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Saturday 21 April 2012

Are you always thinking 'How can I use this?'


We went to Le Touquet in France last weekend. I couldn't help thinking-'How can I use this?' for most of the time we were there.

Le Touquet was filled with locals and English tourists milling about; some with pushchairs, some with dogs, some with cigarettes hanging from their fingertips. The shop windows were filled with clothes, shoes, chocolates and pastries to drool over.

Something about being abroad heightens the senses. I noticed the richness of the milk when ordering a café au lait, the bitterness of the complimentary chocolate placed on the saucer and the blandness of unsalted butter on crispy baguette thrown into baskets and put on tables in restaurants. The croissants at breakfast were so fresh they deposited flakes everywhere when I spread jam on them.

On the beach there were children flying kites and building sandcastles behind windbreaks. The sand blew into my face as we followed the path through the dunes and climbed a slope to the summit as sand filled our shoes. We sat on the beach, shielded from the wind by the dunes as the children searched for shells to fill their buckets.

Going through the Eurotunnel was like taking a trip into the future. There's a sci-fi feel as you drive up the ramp onto the two-storey train. The doors beep as they close between the carriages. Instructions come through the tannoy in English and French about putting the car in first gear, keeping the windows half open for ventilation and not walking between the cars. As we waited to reach the other side I couldn't help thinking that we were under the English Channel, a thought I cast out of my mind as soon as it crept in.

So the question is how can I use this?

There are scenes in my Book 2 which take place in France. I've been to France many times and lived in Grenoble in 1993 when studying French, but it's good to see the country with fresh eyes.  My hero and heroine in Book 2 will be taking a trip to France which will probably lead them to Italy. I might book them a ticket for the Eurotunnel with an overnight stop at Le Touquet.

Are you always thinking 'How can I use this?' or do you have any other comments?

18 comments:

  1. Yes I am, in fact it drives me a little crazy. I guess though that as much writing is about observation, that's a good thing. Certainly if I'm reading something and think, 'oh my, that describes exactly what I saw/felt/whatever', I feel the writer's done a good job and it enhances my enjoyment. So, I don't think its a bad thing. Go on using what you see and hear! I also now save a file of ticket stubs, maps, local newspaper cuttings when I'm away and bring them back for future reference. It helps me to remember.

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    1. Hi Cara, thanks for your comment. I like collecting tickets and maps too as well as random leaflets from my travels!

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  2. I feel guilty for thinking how can I use this. Perhaps I should be concentrating on being in the moment, rather than wondering if it is going to assist my writing. But recently, I did, quickly note down something in my pocket notebook that I try to carry around with me, just in case inspiration strikes.

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    1. Hi Cathy, thanks for your comment. I always have a mini notebook in my handbag and sometimes have an exercise book too-also have several pens because it was a bit annoying the time I didn't have one and wanted to write something down!

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  3. Oh yes, definitely I do this. I love listening in to conversation and I also keep a file of interesting newspaper clippings, letters I've received or found, all sorts of interesting (to me)stuff. I feel I have become very analytical now that I take my own writing more seriously, and I'm an observer rather than a participant by nature anyway, I think most writers are?

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    1. Hi Louise, thanks for your comment. I always have been an observer too.

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  4. Great blog Anita. Yes I do think "How can I use this?" It has become part of the creative process and has added a new dimension to life, that I quite enjoy! Off to Nice next month, for a bit more research!

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    1. Hi Heather, thanks for your comment. Hope you have a lovely time in Nice-spent a couple of enjoyable weeks there once. We went to Ventimiglia in Italy for the day on the train which was great fun.

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  5. I somehow deleted this comment in blogger and so I've cut and pasted below:

    Cassam has left a new comment on your post "Are you always thinking 'How can I use this?'":

    I have been doing this since I started writing last year. I listen to conversations on buses and I am more aware of my surroundings. I even blogged about what happened when I was sunbathing at the pool on holiday. I often say to my hubby that something we just spoke about would make a good blog post. France would fill your head full of stories I think ,I really can't wait to read your book.

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    1. Hi Anne, thanks for your lovely comment (and sorry I deleted it by mistake- had to copy and paste from the e-mail which wouldn't let me publish it again). I'm not a fan of restaurants where the tables are close together as the conversation from those tables is distracting!

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  6. Yes, I love using new experiences and travel to different countries - or at least planning to use them at some point. New places and cultures are definitely inspiring. I've been on the Eurotrain once and had to completely forget where I was as I'm a bit claustraphobic - husband wants to go again.

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    1. Hi Rosemary, thanks for your comment. I love going abroad and being immersed in a difficult culture-really feel that I've had a break when I get back. We were delayed for ages on the Eurotunnel coming home so we may get the ferry next time.

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  7. It is also a matter of whether the stopover leads them to something that wouldn't have happened otherwise (I am talking about the plot). I think I'd be wary of using it just because I like it, because afterwards I'd be thinking "Blue pencil" ! But if a place is inspiring, it often means there is SOMETHING in it, even if only a short story.

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    1. Hi Jenny, thanks for your comment. The main characters are already going to France in the plot I've mapped out so this was a kind of research exercise. Any info I use would have to move the plot forwards rather than being a chance for me to talk about our trip. I spent too much time doing that in Draft 1 of Book 1 when I wrote about my time in Siena-won't make that mistake again! Thanks for visiting my blog-have just followed yours.

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  8. I'm STILL trying to fit a houseboat on Regent's Canal into a novel somewhere! :) Watch for it!

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  9. Thanks for your comment Talli. Could the follow up to Build a Man and Construct a Couple be Build a Barge? I'll be keeping my eyes peeled!

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  10. It sounds like this was your first trip in the tunnel! We have been using it on a regular basis since 2004 and have noticed how shabby it is looking these days. I admit to looking at places we visit with a view to blogging these days!

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    1. Hi, thanks for your comment. I have been on the Eurotunnel train once before but it was with a friend rather than the children-so a different experience!

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