Category: Inspirational - Page 2 - Mala Naidoo's Book World

Creative Mindfulness

The mind is a powerful seat of creativity — when nutritiously fed, it leads to abundance in creative output and a mood of positivity.

Creativity blends, binds and benefits humanity. The practice of conscience mindfulness is essential for inner and outer harmony. A calm state is conducive to creative thought when mind and emotions are in sync.

Dwelling on the positive elicits the creative mindset through meditation, listening to inspirational or relaxing music, motivational talks, and reading, listening to or writing poetry. This creates an enhanced feeling of joy and general wellbeing. Consciously choosing what we give our attention to is either of benefit or dismantles our equilibrium. The choice rests within. Daily Flow Practice Inspiration Meditation enhances my day, bringing inner calm to invite the muse or conscious mindfulness to create new worlds and people that have a message to share.

Consciously choosing what we give our attention to is the act of mindfulness

To foster the creative state, a mental and emotional journey has to be undertaken, nurtured internally. Pain can be turned into positive creative energy by daily writing about the pain, the angst we feel. Keep a daily journal or diary at your bedside or on your desk and write to diminish the gravitas of the struggle — this conscious decluttering allows freshness or the sunlight of positive energy to seep in.

Turn pain into positive creative energy

Climbing a mountain takes sheer physical effort and stamina to reach the summit, so too is harnessing positive energy — it needs work. Who we engage with and how we engage is as important as what we read, write and listen to. Surround yourself with the company of positive people. Choosing what we eat has an impact on physical wellbeing, and if neglected it erodes wellness, clouds judgement and infiltrates every aspect of life. Equally choose how you will interact with life by rewarding yourself with what you enjoy, taking in a movie, buying yourself flowers or picking a bunch from your garden. The simple things yield profound benefit for body, mind and soul.

Elevating the mind can also be as easy as taking a walk in a park or alongside a river. For me the ocean brings peace. Walking along a shoreline cleanses my mind and frees my soul. Reading poetry is as beneficial as taking a walk in nature when poetry speaks to the spirit. Take time out to seek the simple pleasures of life. We don’t have to climb a mountain to prove how strong we are.

I have been losing myself in the delight of reading Allowing Now – A Book of Mindfulness Poetry by Orna Ross, launched on Friday 25 October. If you’re looking to soothe your soul or settle a disquieted mind look no further for mindful inspiration.

See into the delights of nature…

Look around you and see into the delights of nature — leaves dancing in the breeze, a beam of light peeking through clouds, the silver ripple blinking on a river or the gentle unfurling swish of a wave on a shore. The musical twitter of birds at first light is a celebration of life, a new day and a clear mind.

Make positivity your journey to a creative state by writing a positive thought, your wish for your day upon rising, and a thought on what you are grateful for before turning to sleep to return refreshed for another creative day.

Happy reading. Find your joy by choosing that which fuels your passion, creates wellness and makes your soul sing.

Please share, comment and spread the spirit of creative mindfulness.

Fiction: Women and Culture

Every writer has a unique voice drawn from culture and values. Even when one opts to write a ‘different’ tale with ‘different’ people, the authentic self seeps into some aspects of the writing process.

Having been raised in South Africa my psyche is wired to the spirit of the people. I remember older women as the stalwarts in the home – stalwarts with hearts of sheer gold. Writing this infuses me with warmth and tenderness. This is the reason for the crafting of Mama Elsie, in Souls of Her Daughters, Mama Thembu in Vindication Across Time and Grace’s mother Varuna whom Patience lovingly refers to as ‘Mama Varuna.’ Each of these women epitomises the significance of a mother in the home which accords them profound respect for the hardships they endure in a country that negates their existence.

The character Marcia Ntuli has the strength of character that her mother, an activist for women’s rights, exudes. Yet in seeking a new life, in a new country, she is subjected to professional racism until she is forced to give up her passion with a rapidly declining sense of self-worth. It’s only when Michael Morrissey, a human rights lawyer helps her through her dark days of self-doubt is she able to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. It is not the act of racism that is showcased but rather the resilience of the women and men who help victims find their way through inhuman situations.

In offering a lesson on how to uplift the human condition, it is men like Michael, Andrei, Brad, Keefe, Petros and Andrew who cherish the broken souls of my African women characters. A multicultural cast adds colour to the worlds of these women as the way of the world – as it should be.

I learned to appreciate this after having lived in segregation under apartheid. My premise will always remain that in our angst and joy we are one under the sky of humanity. Idealistic, perhaps, but hope has to be pursued to make a difference in how people perceive and engage with each other.

In The Rain – A Collection of Short Stories Thuli in the title story is a young, strong village woman who will do anything to keep her family together.

The song she sings to her children, a lullaby, Thula Thula Baba as she waits for the storm to end, is one I remember hearing from the cradle. It moves me to this day in its sweet, yet haunting sounds and meaning.

I give you Thula Thula Baba– a lullaby sung by mothers to calm their fretful babies while their husbands went into the cities to find work.

What Change May Come presents the coping strategies of sisters Grace and Patience in their struggle with irreversible change. Here the notion of perfection is challenged when one woman has motivations that clash with Patience’s perception of what it means to be human.

If stories open vistas of understanding and bring a lesson while entertaining – that is the footprint needed for a better today and even better tomorrow.

