Today, in Caithness, the sun is shining and the air is clear. I'm sure it will come as no surprise to anyone reading this blog that, certain weathers and certain times of the year ignite certain music in me. And, on late winter days which are filled with sunshine, I am usually to be found singing the songs of The Spinners . Inevitably, I start humming different ones of their songs (and of course adapting them to be about Orlando and Jess) as I go around doing different things. But I remember almost all the words to them. I haven't heard a lot of them in years, but they are all there, rooted in my memory. It is truly fascinating to think about how these songs have passed through history. They are part of my own nostalgia, which is why crisp sunny mornings make me incapable of ignoring the temptation to sing them, but they are part of something much bigger. There are songs amongst them which are a newer step in the folk music movement. Songs like Silver in the Stubble are amongs...
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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