa.
Surprise! their answer: "we do not release visas for people who are not Ghanan residents."
PANIC!
Now, we have sent back our passports to the Nigerian Embassy in Sweden, with the request for another visa. We are keeping our finger crossed to have our passports back before the 2nd of August.
If not, we will have two choices:
1) we give up our journey
2) we go to Sweden and get our passports back even without the re-entry visa, and we travel anyway trying to figure out a way to return to Helsinki.
Of course, you can imagine that for us there is no option. We are leaving at any cost.
Besides, this journey is essential for the next paranormal thriller, I am going to write, so  I will never give up a trip. Moreover, I start really to feel a sort of Africa blues, and I need to come back there.
Keep your finger crossed and let's hope for the best!
Hope to see you again...

Monday, March 18, 2019

A Search Down Inspiration Lane by L. L. Thomsen

Where has my muse gone? And how do I get her back?

I know I am not the first (nor the last) author in history to stare at that blank screen/paper, feeling hollow and somewhat bewildered that the next line just won’t come to me.  Nonetheless, right in that moment, it feels as though I am the first, the only, the most useless, that’s for sure. 


How did this happen? I mean, it should write itself, right? I was on a roll! I even know what I am supposed to write – goodness, my outline is clear and everyday I’ve been working towards hitting a few thousand extra words, vigorously tugging them under my belt so that I’ll be in a position to write ‘The End’ on the final page of my WIP sooner rather than later…  

Well, the idea that I will one day harvest the benefit of all this effort and plotting seems like a pipe dream right about then. And as I fail to type a single word, I can feel that coveted goalpost of personal achievement shift beyond my reach. 

I am impatient and frustrated; it’s irrational – I know - and then comes the mini black hole and it sucks me right in.  Again.  

See, it’s not the first time my goal post has moved – I mean, such is life, but now it seems further away than ever; impossible to achieve even, and then comes the first-class, full-flight of self-doubt.  I am probably never going to finish this. I am silly for even thinking I could do this, but not to worry - it probably isn’t very good anyway.  My story sucks. I suck.  In fact, if I cannot find inspiration to write this next chapter, why even be a writer? Others wheel them out, but clearly that kind of productivity is beyond me!

(Are you nodding now? I think you might be, because you know what I’m talking about, don’t you? Well, bear with me…)

It’s when that feeling of hopelessness tags you that it really hits you just how lonely a writer’s life can be. It doesn’t matter that you cannot live without it or that you chose it; wanted it. The fact remains that it’s pretty darn similar to sitting cross-legged in a cave on a desert island with only your imaginary friends (AKA the characters from you story) for company. They chat to you… but only sometimes – and of course never when you need them to, lol.

So what do you do? Throw in the towel for good? Watch some telly? Read a book? Go shopping? Browse Social media for commiserations and solutions? Walk the dog? Peel potatoes? Chat to your friends about anything but writing? Chat to your friends about nothing but writing? Go to the gym? Eat cake (yum)? Escape to your kitchen - or if you’re lucky: the local coffee house – where you can promptly proceed to consume copious amounts of hot drinks that you swear will help you see the light?
Well, I am going to tell you that I do all of the above – and more.
Yup. I really do.  Cross my heart…

And I even ‘throw in the towel’ occasionally, as well – at least, for a little while. See I know we are all different and everyone works in different ways.  And so, what works for me, may not work for Peter and John, and what works for them may just seem plain stupid to Sarah and Jean, but that is not really the point here.  The point is that when you hit the slump – oh the darn dreaded slump! – it might be for various reasons and these are usually tied to other things that go on in your world. Loneliness, worries, depression, too much work, not enough work, kids, animals, bills, etc… and the point is that these can all get to you sometimes, but this does not mean you don’t have it in you to finish your WIP and produce a book, nor that you are not good enough, or that your story is pants!
What you need is a break. Or if you have just had a break and cannot seem to get back into it, you need a shift in focus.  And that means you need something that will help you rekindle your joy for the WIP and something that will stop you from growing rusty, too. 

