tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38186611757147414372024-02-19T00:37:37.516-08:00the blog of author E S MoxonHere live the legends of the Wolf Spear Sagas...E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-25318240161286100772023-12-28T06:34:00.001-08:002023-12-28T06:34:00.144-08:00Reach 'The End'<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XvHnuArmT7zxe6aAcpLQiVr5bz3McYEI70ITKtTyV2ZYqYtizwaSLclI1Zq8bPqxujywbDX5QQFgziNiQdrs-kKwUKm-GwuQbyyVCduIz4EoJouPzV-aAeRF2zXaypFbs0G8iWk25235akZ-hwECgjl3NNL-dVQnLW6b2hyphenhyphen6oPMRrPxmE3BDPnHx01jQ/s525/pencil-and-notebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="525" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XvHnuArmT7zxe6aAcpLQiVr5bz3McYEI70ITKtTyV2ZYqYtizwaSLclI1Zq8bPqxujywbDX5QQFgziNiQdrs-kKwUKm-GwuQbyyVCduIz4EoJouPzV-aAeRF2zXaypFbs0G8iWk25235akZ-hwECgjl3NNL-dVQnLW6b2hyphenhyphen6oPMRrPxmE3BDPnHx01jQ/w200-h133/pencil-and-notebook.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A common
problem for creatives can be finishing a project. This can be particularly so
if you are struggling and finding it difficult to be creatively motivated or
breach an obstacle. Fear of failure, over-editing as you write and writers’
block are a few examples of issues writers can face.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sometimes it
can be beneficial to put a project down and leave it to gestate a while.
However, if you find you do this more often than not, and never seem to finish
anything you start, it could be time to reassess your approach. Here are a
couple of ideas.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLq_pNU4rd7LXSEcs7gHB_troya3030h3onktO6SVrlMUdSwPDp9RRD66DQoUS8lGuFPefvSjdAUOei_t8CYcpR7MMoALHscAQtR66WkGgfQjF4E-lNd-JjcU_6cRKYYvAGv7E0eZi_r2RHLbnD3BUPSDT0Wt16au9_q2uuojMN2s5sc6Ud5_TNaO0jHxS/w200-h113/047.jpg" width="200" /></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Don’t rush
yourself. Have patience and trust that you can take as long as you need to
complete your work, to ensure it’s as good as it can be and also that you don’t
become stressed about trying to reach those infamous words: “the end”.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Familiarise
yourself with your productive ‘sweet spot’ – how long you can be successfully
creative for in one session. Whether it is 10 minutes or 2 hours, know it and
arrange the relevant lengths of time into your daily schedule (in and around
your other commitments). This way, if you know you are a 5-minute writer, you
can allot 5 minutes and be happy when you finish the time slot, rather than
disappointed because you scheduled a one-hour slot and only did 5 minutes!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="700" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdWgnRZTB8xXq37xyVTBCP3p8bCwpVgx7rl5rPy5IiqfMDxsR4fOwFzLM29p-gLOfoP3Ul7APHXlwsOg1t-FwdP9tbMJgKOxUGloHmFiekUSPK4abuMzbDmm6qUT6gqwFz9QFaFNKGatnt1EMNgruRAsnanDJZO_VJpYu1_pm55gogP2pWrBQpl8uqAkvI/w200-h100/book-open-pages.jpg" width="200" /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Finally, have a serious talk with the perfectionist within you. When it comes to redrafting and editing your work, do not allow yourself to go through too many permutations. Agree with yourself at what draft you will send it off for editing and reserve a final draft stage when the editor's results come back to you for finalising the piece. Hopefully you will reach 'The End'!</span></p><br /><p></p>E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-75937522546204947742023-12-14T06:28:00.005-08:002023-12-14T06:28:00.126-08:00Keep Creative<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGKmTeaFKBNo8ZX4tn3mybgvfgvbEzha2HWM62T_N2-CDMNqpuTWKgEQxnmIJxk7AvlW3vPOVL2UGKls5DtQ94oZZDxQJI4QMwkln9c09kKQSO7ttxPvhVfrXv3yXfVxOm7oWVCwJhlDkLAG9o9C4LGiaC-hsKBmwuXzSj5_TlHU9wuujqJMtsIxWlZJD/s3264/20230525_105116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGKmTeaFKBNo8ZX4tn3mybgvfgvbEzha2HWM62T_N2-CDMNqpuTWKgEQxnmIJxk7AvlW3vPOVL2UGKls5DtQ94oZZDxQJI4QMwkln9c09kKQSO7ttxPvhVfrXv3yXfVxOm7oWVCwJhlDkLAG9o9C4LGiaC-hsKBmwuXzSj5_TlHU9wuujqJMtsIxWlZJD/w113-h200/20230525_105116.jpg" width="113" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I expect
we’ve all had moments of lagging creativity, some more than others and some for
longer than others. However brief or extended your creative lapse, the first
thing we must do is accept it. Creativity cannot be forced.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It is better
to honour the fatigue and have patience with yourself. If outside/world
influences are to blame, consider Stephen Covey’s ‘circle of influence’ (7
Habits of Highly Effective People). If we cannot personally control it, it is
out of our hands and therefore we need waste no energy worrying about it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBmSreP5rvNTUZ1SKKrQV2ht9THy9TFD75bDws3KBLOcN-kf3RgNy1iYC1MTvZ1nlu9c-Umag0-LwNxvAuGDryFAt_x1aM5VAuNwX76EfjAB60zfYkK8jEZTvtvddpvGl3aWI0YrOXFMzIBUEVo8qdtRFbBSkk9fe1OLI-fj-8IqWMgsUAL5DOA1Lk2I1J/w150-h200/20160530_110500.jpg" width="150" /></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Hone your
focus: find some replacement stimulation through photographs, music or aroma;
work as freely as your mood will allow you (or not at all if it feels best to
take time off) and remember to acknowledge even the smallest of achievements.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If you write one sentence, or even one word, praise yourself for it and issue a
reward – something as simple as a cup of tea or five minutes closing your eyes
and doing nothing. This gratitude will soon cause more creativity.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTYmxOBuLKioCYIVgKYVGTew2hKJdAt8oR5_FKfJPJQa-c8hrgltc6c6bmYZO6kFkySVEkT7-6MZPeHzPNGTDG50euoIvSpM0jaWiMeqxE8OI6LKR9tk5AT9zYE79SgEuz1j7IRUgJe-NKUPjYaZtyl4COClDPixQAjmTcPmoRyDGZNv70L6Ft5b4WC-6/s3264/20230208_100047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTYmxOBuLKioCYIVgKYVGTew2hKJdAt8oR5_FKfJPJQa-c8hrgltc6c6bmYZO6kFkySVEkT7-6MZPeHzPNGTDG50euoIvSpM0jaWiMeqxE8OI6LKR9tk5AT9zYE79SgEuz1j7IRUgJe-NKUPjYaZtyl4COClDPixQAjmTcPmoRyDGZNv70L6Ft5b4WC-6/w200-h113/20230208_100047.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-42709394949853655912023-11-30T06:16:00.001-08:002023-11-30T06:16:00.127-08:00See Opportunities<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdgIqvOLE67Qu6f1qBKJPEE2nSoIltLTn36r_A9RWqpB7yIOH7fh5myUFMyOcZDnGdHStqkVghvsg2JnU8qrxMtlbdi_kOmUHsI4kNh-Ao-4RPsezFJrppfQYhvbElh47E5o72KXpOGKt4We58P6FUbkNDtCZl2phLKKm_h5Fg1Ygt6OOFT7T1xMuKVd8/s3264/20200905_112428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdgIqvOLE67Qu6f1qBKJPEE2nSoIltLTn36r_A9RWqpB7yIOH7fh5myUFMyOcZDnGdHStqkVghvsg2JnU8qrxMtlbdi_kOmUHsI4kNh-Ao-4RPsezFJrppfQYhvbElh47E5o72KXpOGKt4We58P6FUbkNDtCZl2phLKKm_h5Fg1Ygt6OOFT7T1xMuKVd8/w113-h200/20200905_112428.jpg" width="113" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">When your writing isn’t working out, don’t panic. Set it
aside and walk away for a short while. Put the kettle on or take the dog for a walk. It’s not always easy to step back, but
even if it’s for a day or half a day it can really help. A moment of light reflection or distraction can work wonders.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When you feel ready to return, ask yourself to see the
possibilities; find some alternatives. There will be a way out of that corner
you have written yourself into. Somewhere in there will be an opportunity to
tweak the story so that it flows again.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="525" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRofpomGiFTNEc5pR-skLV457_y5lPHaurPFUJA29_c_FVCoS-eozkz4P-Hw9GFvImT201HPZdts-L3lJ-WmgXES7ZscwBnn61Qn3N5P3Lh8h8NSDY9Amf8orEqmJjvEV02gR9rGaono6kDSEDscPLlh0o7t81KcSvfpG3DVAtmjgne7vuWi1pj40eIhq/w200-h133/blue%20journals.jpg" width="200" /></div>
<p class="MsoNormal">If not, be brave. Take the step to side-line the plot you
currently have. Repurpose the prose and try a different direction that will
still move the story along and take the characters where they need to go. Often these literary leaps of faith prove to be the defining
moments in our stories.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-66376787621624616052023-11-16T05:56:00.008-08:002023-11-16T05:56:00.137-08:00Past Informs Future<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoQJJWywuqJgM6NHej3kPOztp1UBbCKCr9zSwi-yoxflpOEBvx42eA2e6RPPVa5zjfpsSNZM4zEybzjigES0i0KxhJ82EbX1VSvrVyXXZOXoV3ZjTE9jP6kQfIM6rgZ3YDpd-MYfxVkzwBm23x-2jjFfTHgq3xO3QOCJhojTi7MEoBWwtQ7Fic-dCy5hhM/s700/book-open-pages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="700" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoQJJWywuqJgM6NHej3kPOztp1UBbCKCr9zSwi-yoxflpOEBvx42eA2e6RPPVa5zjfpsSNZM4zEybzjigES0i0KxhJ82EbX1VSvrVyXXZOXoV3ZjTE9jP6kQfIM6rgZ3YDpd-MYfxVkzwBm23x-2jjFfTHgq3xO3QOCJhojTi7MEoBWwtQ7Fic-dCy5hhM/w200-h100/book-open-pages.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Writers are often something else first, because many of us
are never fortunate enough to become fully-fledged published authors right off
the bat. We have been around a while, some of us dipping our toes into more
than one profession before finding our writing feet. A plethora of metaphors
aside, there was one element of my own past I had not figured into my writing,
though I am now grateful for the knowledge.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNX5gT6-BDQ6qWAH-bpJyE7UwzlRqhkGuwA-cKGnEObtPKSbjzOEYSauxqrSWe9Y_I9Ws7A5qIMoUnnWSGy-5-108r_UE2Hi12p6sB6ZSIZBUYSxohzgsZx4_BT2CGzLcI9XZwV6SYbVNm06XpzGH4Ujia4ZYhvN9XSnLhNTG7m7H5NlfcquO4fl-yMorN/s350/aromatherapy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 14pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="262" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNX5gT6-BDQ6qWAH-bpJyE7UwzlRqhkGuwA-cKGnEObtPKSbjzOEYSauxqrSWe9Y_I9Ws7A5qIMoUnnWSGy-5-108r_UE2Hi12p6sB6ZSIZBUYSxohzgsZx4_BT2CGzLcI9XZwV6SYbVNm06XpzGH4Ujia4ZYhvN9XSnLhNTG7m7H5NlfcquO4fl-yMorN/w150-h200/aromatherapy.jpg" width="150" /></a><br /></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;">I loved the art of learning Aromatherapy - blending oils and
plant essences - much more than learning how to massage people. Like a
wise-woman, I could mix potions for rheumatism or scalp disorders or simply
create a hormone-balancing face cream. My passion for chemistry (which my
14-year-old self </span><u style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;">never</u><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;"> thought I’d say out loud!) expanded from
essential oils into herbology and wild plants or weeds.</span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Aromatherapy is still one of my main loves, because it speaks
to my nature-loving side and my need for natural, organic alternatives to all
the modern potions hurled at us today for cleaning our homes or our own bodies.
