Kay Harker and Cole Hawlings Picture accessed via BBC There are few things more Christmassy than the opening few bars of the theme tune to The Box of Delights . In fact, the tune is based on Victor Hely-Hutchinson's Carol Symphony and had been used in radio adaptations of the same novel years earlier than the 1984 television series. Clearly, everyone already knew that you just couldn't improve on that sound to evoke the magic of Christmas which - for me and for many - is so wonderfully explored in John Masefield's story. As a viewer, one of the things I enjoy most about the television series of The Box of Delights is the acting. Child actors are precarious things: too sweet and they're almost unbearable to watch, not sweet enough and they're unbelievable. They must walk that fine line between the two, and it is a perilous one! Most young actors fall into the first category, where their on-screen presence is almost dangerously saccharine. Not so the child actors ...
Sunday 3rd November 2019 – The Writer’s Desk
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| Photo by Frans Van Heerden from Pexels |
I’m a person who loves my own space. That being said, I’m anything but a
“neat-freak”. I’ve never managed to find
a writing space which will work for all my books. Sometimes, I’ll sit alone in a quiet room,
other times I write with my two sisters and we’ll put out inspirational Spotify
playlist on. And on some occasions, I’ll
give up on the laptop altogether and write by hand.
The most important thing I’ve found is that I’m flexible
with where I write. No two books are the
same, so why should two writing desks be any different. Here are a few staples I tend to rely on,
though:
- Always have a pen or pencil to hand – even if the majority of your writing is done on a laptop, you can never underestimate the number of times you’ll need to jot down notes to ideas, from a character’s age, to a major plot twist.
- Food! Eating and drinking keeps your brain going. I’m not going to lie, chocolate and tea are favourites for me.
- A music device – you may like silence when your writing, but if you're ever afflicted with writers’ block, stick on a favourite tune and words will flow.
- Company – it could be human, canine, feline or ursine! Having someone to share ideas with (even if it’s an inanimate teddy), can help get your plan in order. A tricky piece of dialogue, or measuring the meter of a poem, it all makes sense when it’s spoken aloud.
- Never go anywhere without *something* to write on and with. You could be at the beach, up a mountain, or underground. Inspiration can strike you anytime and anyplace. Your writer’s desk need not be a physical entity but a space your mind wanders to when inspiration comes knocking – take your desk with you, and you’ll never be caught high and dry!
During NaNoWriMo, remember every day is a writing day, and
any space is a writer’s desk.
Virginia Crow
www.crowvus.com
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