Now at this point, if you enter the 1000 yard stare contest with your WIP, neither the screen, nor the blank paper will inspire you. It’s simple. It will continue to suck you dry if you let it - and so you need to escape its clutches and re-direct your attention.  And so, here we go back to the points above…

Whether burned out, just back from a break, or simply uninspired, the thing that always works for me is to walk away from the WIP itself.  For the lunch hour – or for weeks – it really doesn’t matter, but very importantly, this is not the time to wallow in a hole (though you might want to) – and weirdly it is also not the time to stop writing either – at least not altogether. 

But what? How?
I’m sure you’ll have heard many of your fellow writers say, ‘Never stop writing’ - and for good reason! Because you may not be able to work on your WIP but there are other ways to stay sharp and put your skills to good use so that when you get your mojo back, you will still feel ‘in touch’ and centered around the routine of writing.  After all, one step forwards and two to the side is often to be preferred over two steps forward and halt. 

So you cannot work on the WIP?
Well if so, just write regardless. Write something that keeps you in the game; something that keeps you focused – work on a different story you been thinking of exploring, or write a short story, fanfiction, maybe write a blog about your WIP, or about your experiences, or hopes, or dreams, or fears. Write something serious, write something banal, write a letter to the President - you name it – you can write about a book you recently read; review it… do what feels unforced and easy, but keep writing because this will help you develop your skills and that is super handy for when that muse glides back into your life with a goofy smile of apology. 
But of course this will not fill your day the way working on your WIP does.  It might even also be that your heart is not in it, because this is after all not what you want to write about, so I suggest that you mix it up a little bit.  Browse Pinterest or Deviant Art for inspiration, chat to your author mates on social media, share snippets of you WIP, ask for feedback on ideas; on characters, go back and read your notes, get reacquainted with what got you burning to tell your story in the first place, stay in contact with like-minded people who share your path and know the troubles you might face (be they friends, family or FB mates).  Allow yourself this time ‘off’: read a new book, watch some telly – anything - and you might find that you once more begin to spot glimpses of your muse.

Now when she/he/it does return to your side or shoulder or wherever she sits, you will soon know, and that’s when you pick up the reigns, go back to your WIP or you grab a notebook to instantly write down all those new ideas that suddenly pop into your head!

As for the time scale on this ‘come back’ – ah well who can say? I have stepped away from my WIP for months before; I have procrastinated, drunk too much coffee, watched too much telly, but eventually something sparks an idea that pulls me back in. It is meant to be. Be patient. The muse will not let you off the hook indefinitely: sooner or later the WIP will call you back, and you will answer because you feel compelled, and it’s right.

Ah, but gah! The muse almost got back but now she’s on holiday again – or somewhere: delayed on an overnight flight, or sightseeing in Manhattan, or something like that. So then what? Dang it!
Okay, you were almost ready. You caught the whiff of former glory but now the muse keeps flirting and disappearing, and you still cannot work on the WIP.  So now what?

Well, if I get truly and badly ‘stuck’, I simply: rinse, sleep, eat, and repeat.  Never stop looking for inspiration, but not to the point of exhaustion. It’s not easy – not always – but then again, few things are. You are in this for long haul, right? So just think of it as a work hazard and learn to roll with the waves. You will feel less hassled and calmer – and guess what? When you don’t force it too much, it seems to glide all the better and you will be all the stronger as a writer and person. Indeed, often you will find that the hated break has given you new perspective.  In fact, it may perhaps even have helped you figure out a cooler, more exciting plot for your story, or a subplot, or you might have ended up thinking up a new exciting character, and (Yay!) that is never a bad thing.

So there.
Now stop panicking and take a breather. You got this. Do not punish yourself.
You are not the first writer in the world to feel like this. You will not be the last either. But you will get your muse back. And you will write your book and finish it. 
There indeed! 
(By L. L. Thomsen)
http://llthomsen.com/




Tuesday, May 29, 2018

My inspiration for creative use of language in novels. Nicola McDonagh #OurAuthorGang




Nadsat, Newspeak and Bubchat


This post was originally written several years ago when my book Echoes from the Lost ones was published by Fable Press. I decided to include it after I wrote my previous post about Amazon putting a warning sign on Whisper Gatherers, the prequel to Echoes because someone complained it had too many typos.