Go in peace.

The Valentine in YOU!

The creative well is endless if you’re in it for the long haul. Writing eBooks, print books, creating audio books, working with editors, cover designers, and marketing your books – no publisher will do the marketing for you! An abundance of creative energy soon leads to mental exhaustion a type of brain drain that can potentially dry the creative well. Act on helping your creative self to sustain energy and wellness for the long haul.

Love and care for YOUR creative self keeps the muse in your orbit.

Some Tips for Love and Self-Care for YOUR Creative Self

To keep the creative juice flowing you must show the artist in you, some love.

How do we do this?
Replenish the source of your well by carving space in YOUR day:

• Meditate in your day preferably in the morning before you begin writing for perhaps half an hour, or in shorter bursts throughout the day

• Listen to soothing calming, theta sounds when you take a break between planning or writing scenes

• Take a walk outdoors – if you can take a walk on the beach, or in a park, this will be great to listen to the sounds of nature with the double benefit of rest and awakening the senses

• Sing no matter how out of you might be or strum a guitar if you have one around – the therapeutic value is giving yourself some love

You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching… ~ William W Purkey

• Read something inspirational before you sleep – a poem or a prayer

• Write when your energy is at an optimum level, if it’s the morning for you, then market your brand/books in the afternoon

• Talk to an optimistic person, perhaps one who loves your work, then reach out – positive energy ignites creativity

These are but a few ways to keep that well pumping out the creative energy that brings your fabulous work of art into the world. Begin with one thing at a time to ease exhaustion – creativity is fresh, passionate, and lively, so be sure to get in enough zzz’s. The number of hours will depend on your personal make-up, work-day etc. Anything less than 6 hours is risking exhaustion during your creative hours.

Beautiful sounds feed LOVE FOR THE CREATIVE YOU:

Theta Sounds

I hope you have an amazing Valentine’s Day!

Happy Writing, Happy Creative Love!

Please share your thoughts in the box below.

Voices From Trinidad To Australia

As the New Year settles in, I’m following through on my creative intentions for 2019, to reach out, to connect in a global publishing landscape to learn and share ideas.

Through this shared landscape, I met and was inspired by prolific, Trinidadian author, Brenda Mohammed. She is the author of twenty-one publications, including the non-fiction book, How to Write For Success, a valuable advice book on achieving your personal best as a writer.

Brenda is also an award-winning author of Zeeka Chronicles, a Young Adult Thriller, and I am Cancer Free , a memoir, in the category Health and Fitness.
As a cancer survivor, banker, and writer, Brenda heads the rapidly growing How to Write for Success Group on Facebook for new and aspiring writers.

Getting To Know Brenda Mohammed

Biography:

Trinidadian Brenda Mohammed is a renowned, multi-genre, award-winning author and poet who has written twenty-one books to date.
She is a former Bank Manager of a leading International Bank in Trinidad and Tobago, and holds a Diploma in Banking from the Institute of Bankers in London.
When she branched off into Insurance she obtained a Diploma in Life Underwriting from the American College, USA.

Achievements

In November 2018 she received two book awards from Readers Favourite International, at an Awards Ceremony at the Regency Hotel in Miami. The awards were for I am Cancer Free in the category Health and Fitness, and Zeeka Chronicles, in the category Young Adult Thriller.

Brenda is the Founder of the group How to Write for Success.

From the Author

Becoming an author was not on my agenda.

My plans changed drastically when in 2005 I was faced with a life-changing situation. Diagnosed with cancer and living to tell my story inspired me to help others afflicted with the disease to cope. I documented my heart-wrenching experience of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer and my long and painful journey to overcoming the death sentence. In time, the essays transitioned into a book, I am Cancer Free: A Memoir, that tells my true story as a cancer survivor.

The book was published on June 3rd, 2013, and was available on digital stores worldwide. It had been read by so many people that it won the McGrath House Indie Book Awards 2016 in the non-fiction category. It also earned a five-star review and five-star seal in February 2017 from Readers’ Favorite and won an award in the Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards 2018 in the Health and Fitness category.

Encouraged by the rave reviews, I went on to write six fascinating memoirs, a five-book science fiction series, two children’s books, four books of short stories, one self-help book, How to Write for Success, two crime fiction books, and one book of poetry.

The science-fiction futuristic thriller series Zeeka Chronicles: Revenge of Zeeka also won an award for Best Science Fiction in September 2017 from Metamorph Publishing Summer Indie Book Awards, a five-star rating and five-star seal from Readers’ Favourite, the gold award in the category of science fiction in Emagazine Readers’ Choice Awards 2018 and placed in the top ten in the Author Academy Awards. It also won the Young Adult Thriller category in the Readers’ Favourite International Book Awards 2018.

Of my other books, My Life as a Banker was awarded for Best Bio/Memoir in Metamorph Publishing Summer Indie Awards 2016 and Your Time is Now, which contains a section of inspirational poems, received the IHIBRP 5 Star Recommended Read Award Badge.

