Handwriting aids retention.

When I should be #editing book two ~ the hand doodles the character Anathon as a warrior of 'The Heaven Stone'. Focus, Trace, focus.

From http://absolutewrite.com ~ Handwriting aids retention.
Handwriting allows us to use the parts of our brain that we don’t when we keyboard; there’s a thing that happens when we’re doodling or brainstorming with a pen in our hand where we solve problems, whether of plot, narration or character motivation, or planning. Some of it is perhaps not conscious, but as we write, we formulate a solution.

Writing by hand also uses different parts of the brain, and more of them, than keyboarding does, which may have something to do why those writing demonstrate better retention than those who keyboard.

Because of the way we concentrate on what we are doing and because it is slower than a keyboard, writing by hand gives us time to think.

Lifprasira (Chance's Letter)

Writing by hand changes our mechanics, and consequently, our memory. As we concentrate on forming the letters, we’re using parts of our brain that we don’t use when we keyboard, and that appears to assist both memory and recall. Researchers and Psychology professors Dung Bui, Joel Myerson, and Sandra Hale from Washington University discovered that students taking lecture notes via a computer keyboard demonstrated better immediate recall than students creating well-organized lecture notes by hand, but that about twenty-four hours later students who keyboarded their notes performed worse on tests about the material than those who wrote their notes by hand. The researchers concluded that keyboard notetakers had poorer recall than those taking notes by hand because they were not actively summarizing and synthesizing key points, as much as they were engaged in transcription.

Read more HERE

Love and light,

Trace

xoxo

An Introduction to Screenwriting.

An Introduction to Screenwriting.

UEA (UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA)

via Future Learn - HERE

I wanted to share this wonderful and free class found via Futurelearn Online. Week Two has just started but it's still not too late to join (link above). So far, it has been fun, nice fresh inspiration, and really interesting. The development reminds me much of what is used in novel writing craft as far as character, plot, mood, etc, is concerned. Which excites me as I would like to transform the books in ACoPF series into script format. That is once I've completed book two, Awake in Purple Dreams hopefully to be published in the autumn of 2017.
The script I'm developing is for book three - Shining Sword (future story) in the series. Half of the first draft is written and I thought this would be a fun way to further develop the story.

This week we are learning about 'CHARACTER, WRITING THE SCENE AND FIRST DRAFT'. This involves exercises to further develop characters and exploring scene construction.
and hear approaches and tips from our four educators.
2.12
A WORKFLOW FOR WRITING YOUR FIRST DRAFT OF A FEATURE-FILM SCREENPLAY
2.13
SCREENPLAY FORMATTING
2.14
PREPARING FOR WRITING YOUR FIRST DRAFT
2.15
SCREEN FORMATTING
2.16
WRITING - AND FINISHING - THE FIRST DRAFT
2.17
WRITING THE FIRST DRAFT

There are four fabulous educators who have varying viewpoints in techniques and how they're inspired. This is helpful and most people should be able to relate to one.

For study, I choose Excalibur (film seen)  1981. A  British dramatic fantasy film directed, produced, and co-written by John Boorman that retells the legend of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table, based solely on the 15th century Arthurian romance Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory (1469–70) .

Boorman had planned a film adaptation of the Merlin legend as early as 1969, but when submitting the three-hour-one-film script written with Rospo Pallenberg to (United Artists), they rejected it deeming it too costly and offered him J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings instead.

Boorman was allowed to shop the script elsewhere, but no studio would commit to it. Returning to his original idea of the Merlin legend, Boorman was eventually able to secure deals that would help him do Excalibur.

Much of the imagery and set designs were created with his original vision of The Lord Of The Rings in mind, and it has been noted that certain scenes are reminiscent of Monty Python's 1975 comedy film, Monty Python And The Holy Grail.

In addition to Malory, the writers incorporated elements from other Arthurian stories, sometimes altering them. For example, the sword between the sleeping lovers' bodies comes from the tales of Tristan and Iseult; the knight who returns Excalibur to the water is changed from Bedivere to Perceval; and Morgause and Morgan Le Fay are merged into one character.

The sword Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone are presented as the same thing; in some versions of the legends they are separate. In Le Morte d'Arthur, Sir Galahad, the illegitimate son of Lancelot and Elaine of Carbonek, is actually the Knight who is worthy of the Holy Grail. Boorman follows the earlier version of the tale as told by Chrétien de Troyes, making Perceval the grail winner.

Some new elements were added, such as Uther wielding Excalibur before Arthur (repeated in Merlin), Merlin's 'Charm of Making' (written in Old Irish), and the concept of the world as "the dragon" (probably inspired by the dragon omen seen in Geoffrey of Monmouth's account of Merlin's life).

