SIGNPOSTS TO CREATIVITY...

Hello! 

As summer arrives here in the United Kingdom and the sun finally decides to shine, team members have been out and about spotting interesting signs that have inspired them to write.

Victoria says... Bodmin Jail is a grade ll listed building which has survived many significant prison reforms - both good and bad. In recent years it has been developed into a boutique hotel and attraction yet still preserves the history and character of the infamous prison. The words that inspired two of my books, The Thief's Daughter and The Captain's Daughter, made up a list of prisoners who were hung at the jail. Atmospheric, thought provoking and providing a snapshot of the past, those words will evoke many feelings... for the victims if not for the criminals themselves. 

A chilling list...

A link to the prison/hotel is here:- https://www.bodminjail.org/discover/about-bodmin-jail/history/ 

Jenni says... As an author, I am constantly seeking out fresh names for characters. In my most recent novel, The Secrets of Hawthorn Place, Percy Gladwell, got his surname from a truck parked in my village that is owned by a local landscaping company – Gladwells. I used to pass it several times a day and thought it fitted my character perfectly. In a nearby village, the poignant street name above (see photo) haunts me, and I have stored the Flowerdew surname in my memory bank for future use. But the coolest (and possibly creepiest) street name of all is Deadman’s Lane, just around the corner from me. This delightful single-track lane with a pretty stream running through, is allegedly where they used to hang criminals many centuries ago, and I just know that somewhere there is a story waiting to be told… 

Clare says... Every day I like to take a break from writing to get out for a short walk, and around the corner from where I live are Ghost Hill Woods. The name originates from an Anglo-Saxon battle and the ghosts are believed to be soldiers who were discovered in a mass grave not far away at Bloods Dale Woods. As a history buff I love the images they provoke. 

I visit during daylight with my dog, when the ghosts are silent. At night though the woods are deserted and there are pockets of shadow that are the deepest black, a cold presence deterring all but the brave. And sometimes if you listen carefully, you can hear the echoes of fighting; the shouts of Vikings and the ringing of blade against blade carrying on the wind... 

Mairibeth says... A nearby street-name helped inspire my Brothers of Thunder romance series. The oddly named Tom a’ Mhoid in the village of Rosneath, is a Gaelic street name shared in English by the nearby Courthill. A small pathway leads to this early medieval site where cases were heard and justice decided — sentences were then carried out at Gallowhill, outside the village itself. The tiered mound was removed c.1820 to build nearby Rosneath Castle (now demolished). 

If I hadn’t been intrigued by the street name, and discovered its similarities to Norse Thing sites, I might never have realised how many local links there are with the Norse! 

Rae says... For a couple of years, I drove passed Kellie Pearl Way and wondered who Kellie Pearl was, and why the road was given her name. I assumed she was a woman accused of witchcraft, as, sadly, here in NE Scotland, witch trials were aplenty. Then in May 2020, I completed an Inspiration Through Folklore online series of workshops with tutor, Sandra Ireland, and one of the tasks set was to discover more about a local street sign. I knew exactly which one I would research. 

To my astonishment, Kellie Pearl wasn’t a person, but the largest fresh-water pearl ever discovered in the United Kingdom. It was found in a tributary of the nearby River Ythan and presented to King James VI, who had it mounted on the Scottish crown. Today, the crown can be viewed at Edinburgh Castle, part of the Scottish crown jewels, also known as the Honours of Scotland. 

For a writer, such an intriguing tale was a gift. Who found the Kellie Pearl buried deep in the mud? As they weighed the precious gem in their palm, were they tempted to keep it? And so, I wrote a short story imaginatively entitled, The Kellie Pearl! It’s yet to be published, but it feels good to share a little royal history here, on this, the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend. 

Crown of Scotland containing
the Kellie Pearl

What little known local history has inspired your creativity? Or what interesting signs have caught your attention? We would love to hear... 

Rae x

WELLIES AND SHAUN THE SHEEP by Victoria Cornwall

This photo is not what it seems. Yes, it is Shaun the Sheep, but what may not be so clear is that it is made of vegetables. The bricks of his house are potatoes, his wool is cauliflower and the path to his front door is made from rows of onions. To give an idea of the scale, Shaun is the same height as a man. The display was at the entrance of the Royal Cornwall Show's flower tent and provided a bright and joyful way to greet visitors as they came in out of the rain. 

