Well, I was just reading another writer's blog - not that I can officially call myself a writer, since I've never published any work - and I realised something. Throughout the writing of this blog, I have been making the pre-assumption that writing is not as connected to a writer as dancing is, to a dancer.
It may seem obvious, but there are subtle stereotypes that imprint on a person's mind (perhaps mine, perhaps a million others in the human population) as an individual of society. One of them may be that writing for a writer is: a job. To some - lawyers who write appeals, suits, whatever (I watch Suits on Netflix and I'm still stiff with the semantic field of law!) - writing is a job. What the majority of them, potentially, love most is serving those in need, inside the courtroom. But with writers, we know that writing in a blog, newspaper, novel and so on isn't going to provide us with lots of money. Only novel-writers have high future, financial prospects. No one pays to read your blog. The cost of a newspaper is very little - it's not going to boost your bank balance much.
But we do it anyway.
In the past, during the times I've experienced Writer's Block, I have tried to explore art or music. But I always return to writing. The pen starts singing to me when I settle in front of the piano. The paper is so fresh and white - I mean, how can I resist? Sometimes it is merely the feel of the blank page, being filled up with your thoughts, an outlet for your imagination. Even during the writing of my novel, I questioned myself: if I'm so susceptible to Writer's Block, why am I even so passionate about finishing this novel?
After giving it some thought, I realised that Writer's Block is perfectly natural. Just like periods of dark depression are, and panic attacks. It's like acid reflux. Everyone experiences it at one point in their life. Stress, anxiety, anger: these feelings and emotions can all distract you from your writing. And why would you want to write anything - with hopes of publishing it - if your heart and mind wasn't truly set on it?
Writing is an art. The metaphors, similes, rhyme, semantic fields, oxymorons... They are all different coloured paints, different hues of green, brown, blue, red. You can paint a wonderful picture in somebody's mind with just words, strung together with skill, yes, experience, yes, but also...passion. Passion for inspiring truth and feeling in the reader. Excluding those who write for money, why else do we write? I, myself, write to reveal truths that I have realised as an individual during my experience of life, so that others can realise them, too. To create change - a ripple in the waters of humanity.
I have a great admiration for many species of animal - tiger, lion, cat, dog, rat, hawk, eagle. Even guinea pigs! You are probably wondering what the last two sentences have to do with this post. What I'm trying to say is this. I cannot connect with animals through my writing, although I would like to. I cannot affect worldly forces; only the thoughts and actions of humankind. I may not even be able to do that. Writing is a human activity. We are held together by it, just as we are held - connected - to one another by our ability to speak.
It is special, and I apologise if I have ever implied that it is merely an occupation. Something to 'get done and over with.'
I suppose I have not been posting for a long while, as well as inconsistently, because of my recent Writer's Block. I am writing a scene, at the moment, about one of the dragons flying. It's the first time the main character has ever gotten to fly this dragon. I struggled for about an hour, trying to establish that connection with my writing, but it was all stilted. I couldn't feel that true connection with what I was writing, and I realised that it was because I had never experienced riding on a - flying - dragon's back. I can imagine what it would be like, but I cannot write the scene with confidence as I've written the rest of the book. How can anyone experience riding a dragon? It's impossible.
I know I'm sounding very hopeless, but this Writer's Block is probably caused by the stress that I'm starting university at the end of the month. As I stated before, stress can inhibit creativity, because your focus is lost. If I had the money and resources, I would overcome this hurdle with replacing my lack of experience - with dragon-riding - with another, similar one. Perhaps riding horses, camels, maybe even sit on a crocodile! I'm sure you can pay to do that.
Well, that's something to add to the goals: ride a crocodile's coarse back. Can't wait to tick that one off (!) See ya!
Friday, 15 September 2017
Monday, 21 August 2017
Greetings & more inspirational tracks.
Greetings!
I am obliged to apologise for not posting in so many months. I was very caught up in my A Level exams. It fills me with a vague concoction of dread and excitement when I think: I will be at university in October! Well, anyway, enough about my personal life, that's boring.
Having been absent for months, you would think I would have some ideas to give you on story-writing. My own novel, which I have been writing for more than three years now, is almost finished. I have 1/4 to complete - but you never know with these things, your story changes all the time. Well, I was thinking, as I was redrafting a chapter yesterday: wow, I actually feel like these characters are real people that I know. I think this is very important, because it allows you to develop the characters with more ease, which is vital to your story.
To keep my story-writing skills and techniques flowing, I have read about ten novels: most of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, the second and third Game of Thrones novel by G.R. Martin, and I have just recently begun reading Jean Auel's Earth's Children series. The latter is a very interesting series about human life during the Ice Age and the doomed reign of the Neanderthals. I won't say anymore, because I do not wish to ruin it for anyone else! However I do recommend them, they are all inspiring, exciting, wonderfully written series.