According to linguist Michael Everson, the "Charm of Making" that Merlin speaks to invoke the dragon is an invention. The phonetic transcription of the charm as spoken in the film is [aˈnaːl naθˈrax, uːrθ vaːs beˈθʌd, doxˈjeːl ˈdjenveː]. Although the pronunciation in the film has little relation to how the text would actually be pronounced in Irish, the most likely interpretation of the spoken words, as Old Irish text is:

Anál nathrach,

orth’ bháis’s bethad,

do chél dénmha

In modern English, this can be translated as:

Serpent's breath,

charm of death and life,

thy omen of making.

According to Boorman, the film was originally three hours long; among scenes that were deleted from the finished film but featured in one of the promotional trailers was a sequence where Lancelot rescued Guenevere from a forest bandit.

 The Perks of a Wallflower (film unseen). 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming-of-age epistolary novel by American writer Stephen Chbosky which was first published on February 1, 1999, by Pocket Books.

 Chbosky took five years to develop and publish The Perks of Being a Wallflower, creating the characters and other aspects of the story from his own memories. The novel addresses themes permeating adolescence, including introversion, sexuality, and drug use, while also making several references to other literary works, films, and pop culture in general.Although Chbosky's first book was a commercial success, it was banned in some American schools for its content.

Since he wrote The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Chbosky aspired to adapt it into a film, calling this "a lifelong dream of mine." After the publication of the novel, the author said he received film offers, refusing them because he "owed the fans a movie that was worthy of their love for the book."
The film boosted the novel's sales, and the book reached The New York Times Best Seller list.

Love and light,

Trace

xoxo

A Carpet of Purple Flowers - Laura's Early Thoughts (prior to review)

LAURA - 

ASMR GIRL. BOOKWORM. GEEK. VLOGGER. 

Laura creates ASMR videos but what is it?

Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is an experience characterised by a static-like or tingling sensation on the skin that typically begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine. It has been compared with auditory-tactile synesthesia. Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) signifies the subjective experience of 'low-grade euphoria' characterised by 'a combination of positive feelings, and a distinct static-like tingling sensation on the skin'. It is most commonly triggered by specific acoustic, visual and digital media stimuli, and less commonly by intentional attentional control.

Read more HERE

You can find Laura here:

https://twitter.com/minxlaura123

@minxlaura123 

Youtube - MinxLaura123 ASMR

Alithia and Karian ~ A Love Story

 Book Character Inspired Post

Rogelio de Egusquiza - Tristan and Isolt

The story within a story, Karian, and Alithia by the elders ruins.

It is by this tragic love story that the character, Karian, loses his way and finds himself on earth. Condemned by his own people in Emeritias for Alithia's sudden death, he searches for a place to belong. A place where his heart can find the peace that's eluded him for centuries. Feeling empty, he is desperate to fill the hole Alithia's love left. 

 Alithia loved to ride over the lands of Emeritias. 

The young couple would meet and race and finally stop at the ruins.

 Both were torn in the ancient feud between their families. Each to be a successor on opposing sides in a war not of their making..

Their Hidden World

The Infamous Well 

 Bellwood Gardens

Read more on the character page on the book website - HERE

Meaning and history of Alithia's name:  

The name Alithia is a Teutonic baby name. In Teutonic the meaning of the name is: Noble humour.
People with this name have a deep inner desire for love and companionship, and want to work with others to achieve peace and harmony.
Soul Number: 2   Expression Number: 6

Pinterest Character Inspiration Board ~ HERE

TRISTAN UND ISOLDE 

Video still of Isolde's Death by Bill Viola, from the Opéra national de Paris production. Photo Credit: Kira Perov 

Meaning and history of Karian's name: 

(Pronounced as KEH-RIY-AHN) -  

Pinterest Character Board ~ HERE

A Nordic (Swedish) name meaning pure.

Bearer's of this name, feel and sense much. There are many things that they do not fully understand, and can possibly be deeply influenced through the thoughts of others without realizing just how  they're being affected. Moods are a problem, as can be highly inspired one minute, and the next become quite irritated and annoyed over some ill-timed remark or lack of consideration on the part of someone close to them. They may experience suffering, caused by being abandoned and sacrificed at the hands of others. It is overall a tough and challenging name to have. He has a certain flair and charm that he tends to abuse.
Karian (Persian: also Romanized as Karīān, Kareyān, and Karīyan; also known as Kariūn) is a village in Karian Rural District, in the Central District of Minab County, Hormozgan Province, Iran.
Greek spelling - Carian - The Greek historian Herodotus recorded that Carians themselves believed to be aborigines of Caria but they were also, by general consensus of ancient sources, a maritime people before being gradually pushed inland.
Soul Number: 11    Expression Number: 5
People with theses numbers tend to fight being restricted by rules and conventions. They are usually optimistic, energetic, intelligent, and make friends easily. They may be changeable, restless and rebellious.

Relating to Bethany

Three Hearts

Four Souls

and a whole lot of history

Bethany aka Bea

Love and light,

Trace

xoxo

The most romantic flower gardens in the world...

