catching up on correspondence

Tags

correspondence, letters, photo, photography, post, writing

Ever since most of my bills went digital the clack on the letter flap on my front door is rarely heard. And I think my postman must be getting bored as he doesn’t seem to need to come quite as often as he use to. But when he does, the soft thud of letters falling to the floor make me smile.

With that in mind I decided to catching up on my correspondence and spent most of Sunday evening with a pen in my hand. There is something quite rewarding about writing down your thoughts knowing someone you care about will read them a few days later (sometimes a few days more depending on the speed of the postman). Delayed gratification in the day and age of instant demands.

On a shelf in my study sits an old wooden wine box filled with cards and envelopes I’ve collected, some over years, others only a few weeks old. And part of the joy of picking up my pen and writing to friends is selecting a card that I think they’ll like, one I can see them smile about, maybe even laugh or giggle, when they open up the envelope.

Now that the letters have been written, the envelopes sealed, addressed and stamped, all I need to do is drop them into a letterbox and wait to see if I’ll get a reply.

For some it may seem odd that I enjoy the old-fashioned way of correspondence when a simple click of a mouse can send an email that will be read within seconds of writing it, but for me the enjoyment of a physical letter is much larger than a few virtual lines on screen. After all who has ever stuck a funny email up on their fridge or reread a fb message years after it was sent?

And who knows, maybe my postman will no longer be bored and have a few letters in his bag for me too. I’ll just have to wait and listen for the clack of the flap on my door and the soft thud as letters land on my floor.

a few letters ready to be sent

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from online to paper

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art, books, Dublin Book Festival, Ireland, literary magazines, Magazines and their Makers, publications, reading, writing

After spending my Saturday in the world of blogging my Sunday afternoon was filled with the written word on paper. The Dublin Book Festival was hosting the event Magazines and their Makers, a session with editors and publishers of five of the leading literary magazines in Ireland.

As an avid reader and an attempting writer it was interesting to hear from those who take the chance and publish less mainstream works. It seems that Ireland is experiencing somewhat of a ‘golden-age’ of literary journals and magazines as over the past few years several new ones have joined the more established names.

Most of the magazines on the panel, like Gorse, Crannog, Cyphers and Winter Pages, all focus on fiction writing, poetry and other forms of artistic collaborations The Dublin Review also focuses on non-fiction writing in the form of essays, reportage, travel writing and memoir writing. 

When asked why choose print over online all the panel seemed to be of one mind. They expressed their love for the published form as an object, something tangible and long-lasting. They spoke about how our ‘instant age’ has the desire to ‘slow down’ and ‘concentrate’ on what is in our hands.

And while all are more or less are classified as magazines they saw their literary collections as ‘artisanal’, nothing that would be quickly disposed of but would be an item to collect and take pleasure in time and time again. Of course each magazine is of its time, but like a time capsule it conserves it and gives insight into the years gone by.

Another thing that all of the editors and publishers on the panel agreed on was that the magazines were not created for the writers but for the readers. That no matter what form they decided on, what pieces they chose for publication, how well constructed something is or how experimental a writer goes, if the reader isn’t included, isn’t able to partake it will not work.

All in all it was refreshing to experience people who invest so much time and effort into the literary form even if financial success is very unlikely.  There truly is something inspiring about people who do things because they love it.

the power of words the force behind this train

a book turned into sculpture, the words brought to life

writing outdoors

Tags

Germany, no internet, novel writing, work, writing, writing out doors

After two weeks of (failed) attempts to access the internet from where I am staying I have finally given up. It still frustrates me and rives me demented that I can’t just quickly look something up when writing but I have arranged to drop in on my mother every now and then to surf the web and get work done, not ideal but the best solution for now.

Thankfully I have been getting some some writing done, I even managed to top my goal for 7000 words last week (I wrote 8350) and am delighted. After all I have so much to catch up that every extra word, page, chapter counts.

What has surprised me most of all is how well I write out doors, something I have never done before and was amazed to find suits me. Sadly the weather hasn’t always been on it’s best behavior so I need to use the usually dry hours in the morning to get as much done as I can.  And it seems to be working.

