I don't write many older characters. I suppose age - as with most things - is relative in fiction. When I began writing The Watcher's Heir (my will-be-finished-one-day high fantasy epic), I was still at school and my hero began the story aged 25, an age I could not imagine ever reaching but an age I thought would still be considered young by many. If I ever manage to finish and edit that story, I'll be extending his - and a few others' - age! Having grown older, I've realised the advantages and the benefits of age. Of course, it's a bit of a disappointment that I'm never asked for ID in the shop anymore, or that people assume I'm my younger sisters' mother(!). But, on the whole, the pros have far outweighed the cons. The biggest con in terms of writing, is that it's difficult not to put an old head on young shoulders. Looking through books - both my own and those written by other people - it is clear just how easy it is to slip into the "ol...
What do you say when people ask you if you like poetry? It's one of those questions where a single word answer just does not work for most people. Like all artforms - writing included - poetry is hugely subjective. But, when you do find a poem you love, it can be one of the most inspiring things of all.
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| Blake's original plate for The Little Black Boy |
My family saga draws constantly from poetry. I love the poetry of the Romantics - Byron in particular - and their poetry weaves in and out of the books, right down to the titles: Day's Dying Glory (from Byron's Lachin y Gair); and Beneath Black Clouds and White (from Blake's The Little Black Boy). I'm someone whose writing style is rather sumptuous (or should that be: overindulgent?!), and these flowery poems of depth and flow serve to add to my inspiration and also find a common ground between me and my characters, for whom they are contemporaneous.
The way we interact with words can say a great deal about about us. Where nonfiction writers use words to inform, and prose writers use words to project, poets paint with words. I like to believe there is a poem for everyone out there, and similarly one for every character - all beautifully different. So, spill the beans, what is the most inspirational poem you've ever read?
Spot on! Enjoyed this! Thank you xx
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