The display gathered a lot of attention, which was just as good at the back as it was in the front.

As a writer, it is easy to get stuck in the creative bubble of fiction, so I was glad to slip away from my edits, put on my welllies and make my annual pilgrimage to the Royal Cornwall Show this week. I have attended the show since the day I could walk (minus the odd year here and there). Although the format rarely changes, there is always something new and interesting to see and experience. This was their 223rd year and if you have never experienced an agricultural show before then I recommend you give it a try as they are a hive of creative talent which is wide ranging, entertaining and, at times, pretty amazing.

The Royal Cornwall Show is the largest annual event in Cornwall, but it originated from humble beginnings. The first event, staged in September 1793 (yes, the Poldark era), consisted of a ploughing match near the Red Lion Inn in Truro. The following year prizes for livestock were added to the awards on offer.

Over the years the show has grown. Local radio and television stations broadcast live from the event every year, while musical entertainment, dancing and the sounds of a thriving fair fill the air. Members of the royal family are regular attenders and can usually be found sampling the local produce in the Food and Farming Pavilion. From show jumping and dog and falcon displays, to parachute jumps and army displays, there is something for everyone. At its heart is the creative talents of the human race, so I took my camera along with me to take some photos, because despite the difficult times we live in, there is still beauty and wondrous things in this world to find pleasure in.

There was a vast array of flower displays and competitions.

Local artists demonstrated their skills and displayed their products. Wood carving and whittling changed natural wood into beautiful designs.

Local traders displayed their handmade crafts.

Individuals and groups worked hard to create eye-catching displays and decorations.

Besides the competitions, demonstrations and trade stalls, there were also a lot of fun displays, music and dancing. 

There are similar events all over the country, so if you have never been to one, why not give it a try? Here are just a few events:-

Devon County Show

Royal Bath and West Show

Dorset County Show

Mid Somerset Show

Balmoral Show (Royal Ulster)

Great Yorkshire Show

Kent County Show

Monmouthshire Show

Moreton in Marsh Show

New Forest & Hampshire County Show

Royal Highland Show

Royal Norfolk Show

Royal Smithfield Club

Royal Welsh Show

South of England Show

Suffolk Show

Royal Three Counties Show

So until next year, thank you organisers, volunteers, traders and  everyone else who took part in the Royal Cornwall Show this year. I had a great time - despite the rain.

Victoria Cornwall

Author of The Thief's Daughter

THE GUILTY PLEASURES OF A CREATIVE MIND by Victoria Cornwall

"Why do you watch this?" asked my husband. "They don't live in the real world. All they do is argue."

This is not the first time my husband has caught me watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. I watched him do a U turn out of the room, leaving me to indulge in the American reality show. Despite his protest, he knows to leave me to it. Compromise is the secret to our 31 year old marriage and it is a valuable lesson we have both learnt over the years. However, he had a point. Why do I enjoy watching mega rich, beautiful women, falling out all the time? It is a waste of my precious time and it teaches me nothing ... yet I am hooked.

I know why. While I am watching the Housewives of Wherever Land betraying each other, I am escaping the stresses of the day job, my edits and my attempts to fill in the plot holes of my current project. I am having a rest from the promotional wheel and from worrying about the numerous conflicts in the world. I am not proud of my choice in television programs, but it is a guilty pleasure I enjoy.

A guilty pleasure is something that one enjoys despite feeling that it is not generally held in high regard. Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), says "Indulging in some of your guilty pleasures can add years to your life. Whether it’s a “mental health day” off from work, a long bubble bath, nap, massage, chocolate croissant, or serving of tiramisu, treating yourself can bestow numerous health benefits -- especially if you strip away the guilt."

I sometimes think women's lives are ruled by guilt, either trying to avoid it or experiencing it. However, take heart as indulging in your guilty pleasure is thought to be beneficial and something to be encouraged. It allows one to take time out and put distance between oneself and the demands of the day. It helps to recharge those batteries and spreads a feeling of well-being without being too taxing. It might just be what you need to motivate or kick start that creative gene inside you.

So my advice is to give yourself permission to indulge in something that may not appear to have a direct benefit to your day job, or your chores, or your latest creative project, because in the long term it may just have more benefits than you can foresee.