You can read the post here:

There were no typos just my slang-based use of language which sometimes combined words to make one. It seemed appropriate now to include this post as it continues the theme of creating a language that best suits your story, especially if it is set in the future.

I have begun to question why a lot of writers choose not to modify the language they use to create a sense of another time and place. It seems that in the future, vocabulary will remain the same and people will talk to each other exactly the way they do now. Which doesn’t really make sense, does it? The spoken and written word has changed over the years, and most authors have reflected this in their work.



In his novel, 1984, George Orwell introduced words and phrases that were not familiar to readers of that era, to create a futuristic realm where language is used as a weapon to subjugate the masses: duckspeak, thoughtcrime, bellyfeel, doublethink, and speakwrite. Would it have been such a powerful read if the author had not employed the use of such evocative words? Who can forget ‘Newspeak’, or ‘Big Brother’?


In A Clockwork Orange, the use of slang is vital to the narrative to give credibility to this dystopian future. Alex speaks ‘nadsat’ a language that sets him and his friends apart from the rest of society.

“These grahzny sodding veshches that come out of my gulliver and my plott,” I said, “that’s what it is.”

“Quaint,” said Dr. Brodsky, like smiling, “the dialect of the tribe. “

So, bearing this in mind, when I came to write my Sci-Fi/Dystopian series The Song of Forgetfulness, I made sure that I used words that were appropriate for the world I was creating. Since it is written from the viewpoint of a seventeen- year -old, Adara, in the first person, it was imperative that her voice rang true in order for the characters to maintain credibility in this vision of the future. I created ‘Bubchat’.


“I showed respect and bowed, then turned toward the not-right teen. He gave me a tiny smile, and for reasons I know not, I took his hand and said, “Show me where you splosh.” His face went redder than a bub about to plop and everyone, including me, let out a merry guffaw. I hadn’t meant to use such a nursery word, but when I looked at his soft brown eyes and slender arms I went all mumsly. Not like me at all. I began to wonder if the ‘dults had palmed a soother into my stew.”

I went to Lewis Carol for inspiration. I remembered I had a favourite poem from my childhood, The Jabberwoky, from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found. It is a delight in the creative use of vocabulary. The language is rich and full of evocative words that create a unique setting where his story unfolds.


’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun

The frumious Bandersnatch!”

Science fiction and fantasy are the ideal genres for authors to invent new languages, different ways of speaking, and to shake off the confines of correct word usage by playing around with the narrative form. But not everyone warms to such experimentation, and critics often chastise authors for breaking the rules of grammar that ‘The Elements of Style’, by Strunk and White, have branded into the English language. You can download a PDF copy http://www.jlakes.org/ch/web/The-elements-of-style.pdf

So, don’t be put off experimenting with vocabulary. Let your imagination fly and write from your heart, not your head. (Then go back and edit it.)

You can view all of my books on my Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Nicola-McDonagh/e/B00D4NAH0S/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1



Want to know more about my books? Go to my website and have a look around.


Or visit my Amazon page:



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Monday, March 26, 2018

The Making of a Fangirl or Fanguy #ourauthorgang

Are you a fan girl/fan guy?
                  by Grace Augustine

Canadian Singer/Songwriter Garnet Rogers and me 2008

I've been a fan-girl as long as I can remember. I love attending concerts and author book signings, meeting and visiting with the celebrities, and planning events.

Back in the late 90's, I belonged to a Gordon Lightfoot online fan club and met a wonderful gal, who is now more a sister than not. She introduced me to Garnet Rogers' music...insisting I attend a concert if he was ever in the area.  To my surprise, he was in the area ten years ago...and wow. That was the only word to describe it. Here is another photo from March 8th concert.

