Sunday 29 April 2012

Absence makes the heart, The Ritz and a creative flood

Good morning folks – I have been away for two weeks due to problems arising for family and friends but I promise you, I am now back. I’m hoping that in the world of blogging absence also makes the heart grow fonder.

I last blogged two weeks ago on 14th April, when I was hoping to begin the opening paragraphs of my second project – which I duly did. So project one and two now have the same birthday so to speak, but I went a step further when an idea that has been loitering about suddenly came into being on 24th April – so hey, it looks like project three has also been born. I might have been away but I wasn’t wasting time – I promise. No, seriously, project three has loitered about my brain for quite a while but a flash of inspiration arrived whilst watching a t.v. programme along with an image - that was it. I literally switched off the t.v. and let my fingers write the opening paragraph – which on reading back made me cry. Not the start I had intended but hey, that’s what happened. I always said I’d be honest with my followers, where possible. And, yeah, once I dried my eyes, I realised that the project three may well be the story that I have steered clear of – which could explain why the idea has sat patiently waiting for a catalyst. I’m not going to say which t.v. programme it was, as it’ll give too much of the subject matter away but yes, project three now exists.

While I’m talking novels, I am still waiting to hear from agents regards ‘Her’ – I keep telling myself no news is good news. So, I’ll continue to sit patiently and wait.

Creative wise – I’ve had a flood of inspiration from everything that I’ve laid my eyes upon. My daily writing routine have gone to pot lately and so maybe this has forced my mind to work in a different way. As I said, I’ve experienced a spark for project three but also I’ve managed to scribble several poems about everyday observations that have occurred at the day job or daily life. For instance, on my daily drive home I delight in the kestrel that hovers and hunts alongside the busy traffic, but on a particular night there were two kestrels literally fifty meters apart – that I’ve never seen before. Which in turn brought to mind a past experience, I’d visited a grave only to have a kestrel plunge from the sky and pin a field mouse to the earth on the very next grave. These three birds are now entwined as one in ‘Hunted’.

I travelled to London yesterday to have afternoon tea at The Ritz – boy, what a wonderful treat. I shall certainly be going again. The scones were to die for, the sandwiches melted on your tongue and the pianist tinkled the keys throughout the tea providing the perfect atmosphere in the Palm room. The waiters were groomed to within an inch of their lives and their manners were impeccable – but hey, it was exactly as I’d expected and wished. And, yep, you guessed it another poem emerged from the experience.

The train journey back and forth to London provided more food for thought. Hubby busied himself with a backgammon app on his phone – me, I watched the passing scenery which inspired another poem.

The day job has hit a phase where I can share my personal knowledge with the pupils. I’ve been teaching Charles Dickens and John Steinbeck – both authors that I greatly admire. I’ve found that my enthusiasm for the topic, has rubbed off onto the pupils, which is a bonus in everyway, but it does sound strange to overhear a tiny child remark on the life of Dickens to a group of friends during playtime. Hummmm.

My plans for this week comprise of attending my writers’ group on Wednesday evening – the rest of the week will be dedicated to draft one of project two. Remember you can follow me on ‘Twitter’ by searching and following odwyer_author – please pass this blog onto others who may be interested. Enjoy!

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