I asked some fellow authors what their guilty pleasures were. I banned chocolate as I had a sneaking suspicion that 95% would choose the coco bean confectionery, besides I had a feeling there were more interesting guilty pleasures lurking in their lives. Below is what they confessed:-


Jennifer Bohnet Looking at expensive houses on the internet - that I can't possibly afford.
Jennifer Young A glass or two of red wine -- in bed -- with a good book, when my husband is away.
Gill Steward Lying on the bed for half an hour after lunch, reading.
Linda Michelmore Expensive lingerie
Rae Cowie Watching Gogglebox while eating Doritos
Morton S.Gray Shower Gels - I love to have a selection and get lots of my book ideas in the shower!
Janet Gover Say Yes to The Dress
Clare Chase Indulging in Youtube spirals (ie top of the pops The story of 1981...)
Chris Stovell Spotify Listenathons (music)
Sheryl Browne Binge watching Kiefer Sutherland and Game of Thrones ... and eating cupcakes.
Kathryn Freeman TV series Arrow on Sky 1
Angela Britnell Say Yes to the Dress
Georgia Hill Doctors on the TV and The Archers and standing in front of the bathroom mirror, holding a shampoo bottle and giving my Oscar acceptance speech
Lisa Hill Doc Martin
Bernie Stevens Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Lynda Stacey Watching the Gilmour Girls
Henriette Gyland Strong liquorice
Jan Brigden Made in Chelsea/Real Housewives of Cheshire and searching out and singing along to old skool/cheesy tunes via YouTube
Kirsty Ferry Celebrity gossip magazines
Christina Courtenay Reading until the early hours of the morning and Thor movies as often as I can
Rhoda Baxter Lego Friends sets
Anne Marie Brear American TV show, The Amazing Race
Amanda James Playing phone app games (songpop, words with friends, begewelled, blitz and cookie jam on Facebook
Jane Cable Shoulder massages
Liz Fenwick Playing Solitaire on my phone

Thank you to all those who were brave enough (and had the sense of humour), to share their guilty pleasures with us. Our guilty pleasures may vary, but at least we are all united in the idea that it is okay to take time out and do something which appears useless, but may have long term health and creative benefits ... or at least that is my excuse and I am sticking to it!

As I climbed the stairs to go to bed, I listened to my husband flicking through the channels.

He stopped and settled himself deeper into the sofa cushions and started  to laugh quietly to himself. Curious, I retraced my steps to see what he was watching. It was Family Guy. Hhhmmm, a family that does not live in the real world and fall out all the time. Perhaps our guilty pleasures are not so very different after all!

Victoria Cornwall

Author of The Thief's Daughter

THE HOLY GRAIL OF WRITING by Victoria Cornwall

I was driving my car the other day, whilst keeping a lookout for deranged drivers and wild animals with a suicidal desire to become my next road kill victim. I am not being melodramatic here. After decades of driving on country roads, I have come to the conclusion that animals line the grass verges to wait for my car to come along. Anyway, during my journey the lyrical, haunting tune of Send in the Clowns came on the radio. A melancholy atmosphere descended as I absorbed the sad, beautiful lyrics sung by Judy Collins. I was about to start blubbering into my steering wheel, when I was saved by the DJs next choice, The Eurhythmics collaboration with Aretha Franklin, Sisters are doin' it for themselves. Suddenly the world seemed brighter and I felt empowered. I finished my journey with a big smile on my face and a slight bounce to my driving. Within a short space of time I had swung from normal, to deep sadness, to feeling extremely happy ... and it got me thinking. 

Music is the end result of someone's creativity, just as a painting, a poem, a book or a beautifully crafted statue or figurine. There is an endless list of how a person's creativity can manifest, but I suspect that all creative people strive to do the same thing ... to evoke a feeling, an emotion, a reaction from those that see it, feel it, use it or read it.  

Painter, illustrator and sculpture, Richard Artschwager, once said, "There isn't any art until some creature sees and consumes it. And has a reaction." Perhaps that is what drives us all. I know many writers will say that they would write even if no one ever saw what they had produced, however, I suspect the majority of writers have a desire to share their craft with like-minded people who will hopefully enjoy it.