This has provided me with some wonderful pieces in my writing, where characters
are able to draw upon essences of nature to cure or persuade.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="500" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cu0_uOguwcSrbFJUwDRtNHeUqcTnhv5XzeNUcZeNWgI8642nMcVvVgkpP_2N72gwpGBlgKhviCbUfkglkCV8I0ofys8jz8nt3XIH7MMcMTj9iZ1E6xMfDiAXAdGxQqJHyOnwHUQCzg3vFhTu72nMps0NXoRyGwr-Fw78dnXQ3bIcolVLDRCs89vcy_jB/w200-h156/gluteus%20medius.jpg" width="200" /><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The real surprise, the one thing I hadn’t expected to use,
was anatomy and physiology. I’d taken biology at secondary school, but this was
more in-depth being as it was for massage use. I explored muscles in a way I
hadn’t previously and learned more about bones and bodily systems than a GCSE
had given me. It wasn’t a medical degree, but it was detailed enough to become
useful when I was writing about Saxon warriors being injured in battles and
skirmishes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There are a multitude of roles a writer must play when
creating their written worlds; many hats they must wear as they research and
resource material and information on people, food, clothing, transport,
topography and more. Anatomy and physiology is one thing I didn’t have to grab
a book to read up on, as I had all I needed either still in my head or in
work-folders from college. It was a hat I already possessed!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQK5NA_X7nbSf_EJSXuhi9rwnxzVwqlLfX75gqTA78gbuRWRM-5xiJKMeHjvoEDhw5ABOXWD9kPaf-cqyfZD4CU3RD816bPXx5knS4sqawhWE7KqIHeudqtxZoNe7jDAK6k2nPPe3tul7EFv_YDAvAj1uRhNnCSV8o4iObzfBq3fx6RmXU3PRjOS7HO_wK/s320/20140612_111032.jpg" width="240" /></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It is remarkable how things from your past can inform upon
your future in ways you never imagined. And I never imagined I would use this
former knowledge to fathom how a sword injury might infect and disable a
warrior in early medieval times. Nor how someone might know where to strike
their enemy with a sword in battle to kill or merely hinder them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What parts of<i> your</i> past have
informed on your future in surprising ways?</span></b></p><p></p>E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-23063213427471327352023-11-02T06:39:00.006-07:002023-11-02T06:39:00.135-07:00Embracing the New<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZn-fS8T-s1hPOiQ7MStmvV4Mc1ALEMRDpd3RlkDQkPh1i_VBw6ZqO01IOJKFxwcs4Pr9n13kR6kYlr2Ct1wpDSRYRC0qRISuBbhKlkvL9UGIC470PODhVvx_jkKb3WM2Tkkto8CxGGtN4qG_STeijh7j8jpYgcman1lPfV0Km4UDgjANxRKlggyf-zQSE/s330/branches-with-berries-in-frost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="330" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZn-fS8T-s1hPOiQ7MStmvV4Mc1ALEMRDpd3RlkDQkPh1i_VBw6ZqO01IOJKFxwcs4Pr9n13kR6kYlr2Ct1wpDSRYRC0qRISuBbhKlkvL9UGIC470PODhVvx_jkKb3WM2Tkkto8CxGGtN4qG_STeijh7j8jpYgcman1lPfV0Km4UDgjANxRKlggyf-zQSE/s320/branches-with-berries-in-frost.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Ring in the new. Ring out the old. As another year draws to
a close, we are often talking about what a new year will bring and the elements
of the old year we are pleased to leave behind. We begin to sift through our lives to uncover what worked, or did not work for us over the past year. It is a time of reflection and redirection.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is also the main concept of rewriting and editing your
novel. As you revisit your work, you should ask yourself what new things you
can bring to your work – what can you allow in and what must be relegated to
the reject pile? How can you make this draft of your story better than the last? What IS working and what is NOT working?<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARz9g3ylQelsJWUdropoA3rh-NTaFEwr6i4h1RcaYsSaaMb38s_ZKtkLr_fa-VQ_wStFp5_V9KQFH7HUCfsKrAftb9WmSTX2vAODodbg-CqDw7_PFl_ct_KiUZ0U35CxKUUmMrcJ1XDuIg6DItxSgus2rNXOYJ2IUqji8Fi3Ths6BcZ7FJPZqXdGXP0Bz/s525/person-writing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="525" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARz9g3ylQelsJWUdropoA3rh-NTaFEwr6i4h1RcaYsSaaMb38s_ZKtkLr_fa-VQ_wStFp5_V9KQFH7HUCfsKrAftb9WmSTX2vAODodbg-CqDw7_PFl_ct_KiUZ0U35CxKUUmMrcJ1XDuIg6DItxSgus2rNXOYJ2IUqji8Fi3Ths6BcZ7FJPZqXdGXP0Bz/s320/person-writing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">As in life, so with your writing always be open to new ideas and changes you can make. Consider amendments that will alleviate plot problems. When something isn’t working or you are at an
impasse, ask yourself if there are any new themes you could embrace. Can you
alter the fate of a character, or at least a part of their journey, to enable
the story to flow better?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Never be afraid to allow new ideas to form and changes to
release you from blocks or setbacks in your writing. Be brave and look for alternative solutions. Ring in the new if the old is no longer viable. See light where there had once been darkness.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwwDRTYsC4jHQOG6trnjFzP3oYWUK_qd3kfKEAzdg04jT5qLV2OHSuMRDoj9BiVIfrT6OFRhgYpqGKJDnOd9vpmtTluH_PbntGs6mxiaLha0R6otYyKLGEPyEaJu9b7m1kSxyAMaQ6iPOUYh0NjyrEkji2dTV3P5v_4ol5d9mRdx8X4UkJaAtwHlVjXGeg/s525/foggy-forest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="525" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwwDRTYsC4jHQOG6trnjFzP3oYWUK_qd3kfKEAzdg04jT5qLV2OHSuMRDoj9BiVIfrT6OFRhgYpqGKJDnOd9vpmtTluH_PbntGs6mxiaLha0R6otYyKLGEPyEaJu9b7m1kSxyAMaQ6iPOUYh0NjyrEkji2dTV3P5v_4ol5d9mRdx8X4UkJaAtwHlVjXGeg/s320/foggy-forest.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><br /><p></p>E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-52762466724642672202023-10-19T05:29:00.001-07:002023-10-19T05:29:00.155-07:00Find your Author Power<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP05xcpTKL-mFLSvoHiOc7G3iRIJ_qGxAKkNLStJxCEvdUIOktgVJAJAu44CHAJq8xUR7aPZR9mSA1veTRxeD0P82-VuTOolsOIzZUabXPi56GrH29roOhKEVVWDj6CJTumwFoGumsjCn9zeR1P4UKEN_-dKA5FFM837OkeZAWv-qxe5sxYe1ar0S9v9xO/s500/happydays.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP05xcpTKL-mFLSvoHiOc7G3iRIJ_qGxAKkNLStJxCEvdUIOktgVJAJAu44CHAJq8xUR7aPZR9mSA1veTRxeD0P82-VuTOolsOIzZUabXPi56GrH29roOhKEVVWDj6CJTumwFoGumsjCn9zeR1P4UKEN_-dKA5FFM837OkeZAWv-qxe5sxYe1ar0S9v9xO/w200-h200/happydays.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div>Empowering yourself as an author has so much to do with mindset. If we believe in ourselves, the hard part has been accomplished. However, this is so often the stumbling block for many creatives. You can erase self-doubt by boosting your self-confidence in a few ways.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you meet self-doubt down a dark alley in your mind, walk past it; leave it in the shadows and head for the light – work through it by writing yourself away from it. Getting creative will leave your mind little space for sinking into doubts and fears. If it’s a long alleyway, take small steps that can broaden as you gain confidence and therefore move more swiftly to success.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBz1_3s-5h02ktV6IZ31qHelzfj50BlEti8iDN2JdXKV38Vrzh-DEoIykmwwI8jz7A74qQJ3nFDHnruTMNr_OFeDuLIoEz2OQ7b9kf_JoNGeACY7s0WBb7LkjHdi3SlD_LLV7CdXZMZfIq-P2l6LjQyCWMoO5sPH2etSsu2Xc6wy00TTN5_bllNIqad1JD/s525/pencil-and-notebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="525" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBz1_3s-5h02ktV6IZ31qHelzfj50BlEti8iDN2JdXKV38Vrzh-DEoIykmwwI8jz7A74qQJ3nFDHnruTMNr_OFeDuLIoEz2OQ7b9kf_JoNGeACY7s0WBb7LkjHdi3SlD_LLV7CdXZMZfIq-P2l6LjQyCWMoO5sPH2etSsu2Xc6wy00TTN5_bllNIqad1JD/w200-h133/pencil-and-notebook.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Be comfortable in your creative process. There is nothing more sapping on your creativity than an uncomfortable chair, or a pen or laptop that won’t cooperate! Find the best place and the best method to write, even if your choices sound crazy to others. Write what you want and how you want, otherwise it may not happen at all.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lastly, never believe you know everything. Creative journeys involve ongoing learning, so don’t be afraid to make mistakes and learn from them. There is continual room for improvement and it is part of the fun of creating!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDYM-DdELPmxW7Chu-ZXRXjuxWOIN6FKvMmh3mXasuphtEX_nyFXwMHiHv6HSfDuBJzMZ0w02Uuv-0GEshJvHyct11GeVdc3gvcOvUsTu75DiwNbCS3R5Wge82agYX_jKWcJ81Mds7J11aJAz78ZBOWVsbKHgWJumsxqbNt-Ux5KXz8U5gGmPo3-Cu7AvX/s525/library-books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="525" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDYM-DdELPmxW7Chu-ZXRXjuxWOIN6FKvMmh3mXasuphtEX_nyFXwMHiHv6HSfDuBJzMZ0w02Uuv-0GEshJvHyct11GeVdc3gvcOvUsTu75DiwNbCS3R5Wge82agYX_jKWcJ81Mds7J11aJAz78ZBOWVsbKHgWJumsxqbNt-Ux5KXz8U5gGmPo3-Cu7AvX/w200-h133/library-books.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-42935476510202308072023-10-05T03:25:00.001-07:002023-10-05T03:25:00.140-07:00Find the Flaws<p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="525" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHP-_HHbG3Oevq3HnFAfEAdQs57L0P6-fstM-asoASyV_8_lFbH6Rd5X_rxMv4OEUDFIGEQOo7e7wT50G_kHgb-u-3wus4k4HoX5aV5RkhjfZXujmVphIc_aGGU0Gy4DYsptriicX9hRCzhI8uDpj7rkoB5euWgsfNqXzjusowJnjviO4-3UDsZ3rs8Est/s320/foggy-forest.jpg" width="320" /></p><p>A good part of writing believable, 3D characters is ensuring
your readers find an emotional connection. If your protagonist is too perfect,
no one will be able to relate to them. We spend most of our lives downplaying
our best skills, hiding behind humility and chiding ourselves for our mistakes.
No one can relate to a character who gets everything right ALL the time and
truly believes in themselves without exception!</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60lP85x4d3lkGuRdWPIhp-Ix5JCjMAutFSPe2PTJJDlV4mmPF0vhgCdY3df5coeUfv4O3brpOBQSbSpHLq_mlLQPAv2Yx7fY4ta6pEOcRPV4DyNT17fb07k4n9uYBcDsPjEeXOop7q--4iZyrv3IgbttL3Fi_fFfaG3-ffpCvTOpB1QIqgtLlrzdl8YE6/s525/pic31-Brick%20Wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="525" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60lP85x4d3lkGuRdWPIhp-Ix5JCjMAutFSPe2PTJJDlV4mmPF0vhgCdY3df5coeUfv4O3brpOBQSbSpHLq_mlLQPAv2Yx7fY4ta6pEOcRPV4DyNT17fb07k4n9uYBcDsPjEeXOop7q--4iZyrv3IgbttL3Fi_fFfaG3-ffpCvTOpB1QIqgtLlrzdl8YE6/s320/pic31-Brick%20Wall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Find the flaws. Weed out the vulnerability of even the
hardest villain and toughest heroine. Seek moments of tenderness, where the
reader can catch the smallest glimpse of reality behind a character’s usual
façade. When I sculpt all my characters, the first thing I do after
physical description is list their flaws and weaknesses. It is somehow easier
than attempting to list strengths. I prefer the latter to be the shortest list
as well.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGiav9_eJ8hWnASLX0tsruuxPvxiHtb6Re2gOZwgDrDTNoEnvqjG5dZyNMsInUIZ5Yox-eGaSXVaiTyMFJ4gWAugs8-uU8bqD1jlxR6D70M-YtsEpv0NkjMPot_3qYlD-nV_AKaNcKx1M8dNtS18ZO7H0LuA8hmGibADiZLmDZPhHuNIlNON3Lnx_B3YA/s525/pic34-Jigsaw%20Pieces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="525" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGiav9_eJ8hWnASLX0tsruuxPvxiHtb6Re2gOZwgDrDTNoEnvqjG5dZyNMsInUIZ5Yox-eGaSXVaiTyMFJ4gWAugs8-uU8bqD1jlxR6D70M-YtsEpv0NkjMPot_3qYlD-nV_AKaNcKx1M8dNtS18ZO7H0LuA8hmGibADiZLmDZPhHuNIlNON3Lnx_B3YA/s320/pic34-Jigsaw%20Pieces.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">Try it with your existing characters or give it a go when
you next have to design a brand-new character. Flows and weaknesses are much
more interesting and will result in more exciting story stakes.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-14074175342962043632023-09-21T03:25:00.001-07:002023-09-21T03:25:00.161-07:00Wood of the Gods<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYK7xMbqsH8y-c2ML9HoyZwyKfvxd5IRnL4QTdBP8UwvcgSt11wCy7uv6BkZe4Is_4iUEpc7X3ih2vg-zhSbS4lU1OhVQn_qrnCArDdk6CYeR01eAKR99g_GJZqatGrnnqdkPtAccvn8zTIJ2P-dt1VPE8u2YnOZMxbemm55JNGVAoJM6fYbxD9PKjqey/s1400/winter%20forest2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1400" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYK7xMbqsH8y-c2ML9HoyZwyKfvxd5IRnL4QTdBP8UwvcgSt11wCy7uv6BkZe4Is_4iUEpc7X3ih2vg-zhSbS4lU1OhVQn_qrnCArDdk6CYeR01eAKR99g_GJZqatGrnnqdkPtAccvn8zTIJ2P-dt1VPE8u2YnOZMxbemm55JNGVAoJM6fYbxD9PKjqey/s320/winter%20forest2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">Once upon a time, different trees and in turn, their woods,
were attributed to certain deities depending on the use of the wood: shields,
bows, ships, sail masts, etc. Rowan, being particularly strong, was used by the
Vikings as sail masts and named ‘Thor’s Helper’. Meanwhile, ash made good bows
for archers and lime was the wood of shields.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Celts ascribed their language to the various woods, using
them to mean letters in their ogham alphabet. Trees such as apple were full of
magic, owing to the godly fruits hanging from their boughs. While the resin
from some trees became spiritual incense, used to call upon sun gods in ancient
civilisations (Frankincense and the sun god Ra of ancient Egypt).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3M1bXRH5KzbekoTJL96XAzW1v7svCO8ksINXIvXTdp-EYibmK07HOJKa0X-4KSoHhR8u5A43ZnFJQl4fGaqdCmrKZlKSBhdCHoxYdNer5urEhL139T4DDR6w5GspDC8RvWw0a5HXzp8IAf2fs5rq1BFDc1h1w7m3LBVIvOqxqE8lPBAh62k_3ZeEehbZ/s3264/apple%20blossom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3M1bXRH5KzbekoTJL96XAzW1v7svCO8ksINXIvXTdp-EYibmK07HOJKa0X-4KSoHhR8u5A43ZnFJQl4fGaqdCmrKZlKSBhdCHoxYdNer5urEhL139T4DDR6w5GspDC8RvWw0a5HXzp8IAf2fs5rq1BFDc1h1w7m3LBVIvOqxqE8lPBAh62k_3ZeEehbZ/s320/apple%20blossom.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apple Blossom</td></tr></tbody></table></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">From when humans first found shelter, nuts and fruits from these
ancient and often tall plants, a symbiotic relationship began. Trees have been
used to build homes, ships, bridges, fences, forts and barricades, weapons,
wagons, furniture, cutlery, toys and much more. We’ve burned it for fuel and
warmth. We’ve taken its fossilised sap and created beautiful jewellery. We’ve
made incense and essential oils from their branches, leaves, flowers or fruit,
that have become perfumes or healing remedies.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyCz7cVspM_ng6kCUC6MM0wthWbJwhDM2ZxyGglgDJX9K2nrcTVbma9Ss5a4akGGgSb94bCbTjEJfXvUpgKS8SNnrQMPyCYuGYYcyPY7JgI1FyO_P-9_h5uzQOlq9CQzGChq_9M3QvygldZc2hSdxKS5GJznc80C1Ex-jg3gNUjL4lZEdC7HwQSyklIm8d/s163/Longhouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="159" data-original-width="163" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyCz7cVspM_ng6kCUC6MM0wthWbJwhDM2ZxyGglgDJX9K2nrcTVbma9Ss5a4akGGgSb94bCbTjEJfXvUpgKS8SNnrQMPyCYuGYYcyPY7JgI1FyO_P-9_h5uzQOlq9CQzGChq_9M3QvygldZc2hSdxKS5GJznc80C1Ex-jg3gNUjL4lZEdC7HwQSyklIm8d/s1600/Longhouse.jpg" width="163" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grubenhaus, Jarrow</td></tr></tbody></table></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We love trees. They give us oxygen. And trees love us,
because we give them carbon dioxide. We are partners on this planet and we
would be lost without them. It is no small wonder we deified them. Where would
the Druids be without their oaks and mistletoe? Where would our wooden henges
be? Norwegians have their Stavkirks, wooden churches made with roof tiles that
replicate scales on some kind of immortal sea creature. Viking and Saxon
warriors were referenced in old poems as ‘Tree Men’. Overly tall men were ‘Ash
tall’, for those trees were great in height.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We owe so much to them and have lived with them for so long.