Motivation

Words from my brother David V. Khan before he died:

‘Your book makes very pleasant reading, and your literary expression is superb and easy to follow. You have excellent talent, and you should follow up on a leisurely basis with perhaps publishing a book of short stories. With fiction, you will have a greater opportunity to use your imagination and your undoubted descriptive ability.
You used the word “fantasize” to create a situation. This is an outstanding quality, which you should continue to use because it is imagination, which disposes of everything, coming from within you. It creates beauty, justice, and happiness, which are everything in this world.’

It creates beauty, justice, and happiness, which are everything in this world.

Influencers

My Father, Dr Andrew M. Khan [ Deceased] – A great Educator in Trinidad and Tobago.
My Brother, Justice Addison M. Khan [Deceased] – Former President of the Industrial Court in Trinidad and Tobago. He wrote several law books which are being used in schools and Universities. He won a National Award from the Government of Trinidad and Tobago for meritorious service.
My Brother, David V. Khan [ Deceased]– Acting Comptroller of Customs and Excise in Trinidad and Tobago. He loved Literature and encouraged me to write.
My Husband Rashiff Mohammed, a former Bank Manager and Executive in a car firm – Although he has only read one book I wrote on my father’s memoirs, he has been very supportive of all my careers – Banking, Insurance, and Writing. He was my rock when Cancer struck.

Favourite books

The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
Unlimited Power by Anthony Robbins

Where to Next?

Wherever my writing takes me.

How to Write for Success has valuable nuggets of truth for new and aspiring authors.

Follow Brenda on her Amazon Universal Link and check out all 21 of her books.

Brenda is selfless in inspiring, aspiring, and new authors in that anything is possible with commitment and humility in accepting that as writers, we too, are a work in progress.

I offer my gratitude to Brenda Mohammed for sharing her amazing journey as a prolific multi-genre, multi-award-winning author.

Please start the conversation today by adding your thoughts in the comment box below on sharing, supporting and learning from a global community of writers.

Happy Reading! Happy Writing!

Writing Life: Looking Back

Time and technology have propelled us through 2018 at the speed of light. While the end is nigh, it’s nostalgic as memorable, or a year quickly fading and forgotten.

A nostalgic or forgotten year? What’s your choice?

It has been an incredible year on the writing and publishing front with changes appearing at every corner. While embracing change is the way forward, it has been challenging keeping pace with the rapidity of change in the publishing landscape.
Keeping informed and grounded is paramount to keep creative energy buoyant and abundant. Associations with professional writing bodies, tuning in to the wise and wonderful is essential.

After three publications this year:

•Souls of Her Daughters – March 2018
•The Rain – A Collection of Short Stories – July 2018
•Chosen Lives – October 2018

the year certainly sped by in a haze of complete joy and heady energy.

The Rain, A Collection of Short Stories, an unplanned visitation that appeared between resting a novel draft before editing, took hold with an unstoppable fire, in the middle of the Australian winter, warming my heart and heating my hands, for a July 2018 publication.

The joy of writing is soulful, delightful and inspiring and brings to mind the memory of the amazing Aretha Franklin’s timeless, universal words breaking the wall to being voiceless, to find the necessary space through writing/music/painting that is unshackled by difference when it ignites, consumes, connects, offers hope, and entertains – surely that is the meaning of life!

It has been a year of connecting with writers near and far, the lovely Queensland author, Rhonda Forrest in the post, Australian Voices, and reading her novel, The Shack By the Bay, that invites the reader into the stunning North Queensland setting. Meeting online, award-winning, inspirational, Trinidadian author, Brenda Mohammed, author of How To Write For Success, a non-fiction book, and the famed fictional Zeeka Chronicles, and many more.

Valuable inspiration is drawn from ALLi’s Director and Founder, Orna Ross, poet and author, on the creative process and the creative business mindset, essential for authors/artists. Joanna Penn’s The Creative Penn podcast provides up to date inspiration and information on publishing trends, and Mark Dawson’s SPF podcasts and courses are valuable resources for all writers. Online inspiration is abundantly available from well-informed, forerunners who selflessly share their experience in supporting aspiring and new authors.

Receiving readers’ comments on what they enjoyed or how they connected to your books is the sheer joy of knowing it has moved someone. It’s the validation needed to go on. Equally, it’s accepting that one learns something new every day, to improve, to become the best at what we do.

Looking back is undoubtedly encouraging the way forward to 2019, to reach out, share, connect and create.

Moving ahead, onwards and upwards is what matters the most, by networking in a shared global, writing community.

May the new year usher in abundant creative energy and books galore!

Happy NEW YEAR!

Happy writing, Happy reading.

Share your thoughts in the message box below to start a New Year conversation on your writing and reading aims for 2019.

Australian Voices

So many voices, so many stories in a country as diverse as Australia, each sharing a connection to people and place.

Today on the blog we have Rhonda Forrest, a high school teacher, from beautiful, sunny Queensland. Rhonda began writing under the pen name ‘Lea Davey’. Her first two novels, Silkworm Secrets and The Shack by the Bay were published under the pen name, Lea Davey, however her latest novel, Two Heartbeats, published October 2018 has been published under her real name, Rhonda Forrest. Having always lived in Queensland, the vast Australian Outback and the pristine Whitsundays feature strongly in her stories. Rhonda Forrest shares her story and tells us more about her writing journey.

