Imagination

Hi, Everyone.

I thought I'd make a post concerning symbolic visual knowledge and imagination. I'm a pretty curious person with bundles of imagination, and so research a lot about many varied things. One of my favourite topics is origins and cosmology. When writing 'A Carpet of Purple Flowers', I wanted to create a cosmology for my beings called The Sindria and understand their environment. The mind is amazing when it's set free to wander the realm of possibility and along the way connections of patterns are made. This is where the creative mind/consciousness plays with what if's with no boundaries. If there's a problem that needs solving, imagination can take you there. Then, all you need do is research the science behind what you imagined or try and piece together scientific evidence/hypothesis that will back-up your theory to make it viable.
It's why I love Einstein's quote: "Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution."

“Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.”
― Albert Einstein

Some more on imagination:

“Everything you can imagine is real.”
― Pablo Picasso

“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.”
― J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan

“My imagination functions much better when I don't have to speak to people.”
― Patricia Highsmith

“Imagination does not become great until human beings, given the courage and the strength, use it to create.”
― Maria Montessori

“Our imagination flies -- we are its shadow on the earth.”
― Vladimir Nabokov

“Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.”
― Jonathan Swift

“Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.”
― Lewis Carroll

“Children see magic because they look for it.”
― Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal

“Reality can be beaten with enough imagination.”
― Mark Twain

Okay, enough with the quotes, but you see how imagination is everything.

Jonathan Wolstenholme. a book character, journals his experiences, and growing knowledge of the Sidhe, supernaturals. Through researching ancient symbolic visuals, he discovers that the ouroboros, a symbol in the form of a snake biting its own tail, used especially in ancient Egypt and in Hermetic philosophy, as an emblem of eternity meant the cycle of birth and death. That one end represented the beginning and the other, the end. 

He pondered on this a while, what would be interpreted as such in our known universe? He pictured a snake across the heavens as the Aborigines Rainbow Serpent and Dreamtime. The Dreamtime is the period in which life was created according to Aboriginal culture. Dreaming is the word used to explain how life came to be; it is the stories and beliefs behind creation. 

The Rainbow Serpent or Rainbow Snake, a creator god. What would it look like? Jonathan envisaged a massive black hole as the point of rebirth, as exploded from the belly of the snake (center of a black hole) and the pinprick black holes or possibly white holes, being the ones that haven't exploded yet. All would contain within their belly the primordial soup which makes a world. This would also match the theory of the big bang and many spiritual teachings of returning to the source, and the cycles of karma, which the Sidhe called Vo-ror-bla. He speculated that consciousness/soul were the same things, alive but untangible. What if, pieces of matter and light were sucked in from the holes and expelled at the end, creating other universes, even replicas of us as all? Parallel universes perhaps, due to the invisible information/building blocks of life being the same stuff as ours, passed through. Would these building blocks replicate our own? Was that one form of quantum entanglement connecting us all? 

Jonathan mentally noted the snake in mythology and symbols such as Yin/Yang, the infinity symbol and many more, all contained creation stories, balance of the universal power, and cycles of life and death. So, the ancients were indeed using imagery to depict the story of creation but along the way, text and literal interpretation got in the way. The spiritual interpretations of the visuals not understood by mainstream academia logic, and maybe, were classified wrongly as myth and folklore. The truth of many things concerning our histories became lost because of a logical perspective and disconnecting from ourselves spiritually, leaving that task to religion, external influence. 

Everything needs balance he concluded, including the decoding of our origins, Mind (logic), Heart (feels/spirit/essence), and Soul (spiritual consciousness). The trio that religion oft depicts, that our law courts state a thing three times, even commands are given three times in order to verify that the message is being given intentionally. Writers and artists use the rule of three. The Latin phrase "omne trium perfectum" (everything that comes in threes is perfect, or, every set of three is complete) conveys the same idea as the rule of three. Three/Thrice/Trio/Triad...the lure of three...his mind drifted to numerology and jumped to Tesla's Key to the universe...vibration, energy frequency. 3...6...9  The Universe...

The above isn't in the books, it's research and philosophical ramblings. I create Jonathan's journals to better understand the character/the realms/origins through concepts/theories that come to me. Without imagination, all stories would be the same. It is the perspective of the writer which creates a new idea for a story told millions of times already but from different eyes. This, to me, is imagination connecting the dots/patterns to a very ancient puzzle where pieces were destroyed/lost /misinterpreted during the linear time. Imagination fills these lost spaces in the puzzle, and from different writers, we see the many aspects of the same/origin puzzle piece.

