no definition until
I turn to the house
© Freya Pickard 2011
Monday, 17 January 2011
Sunday, 16 January 2011
a river of stones - 3
black silhouette against pale
grey sky, owl swoops and
vanishes, wings spread, fierce cry
© Freya Pickard
grey sky, owl swoops and
vanishes, wings spread, fierce cry
© Freya Pickard
Saturday, 15 January 2011
a river of stones - 2
distorted images, blurred
wavering outlines
seep and run on rain-washed panes
© Freya Pickard 2011
wavering outlines
seep and run on rain-washed panes
© Freya Pickard 2011
Friday, 14 January 2011
a river of stones - 1
darkness suddenly
lifts revealing silhouette
of tree under sky
© Freya Pickard 2011
lifts revealing silhouette
of tree under sky
© Freya Pickard 2011
Tuesday, 11 January 2011
Where do ideas come from?
This is something that has intrigued me for a while now. I don't think ideas are necessarily the same as inspiration. Sometimes, ideas just appear out of nowhere, when I'm not even thinking about writing things.
I think that there are common ideas that float around at certain times and different people interpret them in various ways. For instance, in 2009 I was working on a thriller and in 2010, when I listened to a certain album by a rock band, I discovered they'd incorporated similar fears into their lyrics. Both of us had interpreted the same idea in an individual way.
So, where do ideas originate? Is there such a thing as the Muse anymore?
The more I've pondered this, the more I've realised that trying to find out where ideas come from actually stifles creativity. The closer I get to finding out who or what generates ideas in the universe, the less creative I become.
Thus I have decided to just let the ideas come to me. I won't try to discover how they reach me. I want to keep the creative spirit that's been set inside me!
I think that there are common ideas that float around at certain times and different people interpret them in various ways. For instance, in 2009 I was working on a thriller and in 2010, when I listened to a certain album by a rock band, I discovered they'd incorporated similar fears into their lyrics. Both of us had interpreted the same idea in an individual way.
So, where do ideas originate? Is there such a thing as the Muse anymore?
The more I've pondered this, the more I've realised that trying to find out where ideas come from actually stifles creativity. The closer I get to finding out who or what generates ideas in the universe, the less creative I become.
Thus I have decided to just let the ideas come to me. I won't try to discover how they reach me. I want to keep the creative spirit that's been set inside me!
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
What Inspires Me - Part 5
Books!
Most definitely books! From Beatrix Potter stories to Wind in the Willows, from Winnie the Pooh to The Hobbit, from The Lord of the Rings to the Chronicles of Narnia, from the Dragonlance Chronicles to the Dragons of Pern - the list is endless.
Books were very important to me as a child. We did not have a TV and even now I cannot just sit and watch TV unless I am watching a story or music. Books were my escape from school. They made me feel safe. I could have adventures without having to go through all the scary things myself!
I have to make time to read now. There is always something to do. But when I do read I like real writing, not some slapdash story just put together and sold on either titillation or sensationalism. Stories need to be told and readers need to read them. I write what I like to read but cannot find on the bookshelves. Surely that should tell publishers and agents something!
Most definitely books! From Beatrix Potter stories to Wind in the Willows, from Winnie the Pooh to The Hobbit, from The Lord of the Rings to the Chronicles of Narnia, from the Dragonlance Chronicles to the Dragons of Pern - the list is endless.
Books were very important to me as a child. We did not have a TV and even now I cannot just sit and watch TV unless I am watching a story or music. Books were my escape from school. They made me feel safe. I could have adventures without having to go through all the scary things myself!
I have to make time to read now. There is always something to do. But when I do read I like real writing, not some slapdash story just put together and sold on either titillation or sensationalism. Stories need to be told and readers need to read them. I write what I like to read but cannot find on the bookshelves. Surely that should tell publishers and agents something!
Monday, 29 November 2010
What Inspires Me - Part 4
Nature inspires me greatly.
Nature makes me stop and think. Nature makes me slow down and consider. When I slow down and think, I write haiku. I find it excellent discipline as a writer to create haiku. Restricted to 19 syllables, I have to make sure every word counts in order to paint a vivid picture in the reader's mind. This is good because on first drafts I tend to be too wordy.
The changing seasons and the variable weather inspire me a lot. (I suppose really that I didn't need variable before weather, did I?!) Nature changes all the time: - grows, fruits, decays, sleeps - a seemingly endless cycle.
In my novels and stories I include observations about Nature - the weather, the seasons, things that I notice. Sometimes people who read them query my descriptions. But I only write about what I've seen or heard. You have to slow down and pause in order to really notice things properly.
Nature, in all it's varying forms, will always inspire me to write.
Nature makes me stop and think. Nature makes me slow down and consider. When I slow down and think, I write haiku. I find it excellent discipline as a writer to create haiku. Restricted to 19 syllables, I have to make sure every word counts in order to paint a vivid picture in the reader's mind. This is good because on first drafts I tend to be too wordy.
The changing seasons and the variable weather inspire me a lot. (I suppose really that I didn't need variable before weather, did I?!) Nature changes all the time: - grows, fruits, decays, sleeps - a seemingly endless cycle.