Meet the Author

Biography – I was born in Brisbane and grew up in Rochedale, which at the time was a rural farming area. It was a fabulous place to grow up and as kids, we spent our time playing in the bush, riding horses and living in a community where everyone knew each other. I married at the age of 21 and my husband and I moved to acreage at Bannockburn where we lived for thirty years. Along with a menagerie of animals it was here that we brought up our three daughters and made life-long friends with many of our neighbours. At the age of 40, after a multitude of different jobs and running my own business, I decided to study. After 4 years of full-time study, I graduated as a high school teacher of History and English. Recently we have moved to Tamborine Mountain and live between the mountain and a 100-year-old cottage with a rambling garden up in the Whitsundays. Both places are quiet and idyllic places to live and write.

Writing Journey – As a child, I loved reading and was surrounded by books. My mother who is 90, still to this day reads every day and as a teenager, she always handed me her books after she had finished them. Nothing was off-limits and I vividly remember being enthralled by books written by Harold Robbins, James Michener, Wilbur Smith and Jackie Collins. I used to always think that one day I would write a book, however, it wasn’t until about five years ago that I had time to seriously think about pursuing my writing. Long hours spent out on a tinnie in the middle of the ocean fishing, allowed plenty of time for daydreaming and the story of, The Shack by the Bay began rolling around in my head. Once I started writing the words flowed easily and I knew that I had found a new passion in my life – writing!

Genre – All of my books are different. The Shack by the Bay is contemporary historical fiction, Silkworm Secrets is contemporary fiction and Two Heartbeats is Romance. My favourite genre is historical fiction although I also love to read true-life stories.

Motivation – If you want to do something you should just have a go at it. I don’t think I ever considered failing, actually I don’t think about the end result that much, I just go for it. Really you have nothing to lose and once I start writing it’s hard to stop until the story is finished. The editing and parts that come after the actual writing for me are the hardest parts and I would love just to be able to write and to have someone else do the rest for me. But when this is not possible I stay motivated, buoyed along by the lovely reviews and comments I get from readers. With writing, it is not about the money that you make (because that is limited) but rather the motivation that comes from readers who love your books. One of the most exciting things is to look on the Brisbane library website and see that all 5 copies of your book are being borrowed!

Influencers – Probably the biggest influence for me in relation to my writing was the Australian author Coleen McCulloch. It was after I read her book, The Thorn Birds, in 1977, that I decided I would write a book. It took 40 years to have time to do that, but eventually, it happened.

Favourite Books – Just recently I read Boy Swallows Universe which is set in Brisbane so lots of familiar places and just a fabulous entertaining read. My Instagram page has a countdown of my top 50 books and these range from Mao’s Last Dancer to All the Light We Cannot See as well as, The Old Man and the Sea and Australian classics, The Cattle King and My Place. I have so many favourite books, but I do love historical fiction. The Garden of Evening Mists, A Good Muslim Boy and The Space Between Us are also some of my favourites.

If you want to do something you should just have a go at it

Continue reading “Australian Voices”

The First Draft

When a story takes hold, leaving you sleepless, daydreaming… the first words trickle in, you write them, and you can’t stop going back, creeping back to your laptop or journal to write a bit more. When the writing bug bites, it’s there to stay, calling you wherever you are.
There’s an excitement, a thrill, the adventure behind closed doors… just you and your characters. With each line, you get to know more about them, then it’s almost as though the characters lead you into their stories.

The first draft is an exhilarating experience even if you have written a few books. You can’t stop thinking about it, you wake up at 3 a.m. with a jolt of inspiration, and if you don’t write it down, it’s gone… I have had a few lost… gone… but a 3 a.m. journal, a gift from my daughter, is safely ensconced on my bedside table, close to my reading lamp, capturing the late night unexpected bouts of inspiration that intrude upon restless sleep – not even a blaring alarm clock can do this on any good day!

Starting out

Starting out as a writer, I had two stories competing for attention. Thinking that this might be the one book I will write, I merged the stories, hooked them as plot and subplot. Across Time and Space pulled and tugged at intrigue, unexpected encounters, crime, romance and human rights issues.

Discovery

From that first draft of my first book to the first draft of my fourth book (locked in editing as we speak), my process has morphed along the way. While being between a plotter and pantser, I moved from laptop screen drafting to handwriting some chapters in a journal.

This sped up the drafting time, I was writing by hand with speed, more naturally than the words that filled my little laptop screen as I tapped my way forward. I then started writing in my little journal, my second arm, traveling with me wherever I went. No backspacing, just scratch and keep going… forward… ideas gushed, building up at a faster pace.

The benefit

Having a chapter crafted by hand gave me so much more to work from and editing, stage 1 began as I typed up the manuscript. I noticed the difference from those chapters that went from head to screen from a basic ‘pantser plan’ to those chapters that were handwritten – less cleaning up and more ideas emerged and flourished to grow the plot.

As each handwritten chapter was completed, the digital chapter was typed no longer than a day later. The ideas are fresh, too much of life and its distractions have not happened in twenty-four hours or less, (fingers crossed) so there’s no fear that distractions will play havoc with the handwritten chapter, all that happens is a bit more spit and polish.

Am I converted?

I can’t quite be sure on that but I have stacked up on the journals that I feel comfortable writing in – the easily portable type, the ‘anywhere journal’ when inspiration strikes, even at 3 a.m.

How about you? Do you write from head to screen or are you a paper and pen person first?