A successful novel will evoke a reaction in a reader. Some novels will take a reader through the whole range of emotions. The transitions between these emotions and reactions may be sudden or deceptively subtle, gradual or a non-stop fast ride where the reader hangs on by their fingernails. Hopefully there will also be the odd moments of reflection or relaxation to make the next stage of the story all the more stimulating. A reaction a writer does not want to evoke is boredom or frustration with the plot or the characters within the story.

I believe that the holy grail of writing is to evoke the emotion that the writer intends to evoke, at the precise moment they planned it to happen, at just the right momentum a reader wants or needs. When a writer hits those markers, they have been successful in their quest. However, in my opinion, it is not the reader who has the greatest reaction in the end … it is the creator ... for they have achieved what they set out to do, and that is a euphoric, heady experience that cannot be matched.

By

VICTORIA CORNWALL

Author of The Thief's Daughter

Do you agree that evoking emotions/feelings/reactions in a reader is The Holy Grail of writing? 

Can you recall a particular book which evoked a strong reaction in you?

I would love to hear your thoughts.

5 WAYS TO ENJOY A HAPPY, HYGGE CHRISTMAS …

Everywhere I’ve turned this festive season there’s been mention of hygge (pronounced hoo-gah) - the Danish way of living that brings happiness into the everyday. Book store shelves are groaning with hygge instructional manuals (I’ve bought a few!), magazine articles complete with arty photographs show us the perfect way to create a hygge home, radio phone-ins debate whether it’s even possible to be British and enjoy hygge in all its fullness.

The Art of hygge - one of the most
practical instructional manuals

 Now although I adore Christmas, both the original nativity story as well as the excitement and razzle-dazzle it brings, I’m someone who thrives during the sunshine months and can find the dark winter days draining. As I write this, many readers may still be in the throws of preparing the Christmas meal, welcoming family and friends, wrapping, or perhaps even buying festive gifts. It’s a busy time of year and so anything that helps keep our happiness quotient high is perhaps worth giving a go.

But what exactly is hygge?

First off, I should make clear that I’m not Danish and have no connections to Denmark, but living in the north-east corner of Scotland means the natural landscape around me is very similar. We share the same long dark winter days, along with easy access to stunning sandy beaches and woodland trails.

Being a writer, one of the first things I do when researching is to read around a subject, and according to Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen and author of The Little Book of Hygge, hygge is about ‘… the pursuit of everyday happiness.’ Hygge is about good times and nourishing the soul. Count me in!

So here’s 5 quick and easy ways to enjoy a Happy Hygge Christmas

1) Light -

Especially in the form of flickering candles, twinkling fairy lights or crackling open fires - all particularly good at helping create that warm hygge feeling. As well as buying a truckload of candles, I’ve also pinched this idea for fairy-light lanterns from Jonny Jackson & Elias Larsen’s The Art of Hygge.

My fairy lantern creations

Simple instructions:

Take 1 large mason jar and fill with 1 string of LED battery-operated fairy lights, covering the battery pack with a piece of hessian – and hey presto – you’re very own handmade piece of hygge. I’ve made several for friends…

2) Cake –

Red velvet cake

For many, indulgent foodie treats play an important part at Christmas-time which is great as they also play a significant role in helping to create that contented hygge feeling too. We’re talking mugful’s of mulled cider, steaming bowls of nutritious soup, hot chocolate with a splash of your favourite tipple after a stomp around the park. Enjoying a hygge moment means it’s ok not to count calories. Instead, enjoy a little of what you fancy - in moderation.

3) Books –

Spending time curled up with a great book, in your favourite corner or nook, with only a mug of coffee or tea for company, is also regarded as being particularly hygge. No wonder I fell in love with the concept…

4) Warm Socks and Blankets –

Forget dressing to impress. Hygge is all about dressing to be comfortable and to relax. Wearing soft, cosy socks whilst chilling with family and friends – playing games, listening to music or watching a movie cuddled under a blanket will all help generate that happy hygge feeling.

5) Friends -

The festive season is a traditional time to catch up with family and friends. Why not try adopting the hygge principle of remaining in the moment by switching off mobile phones and unplugging from social media for a while? Research has shown that giving time to others helps foster that tender, fuzzy feeling of belonging which in turn helps fend off winter blues. 