 “There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations. We keep on turning and making new combinations indefinitely, but they are the same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all the ages.”

― Mark Twain, Mark Twain's Own Autobiography: The Chapters from the North American Review

Love and light,

Trace

xoxo

Book Stuff. How important is a book blurb?

Often it is the editor or some other person from the publishing house who writes the book blurb/jacket description. The publisher usually has a better idea of what elements of the story will most appeal to readers who pick up the book at a glance.

Below is an example of how important it is to get the blurb right. A professional reviewer and author, Christina Philippou, gave ACoPF a wonderful 5-star rating and listed it in among the top 10 books of 2015 on her blog - Wow! But this shows how the blurb can give a wrong impression that could ultimately repel potential readers ~

'From the blurb, I expected a kind of ‘Twilight for adults’. What I got was intricately-imagined fantasy, suspenseful action, two beautifully interwoven love stories (not the kind of paranormal love triangle I was anticipating), and a lot of well-crafted drama. Brilliant – I want more!'

Read HERE

In hindsight, I should've definitely re-written the book's blurb - shown below:

‘Every Unknown is a Beginning’

Bea lives a simple life residing in a South London second-hand bookshop. It had been an especially difficult year, first with Bea’s uncle dying, then splitting up with Brandon, her philandering, druggie boyfriend. The shop's trivial daily conversations, local faces and calm were all she desired, but that was all about to change.

No-one expects to bump into supernatural beings, let alone two opposing sects of a forgotten race. Bea’s quiet existence turns into turmoil as she slowly starts to unravel a secret past. A lost history in which love, revenge, betrayal, magic, power and karma are not mere cycles of a soul, but a sacred journey upon a web of many possibilities.

The future is not set in stone and the choices that Bea makes ripple through the cosmos. As the secret unfolds she realises that no matter what form your soul takes there are consequences for one's actions in which time has no relevance – we call it karma, they call it Vororbla.

Will she cope with the heartbreak and truths before her?
What would you do if your very existence came into question?
Join Bea as she uncovers the truth of her past via A Carpet of Purple Flowers.

To something like this, perhaps?

Discover a new fantasy world with a unique love story.

'Four Souls & Three Hearts' 

No-one expects to bump into supernatural beings, let alone two opposing sects of an otherworldly race. Bea’s quiet existence as a bookshop owner in SW London turns into turmoil as she starts to unravel a lost history. Reality quickly becomes blurred with folklore, and as the secrets unfold, she realises that no matter what form your soul takes, there are consequences for past actions in which time has no relevance – we call it karma, they call it Vororbla.

What would you do if your very existence came into question? 

Hmm. I'm going to work on book two's.

FICTION BLURB TIPS - T K. H

Note that the goal of the blurb is NOT to summarise the book. Rather, the goals are to:

• Implicitly reveal the genre or subject. This should reinforce the message conveyed through the title and visually by the cover.
• Entice the reader to look inside.

That’s it!

Here is a fiction blurb checklist:

• Be concise. Did you say anything that was unnecessary?
• Arouse curiosity. Did you give anything away? Does it read like a summary?
• Genre. If strangers can’t read the blurb and guess the precise sub-genre or have some idea as to the content, your blurb has miserably and utterly failed to be an effective sales tool.
• Engage. You need to draw interest immediately; most customers won’t be patient and let you build things up (true of your Look Inside, too). Come out swinging with your best stuff, but also pack enough punches so that you can engage interest throughout. When you run out of punches, stop writing your blurb.
• Flow. Check that it flows well. A hiccup, such as when a reader has to stop and figure out how to correctly parse a long idea, is like stumbling on your way to the cash register.
• Spellcheck, aisle three. If you can’t get the spelling and grammar right in a hundred words or so… Look, it’s not an option. You have to get it right.
• Vocabulary. It needs to match your target audience. Words they don’t understand can scare them away (but if such words are common in the prose, you also don’t want to create false expectations).
• Research. Do your homework. Check out blurbs of successful books similar to yours.

Feedback. Ask for opinions on your blurb. Before you publish, this can help you generate buzz.

Did you know Amazon has 30,000,000 different books to choose from? Wow! 

Love and light,

Trace

xoxo

"The veil between the worlds is thin"

A lovely review for

'A Carpet of Purple Flowers'

Book One

This is a most entrancing and captivating story. Bea, as the central character, weathers every emotional storm you can imagine, and as we get to know her, we feel for her plight, and one is torn on her behalf as she herself is torn, between two men, two identities, two realms of reality.