Please share your thoughts in the message box below.

Happy Reading, Happy Writing.

Tell your remarkable story today to touch a life or many lives through storytelling.

Truth Reloaded

In telling stories, writers draw from values they either ascribe to or find abhorrent.

Are stories purely to entertain or do they serve a purpose beyond plot and characters? Grand narratives are timeless because they showcase society in all its grandeur and dismal failings.

Living today, in what is so much a constructed, fake, flawed world – fair enough perfection does not exist and my own take is perfection in imperfection, we should continue to be passionate about truth – in the books we read, the news we hear and spread. We want to read the sequel or the next book in a series because we want to know more, the truth, the outcomes…

Whether it is the writer’s intention or not, the truth is at the core of the narratives we read. In a previous post, I included thoughts on why we crave the truth.

The need to know is as necessary as the air we breathe, ignorance is bliss is a temporary state of bliss, soon, regardless the loss incurred, the truth will be pursued. The female protagonists in my novels hunt down the truth or live, at first, in a temporary state of ignorant bliss, but soon the gnawing urge to know the truth seeps in, in whatever shape or form it might appear.

For what it’s worth

One cannot be true to what one believes or to who one truly is, if being part of the zeitgeist is prioritised in life – is risking the joys of an authentic life, being comfortable in your own skin, worth the group affiliation? Narcissism guides the exclusivity individuals create while drowning a sense of what is just. A shared humanity is crushed, elitism (as in vanity, not the cha-ching) separates and invites unjust notions of difference. Prizing individuality over falling in with the clique can lead to social isolation, so is it the choice of the brave-hearted alone? – this shapes the thinking reflected in art and literature – the higher purpose in storytelling.

Perfection in Imperfection

Now back to ‘shades of truth’

The energy and time taken to justify an untruth can be used (truth be told) to benefit the lives of all around us.

Politicians and the media are often starved of a good dose of the antidote to the truth to face up to and fess up to the agendas they serve (often aligned to those who hold perceived power) and the mistruths they engender. Truth is valued over empty promises, no matter how deeply buried and ignored, it drips back wreaking havoc which could have been prevented early on, with the plain old truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth saving the day.

Oprah Winfrey’s inspirational Commencement Speech at USC, 2018 sends a message to new graduates, (and the world at large) upcoming journalists, to accept truth as we see it, hear it and so should we report it. But is it as easy as that? What halts truth? Fear? Popularity?

Truth often pays a hefty price when the lid is lifted, it incurs cynicism and attack in the need to sweep its halo under a rug.

No matter how difficult or painful in the moment of revelation, owning up to the truth, perpetuating the truth ultimately leads to a stress-free glorious life, bringing a peaceful night’s sleep with it. Good mental health rests on truth, understanding, and compassion.

Go speak your truth, be who you truly are, nobody defines you, forget being cliquish, it destroys relationships and is often perpetuated by an egotistical leader. Meryl, Marcia, Grace, and Patience, strong fictional women in my novels, Across Time and Space, the sequel Vindication Across Time and Souls of Her Daughters with a forthcoming saga, face the truth with dignity, speak their minds and try to make the world a better place. They are flawed characters, but truth helps them grow and at times trip up. In their fictional worlds, they make art mirror life.

What’s your take on speaking your truth, standing alone, avoiding the pseudo-elitism of cliques, how will you live with truth, understanding, and compassion? We all need a good night’s sleep, right?

Be a truth seeker, tell your story, set the record straight.

Story Ideas

As writers, students, readers, we often hear, ‘where do all these ideas come from?’

There is no short answer to that question. Write what you know is not a mandatory ingredient to write well, to pique your readers’ interest.

Drawing from universal life experiences to create your work of fiction shapes characters and situations. At the heart of the story is the writer’s passion to either showcase a better world, expose the ills of the world or present hope in dark situations.

Thrillers can be inherently dark but genre in contemporary writing morphs into what the story becomes, often crossing more than one genre.

Crime Fiction will reflect the elements of the genre, as would Romance – what good would these be without a dead body, missing person, corporate embezzlement or terrorism etc. Crime Fiction without investigation is, for me, like eating apple pie without the apples. Imagine romance without lovers? While these might be diverse genres, the point of commonality is conflict.

Conflict keeps the reader, hanging on, will there be a resolution or does the tension mount, will the character I’m rooting for, be saved, loved, killed or elected etc?

To deny that conflict is a significant aspect of life (as much as we abhor it – oh the drama of life!) while creating a perfect world with perfect characters would no doubt be like having a dose of ‘soma’ as in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World.

In creating characters, the potentially ‘good’ characters that are fraught with conflict, are truly memorable ones. They represent the reality of life through fiction – a point of reader connection. Shakespeare’s mastery on the creation of the ‘good wayward’ character, is timeless, and there are many such writers who create unforgettable, quotable characters.

How do you imagine and create your character ideas? Where do they come from?

Observations of people in the bustle or stillness of life, the man sitting on a park bench or train alone, lost in thought – Who is he? Where does he come from? Why is here? Why is he alone? What is he thinking?- A story idea prompt is wherever you are in your day.