I have two more weeks left at the house and hope the mornings will stay dry, helping me get my writing done!

a big cup, a gift from my big sister

the blue bench I sit on

just birds and bees disturbing the peace

sunshine and writing

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Dublin, photo, photography, sun, sun shine, writing

Over the past few days Dublin has been showing itself from its best side – in the sunshine. The downside to sunny Dublin is the fact that I have to spend hours at my desk – my hands poised over my keyboard waiting for inspiration.

With sunny skies beckoning me I have found myself outdoors perched on my blue bench, a cup of tea in my hand and a book on my lap, ignoring my laptop inside. Of course this means I haven’t been getting a lot of work done – counting words has become somewhat disheartening.

On the plus side I have been able to hold my pasty white legs into the sun and I have discovered they have gone a very pale beige – no one would notice but I know and that is enough for me. But I do live in hope that I may end up with a bit of a tan at the end of the summer.

And luckily for me it seems that there are a few clouds on the horizon so maybe that will help increase my word count.

sunny blue skies – now with a few clouds

 

long weekends and not working cars

Tags

bank holiday, car trouble, Dublin, Enfield, Ireland, train

Today is a bank holiday – this means we all have an extra day to add on to our weekend.  And I ave to admit I am loving it. After handing in my short story final on Friday (three stories and about 7000 words) I really felt I deserved a few days off. Well, at least a few days of doing less.

So I spent the last two days at home, catching up on my reading (and sleep), designing a friends wedding invitation and not doing very much at all. However i had made plans to meet up with a friend in Enfield today, it was long overdue.

However as I tried to start my car, it just wouldn’t. It sat like a sulky tortoise outside my home and wouldn’t budge. I have no idea if it’s the battery (I hope it’s the battery) or if my car has finally decided to die. If so I am at a loss- I can’t afford  anew one. But then maybe it’s just my car taking the day off too – a bank holiday for all!

Not willing to give up I have now decided to take the train. Hopefully I can use the hour to work on my novel. After all it would be the perfect way to spend the time while green landscape whizzes by.

my little mobile office

short story static

Tags

masters, psychology, short story, static, static thought, writing

On Friday I’ll be handing in my end of year short story final – 6.000 words (minimum) and at least two different stories. Since my short story attempts tend to be more minimalist than expansive, I’ll need to hand in three pieces of fiction.

While all of that isn’t really so much of an issue, and I do have two good, solid pieces (one I am particularly proud of), the third is creating a bit of a headache. Somehow I have entered a static phase, my thoughts are static and my writing is just not moving forward. And with time running out that is  not the most pleasant of feelings.

In psychology Static Thought is the term used to describe a child’s belief that the world is unchanging, that the world will always stay the same as it is in the present, and that the world has always been like that. And this is exactly how I currently feel about my story …

Somehow I can’t see where the story is going, and I am struggling to figure out where it came from. But my hope is that in a few short hours my story will have matured enough to allow for logical reasoning and complex thought structure and I can move forward. If so, the static will lift and the world will change and I will type like never before  – after all I do have a deadline looming.

hoping that the Muse will inspire me

 

red pens and grading

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grading, photography, photos, red pens, students, teaching, writing

As a lecturer I go through quite a few red pens, and this year is no different. Over the years I have discovered that my preference are gel pens, they seem to just slide over the page and allow for quicker marking, but when stuck (or when I run out of ink) I switch over to my trusty red Stabilo.

But this year, while I sit grading my students work and slash red all over their pages I can’t help but wonder how much red will be on my own pages this year. After all I am currently in the unique position to be both a student and lecturer, the grader and the gradee.

Knowing that your work will be scrutinized and compared to a grading scale is somewhat disconcerting, and not very inspiring. And while I understand the need for unification of grades I am discovering I am not really too found of being on the receiving end.

Maybe that is why I am  being a little more generous this year when it comes to giving a grade, when stuck between two I tend to go up, when working out percentages I round up. I just hope that my lecturers will do the same – after all  don’t they say, what goes around comes around?

red pens and grading scale

 

one down, two to go

Tags

editing, masters, novel, publishing, short stories, to much to do, words, work, writing

After two long weeks of typing, deleting and editing I handed in my novel writing final, 12.500 words of my novel plus 3.00 words of reflection, in all nearly 50 pages of words. Hard won and energy sapping words.

But once I handed the printed out pages in for my professor to collect, a burden was lifted from my shoulders and I decided to take a day. So on Saturday I spent time reading and in the afternoon my neighbour sat in the warm(ish) spring sun enjoying a chat and a cup of tea.

