Rory's Story Cubes

Okay, everyone - I have a confession to make. I am obsessed with Rory's Story Cubes. I've only had them a few days, but I am addicted.

I've been aware of these for a long time, and always been tempted to get some. Then, I attended a workshop with the wonderful Liz Kessler back in May and she used them, and I was even more determined to get some because I thought they were awesome. Yet, I've only just actually purchased some, after seeing them once again in Waterstones, on a whim and a kind of well, I've finished all my studying now...

In case you don't know what they are, Story Cubes are a game designed to spark imagination and stories. There are nine dice in the original set, and each side of the dice contains a different image. The dice must be shaken and then a story constructed by connecting the images. There are no rules except for the story to begin with 'once upon a time...'. Of course, even this rule is flexible and the cubes can be used in all sorts of ways, not only to spark children's imaginations, but for writers and writing exercises.

I have found that using these really wakes up my brain and makes me think in a different way about things. I like being able to scribble down a little story about aliens, fairies and torches. There is hundreds of combinations of images and stories to create.

There is not only the original set, but expansions too - including actions and voyages, and smaller sets enchanted, pre-historic, and clues, all of which can be mixed in to any of the sets. I got enchanted with my original ones, thanks to a special deal. It's great to be able to mix the cubes up and get all sorts of quirky stories.

I can't recommend these highly enough - they're transportable, fun, can be used as a game with lots of people, by yourself, simply as a writing exercise, or to break a writer's block. They're great to get thoughts flowing and a way of just writing. 

You can buy these cubes on Amazon, in Waterstones and here, as well as lots of other places. Does anyone else use these?!

J.K. Rowling Live

On Friday night I was lucky enough to see J.K. Rowling speak at the Bath Lit Festival. Seeing Jo live and actually getting the chance to meet her fulfilled one of my dreams. Jo is one of my heroes and biggest inspirations, and her words have been a huge comfort to me over the years. Harry Potter has helped me through some difficult times and has always been there for me to reread.

So, the talk itself was fascinating and brilliant. It was so wonderful to hear her speak, particularly as she so rarely makes public appearances. She talked about everything from The Casual Vacancy to Harry Potter to growing up to being a writer. I noted some things down because I didn't want to forget them, particularly some of the things she said about writing.

One of the first things she was asked to talk about was the adolescent characters in The Casual Vacancy, which if you've read it, are the characters that she is clearly drawn towards writing. She agreed with this and said that she was so fed up of seeing what her kids were watching and seeing a 'romancised adolsence' on TV. She wants to portray the pain and loneliness that teenagers feel, and not sugarcoat it. She also said something along the lines that being a teenager is a lonely time, and even the most extroverted teenagers are lonely and thinking inwardly about themselves as they try to figure out who they are.

When asked about whether the enforced loneliness of writing was difficult for her, she replied that 'I crave it'. I know this feeling so well that I was delighted to hear her say it! She also said that having to balance children and a family life, she is particularly good at switching her writing brain on and off, and scribbling things down when she needs to. I find my writing is often a bit like that, and so it was interesting to learn how she works! I love finding out how other writers work. She was asked several other questions about writing and advice for young writers.

About The Casual Vacancy she said that she had never set out to write a book 'like that', but the idea was one that had grabbed her and she knew she had to write it.

As for what she's working on now, she said that she's working on another children's novel (squeeeeeee!), which is probably for younger children.

And finally, about Potter and the potential of another book, she said well, probably not (she was asked about the possibilities of a Maurder prequel, and after a loud cheer for it, laughed a bit and said she didnt' like prequels much).

An amazing night, which is already a blur to me but I feel very privileged to have met one of my heroes and that she has signed my book! I can't remember much of that interaction, except I managed to blurt something out to her and that was it. An amazing moment. I have so much to thank Jo for. A totally inspirational evening.

Still hasn't really sunk in. I mean I met JK ROWLING! EEEEEEEEEEK!

Camp Updates

Camp NaNo seems to be going well so far (famous last words....). It's strange though how the idea and story has changed so quickly within a couple of days. With, for example a slight change of cast. When I first conceived this plot idea, these two characters were not even in it. Now they're really important and central and the story seems to be going a completely different way to the way that I expected, which is also interesting.... I seemed to have been filled with an obsession for writing this story and I was scribbling away last night in my notebook, hit by sudden inspiration... only now I have to type it all up. Whoops. Oh well. Can't stop thinking about the characters, which has to be good. I'm writing this all out of order, which I never normally do, so it's interesting to see how this is going to work. I seem to be writing things that are going to happen later on, but I suppose if it's getting the words down, it's no bad thing. Better get on with some writing!

I also wanted to show you guys this, which you've probably already seen. Neil Gaiman posted this brilliant cartoon today, based on part of his brilliant and really inspiring speech at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, America. It is such a wonderful speech and if you haven't already watched I recommend that you do so! You won't regret it!

deadlines and freedom.