We are truly blessed to have the company of trees: <i>the wood of the gods...</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzxQjOyElFBUP-GoTbsPBaQGXeU07VpPLfmdRx8YqV3tvPBov1sToActt8v0sCl4b7BlbdKf9T7VGkCXtJ28A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">'Tales of the Wulfsuna' Trailer</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnrDDUPjwn00XGLqMXcRpHip9y4zb27_bfi1n1igWe0r49-9bpW9THYer5S87pKJWmVvtDoGCGJKdUgzEnQyjbGKzcvtANz9H0SJ0SsrDZ6RqCsTLAGK23letn5NhQ6px614c5EkxhFIJ1WP3X1A14AnLlXtPC5GGib_MMyZUP98cpD_2kOHbb9bC9WsAy/s858/Cover%20Design.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="602" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnrDDUPjwn00XGLqMXcRpHip9y4zb27_bfi1n1igWe0r49-9bpW9THYer5S87pKJWmVvtDoGCGJKdUgzEnQyjbGKzcvtANz9H0SJ0SsrDZ6RqCsTLAGK23letn5NhQ6px614c5EkxhFIJ1WP3X1A14AnLlXtPC5GGib_MMyZUP98cpD_2kOHbb9bC9WsAy/s320/Cover%20Design.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BUY Tales of the Wulfsuna <a href="https://www.silverwoodbooks.co.uk/tales-of-the-wulfsuna-by-e-s-moxon" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-26689030232453804542023-09-07T03:25:00.001-07:002023-09-07T03:25:00.133-07:00Life Plotting!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgenxjIm1Jrzor1MOQUC0fn8bnQ2mLHxo593DqTrZV6DovRs7JQmEHIoxvAjAotqt7lKmBTbI8gTKkVfDpMLDkxUOP_a1aLOmuOpNGqi3dPg1qdUXLdQKXQIQ9Eq58WxLNVOT0cdyldnlqdzM2W7F9Kg7cIL6wvFEOddntjSGcxDsiIRJgsVsVE3Onfhw2W/s700/book-open-pages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="700" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgenxjIm1Jrzor1MOQUC0fn8bnQ2mLHxo593DqTrZV6DovRs7JQmEHIoxvAjAotqt7lKmBTbI8gTKkVfDpMLDkxUOP_a1aLOmuOpNGqi3dPg1qdUXLdQKXQIQ9Eq58WxLNVOT0cdyldnlqdzM2W7F9Kg7cIL6wvFEOddntjSGcxDsiIRJgsVsVE3Onfhw2W/s320/book-open-pages.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> In the same way we might plan our novels, it can also be practical to apply the same process to planning parts of our day-to-day
lives. It may sound crazy, and not all of us want to plot our own lives in
quite the same detail as a novel. However, a little thoughtful organisation can
help alleviate the weekly stresses.<p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You could begin by separating your weekly tasks into groups,
rather like chapters. Within these ‘chapters’ you can separate things down into
smaller pieces, like paragraphs. This way, you only have to focus on the ‘paragraphs’
and once you have completed them, one by one, you will have finished a
‘chapter’.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBlBxisHIthOTYEqyi-aWdAgnoQOUX3EGmYztCx6ZZaYnDtj_NFn9KY1Y4ySQU3DPM0Rc6sk5cvfwABdstHf0uivBa5ivLUoJ2OqbiOhiwb4Pl5bQLdVJlL-fuTGc1D0kL3ASTZ6MywAVsIRzoanIZLETANVVjh6Uq6zvYHbhj3SZNjcPqdiAFu_T2YktB/s525/person-writing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="525" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBlBxisHIthOTYEqyi-aWdAgnoQOUX3EGmYztCx6ZZaYnDtj_NFn9KY1Y4ySQU3DPM0Rc6sk5cvfwABdstHf0uivBa5ivLUoJ2OqbiOhiwb4Pl5bQLdVJlL-fuTGc1D0kL3ASTZ6MywAVsIRzoanIZLETANVVjh6Uq6zvYHbhj3SZNjcPqdiAFu_T2YktB/s320/person-writing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">For instance, housework can be one chapter in your week. The
housework paragraphs could be ‘dust+vac’, ‘clean floors’, ‘sinks+toilets’ and
‘laundry’. Then you can have a self-care chapter or a work chapter for the
week, perhaps each day doing one or two paragraphs from each of them.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is easier to approach writing your novels by writing one
paragraph at a time. Translating this method to help you through your
working week, one task at a time, isn't too far of a leap. And it works well for me. Give it a try!<o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-58023778438086284122023-08-24T03:25:00.001-07:002023-08-24T03:25:00.133-07:00Classical Themes #4 - Mythical Animals<p style="text-align: center;"> <i style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Myths, magic, rituals, quests, places, people and animals;
all of these elements are helping to shape the tales in my ‘Wolf
Spear Saga’ series.</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKZza8hhaXSTDYBk2c1IxRim7ZoTi6dnJIsBjSl6pNCVPjjkZMpNTOoMd184ELNnEsGxzGv7rvq6nA_fi5ooXJPyUpRbk_SUitgwCz3HESu4LEw21drMvjBgJULGNY6LSv7eea8hAEOhy3USVD01VY2Z1GDz6f11WqmBT5f3iIFj5YJmCMoJSEGu55bPv/s502/icelandic%20horse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="502" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKZza8hhaXSTDYBk2c1IxRim7ZoTi6dnJIsBjSl6pNCVPjjkZMpNTOoMd184ELNnEsGxzGv7rvq6nA_fi5ooXJPyUpRbk_SUitgwCz3HESu4LEw21drMvjBgJULGNY6LSv7eea8hAEOhy3USVD01VY2Z1GDz6f11WqmBT5f3iIFj5YJmCMoJSEGu55bPv/s320/icelandic%20horse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Horses provide us with names of people, places, mythical creatures and months of the year. ‘Marrek’ is a Cornish name for ‘horseman’; ‘Equos’ in the Celtic month of June to July means ‘horse time’; ‘Whitehorse Hill’ and ‘Vale of the White Horse’ speak for themselves; Nix and Kelpies, Rhiannon and Epona are shape-shifting creatures that drag or transport the living to the land of the dead. Places like ‘Studley’ tell us there was once an equine stud farm at that location in Saxon times.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Animals have been pivotal in assisting deities,
providing tales of destiny and immortality across the world.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Think of:</span></u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Athene,
the Greek goddess of fate weaving wisdom and war;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Fairy Godmother in
Sleeping Beauty, epitomising the ‘Fey’ or Crone spinner of destiny;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Serpents appear in tales from Sumerian, Hindu, Ancient
Egyptian and Norse mythologies. A thousand years before the Garden of Eden and
Genesis, Sumerian serpent-god ‘Nigizzida’ was consort of the Mother Goddess and
Lord of the ‘Tree of Truth’. ‘Kundalini’ is the serpent coiled around the ‘Tree
of Immortality’. Norse mythology has the ‘Midgard Serpent’; Egypt ‘Mehen the
Enveloper’ who enfolds the sun god ‘Ra’ during his nightly sleep in the
Underworld and ‘Ananta’ is the cosmic Hindu serpent in whose coils the gods<i>
</i>sleep.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VSN7NuYwHhUW1amm1Lj8_RBEx5PkOILTW6CLCe3T3nv5i7rI3n3TDaLy6JJpBaWtXO8DFPX8z_MwVs2NtqgsDbkWl6yKaqOimoX-vWE5fuxsuJsNoOSbw8X3UFOrIaxLJFRZ9DkgwgLMnDTC0eLxFWmcr2PhwxDrC7z6LwaWclFBWRJwITL6pBCwgBVH/s500/Medusa%20Mosaic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VSN7NuYwHhUW1amm1Lj8_RBEx5PkOILTW6CLCe3T3nv5i7rI3n3TDaLy6JJpBaWtXO8DFPX8z_MwVs2NtqgsDbkWl6yKaqOimoX-vWE5fuxsuJsNoOSbw8X3UFOrIaxLJFRZ9DkgwgLMnDTC0eLxFWmcr2PhwxDrC7z6LwaWclFBWRJwITL6pBCwgBVH/s320/Medusa%20Mosaic.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Medusa mosaic</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You will have to read my ‘Wolf Spear Saga’
series to discover h</span><span style="font-size: 16px;">ow these influences are woven into my stories, but t</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">hese and other legends,
beliefs and folklore are threaded through the series in various ways, with each tale
leaning towards several themes. These layers wrap my saga into real-world
legends, hopefully providing access to readers and leading them gently and comfortingly
into my fictional legend.</span></p></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Some underlying threads may be incorporated purely by accident, perhaps where my mind delved into a subconscious ancient memory I am not actively aware of. It would be pleasant to imagine, would it not, that we all possess an element
of this ancient subconscious, bringing archetypal elements to us from deep in
our paleo-lithic historical memory?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIA9n_cI8NYz2L0EszGpwrDY0DpvQCn6EPQFfcKQ-y0SZgTRLcYgiBXEou5wWkg0v0N9quaapescLxsoi_LRjIFD7TbTQcLGSZJjOyXT9gHtReZLJGVN42U-5XwdnbZ9TiLs9p2UYIAZUy1i3IKh7MlbQDBgzPLF4y53snnEg_bwgWqqWw1io99Sua1H3e/s542/pic32-deer-forest-greeny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="542" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIA9n_cI8NYz2L0EszGpwrDY0DpvQCn6EPQFfcKQ-y0SZgTRLcYgiBXEou5wWkg0v0N9quaapescLxsoi_LRjIFD7TbTQcLGSZJjOyXT9gHtReZLJGVN42U-5XwdnbZ9TiLs9p2UYIAZUy1i3IKh7MlbQDBgzPLF4y53snnEg_bwgWqqWw1io99Sua1H3e/s320/pic32-deer-forest-greeny.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-82190686629952141442023-07-25T03:20:00.005-07:002023-08-10T03:23:56.753-07:00Sommeren<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJwaFZeViEv85qXkK5O10WLtdwe-ip21x2xN3XazruYdM74076i042YG1SrO84_-D3ARm2YpaJcOV_qTWXl91v1vUmLjr_CptnVVLDDfMkbS0QHAGRYUaDd3CTxTj1vjHP0rKQ1XBXMt7O_YRBx0XW7LFDGP1UxQUr3Lr7lS21-bHdwMA5d_ppgloeiCO8/s3264/20230604_103430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJwaFZeViEv85qXkK5O10WLtdwe-ip21x2xN3XazruYdM74076i042YG1SrO84_-D3ARm2YpaJcOV_qTWXl91v1vUmLjr_CptnVVLDDfMkbS0QHAGRYUaDd3CTxTj1vjHP0rKQ1XBXMt7O_YRBx0XW7LFDGP1UxQUr3Lr7lS21-bHdwMA5d_ppgloeiCO8/s320/20230604_103430.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Summer is
when I write the least. It’s the most distracting season and possibly the
busiest (aside perhaps from Yule). The weather is often good and there is more
opportunity to enjoy the
garden or the park. There is gardening to attend to, plants and vegetables
to tend and fruit that requires preserving, all of which I love and throw
myself into (sometimes to the detriment of previously unused muscles) but it’s
all part of the Summer fun!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxBh6-bzxjdtiq0nxqDNck6jgp5Mpho7DoD2f_po-HPie66mVqwQccb-sOqyyGEyMLDdcohGNZSUbQSh1-3m0zmYNPnz3rahvSSHIWQf_uBrEnpcKAqQ9EYDgiHJgbN0Do_6mR5G5sePtdfZyfbfPjvBgIwzGkJ-A8rcIcmLnuUARmbx6NBIF00GKu4Tb/s320/20180512_164310.jpg" width="320" /></div><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Summer is the
reserve of allowing the mind to rest as the body toils. The <i>“little grey
cells”</i> of Hercule Poirot renown can rebuild and regenerate, in advance of
my main writing seasons of Autumn and Winter. The dark half of the year is
excellent for introspection, hibernation and writing. Meanwhile, the light half
of the year is the time to be among others, leaping with the hares (if that
takes your fancy) and filling your heart with joy.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwLWgim0WMciKiyNUyUEtOIB4Wj3NHzHEWbFucz4xWyqAfhv0a000ljSNAvW-ZWfzDgjciwJKPJCoRgtNaIRASjCOBF3yDzzcmk-8ckOR7V55r_QAW5sqyPGwX2Uey82YkRN11OKeLxJMadOQTPveWoz7SzHOt5o6wt1XyDonz4UMvwPIh5taDomGf1WvE/s320/IMG-20200726-WA0000.jpg" width="240" /></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Summer is
sustenance in all things. Reap the benefits!</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>What is your
preferred writing season?</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Do you love
or loathe Summer?</span></i></p><br /><p></p>E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-7750846920881057212022-03-30T03:33:00.005-07:002022-03-30T03:33:51.168-07:00Charity Book Auction<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXuToPLyA9QATcNDURnNK6xnaEFWiYuOPNF3NDpD0C4IPPg0zeev4g7UIp7_DUhcIMqUBUKeUyvICImf5_vuzCvzmPgyycHYUqC7gSPPYofjMLHqfzPe_Qn8DJtESdNUlbIAs_JrSUb9e1rWA3Q9zT1WCE_PBBVR1rGjmHcEnvoifehvzpDJFbPa5yiw/s2048/Wulfsuna%20Auction%20Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXuToPLyA9QATcNDURnNK6xnaEFWiYuOPNF3NDpD0C4IPPg0zeev4g7UIp7_DUhcIMqUBUKeUyvICImf5_vuzCvzmPgyycHYUqC7gSPPYofjMLHqfzPe_Qn8DJtESdNUlbIAs_JrSUb9e1rWA3Q9zT1WCE_PBBVR1rGjmHcEnvoifehvzpDJFbPa5yiw/s320/Wulfsuna%20Auction%20Pic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "adobe-garamond-pro",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Fellow historical fiction author </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://www.gordondoherty.co.uk/home.html"><span style="color: #e89430; font-family: "adobe-garamond-pro",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Gordon
Doherty</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "adobe-garamond-pro",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> has been auctioning books
for the past year, in support of Myeloma UK (a charity very important to him).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "adobe-garamond-pro",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This week, between Weds 30th March ‘22
- Fri 1st Apr ‘22, I am donating a signed paperback of my first Wolf Spear Saga
novel ‘WULFSUNA’ to the highest bidder and runner-up bidder. The highest bidder
will also receive a signed copy of my Old English/Modern English saga tales
pocketbook' ‘Tales of the Wulfsuna’.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "adobe-garamond-pro",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Please check out the auction action!