Bea is living a fairly ordinary life, running a small, somewhat esoteric, bookshop in London, left to her by her much-missed uncle. Into her somewhat muted existence burst beings from another realm, and why they are so interested in her gradually becomes apparent.

Tracey-anne McCartney introduces us to a richly-detailed and dramatic cosmology drawn from Irish folktales, mythology, and magic, and it is by virtue of this age-old relationship between the world of the Sidhe and that of humans that we find ourselves drawn in most strongly. It is the skilful, often humorous, blend of supernatural and spiritual elements with that of ordinary life; the hopes and disappointments of the ordinary person, as experienced by Bea, which makes this novel so charming, and makes us experience Bea’s emotional maelstrom as our own. We want the best for her, even if deciding what that may be seems near impossible.

The final scene in Coldfall Woods is magnificently achieved, and the writing overall has the right balance of lyricism and restraint and is peppered with moments of levity when appropriate. The narration allows one not only to viscerally experience the events described but also to be privy to the internal life of the principal characters, sensing their doubts, their confusion, their pain and joy – Bea's in particular.

The finale does not give up all the secrets hinted at during the novel. Who exactly is Jonathan? What does Bea’s future hold? And other questions, which I will not pose here for fear of spoiling the many surprises and revelations this artfully-plotted novel offers us en route.

A Carpet of Purple Flowers is an original, entertaining, and sophisticated blend of romance, the paranormal, and the spiritual.

~ By Mark Mayes 

Mark has a new book release set for 2017 ~ More HERE The Gift Maker 

Mark has published numerous stories and poems in magazines and anthologies in the UK, Eire, and Italy, and in particular, has had several stories published in (or accepted for) the celebrated Unthology series (Unthank Books). His work has been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service. He has been shortlisted for literary prizes, including the prestigious Bridport Prize.

In 2009, Mark graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in English (Creative Writing and Critical Practice) from Ruskin College, Oxford.

Currently living in South Wales, Mark is also a musician and songwriter, and some of his songs may be found here: HTTPS://SOUNDCLOUD.COM/PUMPSTREETSONGS

Thank you, Mark. ;o) 

Update ~ Book Two

Great News...

The first draft of 'Book Two' is almost complete. 

The manuscript is 85k so far, but there's still a little more writing to do before the edits begin.

I'm happy, happy. :o) 

I've also added more to the Book Companion Pages

Book Bible

My 'Bible Companion' is a compendium of all things relating to 'A Carpet of Purple Flowers' Book Series (#ACoPF). It contains information such as backstories of characters, in-depth character analysis from shoes to furnishings, scars, how they like to wear their hair, etc. Each of 'The Orders' and the 'Houses' are recorded, from symbols relating to that sect and why they use them, to clothing worn and how that Order began. I don't add all of these details to the books, but they're areas that I need to know/understand to write informatively about the realms and the different beings that live there. I've also created a journal in which one of my characters records their experiences, mentioned in the books, which helps me view this new world through a character's eyes and experiences. It's a fun way to explore new ideas combining writing and art, a process that sparks my muse. 

See more over at the website - HERE

When I first began playing around with the idea of writing 'A Carpet of Purple Flowers' (first book), my initial choice for the main character (the protagonist) was a young Jonathan. The starting point, Coldfall Woods where he studied the Rosebay Willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium).

In the German tradition, naturphilosophie or nature philosophy persisted into the 18th and 19th centuries as an attempt to achieve a speculative unity of nature and spirit. 

Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin philosophia naturalis) was the philosophical study of nature and the physical universe that was dominant before the development of modern science. Natural philosophy was the precursor of natural sciences.

Jonathan acknowledges indigenous wisdom as a global knowledge bank held by humans from all races and countries. Primitive skills are the original survival skills which all humans once used in order to live in harmony with the earth. Nature Philosophy helps to share these skills and keep them alive in the modern day. He is a seeker of the ancient knowledge. 

Jonathan dresses out style compared to the attire of modern-day humans,

 wearing high collars and a cravat. He jitters quite a bit when nervous and has many secrets.

He questions everything and records his findings in journals.

 Who are we? What are we? Where did we begin?