It's strange not having any academic deadlines coming up. I don't think I've adjusted yet to having no academic work to do, and having all this 'free' time ahead of me is very strange. It's always the way that when you have loads of other stuff you have to be doing, you dream of a time when you can have the free time to do what you want - in my case read loads of books, write, and drink lots of coffee. And I have been doing that. But once you're able to, the feeling is never quite the same.

Anyway, so that is what I've been doing. Lots of writing and reading, and catching up with freidns, and drinking coffee. And a wonderful new cafe from home opened down here this week, which made me very excited! While I don't have any academic deadlines coming up, as I mentioned, I still feel like I have loads to do. In a way I do, partly becasue I impose so many deadlines on myself and things to do - like, I must write this, or do that.... and I guess that's why I feel like I haven't really stopped yet. I have so many different things I want to do doing though, that I can't really settle to one... which is kinda annoying. So many projects I want to finish, ones I want to carry on, or start, and editing... eurgh. So I find myself darting from one to the other, not being quite happy with what I've doing. It's always going to be the way isn't it? And now I have all this time, I seem to waste so much doing.... I don't really know. I've got stuff done this morning - I made some research notes on something for one of my stories (very exciting, I don't often have something I need to research so much!) and so I'm feeling productive. This is one reason why I'm considering doing camp nano, nano always gets me writing loads without worrying, but then I have loads I should finish first.... hmmm. tricky. 

I suppose I just have to get into a new routine which I will, because without writing where would I be? I need it. And I got a huge stack of books out the library and its like, I can read these without feeling guilty. Oh yes!  Like I said, I'm still getting used to all this time ahead of me, and wondering how to make the most of it....

Right now, I'm waiting for the rain to stop a little so I can go out and get coffee as I've run out, and if I don't have any in the morning I won't be happy! Also a chance to go outside and clear my head is always welcome. Best thinking and idea time! And I'm rewatching lots of Starkid videos, which is great becasue I know the musicals so well, I can have them in the background and still be productive, because they tend to inspire me. Yay, go Starkid. Although the end of AVPS did make me really emotional. Oh well....

And tomorrow I'm off to see some friends in Bristol. Yay! It will be nice to go and do something a bit different as I always appreciate coming back so much! Anyway, just a quick hi for now.

Just by writing this blog has inspired me to go do creative things and be happy and write. Yay. Sorry for this ramble!

p.s. its a week since I handed everything in.... and it still hasn't sunk in?!

How quickly time goes...

I had some vague ideas for short stories a couple of days ago, which made me very happy - and I actually managed to write a 1,000 word short story yesterday which made me VERY happy indeed. *happy dance*. Oddly, revision seems to spark ideas, but I'm not complaining.

Feeling at the same time absoutely organised, but also swamped under and stressed out. What a wonderful feeling... But I have been seeing lots of wonderful friends and have been sociable, enjoying the last couple of weeks of term. I can't believe there's only one week left of this term! In a week I will be on my way home. Wow. Scary. But until then I've got annoying mundane things to do, and those sort of things which I should really sort out, but I don't really want to.

Still loving the title I came up with the other day, although I haven't worked any more on it, which is probably a good thing, to let it all rest the other day.

Anyway, better run now.

Ideas and Dreams

I have a dream the other night which was so bizarre, but I kept remembering it and yesterday I suddenly thought of an AWESOME idea for a story which will be really interesting and exciting to write, and I'm already really excited about it.

Unfortuantely, it doesn't fit into my 500 word proposal I have to write, nor the story on the royal family I have to write (this is surprisingly hard - I always used to write about real people (fanfic) but writing it for something that has to be handed in is difficult). It doesn't fit into my NaNo story, nor my essay on Shakespeare (what a surprise there). Nor do I want to write it as a short story for my course.

So I'm just going to make lots of notes and keep thinking about it, and have something to look forward to writing when November is over....

inspiration?

I spend a lot of my time writing, or thinking about writing, or reading. Which I suppose is only a good thing.

However, its just over a week until NaNoWriMo starts and I'm itching to start my idea. I want to start it now, so I'm stuck in that strange inbetween period, whilst editing other stuff, I don't really have anything I'm particuarly working on. Which saddens me because I want to be working on something. Yet in a week I will be starting something. I have tonnes of ideas for longer pieces, but nothing for anything shorter at the minute, and considering my creative writing module I'm taking this term is focused on short fiction I feel like I should be collecting some ideas for that and writing some short stories. Yet nothing is coming to me for that. I'm writing lots of background for my NaNo, and I know that's important, but it feels like it will all soon be irrelevant, when I could have been working on some short stories for later in the term. But I have nothing. I've tried just writing and I don't get anything I like. My head is too focused on all these other longer things I want to write, or am still editing.

Although I bet when it comes to it, I'll have loads of ideas for one and not for the other.

I just feel like I should be writing. But what?