You can join in the bidding on Gordon’s Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GordonDohertyAuthor/posts/4770446479670345" target="_blank">HERE</a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "adobe-garamond-pro",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> and don’t forget to
post a comment. BIDDING IS NOW OPEN!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "adobe-garamond-pro",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You can also donate direct to the
charity here at </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/MyelomaHistory"><span style="color: #e89430; font-family: "adobe-garamond-pro",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Make Myeloma History</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "adobe-garamond-pro",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "adobe-garamond-pro",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Good look at the auction and thank you
so much for helping to raise funds and awareness for a very worthy cause.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "adobe-garamond-pro",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love & Light, Elaine xXx<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-10283381637441909072021-03-31T03:02:00.005-07:002021-03-31T03:02:02.776-07:00Classical Themes - Part 3 of 4<p style="text-align: center;"><b> <i style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Myths, magic, rituals, quests, places, people and animals;
all of these elements are helping to shape the forthcoming tales in my ‘Wolf
Spear Saga’ series. Part three in a series of four posts.</span></i></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Immortality</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">This comes in the form of apples (among other things) and
straddles Norse, Greek and Celtic mythology. Norse <i>‘Idun’</i> is the goddess
who keeps the apples of immortality. Greek <i>‘Hesperides’</i> grows apples
that give immortality, on a paradise island. The Garden of Eden is home to the
fabled apple tree and ‘<i>Avalon’</i>, the ‘isle of apples’, is the
otherworldly paradise King Arthur is taken to, where he meets the three fairy
queens – the three fates – rather like the Norse Norns who guard the foot of
the World Tree, <i>‘Yggdrasil’</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Cut horizontally, apples reveal a five-pointed star in their
core: a symbol sacred to the Mother Goddess and still used today as a symbol of
belief in Pagan or Wiccan faith. Gypsies call it the ‘star of knowledge’. Also
a wild fruit that seeds in hedgerows, it contains ancient links to
Hedge-Sitters or wise women and would have been a natural food source that
could have saved the poor in hard times, as they can be stored through winter.
You will find mention of apples and their trees in my ‘Wolf Spear Saga’ series.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWqOgM0HyNjgSRXBGKRi1v3zUs3eKOscEknOvahMdUOeFWj8uxL234CrtSa6Su2VLEwrHvnob9zANZ6a8Gudsw79ajPA715nvxOXq5__dTC8q-GhY7nZ1kciqfXy63B03j3dKRNX31wRn/s2048/Apple+pieces.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWqOgM0HyNjgSRXBGKRi1v3zUs3eKOscEknOvahMdUOeFWj8uxL234CrtSa6Su2VLEwrHvnob9zANZ6a8Gudsw79ajPA715nvxOXq5__dTC8q-GhY7nZ1kciqfXy63B03j3dKRNX31wRn/s320/Apple+pieces.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apple quarters</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Magical Drinks<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">These can also bestow immortality or conjure transformations.
Throughout history there are countless tales of magical brews and important
drinking vessels, that cross cultures and continents. Eating and drinking
communally is an important part of human life and is an ideal time for
characters to be brought together. I use this constantly throughout my ‘Wolf
Spear Saga’ series.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Consider:</span></u></i><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> The Holy
Grail;<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72pt; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The Mead of Odin, which can confer
the gift of poetry on whoever tastes it, made by the dwarves ‘Fjalar’ and
‘Galar’.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFhnkcog-3gvUiSsS7gYHkCFyDUEWXU7PXXECu7V8KfWhj8UFPnOd88rDhojTvoRv_a7Y1z8Gqo6fi5ujBx-ztEJXJsmssWZrTbBsS09lPGaZ5l00U3ZOyyUSmNbU84K_cDBBAuAzqvvn/s500/Gundestrup+Cauldron.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFhnkcog-3gvUiSsS7gYHkCFyDUEWXU7PXXECu7V8KfWhj8UFPnOd88rDhojTvoRv_a7Y1z8Gqo6fi5ujBx-ztEJXJsmssWZrTbBsS09lPGaZ5l00U3ZOyyUSmNbU84K_cDBBAuAzqvvn/s320/Gundestrup+Cauldron.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gundestrup Cauldron</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Enchantment<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Through beauty, music and <i>Ritual Bathing</i> the theme of
enchantment abounds in various mythology and folklore.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -72pt;"><i><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Think of:</span></u></i><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> Orpheus,
who could bewitch animals and women with his lyre playing, but was then himself
bewitched by a water nymph or ‘nix’;<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72pt; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Acteon, while out hunting with his
hounds observes Artemis bathing naked. He is then changed into a stag and
hunted and killed by his own hounds.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">These men are doomed to die for witnessing female goddesses
bathing. This reinforces the importance of the female deity sanctity in
pre-patriarchal cultures. The priest or priestess figure, bathed by servants,
is another element of this ancient theme. You will find this in my writing
also.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivF3Dss8a0IBNYBDeq4688nsZA-MFKu2mo6KsrDlniDN8EluipV5Zo_-XRDwgLJ4Wdmx25RIV5EDj4zXm6ER3tdw-YfAUcRhVDPI0uDlxoO0alZO3i38jPbC3EOvBcNtdOH86lnq1OaGyU/s542/deer-in-meadow-with-forest-around.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivF3Dss8a0IBNYBDeq4688nsZA-MFKu2mo6KsrDlniDN8EluipV5Zo_-XRDwgLJ4Wdmx25RIV5EDj4zXm6ER3tdw-YfAUcRhVDPI0uDlxoO0alZO3i38jPbC3EOvBcNtdOH86lnq1OaGyU/s320/deer-in-meadow-with-forest-around.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stag in misty forest</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Hunting, Hounds and Wolves<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Hounds and wolves devouring various people and things runs
through Norse, Celtic, Ancient Egyptian, Asian and Native American mythology.
Wolves are ancient creatures from the oldest forests on earth and so are
entwined in the lives of humans and their mythological tales. The hierarchical
make-up of wolf society also reflects the same social relationships found in
the human world, with leaders, their bodyguards, their marital partners and
foot soldiers. Like humans, wolves have nannies to watch over the young while
the rest of the pack hunts and these are usually older, trusted females who
were often former alphas. Wise-wolves, if you will. Strong, female components
essential to the survival of the pack and its future. There is much to draw on
from these classical themes and as you will probably guess, I use them
frequently in my ‘Wolf Spear Saga’ series!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -72pt;"><i><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Consider:</span></u></i><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 108pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -72pt;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Hel’s Hounds; the
Hounds of Arawn;<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Anubis the Jackal-headed god;<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Up-Uat, the wolf-god;<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Native American ‘Opener of the Way’ – the coyote that helps
Mother Earth give birth to the human race by scratching an opening in her side.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSUOSQdkd4lXlLD0PqjokXfmnbLLEZacyXvsXbrua4u8qLfCxrB_ovflsDySKFLZCN7lU1-kSQcVcaS-_e8eLoDudJlDoRDcfQkOveX-cmc3qeGJz0Y1FNA3Kz35anxjmRxrICL5J4dd5G/s640/1461315233707.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSUOSQdkd4lXlLD0PqjokXfmnbLLEZacyXvsXbrua4u8qLfCxrB_ovflsDySKFLZCN7lU1-kSQcVcaS-_e8eLoDudJlDoRDcfQkOveX-cmc3qeGJz0Y1FNA3Kz35anxjmRxrICL5J4dd5G/s320/1461315233707.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White wolf</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b><i>What classical themes do you seek to include or allude to in your writing?</i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b><i>Let me know in the comments below!</i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">~ ~ ~</span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">E S MOXON has had a lifelong passion for history and writing. A
childhood filled with family visits to ancient burial sites and stone circles
fuelled her imagination. Inspired by classic medieval tales and Norse sagas,
Elaine imagined herself inhabiting these Dark Ages and exploring the landscapes
in her mind and continues to do so through her novels. The first in her ‘Wolf
Spear Saga’ series is ‘WULFSUNA’ and books two and three will be out soon. When
not lost in pages of the past, she lives in the Midlands with her family and
their chocolate Labrador.</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqc2P85klmYhbShdeAqB1uxY035fzn9uZsHfm1JYIslBD46qIFiv6dguwtbseRmyikYcZ1KHsHqe_7UA5Z6oxz6qDAMjOsSDMpqXtLYif9Ut74cWnLhHcsrxhr24FA8vOIWeU_y2O_iTe3/s1600/IMG-20200806-WA0002.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqc2P85klmYhbShdeAqB1uxY035fzn9uZsHfm1JYIslBD46qIFiv6dguwtbseRmyikYcZ1KHsHqe_7UA5Z6oxz6qDAMjOsSDMpqXtLYif9Ut74cWnLhHcsrxhr24FA8vOIWeU_y2O_iTe3/s320/IMG-20200806-WA0002.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WULFSUNA - Wolf Spear Saga 1 and Tales of the WULFSUNA</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Blood,
betrayal and brotherhood.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><i></i></span></b><p></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They come to honour a
Warrior-Lord’s dream,<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">An ancient saga weaving their
destiny,<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But a treacherous rival threatens
their fate.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Wolf Sons are coming.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">WULFSUNA<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></b></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Capturing vivid memories of members of the 'Wolf Sons' Saxon tribe, they emotively convey the sagas that shaped their lives, in their own ancient language and in their own humble way.</span></i></span></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14pt;">A fictional feast for lovers of Old English with alternative views of events from the novel 'WULFSUNA' - Six tales presented in both Modern and Old English. A unique companion with detailed forewords by author E S Moxon and Prof. Stephen Pollington (author, speaker and historian) who says "the opportunity to produce fresh Old English songs proved too tempting".</span></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">TALES OF THE WULFSUNA</span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-81896897053168268002020-09-04T08:14:00.004-07:002020-09-04T08:14:00.917-07:00Classical Themes - 2 of 4<p style="text-align: left;"><font face="arial"><br /></font></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="line-height: 20.0304px;"><font face="arial" size="3">Classical Themes within the ‘Wolf Spear Saga’ series</font></span></u></h3><p></p><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="line-height: 17.12px;"><font face="arial"><b>Myths, magic, rituals, quests, places, people and animals; all of these elements are helping to shape the forthcoming tales in my ‘Wolf Spear Saga’ series. Here is the second of FOUR posts.</b></font></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="line-height: 17.12px;"><font face="arial"><b><br /></b></font></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">The Dark Goddess<o:p></o:p></font></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">She is a pre-patriarchal, ancient belief from Neolithic
culture in many countries. Tomb burials, caves and the deep, dark ocean
introduce us to the Dark Goddess. She rules the world’s ocean as well as the
inner tides (our emotions, passions, psychic perceptions and soul
regeneration). The ferryman of souls can deliver us to her in his glass boat,
to the Sacred Isle where we enter the cave and pass through the veil to the
Otherworld - the land of the dead. There is much to explore here in terms of
characters’ responses to water and its powers, but also human emotions and how
these fluctuate in various circumstances.<o:p></o:p></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEPXnZid8PVfWq9VNtsMxUw8It_b6Ch-VQQ9_Y1SdB_j7vK0NEjFdRvNgrxrUFVH_SOpHbYUAqzgOMFWWQNqVhfE2syLSgWaYOYyh1DDjOhiiFGYsFl6qqMoS7Pih5R3Q4DRw5BZ9pd9Qy/s2048/20140526_143325%257E2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEPXnZid8PVfWq9VNtsMxUw8It_b6Ch-VQQ9_Y1SdB_j7vK0NEjFdRvNgrxrUFVH_SOpHbYUAqzgOMFWWQNqVhfE2syLSgWaYOYyh1DDjOhiiFGYsFl6qqMoS7Pih5R3Q4DRw5BZ9pd9Qy/s320/20140526_143325%257E2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font face="arial" size="1"><i>Grey beach of rocks leading to the sea</i></font></td></tr></tbody></table></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">Boats<o:p></o:p></font></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">Boats and their contents have more than a passing link to the
land of the dead. As well as ferrying those near death across a sacred lake to
the afterlife, boats can take the form of offerings to the gods and vessels
transporting offerings to the gods - treasure hoards defaced and buried in
thanks for victory. Found most profusely in Denmark (though also in other countries), boats of war and the
weapons of their defeated warriors have for millennia been deposited in lakes
in gratitude of the gods’ protection. As well as afterlife journeys for
characters, this provides us with response to conflict within societies and the
rituals invoked. Boats themselves can have souls and characters, as can weapons
such as valued swords or even amulets of the gods and goddesses of the time.
Many of these themes are integral to my ‘Wolf Spear Saga’ series.<o:p></o:p></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -72.0pt;"><font face="arial"><i><u><span style="line-height: 107%;">Consider:</span></u></i><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"> Hjortspring
and Nydam boats from Denmark – deliberately sunk into lakes, these boats
contain a multitude of offerings from vanquished enemies: swords; axes; spears;
shields; chainmail; knives; horse tack; brooches; tweezers; ear spoons; bones
of horses, lambs, calves and dogs.<o:p></o:p></span></i></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="line-height: 17.12px;"><font face="arial"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwmtNeux94y1RXNMcv1S20x80jJx5CftWx0LCfDr8ahv8OwtNtDZK-L9ojKRuqX3zWkG8PtqWMghuxMqfLhuqrw42-78G03Qyr6yLLr_SC0BYG3zwmfSVMGKhbprPnVC-6aIP9KsvETt7V/s500/Oseberg+ship+burial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="370" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwmtNeux94y1RXNMcv1S20x80jJx5CftWx0LCfDr8ahv8OwtNtDZK-L9ojKRuqX3zWkG8PtqWMghuxMqfLhuqrw42-78G03Qyr6yLLr_SC0BYG3zwmfSVMGKhbprPnVC-6aIP9KsvETt7V/s320/Oseberg+ship+burial.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="1"><i>Oseberg ship burial</i></font></td></tr></tbody></table></font></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">Rainbows<o:p></o:p></font></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">Another way to the afterlife can be via a bridge, often
linked to rainbows, found in Christian, Norse, Greek, Chinese and Australian
aboriginal cultures, among others. Water was a sacred element through which one
could travel to the Otherworld, so to cross it was to, in some respect, cheat
death and almost magical. Tales of dangerous creatures inhabiting the
undersides of bridges come from this concept, such as Norwegian Trolls, river sirens like the 'nix' and Celtic Kelpies in the form of horses or women, who would drag people down to
their deaths. Flag Fen is an excellent example of how bridges over water held
magical properties, where Iron Age people deposited metal, stone, ceramic and food gifts from the causeway.