Husband plants thousands of pink blooms so people would come to see them and spend time with his blind wife so she didn't feel lonely. Toshiyuki Kuroki and his wife Yasuko had been married for 30 years when she began to have trouble with her sight. Within a week Mrs Kuroki, from Miyazaki Prefecture, had gone blind, after suffering complications from her diabetes. Mr Kuroki, a dairy farmer, had to watch on helplessly as his wife became depressed and withdrawn from the world. But he struck on the idea of creating a garden so beautiful that people would come to visit it and keep her company.

A husband in Japan has spent a decade creating a landscape of pink blooms to cheer up his wife after she went blind. Toshiyuki Kuroki and his wife Yasuko, from Miyazaki Prefecture, had been married for 30 years when Mrs Kuroki began having problems with her sight. Within a week, she had gone blind, suffering from complications relating to her diabetes. To the pair of dairy farmers, who had woken early every morning to look after their herd of 60 cows, her loss of sight was devastating.

They had led a difficult but rewarding life, also raising their two children, and had planned to celebrate their coming retirement with a massive tour around their country.
Mr and Mrs Kuroki were heartbroken that all their plans now seemed impossible. Mrs Kuroki shut herself away from the world and Mr Kuroki was forced to watch on, helpless, as his wife sunk into a deep depression.

That was until one day, Mr Kuroki noticed passersby admiring their small garden, which was filled with bright pink Shibazakura flowers, also known as moss phlox.

Shibazakura is a flower that grows thickly, covering the ground like a lawn. The shape of its pretty flower petals looks like that of sakura (cherry blossoms) and it comes in a variety of colors including different shades of pink, white, and light purple, with some petals having striped patterns.

He thought that if he planted more blooms, more people would come to see them and would help to keep his lonely wife company.
And so he quit his dairy farm and started work on creating a carpet of the pink flowers, surrounding their house and creating a striking and beautiful landscape.
He spent two years creating the foundation for the garden, reported RocketNews24, chopping down trees and caring for the fledgeling plants.

Now, more than a decade after the first seeds were planted, the garden in Shintomi Town is open to the public and attracts more than 7,000 visitors every year.
Throughout March and April, when the flowers are in full bloom, Mrs Kuroki has countless people to talk to and put a smile back on her face.
And visitors can also tour the old cow sheds, where they can hear more about the flowers and about the touching love story that brought the garden into being.
Source - HERE

The Shibazakura Festival is one of the most unique and colourful festivals on the Hokkaido flower calendar. Winding paths lead you across a surreal pink and purple hillside overlooking Takinoue town. Every year from early May to early June, Takinoue Park is covered with a carpet of Shibazakura which started from the equivalent of a single tangerine box filled with seedlings. These flowers have spread and grown every year and now cover an area of 100,000 square meters.

Image Source HERE

Shibazakura ~ Takinoue Park 

The park began in 1956 with a “mandarin orange box full” of moss phlox seeds. More and more flowers were planted each year until they filled a 100,000m2 area. The beautiful carpet of flowers covers the hillsides for around a month. As well as being a beautiful bright pink, they fill the park with a sweet scent, drawing you into a dreamlike world. 

May 1 - early June

The Shibazakura (Pink Moss) Festival 

The backside of the Daisetsuzan Mountain Range offers its pointy snow-covered peaks as a backdrop and tulips adorn the wide gently-sloped paths on your journey across the hill.

In the Ainu language, the Takinoue area is called Ponkamuikotan which roughly translates to "Village of the Small Gods." The name Takinoue, which literally means "Above the Waterfall," originates from the first Japanese settlers who founded the city upstream from a waterfall.
Hokkaido Ainu is the sole survivor of the Ainu languages. It is spoken by members of the Ainu ethnic group on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. Ainu has no generally accepted genealogical relationship to any other language family.

How beautiful...This Ponkamuikotan reminds me of Calageata in which (first draft of book) Bea travelled through a waterfall to visit. In this special place, purple flowers are abundant and it is the home of ethereal beings called the Sindria.  

Moss Garden, Saiho-Ji Temple [Kyoto, Japan] ~ Infrared photography

An interesting theory ~ (used inspiration for book - Calageata and Well of Souls)

Purple Earth hypothesis is an astrobiological hypothesis that life forms of early Earth were retinal-based rather than chlorophyll-based thus making Earth appear purple rather than green. An example of a retinal-based organism today is the photosynthetic microbes called halobacteria.

 Early Earth

Furano City, just south of Zerubu Hill above, is where tourists go to get their lavender fix. Even though the lavender blooming season is relatively short—just July and August—this city is very popular that there are more than one million visitors a year. This violet garden spreads out in every direction. Aside from lavenders, there are also cosmos and dahlia. 

www.jmbihorel.myportfolio.com

Flower Soul
Love and light,

Trace

xoxo