To find these answers and more I must follow the fading trail left by our ancestors. I must not seek with only my eyes, but learn to listen with my heart, hear the low mutterings of my soul, seeking inside and outside of myself. The path to truth is perilous and one I walk alone. ~ Jonathan's  journals

Lifprasira (Lif-pra-si-ra) symbols ~ Otherworldly Hieroglyphs

Once the eyes have been opened to all that's hidden,

you can never go back to the person you were. 

I understand what was. I understand my purpose. I understand what needs to be done.

 ~ Jonathan's journals

Our very being, our purpose, and our past, can only be understood through the combination of knowledge, thought, and contemplation. The latter, of course, is the most important. Unfortunately, there is little time to reflect in the modern world, and time passes too quickly to dwell on what was. Imagination and expansion of the mind are the keys which unlock concealment, cleverly disguised, mostly as a feeling. There is a knowing within us all, it's where our history resides, spoken in a language we have forgotten. Learn to look in the spaces in-between and not at the obvious options presented, it is where the truth lives. A tree grows, you see its beauty yet see no roots, dig and they will be revealed. The inner rings of history remain out of sight too, but look beyond, open it up and peer inside. The answers have always been there. ~ Jonathan's journals

Love and light,

Trace

xoxo

Have you tried to work on multiple book projects at the same time?

Hi, everyone. :o) 

Lately, I've been busy editing book two. My kitchen table is covered with many handwritten notes that need slipping into place in the manuscript, to ready for typing up. This task has been made more difficult as the pile of scribbled notes dropped and got mixed up. They usually live in Ikea box files but I left them in a pile overnight on the living room table, yup, big mistake. But, all is well as I mentally prepare myself for the paper battle. :o) 

While writing book two, another story flowed from the muse. I tried to ignore the visuals that played over in my mind, but they refused to remain silent. So there it is, I got side-tracked for a while on outlining 'Shining Sword', a story that will compliment the series and follow the future path of book two, so it is in fact, very relevant. I'm itching to start the manuscript but must stay focused on editing 'Awake in Purple Dreams'. It has been tough ignoring the temptation to start writing, though. Has anyone else had this experience?

I decided to google the question of writing two books at once. Below are what other authors have experienced. 

“I’m currently working on two novels – one is the sequel to a finished book that is currently looking for a publisher. The other is a project that is very much in my mind at the moment and won’t wait its turn! The first is about 42k words done and the second is only a couple of thousand words written, but I’ve been making extensive notes and plans. As the 42k project is the sequel to something currently before publishers, I’m making that my priority, and trying not to be too distracted by the other one. But when ideas won’t leave you alone, you have to at least make notes and rough outlines of scenes. So I would say that I’m working properly on one novel while working part-time on the other!” Alan Baxter, dark fantasy author.

Write them all. I have two I’m working on now. I’ve had as many as 4 at a time in my head. You have to let the ideas out.@lynnleite

Make an idea book where you can take a little time to put down info about the ideas you aren’t ready to work on. @druchunas

Plot them all, write chapter-by-chapter summaries and then go back to writing just one. That or work 24/7 til they’re done. @graywave

Keep feeding all 3 until 1 takes the lead (attention, energy). Then focus on that one, get to others afterwards. Good luck!@MsMartha_writer

What I always do in that situation is write down key events, maybe write a full scene, so you can go back to it later. @NatashaMcNeely
Source: HERE

The strategy of writing one book in the morning and revising another book in the evening is intriguing.

It usually takes me four months to write a first draft. For the last couple of months I grow wearing of writing and pine to revise. Then it takes me about a year to revise. After a couple of months, I yearn to write a new story. I wonder if working on two books at once would be more satisfying. It will then take me eight months to write a rough and two more years to edit. Yeah, I'll have two books done instead of just one, but the long time spans are intimidating.

I have several books currently in progress. In fact, I've found I'm usually working on multiple books at the same time. I usually don't work on more than one in a day, though. I'll work one for a while, drop it if I have to work some issues out and pick up one of the others.
Sometimes it works wonderfully and sometimes I have to completely re-read things and get back into the saddle of one of the ones I've set aside for a while.

I used to be a one-book-at-a-time writer, but gradually I'm shifting into having multiple projects going at the same time. This can be beneficial for a variety of reasons. One is simply that you'll have a variety of things to work on and hopefully won't get bored as easily. Another reason is, inevitably, you'll have projects at different stages of completion. Say you get a book published; if you only do one at a time, well, your readers then might have to wait a looong time to see another one from you. But if you've already been working that project, maybe the rough draft is done and you're already well into the revisions. They won't have to wait as long for it to be published.