Bridges can also represent boundaries between earthly realms like county
borders, or unearthly realms, both of which can present characters with
problems depending on the purpose of their journey. I tinker with this theme in
‘Wulfsuna’ and also forthcoming ‘Wolf Spear Sagas’.<o:p></o:p></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial"><i><u><span style="line-height: 107%;">Think of:</span></u></i><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">Bifrost – linking Earth to Asgard;<o:p></o:p></font></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">Sword Bridge – crossed by Lancelot to
rescue Guinevere from the Castle of Death;<o:p></o:p></font></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">Bridge of Heaven;<o:p></o:p></font></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">Greek goddess ‘Iris’, who guarded a
rainbow (from where ‘iridescent’ is derived)</font><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="line-height: 17.12px;"><font face="arial"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1MjKolZKOBSNOutdy_yOXvtD6rT0KDHTgQprZacyL_4avMzkAzqfcrhOohyGGU3pOFv2nWX_NDeP927ZojVTKLcKSw0gha85c88CDv0cb5Ml6bAOWwXiRdRigjhktwQ-VPO0K6zSpDFn3/s525/boardwalk-in-forest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="525" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1MjKolZKOBSNOutdy_yOXvtD6rT0KDHTgQprZacyL_4avMzkAzqfcrhOohyGGU3pOFv2nWX_NDeP927ZojVTKLcKSw0gha85c88CDv0cb5Ml6bAOWwXiRdRigjhktwQ-VPO0K6zSpDFn3/s320/boardwalk-in-forest.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="1"><i>Wooden bridge in dark forest</i></font></td></tr></tbody></table><b><br /></b></font></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li><font face="arial"><b>What classical themes most interest you?</b></font></li></ul><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="line-height: 17.12px;"><font face="arial"><b><br /></b></font></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 17.12px;"><font face="arial" size="5"><b>~ ~ ~</b></font></span></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEf-qiqcHQEA6Skw9DunayyV62qo6bphRRD139FExDI1QjposjY6G6qzpIKVjnd351nTvRF6FPkIXs-kjkXYYt-7YHb9cljNTD0Q5M-SQdDNVlS2fqfwS9PhBsCIujSVPLoux3zT8jQDF/s1600/frontcover+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #cc9966; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="598" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEf-qiqcHQEA6Skw9DunayyV62qo6bphRRD139FExDI1QjposjY6G6qzpIKVjnd351nTvRF6FPkIXs-kjkXYYt-7YHb9cljNTD0Q5M-SQdDNVlS2fqfwS9PhBsCIujSVPLoux3zT8jQDF/s320/frontcover+small.jpg" style="border: none; cursor: move; position: relative;" width="213" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Blood, betrayal and brotherhood.</span></i></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They come to honour a Warrior-Lord’s dream,</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">An ancient saga weaving their destiny,</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But a treacherous rival threatens their fate.</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Wolf Sons are coming.</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.silverwoodbooks.co.uk/product/9781781322734/wulfsuna" target="_blank">WULFSUNA</a><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-72792615871517148862020-08-28T07:51:00.001-07:002020-08-28T07:51:02.073-07:00Classical Themes - 1 of 4<p style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial"><b><br /></b></font></span></u></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial"><b>Classical
Themes within the ‘Wolf Spear Saga’ series</b></font></span></u></h3><div style="text-align: left;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial"><b>Myths, magic, rituals, quests, places, people and animals;
all of these elements are helping to shape the forthcoming tales in my ‘Wolf
Spear Saga’ series. Here is the first of FOUR posts.</b></font></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial"><b><br /></b></font></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial">Magical beasts and food; feuding siblings; rags to riches;
death and rebirth; initiation and rites of passage; serpents, dragons and treasure
– drawing on ancient and classical themes are of utmost importance in providing
familiar storytelling arcs that readers can naturally connect with. Whether we
realise it or not, most stories will resonate with an ancient theme and
‘remind’ us of something we have encountered previously in our conscious or
subconscious. Fairytales are but one example of how repeated themes provide a
wide variety of stories. </font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial"><u>Consider:</u></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">Sleeping Beauty Beauty and the Beast<o:p></o:p></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">Cinderella Snow White<o:p></o:p></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">King Arthur Chronicles of Narnia<o:p></o:p></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">Red Riding Hood Alice in Wonderland<o:p></o:p></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">Lord of the Rings<o:p></o:p></font></span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8Lm5kNZaFeftN3P6Bl0XLK_JPT5d6OyZXdkE1nIiMY7pWWj8S6uIH8wKa8hK_64VJPglM1x-nvNGRiCbUBP2FyMsVFNaNX3zNnBdZ3qZKjrIabsjHe2xpsq4AdhkOig5fdUMBPAcBgmQ/s542/pic32-deer-forest-greeny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8Lm5kNZaFeftN3P6Bl0XLK_JPT5d6OyZXdkE1nIiMY7pWWj8S6uIH8wKa8hK_64VJPglM1x-nvNGRiCbUBP2FyMsVFNaNX3zNnBdZ3qZKjrIabsjHe2xpsq4AdhkOig5fdUMBPAcBgmQ/s320/pic32-deer-forest-greeny.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font face="arial" size="1"><i>Stag in misty forest</i></font></td></tr></tbody></table></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">I have immense pleasure incorporating these fascinating
myths, legends and beliefs into my ‘Wolf Spear Saga’ series and hope you, my
readers, have as much pleasure hunting for the morsels embroidered into my
tales; small threads weaving through the whole. In my second ‘Wolf Spear Saga’
novel I have elements of the following themes:<o:p></o:p></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial"><br /></font></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">Rights of Succession of Kings</font></span></b></p></div><div style="text-align: left;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">This is deeply rooted in Indo-European mythology. There is an
underlying, ancient archetype of a son or grandson killing their father or
grandfather in order to marry and/or rule alongside the queen or mother
goddess. The son has a hand in despatching the father (not necessarily a blood
descendant and not necessarily with malice) and the son-lover joins the female
sovereignty until the next ‘son’ arrives and repeats the cycle.<o:p></o:p></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><font face="arial"><i><u><span style="line-height: 107%;">Think of:</span></u></i><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"> Perseus
and Acrisius, or<o:p></o:p></span></i></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial"> Oedipus
and Laius<o:p></o:p></font></span></i></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial"><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzineBfOhwZCfYLQ59n1iINDBCs-6m4ugw0dqqyjWd7ke-oK2Y3GCOYLzqJ0VMQyqzUwS8ilhFta6zH6USTHMylNh_Qi9Z3ELYMXTyUMv2mcGi8-hKfejtEJMZTO5zwVC541vqb8QHUmBw/s180/war+chariot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzineBfOhwZCfYLQ59n1iINDBCs-6m4ugw0dqqyjWd7ke-oK2Y3GCOYLzqJ0VMQyqzUwS8ilhFta6zH6USTHMylNh_Qi9Z3ELYMXTyUMv2mcGi8-hKfejtEJMZTO5zwVC541vqb8QHUmBw/s0/war+chariot.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><font size="1">Celtic warrior aloft a war chariot drawn by two horses</font></i></td></tr></tbody></table></b></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">Feuding Siblings</span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">These also appear frequently in my sagas, though not all are
blood-related. Brothers and sisters can be actual relatives, or bonded kinsfolk
in religious orders or warrior bands. For my second ‘Wolf Spear Saga’ I was
inspired by the half-brothers Nissyen (who wished for harmony) and Evnissyen
(who wished for discord) from the <i>‘Sorrows of Branwen’</i> in the <i>Mabinogion</i>.
Where there is disharmony, there is always interesting conflict!<o:p></o:p></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiacSUsPs5mlLXFWA0eZ54DzgxrZJzdUL3AdZ0YQaICqIdX0DvnxT3i5g9_J9sZWHp2vTCG21tVvbBLkMkuJdassvMFlsdsUYqckN3WUvVG4kGPpx-brMCAAyJUYR9pkc1JjsZQmhghtJIp/s500/Wolf+Brothers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiacSUsPs5mlLXFWA0eZ54DzgxrZJzdUL3AdZ0YQaICqIdX0DvnxT3i5g9_J9sZWHp2vTCG21tVvbBLkMkuJdassvMFlsdsUYqckN3WUvVG4kGPpx-brMCAAyJUYR9pkc1JjsZQmhghtJIp/s320/Wolf+Brothers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font face="arial" size="1"><i>Pair of wolves</i></font></td></tr></tbody></table></span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">Cinderella Stories<o:p></o:p></font></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">These are another recurring theme in many cultures: a hero or
heroine undergoes a series of trials at the domestic hearth or in the
wilderness, their true worth revealed at the story’s climax. This
crisis-initiation-resolution appears in several forms. I’ve already used it for
two main characters in my first novel in my series ‘<i>Wulfsuna’</i> and expect
to see it again in future sagas.</font><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1vDmxjfqIjBiWsn79KWevhDLvAOfjbyfLRj-EV4sIyA59gZz7r293Sa2PrzaVF7YNT-N5-l3J1OUqxGKCSB_jX-cq_Z9_0NBH6WA4YKkXtFa0dtBB9cLkKVhpC1U3weRpR92mNZxzwCn/s350/night-spark-fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="234" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1vDmxjfqIjBiWsn79KWevhDLvAOfjbyfLRj-EV4sIyA59gZz7r293Sa2PrzaVF7YNT-N5-l3J1OUqxGKCSB_jX-cq_Z9_0NBH6WA4YKkXtFa0dtBB9cLkKVhpC1U3weRpR92mNZxzwCn/s320/night-spark-fire.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font face="arial" size="1"><i>Midnight pyre</i></font></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b><font face="arial">Can you think of other classical themes repeated in literature?</font></b></li><li><b><font face="arial">Do you like to include ancient themes in your writing?</font></b></li></ul><p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><font face="arial" size="5"><b>~ ~ ~</b></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEf-qiqcHQEA6Skw9DunayyV62qo6bphRRD139FExDI1QjposjY6G6qzpIKVjnd351nTvRF6FPkIXs-kjkXYYt-7YHb9cljNTD0Q5M-SQdDNVlS2fqfwS9PhBsCIujSVPLoux3zT8jQDF/s1600/frontcover+small.jpg" style="color: #cc9966; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="598" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEf-qiqcHQEA6Skw9DunayyV62qo6bphRRD139FExDI1QjposjY6G6qzpIKVjnd351nTvRF6FPkIXs-kjkXYYt-7YHb9cljNTD0Q5M-SQdDNVlS2fqfwS9PhBsCIujSVPLoux3zT8jQDF/s320/frontcover+small.jpg" style="border: none; cursor: move; position: relative;" width="213" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Blood, betrayal and brotherhood.</span></i></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They come to honour a Warrior-Lord’s dream,</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">An ancient saga weaving their destiny,</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But a treacherous rival threatens their fate.</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Wolf Sons are coming.</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.silverwoodbooks.co.uk/product/9781781322734/wulfsuna" target="_blank">WULFSUNA</a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-85717323682209665152020-08-14T03:39:00.001-07:002020-08-14T03:39:05.446-07:00Using Skaldic Verse to Develop Characters<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFP1OpEXzx3-abh-PVqT_QadeTJ7fCaJlaWl6COkWcpZamggQdyL4br5ymXV2b5fIJGO_1yGL70rxXOQdOHPY5duYuj_yCHDsXrG53vbHnLUCw2sCpz817UELXvXK2TPDSyFOA6OsTs0E/s500/vikingship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFP1OpEXzx3-abh-PVqT_QadeTJ7fCaJlaWl6COkWcpZamggQdyL4br5ymXV2b5fIJGO_1yGL70rxXOQdOHPY5duYuj_yCHDsXrG53vbHnLUCw2sCpz817UELXvXK2TPDSyFOA6OsTs0E/s320/vikingship.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font face="arial"><i>Axe on bench of Viking longship</i></font></td></tr></tbody></table><font face="arial"><br /></font><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">Written
by Vikings, about Vikings, Skaldic verse is an insight into how they viewed
themselves and others, but not necessarily a precise description of what they
did or looked like in outward appearance. These sources are more appropriately
valuable to garner how Vikings viewed life and their actions or those of others
within that life - also how they viewed death. The H</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">ávamál poems are an intriguing source of
socio-economic and emotional scenarios that fill daily Viking life: from noble
kings down to the poor traveller, we can peer into all aspects and levels of
Scandinavian life from the 9<sup>th</sup> to 12<sup>th</sup> Centuries.</span></div><div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><font face="arial"><i>H</i><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">ávamál…
‘The words of the High One’ [is a collection of verses that] form one of the
most important, and baffling, of the Eddic poems. It survives as a group of
separate and very different poems.’ …(R.I. Page)<o:p></o:p></span></i></font></p><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggphr7srw8uypRVqbYdvJUn67KUnG0nz6AvWo24Rd0pXLtyHcGSQ64D-JH365DgKB9zVqSDzafS3ig4YrLtr3LaUUBx5KHPUkqeVBuPBTkydzmXcJ2yblYIRYhGzi5Ot0QTj2bBqOMG1f4/s500/pic7-longhouseinterior-blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="375" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggphr7srw8uypRVqbYdvJUn67KUnG0nz6AvWo24Rd0pXLtyHcGSQ64D-JH365DgKB9zVqSDzafS3ig4YrLtr3LaUUBx5KHPUkqeVBuPBTkydzmXcJ2yblYIRYhGzi5Ot0QTj2bBqOMG1f4/s320/pic7-longhouseinterior-blue.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font face="arial"><i>Interior of Viking Longhouse</i></font></td></tr></tbody></table><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><font face="arial">I
find these verse an intrinsic part of my research, alongside what some may
class as the mundane (but I find thrilling) world of archaeology. While
archaeology forms an important role in fact-gathering for flora/fauna, climate,
tools/weapons, structures, cooking and farming, clothing and bedding, I want to
know how the people ‘thought’. Knowing the thoughts, feelings and beliefs of a
group of people, enables me to add subtle layers to my fictional characters. I
can learn how my characters may react when presented with a particular
scenario. This I cannot learn from archaeological reference books in enough
detail.<o:p></o:p></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5UF9oc9U_K9TdtCzRD-26USCAyiBESjoUsWqR1ixarnyrwyV1WwqAntq_21aFmz6sfkJPrsVl1W8OMNDKt5qATY9C6l-1_fgRMfh4qhMJwl6ruLlAceJkYy0t9frMwcnlYhDr2xtcMxB9/s292/Havamal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5UF9oc9U_K9TdtCzRD-26USCAyiBESjoUsWqR1ixarnyrwyV1WwqAntq_21aFmz6sfkJPrsVl1W8OMNDKt5qATY9C6l-1_fgRMfh4qhMJwl6ruLlAceJkYy0t9frMwcnlYhDr2xtcMxB9/" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font face="arial"><i>Section of design from the Havamal</i></font></td></tr></tbody></table><font face="arial"><br /></font></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><font face="arial">Furthermore,
it is the ‘kennings’ that can be the most revealing; delightful, alarming and
incredibly descriptive metaphors that illuminate the Vikings’ love of language
and painting a vivid image for whomever heard the poems. Battles were the
‘Storm of the Valkyrie’ or ‘Odin’s Storm’. Spilt blood became the ‘current of
the spear’ or a ‘battle sea’. Armour was ‘Odin’s Clothing’ and swords were
‘wound-fires’. Carrion that came after the battle to claim the flesh of the
dead are called ‘tasters of blood’ and their prey were ‘fodder for Hugin’,
named after one of Odin’s two ravens – Hugin and Munin.<o:p></o:p></font></span></p><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqlzEBj78TyWFTS-u0pZfysi5k3ArNdA5WMQKpUuGk_I_jXEHsPTZ_Vlaiw4L2C5EcmWaYV8k2q_iTL1nEsW7BgTnso7MheLEHvSrKtIXzw_dMa_wUqHDgQvSy1wauhIRs2TrirrUFCnck/s267/pair+of+crows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqlzEBj78TyWFTS-u0pZfysi5k3ArNdA5WMQKpUuGk_I_jXEHsPTZ_Vlaiw4L2C5EcmWaYV8k2q_iTL1nEsW7BgTnso7MheLEHvSrKtIXzw_dMa_wUqHDgQvSy1wauhIRs2TrirrUFCnck/" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font face="arial"><i>Pair of perched crows</i></font></td></tr></tbody></table><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><font face="arial">It
was a time when ships were ‘ocean steeds’ or ‘surge-beasts’ and a man of
above-average height would be ‘elm-tall’. ‘Mood-acorns’ represented the heart,
inside these tree-men who believed:<o:p></o:p></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><font face="arial">‘Cattle
die, kin die,<o:p></o:p></font></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><font face="arial">The
man dies too.<o:p></o:p></font></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><font face="arial">But
good fame never dies<o:p></o:p></font></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><font face="arial">For
the man who earns it.<o:p></o:p></font></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><o:p><font face="arial"> </font></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><font face="arial">Cattle
die, kin die,<o:p></o:p></font></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><font face="arial">The
man dies too.<o:p></o:p></font></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><font face="arial">One
thing I know that never dies,<o:p></o:p></font></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><font face="arial">The
good name of the dead.’<o:p></o:p></font></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><font face="arial"><i>H</i><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">ávamál…
pp.139-140</span><o:p></o:p></i></font></p><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW8cOJz0TqA9uyaE9piO5_4fEw9zqbIDOCO_w6sHrul1RzmJ5EQ8gbDR6OvkbD1RphuA6l9RSQjbX2UL5ZyPl_wqolnUP5KozbyPaARyZwV78EU0bIBdbNKv5J34IeoLQBMFXJzVkN2U8e/s500/longshipkeel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="375" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW8cOJz0TqA9uyaE9piO5_4fEw9zqbIDOCO_w6sHrul1RzmJ5EQ8gbDR6OvkbD1RphuA6l9RSQjbX2UL5ZyPl_wqolnUP5KozbyPaARyZwV78EU0bIBdbNKv5J34IeoLQBMFXJzVkN2U8e/s320/longshipkeel.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font face="arial"><i>Keel of a longship</i></font></td></tr></tbody></table><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><font face="arial">These
colourful kennings provide glimpses of lives many of us are far removed from.