Garnet Rogers 3/8/18 CSPS Cedar Rapids, IA

In October of 2014, I took a road trip to Toronto, Ontario Canada...partly as vacation, partly to promote my books, partly to meet online friends that I'd known for years. Stevie and Anne Connor, owners of Blues and Roots Radio, the best global online radio station for independent artists, were an integral part of my time in Canada. It was an honor meeting them and attending an award ceremony (which they won their category) and being interviewed by Stevie about my books.  

Anne & Steve Connor

Another of many highlights was meeting author Joanne Jaytanie at a wine/book/music event I'd planned several years ago. The event was held at a local winery and it was very hot and humid!

Author Joanne Jaytanie and me

I have many favorite musicians on the local as well as national levels.  If you have a chance, look up Matt Andersen, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Chad Elliott, and Jordan Danielsen, just to mention a few.
Tom Wilson and son from Blackie and the Rodeo Kings

Matt Andersen

Jordan Danielsen

Chad Elliott

As you see, in my life, music and writing go hand in hand.  

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Inspiration - part two - Nature #OurAuthorGang




When I struggle to find something to write about, my inspiration often comes from the visual side of life. As a photographer, I suppose that is only natural. Nature has always inspired me. I live in the Suffolk countryside and am surrounded by fields and wildlife. I only need to look out of a window to see or hear something fascinating and beautiful.


One of my short stories, Scarecrow, from the anthology, Glimmer, was based on a rundown smallholding I went to look at when searching for a new house. The dilapidated interior, weathered outbuildings, and surrounding fields gave me an idea for what became a tale of a runaway girl and a lonely old man.

“Stumbling and falling, she headed towards a low privet hedge at the end of an overgrown meadow. When she reached it, she stopped and peered over the picket fence. The girl saw a house half hidden behind two large fir trees. The garden was overgrown, and the lawn strewn with rusty barrels, ripped tarpaulins, and dented oil drums. She climbed over the fence and looked around. There was a dilapidated outbuilding a few feet away with a large stack of wood propped up against it. The girl ran towards the building and ducked down behind a water butt attached to a cracked drainpipe.
When her breathing slowed and the pounding in her chest eased, she tilted her head to one side and listened. A strange shuffling noise like someone brushing up dead leaves made the girl hold her breath. It was not leaves, though, but footsteps heading her way.”

Once, I found a complete skeleton of a bird. I took a picture of it and the skull became the cover for my second anthology of short stories - Crow Bones. It didn’t inspire a poem or a piece of prose, but it did give me an eye-catching book cover.




The moon has been a favourite with writers for years. Whether in poetry or prose, it has a special meaning and been the subject of folklore, superstitions, and female empowerment. Apparently, it can even drive you mad or turn you into a werewolf. Not surprising it is used frequently in literature. Indeed, our beautiful celestial orb has given  authors something to write about for thousands of years.  One of my favourite moon quotes is by the 17th Century Japanese poet, Matsuo Basho: 

"The moon lives in the lining of your skin."   


It has a strange face that seems to stare at us in wonder at what the heck we humans will do next. Does she judge us from afar? Or merely condemn us with her round-mouthed, wide-eyed look?

In my Dystopian novel, A Silence Heard, the moon is a source of inspiration for the heroine, guiding her with its light, and giving her hope that she will win the battle ahead:

“The moon shone bright. A shock-faced ball in the black sky that looked down on the three of us as if to shout, “Prevail. Stand steady.” The wind whipped around our feet and legs and a swirl of ash and dry earth spiralled up before us. I coughed and spat out the filthy soil that bore the taste of Agro boot.”

But it’s not just the moon that inspires me. Recently, a herd of red deer stumbled into the field opposite my house. They stayed there for about an hour just staring at the cars that went past. They didn’t move until the alpha stag raised his head and let out a hoarse-like moo sound, and as quick as a blink, they were gone leaving heart-shaped indents in the churned up earth. Now, there has to be a story in that.

To end this post on Inspiration, a photograph of my cat Storm, because his beauty, grace, and quirky face will always give me pause for thought.


If you want to know more about my work, please visit my Amazon page:

All photographs are by Nicola McDonagh.

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Inspiration. Part one - People #ourauthorgang





I am often asked where I get my inspiration from to write stories. It’s a good question. It’s also a very complex one.