Sadly one day was all I could allow for as I now still have my short stories final and  publishing final to hand in. So with one down, and two still left to go my time is still filled with words.And of course there are still all of my corrections and grading left to do, and I still have to cycle in to do my contract work.

With that in mind I think it is safe to say that I won’t be bored or wondering what to do in quite a while. However as the temperature rises and the sun seems to be spending a little more time in the sky everything does come a little easier.

The biggest issue I am left with however is whether I should on my novel or on my short stories for my thesis. After all I’ll be spend  most f my summer with it and I wonder which one will be the better option.

So as I contemplate my options and try and concentrate on the job(s) at hand I think it’s time for another cup of tea and maybe a cookie, after all a cookie makes nearly everything better.

 

looking for ideas

Tags

brain, creative, creative thoughts, dopamine, ideas, thoughts, writing

Writing has been hard lately so as I sit and stare at both the screen and the keyboard I can’t help but wonder where do ideas come from, what makes them and where can I get them?

There seems to be a misconception that there are creative and non-creative people in the world. The one group have this unexplained power to see the world from a slightly different angle and create things that weren’t there before, the others only standing by in awe.  But that is not true, everyone can be creative – if they let themselves.

Although scientists have been trying to figure out how ideas are made inside our brain they haven’t really been able to figure out too much. They know that dopamine is a main contributor to the process and that certain areas of the brain tend to be more active than others, but they also know that being intelligent and being creative are not necessarily linked, so no excuses if you were bad in school.

The chemical dopamine is vital for people to actually get up and do things. Without this neurotransmitter we would all feel hungry, but not do anything about it and possibly starve to death.  But dopamine has been proven to also play a vital role when it comes to learning and remembering things, moving our body and naughty thoughts. This is possibly the reason why opiates (high levels of dopamine) are so highly addictive, not only do they make us feel fantastic but we seem to be able to do things better, faster and have wonderfully creative ideas.

A healthier way to help the flow of dopamine in your brain is listening to music. Not only does our favourite song make us emotional, kick start our memories or inspire us to jump around the living room as if we were a possessed prima ballerina but it also increases the levels of dopamine produced, encouraging our bodies and minds to do and feel things.

Of course there are foods that can help us along too. Sunflower seeds, whole grain and foods high in antioxidants like berries, tomatoes, broccoli and garlic (maybe not all at the same time) are perfect but ripe bananas seem to be the best. And while caffeine can give you a quick push, it doesn’t last long. And again (and I hate having to type this as lazy as I am) exercise seems to help too.

When all of that fails, and you still have no ideas, there is the simple trick of bringing your seven-year-old-self out to play. All children are incredibly creative and like anything else creativity needs practice. What we did so instinctively as kids we forget as adults. We stop picking up sticks and turning them into wands and swords, we don’t linger and watch as a spider spins her web or stand in awe as a butterfly opens up her wings and flies away. As adults a box is a box, not a time-machine or a typewriter or a hat, for a child a box is something of endless possibilities. And don’t be afraid to try something and fail, if it doesn’t work try again, maybe a little different and who knows what you will discover. After all children constantly fail at things but they change the rules and discover new possibilities, never lost for ideas and full of surprises.

So now I have to put on a CD,  eat a banana, do a few jumping jacks and turn my cereal box into shoes so that I can come up with ideas of how to fill my writing quota for the day.

looking for words

distracting Saturday

Tags

distractions, quote, trying to write, Winston Churchill, writing

Why is it that I sit down brimming over with good intentions but when I open up my laptop and stare at the neat rows of letters in front of me everything around me becomes immensely important – more so than the task at hand?

I get up and potter about, return to my mac and sit down, hands hoovering over keys, thoughts forming to only be led down an endless row of rabbit-holes:

The Saturday newspapers need to be read – oh and look a Sudoku yet to be solved – mmmh I think a cup of tea is needed – and what about my emails – oh and I did want to read that post/blog/online article. Every movement outside my window – even the violas bobbing in the breeze – catch my eyes and distract me.

And I so need to write, time is running out before I have to hand in my end of year assignments, but my mind has other ideas, one that seem to stray far away from my novel. But what to do?

Keep trying – I suppose!

You will never reach your destination if you stop to throw stones at every dog that barks.

Winston Churchill