Of another time, these metaphorical paintings illuminate the lives of warring
Vikings. When building my characters and a specific group of people, I can draw
on the imagery formed by this evocative literature. When combined with
individual personalities sculpted for purposes of my story arcs, it hopefully
creates characters with depth and at least a hint of authenticity.<o:p></o:p></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhP-t9a5K8BQRluWy-aikOuoP_3kLTRKkdV-offAQvY0jji4aHN1qRU_i6u7hlnIQGNl9XEPOSMnPq8a37W_1tsE25hGsW0FUhLYIPEKkExOYvd-Ez-psOgtJG3d7jHgEBwq0id75Siiw/s500/runic+stone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="361" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhP-t9a5K8BQRluWy-aikOuoP_3kLTRKkdV-offAQvY0jji4aHN1qRU_i6u7hlnIQGNl9XEPOSMnPq8a37W_1tsE25hGsW0FUhLYIPEKkExOYvd-Ez-psOgtJG3d7jHgEBwq0id75Siiw/s320/runic+stone.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font face="arial"><i>Runic Stone</i></font></td></tr></tbody></table><font face="arial"><br /></font></span></p><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><font face="arial"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">‘The Eddi
poems preserve the indirect evidence of the nature of the Viking Age. They do
not tell of Vikings as such, but relate religious myths and traditional ways of
thinking, and tales of ancient heroes’ …(R.I. Page)</span><o:p></o:p></font></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><font face="arial">Developing
characters is a process of layering. You begin with the outer layer of an
onion, its hard skin; as you peel each layer away you reach deeper and deeper
into the onion, until finally you find the heart. Building fictional characters
involves finding material for those layers from a multitude of sources. The
Skaldic verse are, for me, only one of these sources, but a rich one. And a
pleasant one, to be reading poetry as a way of researching!<o:p></o:p></font></span></p><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><font face="arial"><b>What resources do <u>you</u> use to develop your characters?</b></font></li></ul></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: center;"><font face="arial" size="5"><b>~ ~ ~</b></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEf-qiqcHQEA6Skw9DunayyV62qo6bphRRD139FExDI1QjposjY6G6qzpIKVjnd351nTvRF6FPkIXs-kjkXYYt-7YHb9cljNTD0Q5M-SQdDNVlS2fqfwS9PhBsCIujSVPLoux3zT8jQDF/s1600/frontcover+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #cc9966; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="598" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEf-qiqcHQEA6Skw9DunayyV62qo6bphRRD139FExDI1QjposjY6G6qzpIKVjnd351nTvRF6FPkIXs-kjkXYYt-7YHb9cljNTD0Q5M-SQdDNVlS2fqfwS9PhBsCIujSVPLoux3zT8jQDF/s320/frontcover+small.jpg" style="border: none; cursor: move; position: relative;" width="213" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Blood, betrayal and brotherhood.</span></i></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They come to honour a Warrior-Lord’s dream,</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">An ancient saga weaving their destiny,</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But a treacherous rival threatens their fate.</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Wolf Sons are coming.</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.silverwoodbooks.co.uk/product/9781781322734/wulfsuna" target="_blank">WULFSUNA</a><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><br /></div>E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-12330535319227995912020-07-31T02:52:00.001-07:002020-07-31T02:52:02.576-07:00Breathing in the Past<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nothing
compares to visiting historical sites and locations used in your novels to
literally ‘inhale’ the past around you. If you write about locations near to
where you live, this is a boon and most convenient, and should not stop you
from exploring what your characters would have explored.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZTs0sSzTztg4c27pCPtovs49DnHrtbp5SfQ6QikQ_4ymsNqlJ4nZ6hrUlaImahtAVV_DEZAantlEgVh2Y2l8dZQnKxptVLWnqxby-GEyDT1207qLnhvXdFyVvimsXhknWLmztHeScNkQH/s3264/Avebury01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZTs0sSzTztg4c27pCPtovs49DnHrtbp5SfQ6QikQ_4ymsNqlJ4nZ6hrUlaImahtAVV_DEZAantlEgVh2Y2l8dZQnKxptVLWnqxby-GEyDT1207qLnhvXdFyVvimsXhknWLmztHeScNkQH/s320/Avebury01.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font face="arial"><i>Thundery skies over the Avebury Circle</i></font></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">However, we
may write about far away places and if, for any number of reasons [national
lockdown the latest barrier], you are unable to reach those destinations, there
are alternatives. Consider the topography of the location: flora and fauna, how
the land lies, types of trees and animals, weather. Then challenge yourself to
find the same or similar in environments around you.<o:p></o:p></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdfJiv9s7FrdAXCpy2yEc5vglODAJ2gb3fNS7EKazPmExx_Ah0v8JBKZDXUoQpPZqoESZFS0zW7dqmNtAKxrpom9Adq-GiaARgu_Jv9vTpILYO23k5KCGm7qQPartX8PhSd0kGdRaJSAe_/s542/pic32-deer-forest-greeny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdfJiv9s7FrdAXCpy2yEc5vglODAJ2gb3fNS7EKazPmExx_Ah0v8JBKZDXUoQpPZqoESZFS0zW7dqmNtAKxrpom9Adq-GiaARgu_Jv9vTpILYO23k5KCGm7qQPartX8PhSd0kGdRaJSAe_/s320/pic32-deer-forest-greeny.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font face="arial"><i>Stag in a misty forest</i></font></td></tr></tbody></table><font face="arial"><br /></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">You may have
to visit multiple local areas to come into contact with the sounds, sights and
smells of the place you are writing about, but the important aspect here is to
experience the same sensory stimulations.<o:p></o:p></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_QBVROoIGREHcd-EP1qaLFGnYLMISg0xXo70bHjNiBwJG3gmdfpybGtOV1g8hAL2YcgcGyzz0xkxEHwkC9QF4Bfgln5APPMW-xKtp5-2uHJDv1Kr80STWewg-DcCWzn59otrIae5rEtz/s500/happydays.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_QBVROoIGREHcd-EP1qaLFGnYLMISg0xXo70bHjNiBwJG3gmdfpybGtOV1g8hAL2YcgcGyzz0xkxEHwkC9QF4Bfgln5APPMW-xKtp5-2uHJDv1Kr80STWewg-DcCWzn59otrIae5rEtz/s320/happydays.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font face="arial"><i>Lady reclining on a hill in the sunshine</i></font></td></tr></tbody></table><font face="arial"><br /></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">If it is a
hot country, go out on a warm day and notice the difference in temperature on
the skin, how sound travels in a dry atmosphere and how the heat can accentuate
scents. If it is a Scandinavian country find a pine forest and visit on a cold,
damp day to absorb the smell of the foliage and soil and the sound of how the
wind sounds through the pine tops.<o:p></o:p></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTp2681HSi4cnd4kQBL6K9SpTndsoI6pJT9hcTQmicNHGTvddzWxME_pJ923vRh7eVCTDGbObn-ay_NFuRPYOAbYC_YwQl723RWhdAr1MC6VkagWtkbKHbnn3ifUky5-KoNBFdCJJY8_PU/s350/landscape-landscape-mountains-water-rock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="233" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTp2681HSi4cnd4kQBL6K9SpTndsoI6pJT9hcTQmicNHGTvddzWxME_pJ923vRh7eVCTDGbObn-ay_NFuRPYOAbYC_YwQl723RWhdAr1MC6VkagWtkbKHbnn3ifUky5-KoNBFdCJJY8_PU/s320/landscape-landscape-mountains-water-rock.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font face="arial"><i>Waterfall</i></font></td></tr></tbody></table><font face="arial"><br /></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">These will
not be complete substitutes of actually going to a particular place, but it is
all part of research as a novelist and making the most of what is available to
you. The rest will be added using your imagination and creativity as a writer!</font><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YL_pStxDuonvNh4oSUnlNJ7GMtB4x47wjDltBj92JG4U5F2WRbVRXMECGSnCRag60emiPW0SDkRVLC4-JVU6fOaQpgXzAa_3aru-p77Jh7vh0LKGXjzJg0U5iInaqQ33qwWUoKtf5nDV/s652/pic10-once+upon+a+time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="652" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YL_pStxDuonvNh4oSUnlNJ7GMtB4x47wjDltBj92JG4U5F2WRbVRXMECGSnCRag60emiPW0SDkRVLC4-JVU6fOaQpgXzAa_3aru-p77Jh7vh0LKGXjzJg0U5iInaqQ33qwWUoKtf5nDV/s320/pic10-once+upon+a+time.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font face="arial"><i>Once upon a time...</i></font></td></tr></tbody></table><font face="arial"><br /></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial" size="5"><b><br /></b></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial" size="5"><b>~ ~ ~</b></font></span></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEf-qiqcHQEA6Skw9DunayyV62qo6bphRRD139FExDI1QjposjY6G6qzpIKVjnd351nTvRF6FPkIXs-kjkXYYt-7YHb9cljNTD0Q5M-SQdDNVlS2fqfwS9PhBsCIujSVPLoux3zT8jQDF/s1600/frontcover+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #cc9966; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="598" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEf-qiqcHQEA6Skw9DunayyV62qo6bphRRD139FExDI1QjposjY6G6qzpIKVjnd351nTvRF6FPkIXs-kjkXYYt-7YHb9cljNTD0Q5M-SQdDNVlS2fqfwS9PhBsCIujSVPLoux3zT8jQDF/s320/frontcover+small.jpg" style="border: none; cursor: move; position: relative;" width="213" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Blood, betrayal and brotherhood.</span></i></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They come to honour a Warrior-Lord’s dream,</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">An ancient saga weaving their destiny,</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But a treacherous rival threatens their fate.</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Wolf Sons are coming.</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></p><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.silverwoodbooks.co.uk/product/9781781322734/wulfsuna" target="_blank">WULFSUNA</a><br /></div></div></div></div></div><br /></div>E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-42112583975686487172020-07-24T07:50:00.001-07:002020-07-24T07:50:06.534-07:00Creative Boost<p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPmCoC3Q6NhHy7Aqi-3f1Zf8XaMg0W8RaW1b88acQCTqOPPUR1kVczRjXe0ySVcc4UY03f-yH__zlRSpjAhvkZ_1-qk3YpeMcx4L6APgssSA1-nvwvGdKzY9hXXNtqBs_hx89CxwDDaCYx/s525/notebooks-rainbow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="525" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPmCoC3Q6NhHy7Aqi-3f1Zf8XaMg0W8RaW1b88acQCTqOPPUR1kVczRjXe0ySVcc4UY03f-yH__zlRSpjAhvkZ_1-qk3YpeMcx4L6APgssSA1-nvwvGdKzY9hXXNtqBs_hx89CxwDDaCYx/s320/notebooks-rainbow.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><font face="arial">A rainbow of journals</font></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><font face="arial"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></font><font face="arial"><div style="text-align: justify;">If, like me,
you are one of the may writers who have lost momentum during lockdown (<u>read
my previous post</u>) or you have decided to change career direction though are
not sure where you want to go, or what you want to do, there is something you
can try. Journalling and keeping a diary have been used for hundreds of years
as an expressive art form and more recently as a therapeutic process.
