WRITER'S DREAM; Take Note

Pretty notebooks help a writer keep track of ideas.

Image from www.ElleandBlair.com

I have quite a collection of notebooks.  They help me to keep track of stray ideas which may become projects later down the line, but which for now, just need a place to sit and wait until I'm truly ready for them. Notebooks are the waiting room of a writer's workplace; here the ideas, musings and pondering snippets can be set down and kept safe.

Ideas are like fickle lovers - if you don't pin them down and keep track of them they will quickly go off with another writer who has more time for them.  You might think that you will remember that genius plot line in the morning so why bother searching for a pen at 3am, but trust me, you won't. You'll just remember that you had a great idea that escaped you.

I also believe that paper notebooks are more valuable than a random file on a computer - things get lost and hidden in the memory archives of a laptop, but a notebook is always on hand to be flicked through as you search for that line of dialogue you heard on the bus or that fantastic chorus for a new song.  Notebooks are tangible evidence of your life as a writer.  You can easily see when certain themes or patterns are evolving, when something is inspired by your own life or when an idea is ready to become the first seeds of a brand new project.  If you work as a published writer notebooks are invaluable for marking down what piece was published where and which editors are most receptive to your work.  

I have four different notebooks.  Each one is a map of the creative journey for a particular type of writing;

1. Spirit&Destiny; in this notebook I keep track of every column and feature I have written for S&D. It is very important that I can see at a glance how my column is shaping up so that I don't repeat topics/spells.  I list each column's theme, tone and spell type every month before I file it into my editor.  I also add editorial notes (say for instance when a particular issue has an overall theme and my column needs to fit in/stand out) . I jot down ideas for new column topics at the back of this book.  I plan out my columns in advance - sometimes I change up the order and sequence to fit my writing mood as I want to have fun in my work, but I plan ahead by about one full year.
2. Freelancer; as a freelance features journalist and a core contributor to national multi-media publishers I write for all kinds of magazines, not just MBS.  I enjoy contributing to equestrian, lifestyle, writing, women's and home decor magazines too so I need to keep track of all that is going on in this aspect of my work, particularly when it comes to deadlines.
3. Poetry & Lyrics; this is one of my favorite notebooks.  It is probably the most whimsical of my collection.  Here I write down random verse, poetry and song lyrics as they come to me - I might not have the whole song/poem right away but I note down the gems I do have.  Sometimes a combination of these gems is enough to create a new poem, or they might be the bare bones of a new song. It could even be the start of a spell-craft incantation.  In this notebook my raw creativity is pinned down, unfinished, uneven and free-flowing.  When I feel stuck in my writing this is the notebook I turn to.
4. ShimmerCastDreams;  in this notebook I write down new ideas for blog posts at the back of the book.  At the front I keep track of all the Book Nook posts so that I know which titles I have already reviewed - I am a repeat reader and if I enjoy a book I will re-read it several times.  I don't want to repeat the Book Nooks though, so I tally them up in a notebook.  This also helps me to see what types of books I am reviewing, so I can change it up and keep it fresh. It would be boring if they were all in the same genre. 

If you are not in the habit of keeping notebooks with you I suggest you pick up a few next time you are out shopping.  It will keep your head space free for the actual creative process, rather than taking up mental storage with random ideas and deadlines.  Ideas alone do not make a writer, but a writer is nothing without a place to keep her ideas. 

WRITER'S DREAM; Study Days

Time to tidy up the desk and get to work.

If you follow me on Twitter you will know that I have spent a blissful day today reorganizing my bookshelves...What can I say? I'm a blue-stocking bibliophile and I love spending time with my books!  Seriously though, I needed to make space for new research books so it was time for an overhaul. I now have one and a half shelves of empty space, just waiting to be filled. I am putting off the day when I will be forced to buy an e-reader due to space issues; until then I will sift, sort, stack and re-shelve. I'm just an old fashioned girl at heart. I prefer the printed book.

There was also a work ethic involved in this reorganization for I can feel a writing/researching stint coming on.  I love this excited, tingly feeling, when the seeds of a new idea begin to take hold, or when an old project bears strange and unexpected fruit. In my case it is a little of both as I am revisiting a work in progress (WIP) and taking it in a slightly different direction than the one I had planned.  Sometimes the writing knows best and you just have to go with it.  

I am deep into the Prep Time; making the study ready for long days at the desk.  I have stacks of notebooks, genre samples, research materials and so on, all laid out ready.  I intend to spend a good long while just reading and researching as much as I can; taking notes and jotting down random thoughts and ideas as they  come to me. I like to stick pictures into my notebooks too, building up a mini mood board for inspiration. Sometimes I play music or make a play list of tracks which seem to fit the project I am working on; I generally listen to these between writing stints to keep me in the right frame of mind but I need peace and quiet to actually write.

