A2Z 2022

 Please note most images have been deleted.

A2Z Blogging Challenge Theme Reveal 2022

 Well Good Morning Everyone, this is the Theme Reveal for 2022. I have decided this year I will theme my posts around inspiration. What inspires writers to write, and there might be a photo or two to add to it. I've already started making a list of things I will be covering in each post, and as always the last few letters of the alphabet are the most difficult to fill, but I'll get there. 

If you are doing it this year, what is your theme????

 

TWW

 

First Post of the A2Z Challenge 2022 Inspiration.

 To answer the question that was asked on the official blog: http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/

How much preparation did you do ahead of time?   What advice would you give to other bloggers who might be concerned about whether they can finish this Challenge?    What is the biggest obstacle that you are facing in regard to finishing the Challenge this year?

I typed out my entire A2Z ahead of time, just to make sure that I had all the letters covered. These posts were a guideline as to what I wanted to do for that letter. 

For those who are worried about not finishing the challenge, don't, you'll be grand, and look there is always next year. Don't stress out, you got this.

The biggest challenge we face every year is finding words to fill the last part of the alphabet, a little bit of creativity will solve that one. I for one troll dictionaries until I find a word that I can use. Yes it's a bit of extra work, but hey, it is fun.

 

Question: 

 What is inspiration?

Answer:
Inspiration is what inspires you to write, it is 'a brilliant and timely idea' according to the dictionary.        So for the rest of the month and the A2Z Blogging Challenge I will be looking at an A2Z of where you get your Inspiration from. 

 

As today is the first day of the challenge we will start with A, for Animation.

 

Animation:

 

Its really weird but fun having this as the first post for my blogging challenge. Growing up I remember watching cartoons in my granny's house in Belfast when we were little. Imagining being part of the Scooby Gang solving mysteries and running away from ghosts as well as Lassie, and Lassie Rescue Rangers amongst others. Animated shows have come along way since then. We now have Disney, Pixar, Illumination, and other companies, making really amazing productions that are a sure-fire way of setting fire to your imagination and giving you inspiration for writing. The idea here is to see what the story is about, how it’s laid out and what it inspires in you. 

 

B is for...

Books:

FYI: This post may be image heavy. 

Books, one of my first favorite memories of my dad and me, I may have shared before. I am little, and we're in the library, I'm looking at all the pretty pictures on the books, and he's searching for westerns that he hasn't read yet.  We are in the local Library in Andersons Town road, and I'm in heaven. 

My dad was an avid reader, and since his passing I've gotten some of his books, my two brothers got the rest between them. For me books are an awesome font of inspiration. Seeing what other writers do with their imagination, how they make words paint pictures in my minds eye. 

Since I learned to read I've been stuck in a corner, or curled up on a sofa reading. I have a whole slew of favorite authors, two of whom got me back to reading and writing after I had a brain fart / hiccup. 

I firmly believe that for writers of all calipers and artists of all sorts, reading what other writers and artists have written helps to spark our own inspiration. Something in a novel might be useful when writing your own story. Spark an adventure, a daring escapade, a thrilling theft, death defying fantastical science fiction..

Well how are you all doing with your second day?  I really enjoyed the few blogs I popped in on yesterday.  Thanks so much for the lovely comments.

 

C is for...

Cinema:

When I was a teenager, I went to Superman (Christopher Reeve) and my brother told me how they made him fly, then we went to STAR WARS (yup all of them). These movies spurred me into creating stories and plots that I could visualize on the big screen.  

When Videos came out and my parents got one of the 'piano key' recorders and started getting videos we watched numerous movies (I couldn't watch the evil dead or exorcist). Then came DVD's and streaming services (recently) as well as still going to the cinema and watching all the fantasy and sci fi movies I can manage (namely Marvel). 

Throughout my life the many movies I've watched on TV or on the big screen have as I said before inspired me to write, or design worlds that my characters could play on and with. Some of my favourite ones are the old, old black and white ones, with Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney. I also have a copy of 'I married a witch' with Veronica Lake, and 'Arsenic and old lace' with Carey Grant.

