happy halloween!

Hope you all have a day full of surprises and a scary night too!  Australia is still yet to fully embrace this tradition (much to our dismay) but my kids got a fright last night when the doorbell rang.  It was too late for visitors and we were watching a scary movie with our jack-o-lantern burning brightly and stuffing our faces with popcorn.

They looked at each other, then at me, and then the hallway.  Ooooo.

They were delighted when I opened it to find trick or treaters!  Lucky for me I had some goodies in the cupboard or I was about to be drenched by a few witches and superhero's wielding loaded water pistols.  So now my kids know our new neighbourhood celebrate, they are keen to join in next year! 

Costume ideas needed!

;) Emma

Song Of The Day

Thriller - Michael Jackson



I couldn't resist putting this up!  I was so keen to watch this when it came out - I was 6.  Of course at that age it was forbidden by my parents, who, rightly so, said I was too young.  So of course I didn't listen and watched it at a friends! 

This is a brilliant song and video that took imagination to another level for it's time.

Stretch yourself as much as you can with your writing.  Keep pushing past what you find comfortable and see what you get. 

For those of you who may find today a conflict of beliefs I'll leave this with you.

"Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult." Michael Jackson.

Happy writing ;)

Emma

Picture Of The Day

Happy Halloween everyone.  Whether you celebrate or not it's always a day full of surprises!

So what's in that house? Let your imagination go to new places today and challenge yourself to look at things in a creepier way than usual.

Happy writing ;)
Emma

Word Of The Day

Ebullient - (ee-bull-yent) adjective 1. full of excitement or enthusiasm. 2. boiling

Song Of The Day

Dear Mr. President - P!nk

I love that Pink isn't afraid to address issues.  The way she delivers them is also unique. 

Being strong enough to take a stand as an artist is something we should all be willing to do.  As I keep saying, it doesn't matter if others disagree with you, you will never please everyone, but be willing to open up your heart and really share what's in it. 

Being true to yourself is ultimately what puts the passion into your deliver and turns something good into something great because people feel that emotion.  They can't help but be moved.

Happy writing ;)

Emma

Picture Of The Day

What's this about?  Just an odd construction in the name of art? or could it be you've just stepped into another world?

Let your imagination run wild with this and see what wild things you can come up with.

Happy writing ;)
Emma

Word Of The Day

Persiflage - (per-si-flahzh) noun any light-hearted style of speech, as in treating serious matters as trivial and trivial matters as serious.

Song Of The Day

Rebels In The Roses - Everest

Thought I'd share some more creative process with you today.  Often I will piece my story together with other medium and that then transpires onto the page.

In this instance after seeing the photo below, my mind went off on a tangent and I began really thinking about that man's journey.  Then went to chose a song and thought about this because it sounds like a perfect soundtrack for his life. 

That then gets the story taking on a life of its own and grows within me at an incredible rate.  It's a great way to get to know your characters.  You have a go, see what you come up with.

As a side note, someone in my writing class recommended this band to me and I really like them.  Apparently Neil Young discovered them.  They have a new album out called On Approach.  Thanks Sean.

Happy writing ;)

Picture Of The Day

Sometimes an everyday situation will be a great spark for a story idea!  Is he for real?  Did he end up getting that bear?  Why's he dressed like this?  Where's he from?  What's his life story?  That could be what you write about, his journey up until this point.

Look around you, observe people and let your imagination run wild.

Happy writing ;)
Emma

Word Of The Day

Solecism - (soll-a-sizm) noun 1.the ungrammatical use of language. 2.a social gaffe.

Song Of The Day

Anything But Ordinary - Avril Lavigne

For moments of self-doubt, this is my anthem.

Use your uniqueness to your advantage.  Embrace who you are and how you write.  Don't compare yourself to others and how they do things.

When you realise that most of the creative people we celebrate are actually celebrated for being different and delivering a story in a unique way, the more free you'll feel to share yours.

Yes, often they are in the love/hate category, but they're there, people know who they are.  Wouldn't you rather be known for being anything but ordinary, as opposed to not being known at all?

Happy writing ;)

Emma

Picture Of The Day

As Halloween comes around so do some bizarre tales.  They don't all have to be full of gore, the level you take them to will depend on your own personal boundaries.  It is, however, the season for great stories to be born. 

Try to take it down a road less travelled, like Tim Burton did with The Nightmare Before Christmas or maybe come up with a whole new meaning for the celebration of the night.  Remember the beauty of story-telling is that it doesn't have to be true to be believable or it doesn't have to be physically possible to be entertaining.

A good story, with a great delivery will be remembered.  So, what will this season stir in you?

