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Sunday 19 October 2014

Keeping up the Inspiration


Autumn at Polesden Lacey, Surrey

There have been times when I haven't felt like writing, but more recently I've learnt how to keep it going (who knows how long it will last?!). Keeping up the inspiration helps during those periods when I don't fancy it; so that when I do, words flow more easily.

Taking a walk

The change of seasons can’t fail to inspire; especially the change from summer to autumn and winter to spring. If the sun's shining, I take photos on those walks and upload them to Instagram or Pinterest; and use them for scenes, blog posts or general inspiration. A recent trip to Polesden Lacey inspired the theme for this blog post.

Reading an engaging book

Sometimes I read parts of books I’ve read before, those which have inspired me to write my novels; recently A Room with a View and Mansfield Park.

Writing in cafés
How many times have I talked about writing in cafés on this blog…? I’m going through a café-writing phase at the moment and have a favourite one I keep turning up to, always hoping for a table tucked in the corner. Sometimes I set the timer on my phone if I'm not in the mood for writing.

Visiting a scene
For me, that’s going to see the paintings which inspired book 2 and eighteenth century country houses.

Going to a writers’ conference
I’ve attended two this year and feel more inspired than I have for years. Click here for my posts on them.

Going to a class

This week I went to Sue Moorcroft’s Short Story Workshop at the Guildford Book Festival. Sue Moorcroft writes novels for Choc Lit, is a past vice chair of the Romantic Novelists' Association and editor of its anthologies. Sue also writes short stories, serials, articles, writing 'how to' and is a competition judge and creative writing tutor. Find out more here.

Sue’s reputation as a great teacher precedes her and I came away inspired to write more short stories and submit them to competitions. Sue talked about creating engaging characters, viewpoint; and how to plan and go about writing a short story. She gave us many handy tips, including to use few characters and to make the first page as good as possible. I can’t wait to find a quiet moment to apply Sue’s advice to a short story I’ve written. If you get the opportunity to go to one of her classes, take it!

Sue is running a course at Arte Umbria in July 2015, which I’d love to go to as it sounds like a dream-writing and Italy combined. We’ll see...
Returning here soon!
Going away to write

Soon I'll be returning to a cottage I visited with writing friends in the spring. This will be an opportunity to get stuck into book 2 and move it forwards. And I can’t wait to take an autumn version of the above photo.

One more thing...

If you write historical fiction, and don’t know already: the Historical Novel Society ("HNS") posts links on Twitter and Facebook to interesting articles and posts on history and historical fiction; plus information about upcoming events such as the Harrogate History Festival. You can follow the HNS on Twitter @histnovsoc and find the Facebook Page here

8 comments:

  1. All great ways to encourage inspiration, Anita - love that photo of the autumnal tree!

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  2. These are all great tips and tricks Anita! I could definitely use a little more inspiration - for me I think the most important thing is to read. Reading always inspires me, it gives me new ideas, it makes me look at the world a little differently. It also spurs me on! If they can do it, surely I can too:)

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    1. Thanks Melissa-of course you can! Then you can change your user name to Published Life ;-)

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  3. I really enjoyed reading these tips too. I haven’t experimented with writing in cafes, but would like to give it a go. It sounds like a really great way to remove oneself from all the usual distractions – and possibly to get inspiration from overheard conversations too!

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    1. And what a choice of cafes you have in Cambridge Clare! The Copper Kettle used to do amazing roasts and chocolate fudge cake, and what a view of King's College.

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  4. Thanks for such a positive mention, Anita. It would be LOVELY to see you at Arte Umbria if you can possibly manage it. xxx

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    1. You're very welcome Sue, really enjoyed your workshop! x

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