November Reflections

November is the quiet before the storm that is the Christmas season. There’s nothing better than a crisp walk past the bare trees, trampling leaves underfoot or sitting inside with a cosy, hot drink. Pour yourself an enormous hot chocolate as you read through my November reflections…

Quote

‘If I knew where the good songs came from, I’d go there more often. It’s a mysterious condition. It’s much like the life of a Catholic nun. You’re married to a mystery’ – Leonard Cohen

This eloquent quote from the late, great Leonard Cohen highlights the strange relationship between artists and the creative energy they tap into. Cohen’s Tower of Song is a great exploration of this and the lyrics seem more poignant than ever now he’s gone.

Reading

I Capture the Castle was one of my favourite books growing up, so I was eager to read another Dodie Smith – The Town in Bloom. It tells the story of the endearing protagonist, Mouse, a young girl who comes to post war London to pursue a career in theatre. Whilst there, she encounters heartache, disappointment and testing friendships. I found it to be a beautiful exploration of the impact our youthful decisions have on us in later life. I loved being immersed in that theatrical world too.

Writing

This month I’ve been thinking about titles – mainly because I’ve been trying to come up with one for a new book. It’s quite odd to be working on a novel without a title, especially when names are so significant. Coming up with a good title is difficult because it should capture the essence of what your work is. I’m going to try free associating, writing words that come to mind when I think about the book, and see what happens.

Focus on…. Time

I was intrigued this month by an article in the December issue of Psychologies called ‘Get Time On Your Side’ by Eleanor Tucker. Tucker examined how our perception of time affects our lives. She emphasises that time is a Western concept and that we have a habit of talking of time like it’s a currency – time is running out, short on time, waste of my time etc. I liked the description of the Madagascan concept of time: ‘the future is seen as flowing into the back of the head, or passing from behind, then becoming the past as it stretches out in front…the future is behind the head because it is as yet unknown and invisible.’ Assess your relationship with time by thinking about when time goes slowly versus when time flies. How can you stretch time to fit in more of what you love?

Three things to look forward to in December:

1. Christmas and all the trimmings, of course!

2. The inexplicable excitement of waking up to a tiny piece of advent chocolate each day.

3. Family and friends, festivities and frivolities.

Posts to Catch up on:

• Early Birds vs Night Owls
• A Literary Alphabet: F is for...Faux Pas, Felonies and Fails
• Clutter and Treasure
• A Literary Alphabet: E is for Endings
• 17 Questions for Creative Growth

How was your November?! Leave a comment below! 

October Reflections

October is one of my favourite months – golden leaves aplenty, berries bursting, nights drawing in - it’s a magical time of year. This October did not disappoint and was the perfect time to cuddle up and be bookish, creative and cosy. Here’s a few reflections I’d like to share with you…

Quotation

‘Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.’ -  Albert Einstein

Can you get out into nature this month? In what way can you enrich the moments you have outside this autumn? Whether it’s a few quick snaps of fallen leaves or a walking meditation on a crisp morning, take time to just be in the splendour of nature.

Reading

The highlight of my reading this month was Virginia Woolf in Manhatten by Maggie Gee, a wild exploration of what would happen if the Bloomsbury icon returned to us. I particularly loved the way Woolf was explored in terms of her status as a yardstick by which all female writers are measured. There are some comical moments – Woolf bringing back her politically incorrect speak with her from the early twentieth century – as well as some heat breaking ones. Woolf’s sadness over coming back to realise the lives of her loved ones, including her beloved husband Leonard, had to go on after she took her life was particularly poignant. 

Writing

This month I’ve been thinking a lot about writing from the point of view of someone completely unlike you. In my case, that’s writing from the perspectives of men and children. What I’ve discovered is, that whilst of course there are quirks and types to explore, at the crux of a character is a motivation, a need. Tapping into the truth of your character sets them free to be who they want you to write.

Focus on…Finding the words

I recently read about a selection of words that are untranslatable in English. My favourites were the Inuit word ‘iktsuarpok’ meaning the feeling of anticipation that makes you look outside when you’re expecting guests, and ‘waldeinsamkeit’, a German word for the feeling of being alone in the woods. It made me think about the power of words as well as their limitations. Appreciate your language by inventing five words to describe those indescribable feelings and phenomena.

Three things to look forward to in November:

1. Making rocky road bites with popping candy and veggie friendly marshmallows to enjoy on bonfire night.

2. Brisk, crisp walks under white, cold skies.

3. Tentatively starting Christmas preparations (!).  

Catch up with October’s Posts:

Are You A Writer?