Happy writing ;)
Emma

Word Of The Day

Lachrymose - (lak-ri-mose) adjective tearful.

stepping out of your comfort zone

Usually when we write, we write about things we enjoy.  It entertains us as much as the audience (or at least it should).  So what when you have to take a serious turn and write about deeper issues?

Over the last few days I've had to step out of my comfort zone and write some things with deeper meaning and connotations.  It has stirred a lot of emotion within me and challenged me to push past where I'm usually game enough to go.  I've learned a lot.

Firstly, if it stirs deep emotion within me, chances are it will with others.  That's a good thing.  We shouldn't always be looking to entertain in a 'happy' way.  Some of the best books I've read, movies I've seen or songs I've heard have made me cry.  It all started with The Little Match Girl when I was about 4-years-old.  Then came Lassie and E.T.  As I got older and understood more there were Michael Jackson and Bob Geldof.

Secondly, I realised that when I step out of my comfort zone and write about challenging issues, of course it will come from my beliefs and it is hard to get those out of the way.  I got so frustrated with what I had to write because I was trying to be generic, I was trying to be Switzerland.  There was no emotion in it and it felt wrong to me.  That's when I had the epiphany that I don't have to do that.  All the stories that stirred emotion in me, were written from someone elses opinions.  Not everyone agrees with them, but they were true to their own beliefs and wrote from the heart.

That's what we need to do.  Write from the heart.  Put emotion into it, feel brave enough to share your opinions and beliefs with others, otherwise it's journalism.  Writing for entertainment, whether it be to incite a positive or negative responses, is ultimately for entertainment.  If people want cold hard facts and an unbiased delivery they will watch documentaries and the news or read the newspaper and National Geographic.

Understanding that it is OK to impart your views has been a huge step for me this week.  I need to believe in what I write and be OK to put my name to it.  I've always known I won't please everyone, but I haven't been brave enough to challenge their values or beliefs with my own.  Now I am.

I hope you can step out of your comfort zone and learn more about yourself in the process too.

Happy writing ;)
Emma

Song Of The Day

Man In The Mirror - Michael Jackson

This is a man who constantly pushed the boundaries of social comfort to get us thinking about real issues.

As I said a few days ago, when you write you have the ability to stir deeper issues for people.  Writing about these things isn't necessarily easy, but thankfully some artists are willing to step out of their comfort zone.  Love him or hate him, Michael Jackson pushed taboo topics to the fore and got things done.

Be brave enough to do the same.  Use your work, not only to entertain and inspire but also to raise issues and bring awareness to something you are passionate about.  Any change starts with you. 

Happy writing ;)

Emma

Picture Of The Day

Wouldn't want to be the guy at the front!  What, no removal van available? LOL.  This opens the gamut for all kinds of ideas and funny stories to take place.

What happens next?  Where are they taking all that stuff?  Where are they from?  Have they done this before?

If you're feeling a block in your writing, sometimes finding a picture and running ideas for something completely unrelated is enough to blast the block out of the way.

Happy writing ;)
Emma

Word Of The Day

Pastiche - (pas-teesh) noun a work of art which imitates or borrows from the work or style of other artists.

Song Of The Day

Fifteen - Taylor Swift

Another story told in a great way.  I'm going to move on to other things tomorrow so thought I'd end with this one.  Taylor is a great story-teller and I love the way she writes.

Again, writing your experiences can make for good stories.  It's OK to embellish, it doesn't have to be completely autobiographical but using your own situations as a spring board it a good place to start.

Happy writing ;)

Emma

Picture Of The Day

We've all stood at one at some point in our lives, but imagine this person has a lot at stake.  What if they choose the wrong direction?  What will the fall-out be?  How are they feeling about making the decision?  Is this a point of no return in their journey? 

Giving your characters hard decisions to make adds another direction for your story.  See where you can lead your character and give them some tough choices to make.

Happy writing ;)
Emma

writing for entertainment

Ultimately when you write, it is to entertain others.  Even if the content is serious, you need to captivate your reader enough to make them want to keep turning the page.  They need to become a part of the story.

Think about all the great books you've read.  What did you enjoy the most?  What about the movies you like?  The songs you listen too?  What is it that draws your attention and keeps it?  That is what you need to capture.

Humanising your story as I've said previously is one, but entertaining is just as important and adding some light-hearted moments, even in a good drama, will hook them.  Humour is a part of life, funny things happen to us.  I'm not talking about staged humour, I'm talking about those slip ups and gaffes that no-one could plan.  Add those kind of things to your writing to make it real. 

I love parody because it takes those things and elevates them.  We all need a really good laugh, and often, it also inspires your creativity too believe it or not.  After I've watched a good comedy or listened to Weird Al or something similar it gets me thinking and seeing things differently.

So why not switch gears today and see the funny side of life.

Happy writing ;)
Emma