One book about writing novels I read suggested that you should have at least three projects going at any one time. Ideally, once you've been working for awhile, one should be querying for an agent or with an agent; another in the revision stages; and a third in the rough draft/first draft stages.

One of the positive things about having several unfinished works in progress at the same time is if you get bored or blocked with one, you can work on another. You don't have to risk poorer writing if you're just not into something, or risk dropping it and not writing for a while.

I've got two novels that I'm writing at the moment, another that's requiring significantly more planning and research that I'll hopefully start once these two have first drafts finished. The two I have going at the moment have such different voices and genres that the chances of me not wanting to work on at least one of them is slim to none.

This is a really good point. I usually work on one project at a time but like others have said, I'm in the mood to write when I'm revising and to revise when I'm writing. I might start thinking more about the future and try to find a way to juggle that second project.

I find that the very act of writing lets me come up with more things to write about. I'll be working on one story, I'll hit a dead end and the process of deciding where I want to go next creates alternative ideas. These ideas often broil together into entirely new plot ideas or story premises.
Just from the act of writing my last two novels, I have about five new stories in several different genres, including ghosts, pirates, sci-fi, fantasy, romance and general fiction.
Source: HERE

Uncle Barry’s Formula for Writing Multiple Books at Once 

• Your projects must all be vastly different from each other: If you’re working on more than one book at a time, it’s deadly to have them be similar. Look at it this way — say you’re writing a dystopian novel. And at the same time, you’re working on another dystopian novel…but it’s just a different kind of dystopia. Well, I think you see the problem. When you get burned out on one, the other one is no safe haven. They’re different books, but they’re too similar. They use the same psychic muscles. Make your projects distinct from one another and each one will act as a sort of safety valve for the others. Bored with that thriller you’re working on? Skip over to the romantic comedy for a little while!
• Always be at a different stage on each project: Again, this is about overworking muscles. Starting a book uses a different set of mental abilities than editing one or cruising to the end of one or researching one. So stagger your projects. At the beginning of 2010, I was revising my graphic novel script. At the same time, though, I was deep into the first draft of The Book That Will Kill Me. And I was researching I Hunt Killers. Later in the year, I was halfway through the first draft of Killers when I started writing the second Archvillain. Simultaneously, I was overseeing Colleen’s art on the graphic novel and headed toward the end of a draft of The Book That Will Kill Me. Once again, each book acted as a pressure release for all the others. No matter what I was working on, it was different and varied from what I had just been working on earlier that day or week.
• Turn everything in early: This is a tough one for many authors, who have difficulty meeting their deadlines already. But I swear to you, it matters. When you have so many projects on your plate, it’s inevitable that two or more deadlines are going to overlap or conflict. This means that if you slip on one deadline, you’ll put multiple projects in jeopardy. And if you think being in the weeds on one book is bad, try it on many! In order to keep yourself honest and to prevent a total meltdown, turn in everything early. Set your own deadlines that are well in advance of the official ones and follow your deadlines, no one else’s.
• Let no one else dictate your schedule: Closely linked to #4, obviously. But it’s important enough to call out on its own. In addition to not letting anyone else dictate a deadline to you, you also can’t allow anyone else’s whims to stall you in developing a project. Here’s an example: Say you have just turned a new book to your editor. You have another project you’d like to get started on, but your editor has told you that she will get back to you on the first book in a couple of weeks. You think to yourself, “Well, I won’t make much progress on the new project in just a couple of weeks, so I’ll wait to hear from my editor and THEN I’ll start on the new one.” No! Odds are, it will take longer than a couple of weeks for your editor to get back to you. And even if it IS just a couple of weeks, that’s still time you’re wasting, time when you could make at least some progress on the new project. So plunge into the new project and let your editor get back to you whenever she can.
• Be flexible: When I work on multiple projects, I tell myself, “OK, by this point in time, I need to have made X amount of progress on these three projects.” And so on. I manage to stick to that pretty well. But writing a bunch of books at once isn’t the easiest thing in the world, so you need to be flexible. Allow yourself to spend an extra few days on something if you’re really feeling it. Give yourself a week off to play Xbox if you’re starting to feel dangerously loopy. If you work on comedy in the morning and drama in the afternoon, switch it up every now and then in order to give yourself a break. Flexibility will keep you from cracking up entirely.

Source: HERE

Love and light,

Trace

xoxo

Are you interested in writing?

The Open University (UK) offer free online courses.