What movies influenced you and your writing? How did your third day go.

 

D is for...

Dance:

Watching the movement of body, as it moves to music, or the beat of it's own drum can inspire writers. Well at least those who are writing about movement, or a musical. Watching how people move is food for a writers brain and memory bank. Some people move in clunky forms, like monsters around a dance floor, others are like fey, light, airy and so co - ordinated. 

Musicals themselves can be a source of inspiration, at least the ones that are put together well. They can show us how moving to a beat can help us feel better about ourselves, even if you can't move all of you, you can move a head, a hand, or a foot. 

Try this the next time you sit down to watch Greece or Les Mis...watch how a character moves and then do your best to describe it. Look on it like a writing exercise, and watch your vocabulary grow.

TWW (yes I am aware that I'm stretching this a little, but it works)

E is for...

Okay, here's another odd one, but stick with me, it will make sense.

Essays:

     Essays can be inspiring and can even help you inspire yourself. Many writers have written in essay             format, and also written about the art of writing, which in itself is inspirational. 

     How about checking out these websites and see what they inspire:

• The Electronic Typewriter: https://tetw.org/Words_and_Writing
• Fictionphile: https://fictionphile.com/best-essays-on-writing/

 

F and G is for....

 Well look what I forgot to do yesterday....*sigh* My apologies, I was editing 'Demon' and taking the bottom of a dress to make it fit better (long story I'll do later). Anyway, today I am back, and I will be doing two letters F and G.

 

File:

Okay, now you're thinking, 'file, what's she on about'. Well I for one keep a file of images for inspiration, on people, places and things to do with my novels or that strike my eye when I read a magazine (though I don't read as many these days). I have a paper file of my story ideas (A5 binders)

As we're living in an age of technology, I tend to keep separate files of images, essays, story ideas on my computer. I also have a Pinterest account where I keep images under the names of my novels or characters, like a Vampire File and Myths file.  I also use my Google Docs, One Note and Dropbox  for this purpose as well. 

When I'm stuck for an image, or an idea, I simply go and check the files and see what's sets the juices on fire. 

Graphic Novels:

I am an avid Graphic Novel reader, a fan of X-Men, Harley Quinn, Avengers and Sirens as well as one or two independents. I consider these a valuable source of inspiration when and before writing. For me when reading through them something that I see in a graphic novel could trigger some form of inspiration. Either the characters, the story writing (something that the writer didn't focus on that might be good for a story) or even the world and cityscapes.

 

An amazing Graphic Novel writer Gail Simone actually did a free comic book writing course a while back, and I was part of it, loved every second, and learned a great deal, including COMIC BOOK WRITING IS DARNED HARD. Now some might think...Naw, its easy, it's only comics, but let me tell you something...ITS NOT JUST COMICS. These things are harder than actual novels at times. so RESPECT!

 

H is for...

History:

Trust me when I say that History is a great source of inspiration. Just going through events in history, can spark ideas for something you are writing or something that you might want to write.  You can take a piece of history and either fictionalize it or write it in non fiction having done hours and hours of research. Because history is so vast, there is loads of scope.

You have everything from Romance,  intrigue, war, assassination, and every day life. All you have to do is choose.

I is for...

INK:

Ink as in Tattoos, yup you heard me…if you have ever looked through a tattoo book, or even some tats on people around you, you will see that they can be inspiring, look at them and see what stories they have to tell you.

I mean, I once had an idea that I didn't flesh out (mainly because I have 13 novels to sort through and about 200 other ideas), about a person that had tattoos that came to life and helped in an emergency, or the person with the tat could change into the tat. 

I even thought that maybe they could be an explorer, archaeologist  who enters a tomb or sacred space and is covered in tats that means she has to atone for what she does. Or someone gets drunk, gets tats and doesn't remembers it, and they come to life...like I said, not fleshed out but something I thought was a great idea...oh, oh maybe just a snake, or a bat, or a dragon...lol. Why not see what it might inspires in you.

J is for...