Happy 1st Birthday!

Getting Children Into Reading: Part Three – Teens

A Literary Alphabet: D is for Diaries

Six Ways To Enjoy Autumn

What have been your October highlights? Share with me below...

Six Ways To Enjoy Autumn

‘No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face.’ - John Donne

Autumn is in the midst of its glorious rein. Leaves are falling, candles are glinting and cosy pyjama sets are being adorned. Before it slips away make the most it with these six ways to celebrate autumn. 

1. This is the season of hibernation. Snuggling up with blankets, naps in front of the fireplace…autumn is the time for cosiness. On a rainy, cold afternoon schedule some me time. Don’t forget a hot drink, a crumbly biscuit and something good to read (how about these). 

2. Don’t hide inside too much though or you’ll miss out on the beautiful colours outside. Albert Camus said that ‘autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.’ Marvel at the beauties of nature dying back in all its glory. Take a walk and look for the oranges, reds and browns adorning the trees like majestic crowns. 

3. Autumn is like the less commercial, materialistic cousin of winter. In autumn, there is a plethora of inexpensive, childish delights to indulge in. Leaf crunching and kicking, swirling a sparkler on a cold dark night and giving a pumpkin a spooky smile. Spoil your inner child and make it an autumn of fun. 

4. Maybe it’s got something to do with back to school in the autumn term, but this is the season that makes me want to be studious. Learn something new to keep your mind active. Maybe settle down with a thick non-fiction book and be inspired by the lives of people that fascinate you. 

5. If you’re not outside kicking leaves you should be in the kitchen. Cinnamon, treacle, toffee, gingerbread and lots of sugar – these are the main ingredients for an edible autumn well spent. 

6. Whilst autumn is the best season in existence it does come with a few dreary, grey days. The antidote to this is to plan something! A guided ghost tour, a Halloween tea party, a fireworks night, a movie night with giant mugs of hot chocolate… take your pick. 

What’s your favourite thing about autumn? How will you be enjoying it? 

A Selection of Short Stories

As the days grow shorter, we leave behind the long, languishing sessions of summer reading in favour of cosy bookish nights. Short stories make for a perfect autumn comforter, like a mug of hot chocolate for the mind. Here is a little selection of small, but perfectly formed tales for you to devour.

The Insect World – Jean Rhys

‘Almost any book was better than life, Audrey thought. Or rather, life as she was living it.’

In this haunting story, Rhys combines the two worlds she knew so well – war torn London in the Blitz and memories of her childhood in Dominica. Mentally fragile Audrey, a representation of Rhys herself, begins to see parallels between the humans that buzz around the London underground with a type of tropical insect that gave her nightmares as a child.

The Fox – D. H. Lawrence

‘She stretched out her hand, but suddenly he bit her wrist, and at the same instant, as she drew back, the fox, turning round to bound away, whisked his brush across her face, and it seemed his brush was on fire, for it seared and burned her mouth with a great pain. She awoke with the pain of it, and lay trembling as if she were really seared.’

This short story is a miniature masterpiece. Two female farmers living in solitude have their lives uprooted when a young man arrives. Like the fox that steals the women’s chickens, the man comes into their little world leaving a trail of destruction. Lawrence explores the battle of the sexes, control and hate in this story that drives to a dramatic climax that will stay with you long after reading. Read it here.

The Withered Arm – Thomas Hardy

‘Gasping for breath, Rhoda, in a last desperate effort, swung out her right hand, seized the confronting spectre by its obtrusive left arm, and whirled it backward to the floor, starting up herself as she did so with a low cry.’

This is like a little piece of distilled Hardy. All the hallmarks are here – haunting pasts, human effort versus fate, magic and superstition. This story follows the legacy of one jealous woman’s curse upon her love rival. You can read it for free here.

Kew Gardens – Virginia Woolf

‘The figures of these men and women straggled past the flower-bed with a curiously irregular movement not unlike that of the white and blue butterflies who crossed the turf in zig-zag flights from bed to bed.’

For those dreading the impending dark evening and mornings, Woolf brings some floral cheer with Kew Gardens. This description, however, is to over simplify big, important themes of life that Woolf ponders in this stroll past flowerbeds. Memory and thought are the threads Woolf uses to weave this tale with a zooming in and out of people and things. Read it for free here.

Which of these short stories will you add to your reading list? Which short story would you recommend? Feel free to leave a comment below…