Documenting your daily thoughts and feelings keeps you focussed on the present
and can reveal patterns in your lifestyle that you love, or that you want to
change. Why not use this to your advantage?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7fySVuUJLcWwZ9Ngaw-Qovh-p25LZAKMY5PrPQmSmQEGwPnxTnh-1XGEd7Y-k-kQmI0oLjSc7iukj-PKkFbb8Nc6m1MvmrlBpBeCQc6jxUtlN9fHb3wgxYYr-oL9M5-tdYwdVWdhF-74/s528/astronaut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7fySVuUJLcWwZ9Ngaw-Qovh-p25LZAKMY5PrPQmSmQEGwPnxTnh-1XGEd7Y-k-kQmI0oLjSc7iukj-PKkFbb8Nc6m1MvmrlBpBeCQc6jxUtlN9fHb3wgxYYr-oL9M5-tdYwdVWdhF-74/s320/astronaut.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Astronaut in space</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></font><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">Writing a
daily journal keeps you ‘in the moment’ and distracts you from what’s happening
around you. If you use the opportunity to write yourself into a preferred
‘reality’ by referring to yourself in the third person, you can escape into
this make-believe world for a while. The distance you gain from daily troubles
will reduce your anxiety. Also, by inserting yourself into a story of the life <u>you</u>
want, you gain an insight into your dreams and create positive manifestation.
By writing of the life you <u>would</u> like, you can bring about the changes
to achieve it in the real world.<o:p></o:p></font></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwqCR9ugcKY6Aj-DRImkEv0a1MjzdUFAczf6IHD5idEbUU64eHOwzddaFRJe8fQdU4vT1HKtXOyf4F4MmBPUiqa28a4u9hMFOngI4V3uByS_aku4SiAK-OBQKuTY8wOSBa4LqZLVbnkII/s2560/20160804_103108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><font face="arial"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwqCR9ugcKY6Aj-DRImkEv0a1MjzdUFAczf6IHD5idEbUU64eHOwzddaFRJe8fQdU4vT1HKtXOyf4F4MmBPUiqa28a4u9hMFOngI4V3uByS_aku4SiAK-OBQKuTY8wOSBa4LqZLVbnkII/s320/20160804_103108.jpg" /></font></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><font face="arial">A beautiful garden and a gate leading somewhere...</font></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Use positive
quotes, clippings and photographs to assist you and enjoy the chance to
‘escape’ to anywhere in the world (or indeed the universe!). Make it as real or
fantastical as you like, from wanting a change in home or career to a total
lifestyle change such as becoming a millionaire or flying a rocket to Mars. Don’t
plan it. Write it as it comes, off-the-cuff as it were. This way your
subconscious will creep through and you may be surprised by what you create. If
you are fortunate, you may gain insight into what makes you happy. You could
unlock changes you can implement into your ‘real’ life.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvSmZGDf0_bLJwRA1YkLZJWh7rJGVcoALiTvflnFLQsqgTTgQJdT-3rYArqV3Yx1ZWuaUAaNuCHAidnrAhLFc0hnPy4PHxZXFavs1n8bLy0XbJe0MFdXnTrWvc8oltdg74odhdbb7HCZe/s525/person-writing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="525" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvSmZGDf0_bLJwRA1YkLZJWh7rJGVcoALiTvflnFLQsqgTTgQJdT-3rYArqV3Yx1ZWuaUAaNuCHAidnrAhLFc0hnPy4PHxZXFavs1n8bLy0XbJe0MFdXnTrWvc8oltdg74odhdbb7HCZe/s320/person-writing.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font face="arial"><i>Handwriting with pen on paper</i></font></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">While many
of us prefer technology and our smartphones, this technique is best done with
pen and paper. This method connects more closely to our subconscious through
muscle memory and is more immersive.<span style="color: red;">*</span><o:p></o:p></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">Grab a pen
and explore!<o:p></o:p></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial"><br /></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li><font face="arial"><b style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?</span></b></font></li><li><font face="arial"><b style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">If you could be anything, what would it be?</span></b></font></li></ul><p></p>
<p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="color: red;"><font face="arial"><br /></font></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><font face="arial"><font color="#ff0000" size="2">*Mental Health Disclaimer – if
you are under any medication and/or guidance for mental health issues, for safeguarding
purposes please consult your GP or psychologist before trying this immersive
diary technique.</font><font color="#ff0000"><o:p></o:p></font></font></i></p><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><font size="5"><b>~ ~ ~</b></font></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEf-qiqcHQEA6Skw9DunayyV62qo6bphRRD139FExDI1QjposjY6G6qzpIKVjnd351nTvRF6FPkIXs-kjkXYYt-7YHb9cljNTD0Q5M-SQdDNVlS2fqfwS9PhBsCIujSVPLoux3zT8jQDF/s1600/frontcover+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #cc9966; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="598" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEf-qiqcHQEA6Skw9DunayyV62qo6bphRRD139FExDI1QjposjY6G6qzpIKVjnd351nTvRF6FPkIXs-kjkXYYt-7YHb9cljNTD0Q5M-SQdDNVlS2fqfwS9PhBsCIujSVPLoux3zT8jQDF/s320/frontcover+small.jpg" style="border: none; cursor: move; position: relative;" width="213" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Blood, betrayal and brotherhood.</span></i></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They come to honour a Warrior-Lord’s dream,</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">An ancient saga weaving their destiny,</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But a treacherous rival threatens their fate.</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Wolf Sons are coming.</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.silverwoodbooks.co.uk/product/9781781322734/wulfsuna" target="_blank">WULFSUNA</a><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div>E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-76453261958830385132020-07-20T04:26:00.001-07:002020-07-20T04:26:13.163-07:00NEW BOOK RELEASE!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZSKBlvTX7qgqSurkQ2fsNZDntpSrJjtemJeSa6LkBhVwtmSKYt_VTH72LL98Dt8v7lAJZcwIAJ98w-X0AP6rLdHMbAVaXYLVsTB_Yjij7WwkGiuW6kmpECx8ldiFl9tZPRIdFb0jNqaH/s469/wolf+emblem.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="circular wolf brooch emblem" border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="409" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZSKBlvTX7qgqSurkQ2fsNZDntpSrJjtemJeSa6LkBhVwtmSKYt_VTH72LL98Dt8v7lAJZcwIAJ98w-X0AP6rLdHMbAVaXYLVsTB_Yjij7WwkGiuW6kmpECx8ldiFl9tZPRIdFb0jNqaH/w174-h200/wolf+emblem.tif" width="174" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><font face="arial" style="font-weight: normal;">A New Release is Coming!</font></h3><div><font face="arial" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial">I am very excited to announce a new publication, connected to my 'Wolf Spear Saga' series.</font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial">With an official release date of 1st August 2020, I shall soon be able to share more details with you.</font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial">I've seen the final cover proof and I love it - it encompasses all the ideas I wanted, linking it to 'Wulfsuna - Wolf Spear Saga 1' in terms of colours and key symbols.</font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><a href="https://elainesmoxon.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Visit my website</a> for blurb and cover reveals, as well as a forthcoming pre-order link and subscribe for regular updates - be the first to know!</font><br /></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div>E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-36679692755039759362020-07-10T07:09:00.020-07:002020-07-10T07:09:00.359-07:00Inspiration Hibernation<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTC4-xfwbxYSM3snR3-vS6382YzJKU4gC5lQOAV7SO78FHJ9mPbTY16H37WbphBb3kfYL10YFdQg9Q88RlR2syw8Opw7ozATi381BpkkflbFZZLQ3P6S4O-MOUDx-aj0bxkTdZbJWiTNzp/s500/pic30-Blank+Paper.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTC4-xfwbxYSM3snR3-vS6382YzJKU4gC5lQOAV7SO78FHJ9mPbTY16H37WbphBb3kfYL10YFdQg9Q88RlR2syw8Opw7ozATi381BpkkflbFZZLQ3P6S4O-MOUDx-aj0bxkTdZbJWiTNzp/s320/pic30-Blank+Paper.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A blank piece of paper</i><br /><div style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">You would imagine having twelve weeks at home would have been a writers' dream. No external distractions; no time wasted on journeys here, there and everywhere; no meeting friends in coffee shops or wasting time mooching around department stores. I'd been waking much earlier, often before my alarm at 6.15am, and not retiring to bed before 11pm most evenings. But... and this is the BIG 'but', I hadn't spent any extra time writing. My inspiration had gone into hibernation along with me!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNANshSzKeRvxTUgIGrrvnJPFP8OJurLaCOEdsRVoUlc8IQsKSBLq2Adm1pLCMA7Lj73jRIBnmK3F1hkrYhXrIUnD3Sf9x0w9FwnprlhStmENTpUfIR1OW22NjSZiaTMiSI7Go7KBmxwLl/s3264/apple+blossom.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNANshSzKeRvxTUgIGrrvnJPFP8OJurLaCOEdsRVoUlc8IQsKSBLq2Adm1pLCMA7Lj73jRIBnmK3F1hkrYhXrIUnD3Sf9x0w9FwnprlhStmENTpUfIR1OW22NjSZiaTMiSI7Go7KBmxwLl/s320/apple+blossom.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Apple blossom</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><font face="arial"><span style="text-align: justify;">I have spoken with other creatives who haven’t sat at a
laptop or picked up a pen or paintbrush either. Unable to go out and about, to
see people or places, had sapped our spark. To rectify this I began by posting
my ‘Hibernation Inspiration’ blog posts. These were a small effort to aid
fellow creatives and a channel for me to kick-start some writing by creating
the mini poems and prose for the posts. Here is <a href="https://elainemoxon.blogspot.com/2020/03/hibernation-inspiration-1.html" target="_blank">my first 'Hibernation Inspiration</a></span><span style="text-align: justify;"> post.</span></font></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1zxMpNRXyiRfV_yNpMZfKQ8VxFIPrFz-XVRQJt_4z6Qff9tf5YmjdemwhGcUY1ppCYI72KgoA90cwYayTvl1oGIQJJPvXPeXdLgo5373rjo-jbmFU49RP52i5E9Waglqc4Y7lrB_Ia3Lh/s2560/coffee+time.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1zxMpNRXyiRfV_yNpMZfKQ8VxFIPrFz-XVRQJt_4z6Qff9tf5YmjdemwhGcUY1ppCYI72KgoA90cwYayTvl1oGIQJJPvXPeXdLgo5373rjo-jbmFU49RP52i5E9Waglqc4Y7lrB_Ia3Lh/s320/coffee+time.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My little tray of filter coffee and matching mug</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><font face="arial">The ability to ‘find’ ideas comes from stimulation or solace,
neither of which are always attainable when you are indoors for months with <u>all</u>
your family! The muse wanders, so you have to find new methods. I substituted
visits to coffee shops, woodland walks and running my local writing group with
coffee moments at home, writing letters and spending more time in our garden
for work or leisure. To maintain my writing group, I organised video meetings
for my members and emailed them topics. I have found beauty and inspiration
closer to home. To spur my writing, I switched to smaller projects needing less
focus time and a shorter attention span. I extended deadlines on larger
projects and succumbed to a slower pace of life.</font><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-5JSH96YyqPU4wnrCwNixogoW2u71mSZanl7mN7ro7WPZHXJPIet9PSo6gS4grczNhLpZKV6CZP12N4PLoLBOVid2mOaF2UBPRttoRe73uoN9FrAh5E0RRwlPouZ6evpV3s3emDTgi6A/s525/scales.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="525" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-5JSH96YyqPU4wnrCwNixogoW2u71mSZanl7mN7ro7WPZHXJPIet9PSo6gS4grczNhLpZKV6CZP12N4PLoLBOVid2mOaF2UBPRttoRe73uoN9FrAh5E0RRwlPouZ6evpV3s3emDTgi6A/s320/scales.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Scales of work/life balance</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial">Life is all about balance and when something is tossed at you
that tips the scales, you make adjustments until you regain that balance.