From the website ~
Have you always wanted to write, but never quite had the courage to start? This first free course, Start writing fiction, will give you an insight into how authors create their characters and settings. You will also be able to look at the different genres for fiction.

Before, during or after the course you may also like to view a variety of related content on OpenLearn, we've collated a range of free content to enable you to take your learning further, with more in-depth, free features - including activities and exercises, interviews with writers and relevant free courses to support your learning and give you a wider perspective on this fascinating subject.

You may also like to watch a video of Dr Derek Neale, senior lecturer in Creative Writing at The Open University read from his short story 'Land of their Fathers' and tell us what inspires him to write in an interview.

Try more free creative writing courses: HERE & HERE

1. Writing what you know
2. Start writing plays
3. Writing Poetry
4. Creative Writing
5. Start writing fiction: characters and stories
6. Approaching poetry
7. What is good writing?
8. Reading
9. What is poetry?
10. Approaching prose fiction

Extras ~  other interesting courses

1. Word and image
2. Galaxies, stars and planets
3. An overview of active galaxies
4. Moons
5. Plato on tradition and belief
6. Forensic science and fingerprints
7. Imagination: The missing mystery of philosophy
8. Inheritance of characters
9. The making of individual differences
10. Philosophy: The nature of persons
11. Introducing consciousness
12. The meaning of crime
13. Discovering Ancient Greek and Latin
14. Processes of study in the arts and humanities

Love and light,

Trace

xoxo

Guest Posts

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Seeking you...Seeking me...

Inspired by Rumi - 

What you seek is seeking you.

love and light,

Trace

xoxo

Behind storytelling.

What's behind a story?

Everything you are, that you know, and intrigues, 

combine, helping to tell a story.

Questions to ponder prior to writing. 

What stirs your heart?

Why does it stir that 'something' inside you?

What would you like to see more of in the world?

How can you transform what you know in a different way?

What has hurt you?

What has made you want to sing?

What are your dreams?

What are your weaknesses/strengths?

How did you emotionally grow/transform into who you are now?

What battles still fight silently inside?

What displeases you? Why?

What music do you listen to?  Is it at certain times?

Get those juices flowing. Jot a few lines down, pause on the answers. Different feelings will stir - write those down, too. When we begin to understand ourselves and our reactions to situations/people, we can draw on this knowledge while writing. 

Put yourself in someone else's shoes. What do you think makes them act/say things a certain way? Especially, the things you don't understand. Imagine the reason behind it and create a character, a sort of fuzzy template that you, as a writer, are going to define.

Analyze your environment. Observe the wind, how it bites or gently caresses your face, depending on the time of year/where you are. What can you smell? Fumes of a big city? Damp soil/freshly cut grass? Strong floral perfume? Woody aftershave? Try to use all your senses. Most often, we get accustomed to our surroundings and have to remember to look at things as if it were our first time. It's quite astonishing what we take for granted on a day-to-day basis, like smells. 

Study the movement of people in different environments: on the underground, bus, park, high street, pub, cafe, club. Strangers/lovers/friendships. What does their body language say about them? When they talk, how do they move? When you've had an argument, how did you move? Did the other person mirror you? This processing will help with the small descriptive passages in dialogue.

They say 'write what you know'. If you have a passion, a hobby, an interest that ignites the soul, or possibly something that frightens you - develop these in a character. It's incredible what inspiration derives from a simple starting point. Characters will start to come alive, letting you know where they want to go and the magic begins.

Reality or Fantasy Setting?

My imagination always keeps me mentally active. Okay, mainly researching/daydreaming. For as long as I can remember, I'd cross reference myths/folklore. It was important to create a story with a touch of ancient mystery in a modern day setting, something I could believe. So, I blended both worlds. I wasn't sure how much of each would mingle, wanting nothing overly dramatic, but not too 'normal' either. With my brain all fired up, using the old to create something new, that felt true to me, I set to work. Yup! A feel thing, quite difficult to explain. It's a strange natural buzz. A surging flow of energy that excites - all stemming from one source. A quiet tide becomes a raging storm of ideas emerging from the original spark, and in an instant, you just know it's right for you. A belief in that magical connection, that only a creative muse brings.

Whatever inspires that magical surge in you - follow. 

Scribble down, what may at first seem trivial bits of info. One or more of those ideas, at some point, will take hold and grow. Sparking something inside, refusing to be ignored. Before you know it, a story and characters will appear, and you'll have started your journey in the blink of an eye. :o) 

Love and light,

Trace

xoxo