Christmas meet-up with the
Writers' Room collective

So what does all this have to do with creativity?

The most important lesson I’ve learned whilst devouring all things hygge, is to make time to notice and enjoy small pleasures – the warm tingle of spices on the tongue with the first sip of mulled wine, feeling tired muscles relax when making time for a scented bubble bath, lighting candles for dinner with the family. Remaining in the moment can be hard at times, but has proven to be particularly nourishing for the creative soul.  

December is traditionally a busy month, when finding time to think about being creative may prove hard. Hygge encourages being gentle on yourself – enjoying nature, spending time with friends, making time to relax. All helpful in refilling the creative well, so when we do eventually emerge from the festive celebrations we feel relaxed, refreshed and raring to go!  

If you’re interested in learning more about Hygge, then you may wish to have a look at my Warming Hygge Tips Pinterest board… 

But before you go, may I take this opportunity on behalf of everyone on the Novel Points of View blog team to wish our wonderful band of loyal readers a very happy, healthy and hygge-filled festive season…

Our 7 Tricks To Boost Creativity...

We’re delighted to introduce our new series where, on the first Wednesday of each month, our blog team will share ideas related to a topic or question.

What better way to kick-start our creative adventure than by asking:

What tricks do you use to help boost creativity?

We hope you enjoy our creative answers and please share your ideas too!

Rae - Travelling does it for me every time. I was lucky enough recently to visit Washington D.C. and, as a writer, one of the tourist attractions that piqued my interest was the International Spy Museum. Apparently Washington D.C. has the reputation of being the most spied upon city in the world. I’m not sure how they know! Anyway, it's a fascinating exhibition of the history of espionage and spy related ‘toys’, or as the museum puts it ‘the largest collection of espionage artifacts on public display, anywhere in the world’ – think an umbrella gun, lipstick pistol and eyeglasses designed to conceal cyanide pills. Q from Bond would love it.

But perhaps not surprisingly, it was the real-life stories of intelligence professionals, leading double lives often for decades, that I found intriguing. The deception, the lies, the patience, the cunning required - what sort of individual would find that life attractive? Wouldn’t they have family or friends who might give the game away? Had something happened in childhood, which might draw them to such an assignment? Why would they do that? – such inspiration.  Of course I can’t always up-tail and travel abroad each time I require an injection of creativity but shaking things up closer to home seems to work too – eating at a new restaurant, meeting new people, finding a new route to walk or cycle – all help oil those artistic cogs for me.

Gill - My hint for creativity, which is borrowed from the writer Julia Cameron, is to write ‘morning words’. For me these don’t necessarily have to be in the morning, they can be at any time of day. Her idea was that just as you would walk to exercise your body, you should write to exercise your writing ‘muscles’. This can be putting pen to paper, or typing on your computer. It should not be part of your work-in-progress or related to anything specific, it is just thoughts coming out unplanned and unregulated. And it really does work. It’s like turning on a tap. Once you start, you realise you are writing, even though you may have felt you had no ideas and would never write again. And once you are writing something – you can turn that energy to writing what you want to write be it a blog, an article or a story. I thoroughly recommend giving it a try.

Problem, People, Place, Plot

Linda - I use the Four Ps principle. I have four plastic beakers labelled Problem, People, Place, Plot. At random moments (not when I have sticky moments) I pop something on a scrap of paper in each pot. Under Problems the list might be something like this ... car broken down, late for train, child missing, husband/wife having affair. Under People it might read something like this ... policeman, ballet dancer, school dinner lady, an unusual name like Phaedra. Places could be anywhere the story could be set like ... fish and chip shop, theatre, train, boat, plane, swimming pool. Under plot I have very little .... gives up job to pursue dream, turns the house into a B&B ... because once I’ve taken a piece of paper from each pot I have my problem and whose it is, and where, and the plot unfolds itself.

Jennie - I use David Morrells 'talk to your typewriter' technique - an idea he apparently got from Harold Robbins. You sit in front of your computer and keyboard and 'talk' to each other, something like this:

"How are you this morning?"

"Great! I just had this wonderful idea for a story."

"Fabulous. Tell me about it. What's the idea?"

"Well, I'm not sure really it's just that there's this old house down the road that's apparently haunted and I'd like to write about it.'

"Why?