Turning to the works of influencers of the craft will create inspiration for story ideas:

To quote Stephen King, ‘You cannot hope to sweep someone else away by the force of your writing until it has been done to you.’ attests to ‘Reading a lot and writing a lot,’ as essential for generating ideas, developing and enhancing your writing style.

Reading gives the composer a storehouse of ideas to draw upon in creating a new, unique story world that readers connect to.

Keep reading, keep observing the hive of life, learning about new ways of thinking and behaving, story ideas abound around us.

Writers Block you say?

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…it was the spring of hope…we had everything before us (A Tale of Two Cities– Charles Dickens)

There’s much on the social and political landscapes, history in the making, story ideas can be a fusion of the past and present, to shock, delight, inform and move your reader.

Continue reading “Story Ideas”

Rear View, Front View

We hear and read much about goal setting with the onset of a New Year.

The rear view must be kept in sight to negotiate the lift-off to the front view, to minimise errors and risks that need refining − that backward glance reminder is significant as the new year begins

https://youtu.be/W7LeO7bfpgU

Looking back on the not so distant past year, its exit makes it a rapidly fading memory as we are caught in the fountain of eternal fireworks that kick-starts the New Year if we linger on the threshold of the New Year, we might not move forward fast enough.

With everything in life, we get better at it when we do it over with a new spin, a new attitude and a passion to achieve the best we can.

We are human after all, we can only get better with a little effort and skill.

How do we keep the rear view in focus while running to the front view?

– Make a list of your past successes
– Make a list of some past shortcomings
– Match them against each other
Now decide what is worth pursuing and what should be culled. Work at culling first and shutting down that rear mirror. Pick up the shortcomings that need attention – make them a priority, review, add-in, refine and polish. Repeat the cycle a few times. Once this is defined as the way forward, look at the new front view, you want to see, and advance at a speed and pace that is comfortable for you.

Continue reading “Rear View, Front View”

So you want to write?

Why not?

You will enjoy the process of creating the story you have always wanted to write.

What’s holding you back?

Fear and Time?

Counteract fear by writing the best story you can. Temper your inner critic, the belief that you’re an imposter in the craft – avoid this or you become your own worst enemy. Trust your desire to write and turn to the supportive person in your life who will allow your light to shine.

Find time in your day to get down as many words as you can. Do it consistently to keep yourself inspired to go on to complete your novel. Fifteen minutes a day is better than not writing at all.

Will you be a pantser or plotter?

Would you meticulously plan scenes, with graphs and maps etc or let your creative energy lead you with just the basics planned out for your novel? There are various schools of thought on being a pantser or plotter. I’m somewhat hybrid on that. Mental planning with a few scribbled thoughts here and there make me more a pantser than a plotter.

Challenges that could occur

Shut the door as you write, as Stephen King advises in, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, ( I gained the courage to finish and publish my books drawing from the advice in this book), until you are ready to tell the world.

Once you begin to tell others, be prepared for either cynicism or support. The cynics are not worth your time – leave them to their cynical worlds and do what you have to do – write the best story you can!

Writing is an emotional process that often dives into a point of long-held pain or passion. When dubious eyes, lopsided smiles, and tongues that doubt, disturb your orbit, it’s time to turn them down or off.

Consistent writing, turning to influencers of the trade and reading books on how to write well or listening to podcasts on writing and signing up for webinars on the craft is the way to pay your way forward in your growth as a writer.

No story is not worth telling if your aim is to enlighten or connect with your reader or you know what you have to say will make a difference- write that story.

And there’s more…

Writing the story is not all you have to consider, you should then research traditional and self-publishing options and find your best fit. Know your genre, research writers in the genre you want to write in and carve your approach, your own style. Once the final product, the actual book, with a professional cover, professional editing, blurb, author biography, ISBN, date, publisher, and place of publication etc are in place, the marketing of your book begins. Whether you opt for traditional or self-publishing, the onus is squarely on your shoulders to market your book.

Don’t put off writing your book. Now is the best time.

It took me several years to finally master the fear to turn to my beta reader to have a look at my work.

We need more stories, stories that speak of angst and optimism and stories that make us laugh out loud, hold us in suspense, evoke disbelief or leave us in meditative contemplation.

We need stories that remind us of our essential humanity.

Write your book today. Publish it in 2018!

Don’t you know yet? It is Your Light that lights the worlds – Rumi

Does this resonate with you? Please share your thoughts in the message box below.

What have you done with your days?

It’s the summer of December 2017. Eleven months of the year are done and perhaps not quite dusted yet as we tie up loose ends to set us free for the holidays.

Do you take stock of the year in your business of life? Do you tick off all that you have achieved and create another list of goals yet to be achieved?

The final month of a year is time to step back, think over and set the bar further for a host of things that will drive your passion into the next year.

Continue reading “What have you done with your days?”

Are You Grateful?

Every day should be Thanksgiving.

Kindness, Thankfulness, and Generosity in equal parts, blended together, is the alchemy needed for harmony and peaceful coexistence.

The words, ‘thank you,’ ‘I give thanks,’ ‘I’m grateful for,’ send out good vibrations to both the messenger and recipient of these encouraging words.

Let’s take a look at wise words on moments of gratitude.
Continue reading “Are You Grateful?”

Do We Need Migrant Literature?

The world is a melting pot, an ever-increasing paradise of voices that need to be heard if tolerance and understanding are to reign for peaceful coexistence.