I have worked in the publishing industry for 17 years now, combining years of both paid and unpaid work as a writer and having had my first unpaid poems published back in 1996/97. During that time I have discovered that publication/payment are not guaranteed; productivity is sporadic without discipline and creativity is something one has to nurture very gently. I am not a task master with myself unless a deadline is approaching and I have to be. I prefer to coax the creativity along.  Projects rarely show up on the page fully formed; this is as true for writing books as it is for creating melody and songs. Writing is a process and this is my process.  

Organization helps to keep my projects on track - as a full time writer I rarely have the luxury of working on a single project and I usually have two or three things on the go at any one time.  Right now I'm working on the new album and I believe that type of creativity has overflowed into something new and exciting. It often happens that one idea leads to another; that one project may spark off another, even though they are totally unrelated.  It's an exciting and interesting time for me right now. I am looking forward to closing myself off from the world, sitting at the desk above and concentrating on moving the WIP forwards.  Productivity is the key to longevity. At the end of the day, writers write - they don't just talk about writing, they get on and do it. It is the act of writing, the discipline of putting the required number of words down on the page each day, that separates the writers from the wannabes. 

BOOK NOOK; Witchstruck by Victoria Lamb

Like a lot of authors I have a love/hate relationship with Amazon.  I hate that brand new books are sold for a pittance as 'used'; I hate the power they hold over publishers and therefore over authors; I hate the monopoly of it all.  BUT, I love it when Amazon recommends a book that is just the kind of novel I want to read - a book I might not have found otherwise.  Such was the case with Victoria Lamb's novel Witchstruck, the story of a magical young women, living in the dangerous era of Tudor England.

When Meg Lytton is sent to serve the imprisoned Lady Elizabeth at Woodstock Palace, she takes her gift of magic with her.  She is glad to go, if only to get away from a man who has decided he wants her to be his wife.  With the protection of the princess Meg feels safe to use her magical skills, especially when Elizabeth expresses an interest in divination and introduces Meg to none other than John Dee. But magic comes at a price in such dangerous times and it isn't long before Meg's witchery is discovered, putting both her and the princess in mortal danger.

To make matters worse young Meg is drawn to Alejandro, a trainee priest of a Spanish Order.  As Queen Mary is earning her reputation for being Bloody, many in England are in fear that her marriage to a Spanish prince will bring with it the might of the Spanish Inquisition.  Some would rise up in rebellion to see Elizabeth on the throne instead and plots are underway to try and do just that, much to Elizabeth's dismay who would be executed if she were to be found involved in such plots.  Can Meg save her mistress; can she trust Spanish priest Alejandro; will he help her, or see her hanged as a witch? Or worse, burned at the stake for heresy? 

Witchstruck is a novel of danger, intrigue and magic. The author has clearly done her research as this novel has one of the most accurate descriptions of the power of witchcraft that I have ever read and that I can totally relate to;

"When the power falls on me, it buzzes in the warm, dark spaces of my skull. It stings like nettles at the tips of my fingers." 

If you have enjoyed the Tudor novels of Philippa Gregory or Emily Purdy, Witchstruck is a must-read.  I have been  completely engrossed in it and couldn't put it down. Although this novel is marketed at teens and YA, it certainly doesn't read like a kids book and the only hint that the author was writing for a younger audience is the lack of sex, though there is plenty of romance so don't allow the YA/Teen tag to put you off. This is a fantastic read for all ages. I highly recommend it.

SHIMMER SPELL; Happy Imbolc

Arise and soar with the sun's newborn rays;
To breathe new life into dying nights and days.

Happy Imbolc!

Imbolc is a celebration of the midway point between winter and spring.  It is a time for snow and snowdrops; candles and fire glow; lambing and new life. 

In the stables it marks the near end of a long winter; stable work is hard at any time of year, but in the winter it can feel like a thankless job.  As an equestrian, for me Imbolc means that there will soon be long sunny days in which to enjoy riding through the woods, rather than hair-raising 'Horse Whisperer' type battles through the ice and snow!

I like to celebrate by hoofing around at the stables then returning home to a hot bath and lots of scented candles.

How will you celebrate today?

IVORY TOWER; Lord of the Rings Goblet Collection

Last week I went to see The Hobbit at the cinema.  It was so lovely to be back in that world and to be in Rivendell once more as the Elves are my favorite characters from Middle Earth. I wish the film had lingered in Rivendell a lot longer - I would have been happy to stay for a while and put off the Adventure!

Ever since my picture appeared in Spirit&Destiny magazine I have received countless emails asking me about the chalice I am holding in the photo.  It wasn't prop; everything in that photo belongs to me, even the book style coffee table and candles. 

The chalice I am holding in the photo is Galadriel, one of the Lord of the Rings Goblet Collection.  Unfortunately these are no longer being produced so I feel really fortunate that I was able to begin my collection many years ago.  There are one or two I wish I had managed to purchase before they were discontinued, but I do have all the Elves that were produced so I am really pleased about that, as they are now quite expensive to buy and very difficult to find.