Journals:

Journals can be a great source of inspiration, either for fiction or nonfiction, also dead handy for research and figuring out how things work. Now these can be real life, non fictional Journals written by people who lived in the time period that you might be researching. There are also academic journals which contain articles on all sorts of subjects, these can be read, and ideas might sprint to life.

Also it's good to note that if you are stuck with what you are writing, one method out is to write the next section as if you were writing about in in your diary, or journal. What also works is writing about it as if you were being interviewed after the fact, sometimes these ideas can help you figure out a blank spot, and give inspiration to the rest of what you're writing.

http://top10leatherjournals.com/magic-fictitious-journal-writing/

https://study.com/academy/lesson/literary-nonfiction-essays-diaries-letters-more.html

Why not click on one or both of these links and see what you think.

 

K, L, &M is for...

Hi there, I've been missing in action for a few days (wife's relatives from England were over on a visit), and I'm just getting a chance to sit down and do these now. We will have three letters instead of one, and we might have to stretch our limits and belief a little. Without further ado, here is K, L and M.

Kine-scope:

Do you remember when you were a kid, and you used to love looking at the colored beads at the end of the cardboard tube, you would turn the bottom and the designs would change. This allows you to see different images, and designs, using your imagination you can gain much inspiration from looking through the tube. In fact, some of the star ship jumps in sci fi movies remind me of them, the tubes could be used to hypnotize people, or the designs themselves. Kinda working like a small mirror.

LORE:

Lore as in legends and fairy tales, these can be a huge method of inspiration. Many authors have used them in the past and will do in the future to create some amazing stories. don’t just look at your own, look worldwide, but a note of caution, handle other countries legends and tales with respect.

MAGAZINES:

When looking for inspiration for stories, looks and how things are done, or could look, you can’t beat a magazine. Given that today you can get magazines on every single subject you can imagine. I have removed photos and fashion spreads, not for the fashion parse, but because they had a look that I might use for another character, a kitchen or living room that might suit something I'm writing. Magazines as far as I am concerned are great for inspiration.

 

N is for...

NEWSPAPERS:

Again, like magazines, these are chock full of inspiring stories, images and yes even sports. Whether you get your news online, or in the paper form, it's good to have a review of local and national as well as some international newspapers if you are looking for something to write about.

Even if you are into historical writing, newspapers can still be handy, if you got to your local library they have microfiche, or have scanned old newspapers into their computers. I loved looking through some old papers and came across a story about a woman sailor, who dressed as a man, and was only found out by a crew member that had seen her washing...she'd run away to marry her love only to find him engaged to someone else. She left on a ship again which was when she was caught. They sent her home to her father, and she left to live with her sister. 

So you can find out a lot and gain loads of inspiration if you only read the paper.

https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/

https://guides.library.cmu.edu/newspapers/newspaperguides

https://www.historic-newspapers.co.uk/

 

 

O and P are for...

Online:

When all else fails, go online and take a good look around sites like Instagram or Pinterest to find some inspiration. You know the mood boards that people create when decorating their home, or designing clothing, a lot of writers now will create one online, Pinterest at the moment seems to be the beat place to do this. It's simple enough, you start a new folder, name it the same name as your book, or working title, then troll Pinterest for images that represent that for you. Be warned however, this can lead to hours of warren like searching, and 'oh shiny' wandering off on tangents. Pinterest is I will admit, my go to for this.

Let me know if you have somewhere else you vanish off to when looking for your novel aesthetic. I'm always interested in new ways to procrastinate.

 

PHOTOGRAPHS:

Old, and modern (just taken) they can be handy for inspiration. I don't know if you are aware of the novel Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children? Well if not the author apparently came up with the idea after looking through some old black and white photographs.


I don't know about you, but I love this idea, picking up old photos at home, or while visiting a second hand shop, or flea market, and then using your imagination to try and figure out what went on behind the image. There are some pretty amazing old photos out there that no longer have homes or people to gaze at them and remember the people who were in them.

 

Q is for...