Migrant literature, while evident through powerful voices, needs new sounds to add to the colourful history that should be shared if we are to live side by side.

Knowledge is necessary to foster understanding and compassion to move us closer to our innate humanity. Living in international communities in the 21^st Century is a goldmine of multiculturalism that offers rich insights on culture and values.

What better way than to extend understanding through the literature we read and write. This could be a work of fiction, a non-fiction book, or a blog that creates connections to our neighbours near and far.

Literature is and should continue to be a vehicle that dispels ‘otherness’ or the ‘outsider’

Continue reading “Do We Need Migrant Literature?”

Literary Life Lines

There has been a lot of interest this past week on a previous post, here on why characters and quotations from literature are often remembered long after the book has been put down.

Thank you for the comments, I’m delighted that you found educational or personal clarity and have selected a few more literary life lines in this post.

Literature that speaks to the human condition echoes through time when emotional connections are formed.

Love, despair, fear, envy, passion, hatred and kindness guide our motivations in the choices or decisions we make in life.

Students of literature are often expected to engage in critical appreciation of texts.

Values, culture and language, events or situations motivate characters’ actions and in turn, motivate readers’ reactions eliciting a new wave of interpreting ideas. And so the chain of literary discourse begins…

Reading for life connections and intellectual stimulation

Continue reading “Literary Life Lines”

Bookshop to Bookshelf

Bookshops still hold magical fascination with their multiple shelves laden with the artistry of wordsmiths who have crafted stories and histories that are timeless as the works of Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen and a multiplicity of contemporary writers spanning many decades through to today.

The reader is transported into a world of heartbreak, love, crime, mystery, suspense, science fiction, fantasy, memoirs, how-to books and histories of generations past and predictions of the future. This is just the tip of the iceberg in the bounteous valuable books that grace our libraries and bookshops.

My own fascination with books started with having a mother who is an avid reader and a maternal uncle who was eager to share his prized books from his stained glass, antique bookshelves that ran along four walls of his room. They were majestic and mysterious, a mini bookshop in a study.

Anna Karenina, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, and A Christmas Carol are fondly remembered as books that had cloth covers, were well-worn and difficult to return to the gracious lender, once read.

Hours spent lost in a bookshop brought cherished delight to my introverted world that was fascinated by faraway places. I mentally marked my next purchase and saved every nickel and dime, counting my ducats each night like Shylock, but eager to have the money saved for the next great read. I loved birthday presents that were a few bobs here and there rather than an aliceband or cardigan which held no value in my world of books other than to keep my hair out of eyes when reading or keeping me warm on that winter afternoon when I remained riveted to the story.

Pennies saved to buy my beloved book is a tale I am bound to tell to the end of my days. Pennies wisely saved and wisely spent.

The treasured purchased book was safely carried home, my name was proudly etched with a fountain pen, in black ink, in the most artistic font (so I thought) I was able to create in the words, This book belongs to…

Some sad tales of those cherished books were those lent out that either never made their way back home to my bookshelf or were unrecognisable in their dilapidated returned condition. I mourned the loss of and injury to my book pals.

Bookshops must never be forgotten nor cast aside, they should be the place where parents and grandparents take their young ones to, for the experience of a life time – the look of a cover, the feel of the pages and the words that bring endless delight whether read alone or read to by a melodious voice – these are memories that never fade.

A bookshop is a peaceful sanctuary of silent voices waiting to be heard.

Teaching children to save a bit of pocket-money to buy their favourite book inculcates a lifetime love of reading. Taking children to a bookshop to choose a book they want to read and then add to the beginnings of their book collection is an opportunity every child should have.

Spread the love – no age restriction applies if the content is appropriate!

Happy Reading! Happy Sharing!

Share your bookshop experiences in the message box below.

Do You Remember The Days?

Do you remember the things you did during your childhood that defines what you do as an adult?

I remember being passionate about drama, performance and the pleasure it elicited. When I say being passionate about plays, I mean reading them with great zeal.

Growing up in apartheid South Africa on the ‘wrong’ side of the colour line meant that going to the theatre was not an option. Additionally, television had not been introduced into the country. I make reference to this in an earlier post, To Kill a Mockingbird Moment Realised, here.

I remember going to the library, standing in a long queue to add my name on the waiting list for a particular playscript I was eager to read.

One such play that is vividly remembered is Toad of Toad Hall written by A.A Milne as the dramatisation of Kenneth Graham’s, The Wind in the Willows.

Growing up under the horrendous apartheid regime in South Africa makes the adult me smile at this choice. As much as the child enjoyed Rat’s, Badger’s, Mole’s and Toad’s car and caravan adventures, the deeper issues were lost in the euphoria of ‘putting this on stage’ in the apartment building of my childhood.

Actors were sourced from eager children who were hungry for entertainment during the school break. Parents were at work and no laws protected downtown children from being left at home alone with an occasional check in from an elderly neighbour- this was all an aspiring eight-year-old producer needed!

Parts were allocated and lines rehearsed over two days. Pitch, tone, movement and a haphazard choreography were based on the whim of the eight-year-old producer who ensured she donned a hat and a scarf for a theatrical edge that was akin to those seen in magazines and the Sunday newspaper.