Now I have to answer the question, which will prompt another question from the computer. Sometimes trying to explain/develop my idea I run out of words, so I type one of the following words or phrases. 'What if?', 'why?' and 'so what' are words that prompt me to come up with answers.

By simply sitting in front of the computer basically having a written conversation with yourself it's amazing what the subconscious comes up with!

Plockton, Scotland

Neil - How does a photographer boost creativity? The answer should be simple go out and take more photographs. 

Although I go out and take photos almost daily, depending on the weather, it is often half an hour grabbed here and there, in between family life. 

Making time to go out taking photographs helps boost my creativity, so I like to plan ahead. Enjoying an uninterrupted day to discover somewhere new or rediscover old ground when I have time off from work and family commitments. 

So my tip would be make and plan time for your writing, photography, painting etc. Time that is dedicated to you, without interruptions or any need to rush.  

I don't always use this time to take photographs, as sometimes the weather defeats me, so instead I will read blogs or look through other photographers work, for inspiration and tips.

Lesley - My top tip for creativity is from my last post and the great David Garrick.

“If want comes in, importance must retreat;

Our first great ruling passion - is to eat."

Jennifer - Carry a camera. I take photos of the strangest things, mostly abandoned things such as shoes or (once) a bunch of flowers still in its wrapper, thrust into a bin. But it can be a flower or a tree or a gravestone or just someone walking down a street.

Even if you don't have time to think about these things at the time, if you take a photo there's always something there to remind you. And if it turns out to be no use you can always delete it :)

I've attached a couple of my favourite pictures seen on my travels. 

NEW YEAR, NEW FACES...

Novel Points of View is introducing a few changes for 2016. We want to say goodbye and many thanks to Jenny Harper and Mary Smith, and a big hello and welcome to new members Rae Cowie (writer), Jennie Bohnet (writer) and Neil Donald (photographer). We’re really looking forward to having new voices – and amazing photographs – in the weeks and months ahead.

To get things rolling we have asked each of our new members to give us three words or phrases that best describe their creativity. And also to tell us a little bit about themselves. Over to you, Rae…

Hello and a thousand thanks to the Novel Points of View team for inviting me to join their not-so-secret gang.

This is the perfect time of year for setting those New Year writing goals and thinking about how best to describe my creativity was just the push I needed to return to the typeface after the sloth of the festive season.

So what do I write? - Contemporary women’s fiction stuffed full of family drama with a tender sprinkling of romance.

And how best to describe my creativity? - Well I’m a bit of a chameleon when it comes to inspiration, as that magical ‘what if?’ question can be sparked by places, photographs, objects, song lyrics…anything really.

However, like most writers I’m drawn to write about what interests me and travel has always been a firm passion of mine. Part of the joy of writing, for me, is researching other cultures, finding out what makes people and places tick. My current work-in-progress, Leaving Baku, is set in Azerbaijan (to the east of Turkey, cradled by the Caspian sea). It’s the story of a young, local widow, Samira, and the relationship she develops with a Western oilman, against her family’s wishes.

Which brings me to my second phrase - family and relationships. Having been lucky enough, along with my three siblings, to be brought up in a picturesque fishing village, where community spirit was strong, perhaps it was envitable that as a writer the importance of family and friendship would feature strongly in my writing. However, just as in real life, the road any family follows is far from smooth and part of the fun in fiction writing is throwing boulders in characters paths – testing those relationships to the limit.

My final phrase links both travel and family/relationships, as I love to write of individuals who are struggling to find their place in the world, searching for where they belong, finding friendship and romance in unexpected places.

Whilst enjoying travel, I also love home which nestles in a tiny hamlet in rural NE Scotland, overlooking the fertile Ythan estuary, where geese come and go with the seasons. As well as my imaginary characters, I also have my ever-patient husband and two lively teenage sons to keep me company. I bake to relax  - think lemon drizzle cake or red velvet muffins - not exactly to Bake Off standard but good enough for my family to appreciate. Then, to work off those calories, I walk and cycle the farm roads and dirt tracks, which crisscross the surrounding fields...perhaps not quite so often as I should!   

And so, in joining the wonderfully talented Novel Points of View team, I feel I’m travelling to an exciting new land, with lots to discover and enjoy – here’s to friendships, old and new, in 2016!