QUOTES:

           Okay, okay this is another 'it could stretch a little' post. Quotes believe it or not can help inspire                 you to write. Or inspire you to continue to write. Here are some good ones.

 

  

R is for...

Radio: 

Listening to  DJ’s, and Plays on the radio as well as Music can help inspire you to write. Now I know it can be difficult to find plays on the radio, but if you have access to BBC sometimes they have something on. 

DJ's messing around on air can inspire you to write something, and lets not forget the music that they play. Close your eyes and let your mind go, you'll be surprised as to where you might end up.

 

 

https://www.rte.ie/radio/dramaonone/?page=1

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04xxp0g/episodes/player

 

https://www.stageplays.com/browse/categories/radio_audio_drama

 

 

Why not try one of these on for size. How's your Challenge coming along...???

 

S is for...

STRIGHT FORWARD WRITING:

Straight forward writing, is when you stop trying to sound so smart, and just have fun with the writing. We are often caught up in being too flowery to realise that we’re overdoing it. So bring it back, and enjoy. Sometimes called Creative Writing, or Stream of Consciousness writing. 

 

T is for...

TELEVISION:

Don’t knock the power of the tv, programs that you watch or stream, and documentaries, contain loads of inspiration and very handy tips lol. I watch a lot of fantasy (no, seriously), and I find that watching a lot of fantasy, cosy mysteries, and sci fi helps with idea generation.

 

U is for...

UNIVERSE:

I do love this one, as where I live right now, if there is no stormy weather, the stars are very visible. I suggest that you go out into the night, maybe even into your own garden, with all the lights off, and find a clear piece of ground, lie down on a blanket, rug, or chair and look up at the stars. If that doesn't work maybe visit a planetarium, or even those glasses that you put the phone into, and look at the stars and images of the universe. 

The idea is that you get a chance to be still and silent. Staring up at one of, in my mind anyway, great wonders. These can be very inspiring especially in Sci Fi or Fantasy as you find yourself imagining the other worlds and peoples who might exist out there. You imagine what it means to visit this world as a stranger, what differs here to their world, who do you meet? Who antagonises you? Who helps you? Do you live? Do you die?

Or, the other way around, you visit another world, same questions. You might be taken away by aliens? You could even be hypnotised into thinking that you were, secret messages stored in your brain, what reason would  there be for that eh?

Imagination is a strange and beautiful thing.

 

V is for...

VIDEO GAMES:

Or, as they are now known as Computer Console Games, i.e. computer games. These can be invaluable in the search for inspiration, playing for a few hours can be either down time, research or just plain fun.

There's also games for every person out there, as well as a platform from your computer, to an x-box or PlayStation. 

As for the games, there are quite a few world building games, or the likes of SIMS. 

Why not give it a go and see what happens.

 

W and X is for...

WRITE WITHOUT EDITING YOURSELF

The basic idea behind this one, is that you write as you are writing your throw up first draft, you don’t edit your thoughts until after you are finished the piece you are writing, or the 2^nd to 3^rd draft. 

 

XEANAGOUGE, AS IN BE A;

What is meant here is to be a guide to the world that you have created, show people around, let them get to know your characters, your worlds, your vision. Then there is the actual Guide Books, if you need to research something or a place, then use one of these, they can also be handy for inspiration, containing little bits about areas.

 

Y and Z are for....

As I won't be around tomorrow to finish up with the daily letters, I'm going to finish up today. 

YELLOW JOUNALISM:

Yellow Journalism is another name for tabloid journalism and can also be quite handy for the inspiration to write. These present little or no legitimate, well-researched news while using eye-catching headlines for increased sales. Techniques may include exaggerations of news events, scandalmongering, or sensationalism. All of which can be extremely handy when looking for something to write.

ZEN:

This is one of my favourites, I usually have it in all my A2Z’s, as getting yourself into a headspace where you are ready to write. Where your ideas flow freely, and you are relaxed. Meditation can help with this, as can some incense (if you are not allergic), and having a dedicated space.

I want to thank everyone that has followed my blog during the A2Z Blogging Challenge, it's been a blast, here's to the last two days.