I have nine Goblets altogether, but I accidentally left one out (the Elvin Goblet) when I took these pictures. 

Here is my collection;

My Goblet Collection from left;  Celeborn, Galadriel, Gandalf and Treebeard.

Again from left;  City of Tirion, Glorfindel, Arwen and Legolas.

I love them all and I do feel very lucky to have them. My favorite ones from the collection are Galadriel, Arwen and Legolas...and yes, I do use them.  They add a touch of Elvin enchantment to my home and  remind me of the gentle harmony of Rivendell.

I wish I lived in Rivendell .

BOOK NOOK; Time's Echo by Pamela Hartshorne

I was first alerted to Time's Echo by Pamela Hartshorne when the author followed me on Twitter.  Time's Echo is a time loop novel, set in the City of York, Yorkshire, (the Yorkshire county being made up of the Three Ridings and the City of York). As I am a Yorkshire lass myself, from the West Riding, I thought it would be an interesting read.  I wasn't at all disappointed.

It is a hard book to review simply because I don't want to give anything away and spoil the reading experience.  Like most time loop novels, there are two main protagonists, one in the present and one from the past.  In Time's Echo the modern character is Grace Trewe, a commitment phobic young women with a love of travel.  She is also a survivor of the Boxing Day tsunami and she struggles with PTSD and survivor's remorse.

When Grace inherits a house in York from her god-mother it seems like an inconvenient hassle to do it up and sell it on prior to resuming her travels, but almost as soon as she walks in the front door she feels drawn to the past and to the ghostly voice of Hawise, a young woman who was drowned as a witch in York in the Elizabethan period.  As the story unfolds the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead becomes thinner, culminating in a dramatic race against time on Halloween.

Time's Echo is a tale of witches, past and present and as a Wiccan author myself I love to read witchy tales; that this one is based in York was an added bonus.  In the story there is a coven of modern witches who Grace turns to for help and as the leader Vivien casts a protective circle and calls the guardians, she begins in the west.  This seemed a little strange to me, as it is usually more traditional in witchcraft to begin in the east, or sometimes the north; but as both Hawise and Grace have been harmed by water in the past, it does make sense to protect Grace from the west, the direction of water, though the author doesn't actually say that this is the reason for beginning in the west - that is simply my own interpretation.  It could also be that different covens have different ways of doing things - there is no right and wrong way to cast a circle after all, but it was something which stood out for me as being different to my own way of working magically and for that reason I found it interesting and I wanted to know more.

One of my favorite scenes is the decorating scene, which really made me giggle and is one that most women can probably relate to - a male friend turning up with Polly-filler and masking tape, when all Grace wants to do it slap a coat of paint on the walls!  My favorite line from the  novel comes at the end of chapter six, when the Widow Dent sees off a predator with her stick and the words "She said no!". Enough said.
I also have a reader-crush on the modern love interest Drew, aka Mr Polly-Filler! He is so solid, steady and straight-laced in a charming, reliable way.

Time's Echo is a bewitching tale of love and treachery... a pretty girl who stands out from the crowd; a lecherous predator who carries a grudge; a jealous sister who seethes in resentment and a great injustice that ripples across time.  If you like witchy, supernatural novels of ghostly theme Time's Echo is one you will enjoy reading, especially on a cold night such as tonight as the snow falls.
Follow Pamela Hartshorne on Twitter @pamhartshorne or read her blog at http://www.pamelahartshorne.com  

ONCE UPON A TIME; Snow Castle

I wish I lived here! This castle looks so dark and brooding amid the crystal white snowscape; it has just enough Gothic mystery about it to intrigue me and draw me in. The current snowy weather has made me dream of how it would have been centuries ago, living in a big castle without all the modern comforts we tend to take for granted.  If this were my castle I would make sure there were roaring log fires in all the rooms, not just the great hall.  I would order that the logs be sprinkled with pine cones to fill the castle with the scent of winter.  Four poster beds would be hung with velvet drapes; tapestries would warm the thick stone walls and prettily carved wooden shutters would keep the drifting snow at bay.

In my castle dream, I would ride a magnificent chestnut steed through the snowy forest, a silver hunting horn hanging at my hip as my friends and I try to find an enchanted white hart that has been recently sighted in the area. Slipping and sliding through the woods we go, a hunting party looking for magic, seeking enchantment on a winters day. But such a magical beast is elusive and we return to the warmth of the castle as the snow begins to fall once more. We turn the horses into stables with deep beds of clean straw and buckets of oats and bran, before heading into the great hall for a feast of good food, spiced wine and music from my very own troubadour.  A huge log crackles in the hearth, candles flicker casting shadows around the hall and my feet are toasty in fur slippers.  My troubadour sings of love and adventure, of white harts and broken hearts.  The sound of his lute fills the hall with melody and  I dream by the fireside...