In my novels and stories I include observations about Nature - the weather, the seasons, things that I notice. Sometimes people who read them query my descriptions. But I only write about what I've seen or heard. You have to slow down and pause in order to really notice things properly.
Nature, in all it's varying forms, will always inspire me to write.
Wednesday, 17 November 2010
What inspires me - part 3
People are very inspiring!
I find I draw a lot of inspiration from people. Although I don't like to be around too many people for too long (crowds drain my energy) I enjoy meeting different sorts of people. Anything from physical appearance to mannerisms, what people say and how they say things - these are all inspirational to me as a writer.
I don't use everything I see or hear but certain things that stand out from the "norm" I nearly always use. What intrigues me is how someone can say one short sentence, and even though I won't necessarily use that sentence in a story, the words spark off a whole scene for a book.
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
What inspires me Part 2
Other people's comments and work!
Negative comments when phrased constructively, really help me to improve my writing. Of course, positive comments also really help too.
I belong to two postal folios, one for Fantasy and Science Fiction writers and the other for general fiction. If you're interested in joining us and have a completed book that needs constructive criticism, email me at freya.pickard@gmail.com and I'll send you the contact details.
The folios are excellent because the quality of writing is extremely high, often better than currently published books. Everyone has such different ideas and various ways of executing a plot that I feel I've learnt more from these two folios than from anything else, including a creative writing course at college. It's how people write that is so revealing. And when you're reading one chapter of a book every 2 months, you have time to analyse and really think about what the writer is doing.
I also subscribe to Dial 174 a magazine for poet lovers. There's always something for everyone in each quarterly issue and I find it very inspiring to read other people's work. The poetry ranges from traditional iambicpentameter and rhyming couplets to haiku and blank verse. There are also several short stories in each issue as well as articles. I have yet to win one of their in-house competitions though...
I used to subscribe to Scheherazade, when it was still being published. This was, in my opinion, the best small press magazine for fantastic fiction. Not only was the quality of the writing superb, but the illustrations were like something out of an expensive fairy tale volume. Each issue was indeed a magical read. I'm hoping that one day Scheherazade will return to print.
Comments, other people's work, all these things inspire me to write more and to write better. If I don't keep honing my skill it will die.
Negative comments when phrased constructively, really help me to improve my writing. Of course, positive comments also really help too.
I belong to two postal folios, one for Fantasy and Science Fiction writers and the other for general fiction. If you're interested in joining us and have a completed book that needs constructive criticism, email me at freya.pickard@gmail.com and I'll send you the contact details.
The folios are excellent because the quality of writing is extremely high, often better than currently published books. Everyone has such different ideas and various ways of executing a plot that I feel I've learnt more from these two folios than from anything else, including a creative writing course at college. It's how people write that is so revealing. And when you're reading one chapter of a book every 2 months, you have time to analyse and really think about what the writer is doing.
I also subscribe to Dial 174 a magazine for poet lovers. There's always something for everyone in each quarterly issue and I find it very inspiring to read other people's work. The poetry ranges from traditional iambicpentameter and rhyming couplets to haiku and blank verse. There are also several short stories in each issue as well as articles. I have yet to win one of their in-house competitions though...
I used to subscribe to Scheherazade, when it was still being published. This was, in my opinion, the best small press magazine for fantastic fiction. Not only was the quality of the writing superb, but the illustrations were like something out of an expensive fairy tale volume. Each issue was indeed a magical read. I'm hoping that one day Scheherazade will return to print.
Comments, other people's work, all these things inspire me to write more and to write better. If I don't keep honing my skill it will die.
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
What inspires me to write - part 1
Many things!
Other artists and creative people inspire me to write. A photo, a painting or a poem will often open windows in my mind. Feedback from other people is also not only encouraging but inspiring too.
Over the past couple of years I've subscribed to a free 'zine that features creative people - photographers, poets, novelists and painters. It's called Ends of the Earth and is available by email subscription at myendsoftheearth@gmail.com if you're interested. It's sole purpose is promote high quality creative work.
There are 3 issues each year in April, August and December. This year I have had 2 poems featured in the April and August editions. In the December issue I have a poem and a short story about Dracomagan.
Feedback from other artists as well as non-artists is very important to me. It shows me where I should be going next and reaffirms when I've created something that has a wide audience appeal.
Even if the feedback is short and sweet, such as I liked that, it means a lot.
Other artists and creative people inspire me to write. A photo, a painting or a poem will often open windows in my mind. Feedback from other people is also not only encouraging but inspiring too.
Over the past couple of years I've subscribed to a free 'zine that features creative people - photographers, poets, novelists and painters. It's called Ends of the Earth and is available by email subscription at myendsoftheearth@gmail.com if you're interested. It's sole purpose is promote high quality creative work.
There are 3 issues each year in April, August and December. This year I have had 2 poems featured in the April and August editions. In the December issue I have a poem and a short story about Dracomagan.
Feedback from other artists as well as non-artists is very important to me. It shows me where I should be going next and reaffirms when I've created something that has a wide audience appeal.
Even if the feedback is short and sweet, such as I liked that, it means a lot.
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