I suppose it all depends on where I am and what I want to achieve. My fellow man can be an endless source of inspiration. Sometimes I overhear a conversation that triggers an idea.

For example, when I was in a charity shop looking for second-hand books, a woman came in with a large reproduction of Picasso’s painting ‘Cat catching a bird’ and asked if the shop would like to sell it.



The assistant was not impressed and thought the painting was by a child and declined her offer. The woman stormed out mumbling something about philistines and uncultured people etc.

I thought it was quite funny and used the incident as the start of a short story about a disabled woman trying to get back her life by beginning to paint again. Here is an extract from the short story 

‘Rousseau’s Suburban Garden’ from the anthology-Glimmer

“The assistant mumbled her way to the window display and dragged the picture towards her. She picked it up as though it weighed more than she did, and carried it, huffing and puffing to the counter. Esther leant heavily against her walking stick as the woman spoke, ‘It’s a funny old picture. Is it from some children’s television programme?’

‘No, it’s a painting by Henri Rousseau.’

The elderly lady chuckled and began to unclip the metal clasps that held the cardboard back onto the frame. ‘Sorry dear, but I think this is just a print. Not a painting.’           

Closing her eyes tightly, she flared her nostrils and took a deep breath. ‘I know, but the print is from a painting by Henri Rousseau.’     

‘Never heard of him,’ the woman said and stared at the picture before her. She squinted and held it up, turning it left and right as though she could not make out what it was.

‘The colours are very garish. Not really my thing. Too cartooney for my taste. What kind of animal is it anyway? A giant kitten? Funny colour hair it’s got. Not sure about the teeth. Is it supposed to be some kind of circus act? Are they midgets riding it? All looks out of proportion.’

Esther stared into the woman’s watery eyes. ‘The lion’s mane is the colour of ripened wheat and it is smiling. Two children sit upon the animals back as it walks amongst long yellow grass. There is a moon and dove above their heads, and the sky is darkening. The girl’s untamed tresses fly out behind her in an imitation of the big cat’s shaggy hair. It is titled, ‘The Infants and The Lion’. It was my favourite painting as a child.’

‘Oh, well, I can see how a child would take to it. An adult, though?’”

I thought it was a good way to begin my story of an artist trying to find her inspiration after giving up.

Then there is people watching. I confess that I have used friends, family, and strangers as a basis for a character or two. Their quirky habits, use of words and how they react to problems and the drama of life, inevitably end up in a narrative. Memories of past loves and hates will emerge in a character, often without me being aware of it. When I do, I realise that I have the chance to re-enact moments of humiliation and sadness by rewriting what I should have said and done, so ridding myself of all those inner beasts that have haunted me for years.

This can be very cathartic and often produces charged, emotional passages that bring the narrative to life. But I don’t base characters on actual people very often, honest!

In part two, I look at how nature has, and still does inspire me.

If you enjoyed my short story extract, you might like to check out my books on Amazon: 


All images royalty/copyright free

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Afraid of what?




By Cristina Grau



Puget-Théniers
A few days ago, somebody asked me if I am not afraid of being by myself in the middle of nowhere.
And this is something I get asked often.

Obviously, I am not afraid, otherwise, I would not be living the kind of life I live.

Many people have difficulties understanding my kind of life.

They don’t comprehend how can I stay in people’s houses (housesitting), or stay with people that I never met before (CouchSurfing, workaway, helpx), and not be afraid.

I am not afraid.

What I am afraid of, it is not to live my life to the fullest, not to live the way I want to live and not to do things because I am afraid.

And, afraid of what?

We create the anxiety about something before it happens, and most of the time what we think it’s worse than what it actually is.

One thing I learned during my travels is that most people are nice.

And the people that accept strangers into their homes are open minded people like me. Otherwise, they would not be letting people they never met into their homes. It works both ways.

And if an intruder breaks into the house I am house sitting now, the two westies would run toward the door barking and waving their tails, and go belly up for a scratch. And what intruder in the right mind would resist that and rob me?


Downtown

Downtown

The female westie is alwasy on top of me



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