Thursday 28 August 2008

The effect of weather

The weather, our great manipulator! We plan our lives around it only to be taken by surprise at almost every turn. It also affects, I believe, how and when we write.

When the wind blows, creativity goes out of the window!

When the sun shines, laziness enters! On a sunny day we need to be outside, don't we? Especially if one lives in a country where it rains almost ALL of the time!

When it rains (almost ALL of the time)...well, I have to admit that is when I write with the most flair and creativity! I guess that means almost ALL the time...

Last note on weather effect, as personal as above: When it storms, a la wind, hail, rain, etc, that is the greatest time to write! Of course, one keeps expecting the electricity to go out...

Tuesday 26 August 2008

When lines from poems follow one around

Nursery prayers as a child - now I lay my head down to sleep, and pray the Lord my soul to
keep...

School poetry - when fishes flew and forests walked...

And poems that just stick no matter what - do not go gently into that good night...
miles to go before I sleep...
oh, Captian, my Captain...

Many More!

My personal favourite - ...and I, I took the road less travelled, and it has made all the
difference...

Friday 8 August 2008

Fantasy

What is Fantasy?

The easy answer is a fantastical tale that has no basis in reality.

However, words cannot stand alone. One needs to weave them into a sequence that makes sense to the reader, and thus there has to be grounding, the basis for the tale, be it another world, time or place right here on Earth. That basis is drawn from imagination and real life. To explain to the reader that there is no floor in the chamber, well, the reader and the writer both understand the concept floor...do you see where I'm going?

A more correct answer is that fantasy is tweaking reality...and therefore allows imagination to soar.

A note here: publishers call this genre fiction and it can be a nightmare to get them to even read a manuscript. I submit to you that there are so many of us seeking to escape for a little while the stresses of real life that genre fiction should be celebrated and made readily available. After all, how fantastical is another world, really?

Do we not dream?

Tuesday 5 August 2008

Here Be Dragons


Ever heard that?


Most of us, I believe, have! Personally, whenever I read that, be it on a blog, a site, in a magazine or book, I am intrigued. It reveals to me the author thinks on a different path...and thus I read further.


This is a dragon I drew for my letterhead. When it is tiny is a text box, it looks much better!

Creative Time

When are you most creative? When do the ideas flow?

I have frequently awakened at night with a great thought and promise myself I won't forget...and do! Now I write it down and then go back to sleep. From this I think you can tell my creative time is at night.

Getting up early is not something I enjoy, but I do find I edit better in the morning.

Thus: flow for existing work is easier in the morning and flow for new work is greater at night!

I prefer quiet. Do you?

Monday 4 August 2008

What's in a name?

Why Bards and Tales? The answer is simple: life should be about the stories and the storytellers! Every moment of our lives adds up to a tale, and can be short, long, intense, a journey and, along the way, we hear other tales, be it of people, events, stories from a book, a great movie, a joke...or simply a quiet moment shared.

Bards have the responsibilty to reveal something new, strange, old or of the everyday. These are the tales we love. Ours is the responsibility to listen and in there is the privilege of pleasure!

Speak and listen.

Tell me how you feel when you hear Bards and Tales. Perhaps I shall hear a new word!