What a time was had by all! An intermission was in place and red Kool-Aid duly served as the drink of choice in plastic wine glasses to an innocent audience ranging in years from five to ten. Mothers’ costume jewellery, ‘plastic pearls’ and hats with feathers were placed askew on little heads for attendance at this momentous production in the dining-room of my parent’s apartment.

Innocent children made their debut into the world of theatre, revelling in being transported to a magical world away from the tedium and boredom that sets in after playing all the games children could come up with during a six-week long school break.

Fast-forward decades later, in another country of choice, the itch takes hold, not as a theatrical producer, but one who has started to pen fictional tales of life and its challenges, thus Across Time and Space is born.

Such, such were the joys of childhood.

What do you remember of your childhood that lingers fondly as a defining moment? Share your thoughts below.

School BOOK TALK

It’s with gratitude that I write this post today in respect for the invitation to speak on reading and writing at a local school whose English Faculty and Librarian are tirelessly working to foster a love for reading to encourage students to expand their horizons and improve their speaking and writing skills.

Leading up to my talk, students were asked to send me their response to, ‘I enjoy reading because…’ – a simple question that elicited some thoughtful responses from teenagers.

Here are a few lines that suggest that young readers seek refuge between the pages of a book:

I enjoy reading because it is a spectacular and intriguing ticket to a distinctive and captivating dimension which either creates a gulp of despair or a shiver down my spine.
I enjoy reading because it allows me to be in two places at once.
I enjoy reading because it allows me to escape reality without leaving the comfort of my home
I enjoy reading because it allows me to broaden my horizons without having to get on a ship and sail halfway across the world…
I love reading because my heart is satisfied- my heart learns more than my brain can ever know- I learn priceless lessons. It’s the portal to my heart.

Additionally to complement the study of Cry Freedom I was asked to share my apartheid, South African experience on a personal level to forge greater connections to students’ appreciation and understanding of the world through the study of their school selected text.

The sharing of a terrible history elicited compassion and questions from students on how one overcomes this decimation of one’s people and identity and yet remain simple and humble, free from anger. My response was, that drawing from family values, the people one associates with and careful selection of role models will ultimately work in sync to fortify and support the entrance into light from darkness. I cited Nelson Mandela’s ideology of tolerance, acceptance, and forgiveness as the selfless way forward. This attribute shapes the crafting of the character, Marcia Ntuli, in my novel Across Time and Space.

The final message was that reading expands understanding of diverse ways of thinking, promotes exposure to varied writing styles and elicits inspiration from the unique crafting of characters and their experiences.Ultimately it’s about allowing strength to grow from fear.

To Quote Jane Austen:

I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! – When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.

Here’s to many hours of delightful and informative reading!

What are your views on the benefits of reading for teenagers today and into the future? Extend the conversation today.

Need A Good Book?

Librarians are Writers’ Greatest Allies in their Ability to Influence the Joy of Reading

It gives me great pleasure, today, to introduce you to Fiona Sharman who has kindly shared her passion for her favourite books. One of Fiona’s favourite quotes is from ‘Pride and Prejudice’, when Mr. Bennet says, ‘for what do we live but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in turn?’ Continue reading “Need A Good Book?”

Fear Is Thy Strength

After an evening at the amazing Headlong, Nottingham and Almeida Theatre production of 1984, the timeless warning of the danger of unchecked power and the futility of resistance invited thoughts about the state of society in other areas of power, control and fear.

The passive aggressive comment, the staring down to intimidate, the proclamations of intellectual superiority, cultural, religious or racial bias uttered from a monocultural, bigoted point of view instils fear in the targeted individual which reverberates with the mental torture, Orwell’s, Winston Smith undergoes.

Sleepless nights, dreaded days, endless bouts of nausea, skulking in the shadows away from penetrating eyes, questions about questions.

The long day’s journey into another sleepless night becomes relentless. Guilt, self-questioning and a whittling away of self-confidence reeks of the fascism of workplace politics.

Competitiveness of the narcissistic ladder climbing co-worker or the sadistic joy in pulling others down is yet another corrosive dimension of inhumanity.

Systemic torment dims the light of the once vibrant, optimistic individual, the light is interrupted as dark days take over. Winston Smith tried to hang onto the waning light in Nineteen Eighty-Four.

With every knock…

The eroded self-confidence and panic attacks sends the tormented individual hurtling into a bottomless pit of mental anguish …

Each act of power and control, topples the victim blow-by-blow…

BUT

While the message is bleak, while it might not seem possible, there is a light at the end of the long, dark tunnel, the light of strength.

Fear is thy strength when compassion and love grow from the depths of pain.
In fear, there resides hope.

Hope is the light

A video excerpt from the film Nineteen Eighty-Four :

The flickering light gets brighter as the individual rises from darkness, looking upwards towards the sun, guided by an unseen hand.

George Orwell predicted a future that has become a reality today, not only within the realm of politics and governance but also as a cautionary note to take a closer look in the mirror to decide if our souls are indeed supportive or destructive of each other.

A dark message sheds light on what should be rectified to save ourselves and the ‘unborn’, the next generation, from even darker inhumane acts.

Down with the Big Brothers and Sisters that attempt to intimidate while asserting their own self-obsessed grandeur!

What will you do today to uplift someone from the quagmire of human cruelty?