Sometimes it takes a while, but when you find the magical mix, mind and body
relax. Relaxation of mind and body facilitates the return of the muse and eases
creative production. If you are stuck in a creative rut, keep trying. Your muse
it out there. You may simply need a little longer to find it. And take heart…
during this time of global hibernation many people around the world have chosen
the creative arts to express themselves, to entertain them and to inspire them
to try new careers.</font></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="text-align: justify;"><b><font face="arial">Have you struggled to write through lockdown?</font></b></span></li><li><b style="text-align: justify;"><font face="arial">What have you done to maintain inspiration?</font></b></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><font size="5">~ ~ ~</font></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEf-qiqcHQEA6Skw9DunayyV62qo6bphRRD139FExDI1QjposjY6G6qzpIKVjnd351nTvRF6FPkIXs-kjkXYYt-7YHb9cljNTD0Q5M-SQdDNVlS2fqfwS9PhBsCIujSVPLoux3zT8jQDF/s1600/frontcover+small.jpg" style="color: #999999; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="598" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEf-qiqcHQEA6Skw9DunayyV62qo6bphRRD139FExDI1QjposjY6G6qzpIKVjnd351nTvRF6FPkIXs-kjkXYYt-7YHb9cljNTD0Q5M-SQdDNVlS2fqfwS9PhBsCIujSVPLoux3zT8jQDF/s320/frontcover+small.jpg" style="border: none; cursor: move; position: relative;" width="213" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Blood, betrayal and brotherhood.</span></i></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They come to honour a Warrior-Lord’s dream,</span></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">An ancient saga weaving their destiny,</span></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But a treacherous rival threatens their fate.</span></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Wolf Sons are coming.</span></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"></div><div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">WULFSUNA</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></b></div></div></div></div><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: start;"></b></div>E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-878374154698030332020-05-01T06:00:00.000-07:002020-05-01T06:00:09.273-07:00Hibernation Inspiration!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>May Day Frolicks!</b></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">It's May - here are some fun festivities to try and a song to get you in the mood.</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-lMjk2XQ6K9sHlTJGcoS8-mqWWLEJtGRrL4GdjhNBS6labubHdu7m3cD0sqzUh6LSiBju-Hhctg3_StK2AY6VXgaBcRliLlniPGdueugSE8bqgRXqvGQUsVC4n5QBwFHePfaU5lvOD1p9/s1600/20160530_103618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-lMjk2XQ6K9sHlTJGcoS8-mqWWLEJtGRrL4GdjhNBS6labubHdu7m3cD0sqzUh6LSiBju-Hhctg3_StK2AY6VXgaBcRliLlniPGdueugSE8bqgRXqvGQUsVC4n5QBwFHePfaU5lvOD1p9/s320/20160530_103618.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>'Around the maypole, gather we,</i></div>
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<i>Dancing and prancing merrily.</i></div>
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<i>To the Lord and Lady in the Green,</i></div>
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<i>In our best frocks and mayflowers must we be seen.</i></div>
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<i>Join in the dance, to bring in May,</i></div>
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<i>With its fertile soil and flowers so gay.</i></div>
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<i>Rise and fall, dip and swirl,</i></div>
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<i>All may dance, come boy, come girl.'</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrcZkqT0TIE8nHhAHmD0B0201_RtTPrwU9YheKMsLE9frAlvB4nYUqCA0K4aJb7zBXnKHr6ThQgTbSMXJznjX5HgYPqf8Xlpqz626JapVPiXBz2LQ3hgSNEFx2fuWHOteFih8jzRInt_Hp/s1600/20160806_115623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrcZkqT0TIE8nHhAHmD0B0201_RtTPrwU9YheKMsLE9frAlvB4nYUqCA0K4aJb7zBXnKHr6ThQgTbSMXJznjX5HgYPqf8Xlpqz626JapVPiXBz2LQ3hgSNEFx2fuWHOteFih8jzRInt_Hp/s320/20160806_115623.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Take a stick/wooden spoon/branch on a tree and decorate with strips of bright fabric, wool or ribbons, criss-crossing and overlapping colours. Leave some dangling long.</div>
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Dance with long scarves in circles, clockwise then anti-clockwise. Make up patterns and dance moves so the scarves 'dance' with you.</div>
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Decorate your favourite trees and shrubs with coloured threads or ribbons, to say 'thank you' for their beauty and bless their fertility.</div>
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Make some floral head-dresses*, or use face paints/make-up to decorate your face/body with floral patterns [*use strips of card and attach cut-out flowers and leaves that you have painted, or use stickers/foam shapes to decorate your head-dress].</div>
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E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-80803145251796541302020-04-24T05:47:00.000-07:002020-04-24T05:47:02.389-07:00Hibernation Inspiration #5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzEwxQp0Mgp8zQMbj5awvydfTxUVISZcQF6uuvebtiBWm0TUsOJn3HQSG4_1_f7If_qDvOXHpmijKQvOnSsuGMGeZlMiwlDodb6ZqjrjddYRDi7hNz7vl5EfWVCx2Eak9lZwkzjo9fiOdw/s1600/1405949353288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzEwxQp0Mgp8zQMbj5awvydfTxUVISZcQF6uuvebtiBWm0TUsOJn3HQSG4_1_f7If_qDvOXHpmijKQvOnSsuGMGeZlMiwlDodb6ZqjrjddYRDi7hNz7vl5EfWVCx2Eak9lZwkzjo9fiOdw/s320/1405949353288.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
I've been listening to my favourite composer, Chopin. The variety of pieces have inspired various scenes in my mind. There are some that evoke the incidental music played over silent films of the Twenties: the heroine dashing around in blond curls and a scarf, fleeing a moustached foe in an overly-large tuxedo.<br />
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Then there are pieces that suggest a peaceful walk along the Seine on a balmy, Paris summer's evening. Bateaux mooches pass by; lovers embrace on the steps; the happy chatter of people at bistros lining the street rise into the warm night air.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBq1XSjmGRYaWPsaWsfFHObTrdnrc3i0ZX3Pn8OUdx7QAISUhyphenhyphenembpQ4UpvtZFsxCH6K8nAhz9nk7QUlreJeB9j8oiS-Lz9k61UvAA1dagq6oCNxZKde11K115uR7deQ9RmFwapoIJrztD/s1600/20160806_104050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBq1XSjmGRYaWPsaWsfFHObTrdnrc3i0ZX3Pn8OUdx7QAISUhyphenhyphenembpQ4UpvtZFsxCH6K8nAhz9nk7QUlreJeB9j8oiS-Lz9k61UvAA1dagq6oCNxZKde11K115uR7deQ9RmFwapoIJrztD/s320/20160806_104050.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
And some compositions have you reminiscing of unforgettable English summers, with long pink and golden sunsets, swallows or bats chasing insects in the fading light. A warm ale, sipped outside a familiar country pub and faithful dogs lingering at their owners' feet, waiting for a hot, vinegar-soaked chip to fall within their reach on the cool grass.<br />
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<b><i>What music whisks you away to pleasant memories?</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Write about a happy memory; a place; a person.</i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmIIQjy8w_sj_fV2YQ1-rLVgtSYBhxDp_cEuHropw8AS3v3kEFOplr2TyCe-OCPHm3pe9KTzDCj8i5XX1WvA217Lm_YozhTmZ7IYUPVATiCmYkUAj7XeDe_rSONSY6Y2iZ2td-2zHJDzt/s1600/20160530_104853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmIIQjy8w_sj_fV2YQ1-rLVgtSYBhxDp_cEuHropw8AS3v3kEFOplr2TyCe-OCPHm3pe9KTzDCj8i5XX1WvA217Lm_YozhTmZ7IYUPVATiCmYkUAj7XeDe_rSONSY6Y2iZ2td-2zHJDzt/s320/20160530_104853.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<b><i><br /></i></b>E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-33604932547278996702020-04-17T08:56:00.000-07:002020-04-17T08:56:06.283-07:00Hibernation Inspiration #4<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Come into the garden and explore!</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1K9sHDDcBGMolMjPt0-FxOAAcEX3xchiIu6gBNR4V0vXnD94NqFtvWFJPulvG55QgJ6t9PUf-7G2lS3rzEYG8PiC16HOlS5aF0eKdyYJq-_aYGUq997jpThMxyMiz7Ht20jQcrkdZzPm/s1600/20160806_115448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i></i><span style="font-size: large;"></span><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1K9sHDDcBGMolMjPt0-FxOAAcEX3xchiIu6gBNR4V0vXnD94NqFtvWFJPulvG55QgJ6t9PUf-7G2lS3rzEYG8PiC16HOlS5aF0eKdyYJq-_aYGUq997jpThMxyMiz7Ht20jQcrkdZzPm/s320/20160806_115448.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I've been watching various things come into bud outside, in our garden and other people's across the way. There are plenty of daffodils and dandelions!<br />
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Now and then I venture into the back garden to feel the sunshine and see what is sprouting. I love the earthy smell of the soil and the sweetness of grass. These photographs are from my travels, alas my own garden is not so amazing, but I thought they were immensely cheery!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1jqcFFWhVhECsQpf0DzIAN2UQoGK81r7jfQ9ftxvRn7Dn54En0nEYKdRCF_xtKY1DK0wQRMTZj6N9ZlP4IMdLti9RfRr6BgJf_xyuOEZkMA0HMTwshn38yYz938kE1Cect3lyH3y5_TfX/s1600/20160530_112444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1jqcFFWhVhECsQpf0DzIAN2UQoGK81r7jfQ9ftxvRn7Dn54En0nEYKdRCF_xtKY1DK0wQRMTZj6N9ZlP4IMdLti9RfRr6BgJf_xyuOEZkMA0HMTwshn38yYz938kE1Cect3lyH3y5_TfX/s320/20160530_112444.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Perhaps it's time to write about the fairies and other mythical creatures who may be living beneath or inside the plants and flowers of our gardens or wild spaces? Let's take a trip to fantasyland this week, shall we?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXK6bboDStAcnkQHzHRS6_vyE41lhRGRwqAXV9zMiBjB-we1cSF5RgOWt0bWF4BMCBhVsUCTIB1U7OWXxvYUZWzkZbozgM0zjMZIjm8R_GfiI7kjocLXBMC6vBMusmOhybZi-0GbHqByG/s1600/20170727_124601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXK6bboDStAcnkQHzHRS6_vyE41lhRGRwqAXV9zMiBjB-we1cSF5RgOWt0bWF4BMCBhVsUCTIB1U7OWXxvYUZWzkZbozgM0zjMZIjm8R_GfiI7kjocLXBMC6vBMusmOhybZi-0GbHqByG/s320/20170727_124601.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<i>'Soft green buds sprout on small trees and shrubs,</i></div>
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<i>Bringing plants back to life.</i></div>
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<i>Through the ground peep shoots, so slender,</i></div>
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<i>Straining bravely against the wind.</i></div>
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<i>You are embraced by the quiet solace of a warm, spring day.'</i></div>
<i></i><br />E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-91095086942522449432020-04-10T08:43:00.000-07:002020-04-10T08:43:00.264-07:00Hibernation Inspiration #3<i></i><div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Ideas on themes of 'nature' and 'springtime'.</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0I0nphyphenhyphenKHNYA73Kawr-tmhoBIvDqwl7L7mM0LKT6eiwHBv84xqn5QvceY00Cf-gslnltZM9V1i84bHSzFCwCQ0F1d7iRnaVoPYSxaFCNlx9Hu85Lrm_SdkMitdlIUqFZjg-GV0InfJZL0/s1600/Autumn+Walk_BK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0I0nphyphenhyphenKHNYA73Kawr-tmhoBIvDqwl7L7mM0LKT6eiwHBv84xqn5QvceY00Cf-gslnltZM9V1i84bHSzFCwCQ0F1d7iRnaVoPYSxaFCNlx9Hu85Lrm_SdkMitdlIUqFZjg-GV0InfJZL0/s320/Autumn+Walk_BK.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hello again! What have you been creating? Any good ideas to share? I'm having fun compiling some simple poems about nature and things I can see from the windows of our home.<br />
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I was thinking today of perhaps a story, compiled of a series of poems, that could all link together? If you give it a go, let me know how you get on.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgneL0E26L31AzJykbn10Dh75rqIkmgK-piGfF15Y9zg5UJu2IoF0SgXtcxFvO8N4WSXYhmZDNr2TRl4ydF0hM_LHhoULjgCfxOyN9lPxYoQJ8aLulOEdWG1CPIhEk5-QoU4UCnTi7Th3Kb/s1600/20150929_174700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgneL0E26L31AzJykbn10Dh75rqIkmgK-piGfF15Y9zg5UJu2IoF0SgXtcxFvO8N4WSXYhmZDNr2TRl4ydF0hM_LHhoULjgCfxOyN9lPxYoQJ8aLulOEdWG1CPIhEk5-QoU4UCnTi7Th3Kb/s320/20150929_174700.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>'Sun peeps through leaves on the trees.</i></div>
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<i>The church bell peels through the warm afternoon air.</i></div>
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<i>Spring bulbs bob their dainty heads upon the gentle breeze.</i></div>
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<i>A child's hair flies wild as they bounce over green grass,</i></div>
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<i>Cries of joy and excited screams fill the park,</i></div>
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<i>As bikes and skateboards go flying past.'</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjrDMbCeRel-ryWoxRuv49nzivZpdobnUAyeCTyuZQmNlsNdOD-hewBPBRT2fn0Lgx1Cpk5l4Qib-3oaQ4oU-uZTbGYu0maQt-yTOe_hO6GztgMbSL-Zg8k8A9R3sF4424T68dhWs9CrH/s1600/20160330_111934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjrDMbCeRel-ryWoxRuv49nzivZpdobnUAyeCTyuZQmNlsNdOD-hewBPBRT2fn0Lgx1Cpk5l4Qib-3oaQ4oU-uZTbGYu0maQt-yTOe_hO6GztgMbSL-Zg8k8A9R3sF4424T68dhWs9CrH/s320/20160330_111934.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818661175714741437.post-37895162512909798342020-04-03T08:29:00.000-07:002020-04-03T08:29:11.032-07:00Hibernation Inspiration #2<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">More observations on the themes of 'hibernation' and 'emergence' - some Spring things to inspire ideas!</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzlzuUEIjd9gdzhtvctlBbG_IjzhfxcM87onKt-zfPBtuvk_bPWezHXgQuuiJXNs4AvBAWewmL-u5aQ44yHfYJ5LAaE49eH9v3_rwBUuROWFqhoFRajKmIx-RhZhMpFMb3NgbDPE2vUPFQ/s1600/merlin+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i></i><span style="font-size: large;"></span><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzlzuUEIjd9gdzhtvctlBbG_IjzhfxcM87onKt-zfPBtuvk_bPWezHXgQuuiJXNs4AvBAWewmL-u5aQ44yHfYJ5LAaE49eH9v3_rwBUuROWFqhoFRajKmIx-RhZhMpFMb3NgbDPE2vUPFQ/s1600/merlin+3.jpg" /></a></div>
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Another week and another morsel of inspiration from my personal photo collection and an observational poem. I'm sure many of you will be able to do better justice to poetry - so have a go!<br />
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Try some Haiku or flash fiction. Begin a new story and see where it leads you. Above all - have fun with words.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTNtDSDSEbG51eqqfdhg2zzcu632hBalLTHfxkzSn9jESQLkQ3h9UHtrKanlVlXkShFd2pkWzaQ0oz-aDEggXm0lhsIG_-RibU7qUSYhyST2AXiHt-nzQQM0sSx2BSmCV1C952JdCJWpy/s1600/winter+forest.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="1400" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTNtDSDSEbG51eqqfdhg2zzcu632hBalLTHfxkzSn9jESQLkQ3h9UHtrKanlVlXkShFd2pkWzaQ0oz-aDEggXm0lhsIG_-RibU7qUSYhyST2AXiHt-nzQQM0sSx2BSmCV1C952JdCJWpy/s320/winter+forest.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>'What are the words,</i></div>
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<i>Exchanged between birds?</i></div>
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<i>What do they say to one another?</i></div>
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<i>Do pigeons coo of love?</i></div>
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<i>Do robins tweet of the sun above?</i></div>
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<i>Do blackbirds chirp when tugging worms are a bother?</i></div>
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<i>Who is the crow cawing to?</i></div>
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<i>Where to the swallows fly from and to?</i></div>
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<i>Do baby birds fight with their brothers?'</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitx2ugT3gUYka8BGKmYu71zhjHY5pAUFus812_KEB2RUUoQlyGxM7Tl6ehGjUVlWcGzeJXqLB6HgYcwA3BAzt9wyJJkVfcCgEKy4DKydgQmYejHmuvcUgrEVnBoXSe7Gq5f5lcuS-VHrND/s1600/sunset.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="1550" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitx2ugT3gUYka8BGKmYu71zhjHY5pAUFus812_KEB2RUUoQlyGxM7Tl6ehGjUVlWcGzeJXqLB6HgYcwA3BAzt9wyJJkVfcCgEKy4DKydgQmYejHmuvcUgrEVnBoXSe7Gq5f5lcuS-VHrND/s320/sunset.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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</i><i></i><br />E S Moxonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.com0