Another story-writing tip: there must be a structure to your story. I'm not talking about the 'beginning, climax, end' structure, no, suit it to yourself and your story. A story that follows the same mood and pattern for too many pages will soon become boring. It needs a collision between characters, a death, a betrayal, drama, you name it. I call it a 'climax.' A bit like the structure of a play - it keeps readers hooked. The structure of my story has many minute climax points, which lead to the main climax at the very end. Perhaps this structure would fit your story better? Remember, it's all up to you. Writing a story is a creative, unique process to every individual.
At this moment, I cannot conjure any story-writing techniques - that I haven't mentioned already - to mind.
But I have some beautiful tracks I have found, here, to inspire you whilst you are writing your own story:
This one is by Birdy, called 'Shadow'. Sorry about the Spanish subtitles, it's the only video I could find on YouTube. But this is an emotional, ethereal track that describes the relationship a woman (or man) has with her lover. Their strong, unbreakable love is powerful - she has become their shadow in falling in love with them - but it was overpowered her as a person. She is controlled, influenced too easily by this person she orbits around, held there by her love. A very dark, emotional song that instantly tugged at my heart strings... :')
Another track by Birdy. It addresses a person who "wait[s] on [the speaker's] defeat," telling them that this emotional battle is not over yet. I think it is a song that uplifts the soul and really gives the listener confidence in whatever situation they are caught in at the moment.
Birdy again! She is one of my favourite artists. This is a song she wrote for the film 'The Edge of Seventeen' a while before the previous songs. It is about being lost. Its raw honesty draws you in, exposing you to the heart-wrenching vocals and lyrics. I think it is a very healing song :)
This song is by Simon and Garfunkel, two older artists, who focused on society and drew their ideas from the cracks and flaws they saw within it. They were fascinated with the doom humanity brought upon itself in order to survived, and also to be loved. This song expresses the harshness of life itself, and evokes a raw need to be free, to be who and what you want, which society strictly restricts people from. They address 'man' who is 'tied down to the ground,' giving 'the world its saddest sound.' A sentimental track that really loosens the mind, allowing new ideas to flow in.
I am obliged to apologise for not posting in so many months. I was very caught up in my A Level exams. It fills me with a vague concoction of dread and excitement when I think: I will be at university in October! Well, anyway, enough about my personal life, that's boring.
Having been absent for months, you would think I would have some ideas to give you on story-writing. My own novel, which I have been writing for more than three years now, is almost finished. I have 1/4 to complete - but you never know with these things, your story changes all the time. Well, I was thinking, as I was redrafting a chapter yesterday: wow, I actually feel like these characters are real people that I know. I think this is very important, because it allows you to develop the characters with more ease, which is vital to your story.
To keep my story-writing skills and techniques flowing, I have read about ten novels: most of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, the second and third Game of Thrones novel by G.R. Martin, and I have just recently begun reading Jean Auel's Earth's Children series. The latter is a very interesting series about human life during the Ice Age and the doomed reign of the Neanderthals. I won't say anymore, because I do not wish to ruin it for anyone else! However I do recommend them, they are all inspiring, exciting, wonderfully written series.
Another story-writing tip: there must be a structure to your story. I'm not talking about the 'beginning, climax, end' structure, no, suit it to yourself and your story. A story that follows the same mood and pattern for too many pages will soon become boring. It needs a collision between characters, a death, a betrayal, drama, you name it. I call it a 'climax.' A bit like the structure of a play - it keeps readers hooked. The structure of my story has many minute climax points, which lead to the main climax at the very end. Perhaps this structure would fit your story better? Remember, it's all up to you. Writing a story is a creative, unique process to every individual.
At this moment, I cannot conjure any story-writing techniques - that I haven't mentioned already - to mind.
But I have some beautiful tracks I have found, here, to inspire you whilst you are writing your own story:
This one is by Birdy, called 'Shadow'. Sorry about the Spanish subtitles, it's the only video I could find on YouTube. But this is an emotional, ethereal track that describes the relationship a woman (or man) has with her lover. Their strong, unbreakable love is powerful - she has become their shadow in falling in love with them - but it was overpowered her as a person. She is controlled, influenced too easily by this person she orbits around, held there by her love. A very dark, emotional song that instantly tugged at my heart strings... :')
Another track by Birdy. It addresses a person who "wait[s] on [the speaker's] defeat," telling them that this emotional battle is not over yet. I think it is a song that uplifts the soul and really gives the listener confidence in whatever situation they are caught in at the moment.
Birdy again! She is one of my favourite artists. This is a song she wrote for the film 'The Edge of Seventeen' a while before the previous songs. It is about being lost. Its raw honesty draws you in, exposing you to the heart-wrenching vocals and lyrics. I think it is a very healing song :)
This song is by Simon and Garfunkel, two older artists, who focused on society and drew their ideas from the cracks and flaws they saw within it. They were fascinated with the doom humanity brought upon itself in order to survived, and also to be loved. This song expresses the harshness of life itself, and evokes a raw need to be free, to be who and what you want, which society strictly restricts people from. They address 'man' who is 'tied down to the ground,' giving 'the world its saddest sound.' A sentimental track that really loosens the mind, allowing new ideas to flow in.
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