Breathing in the Past

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.

Thundery skies over the Avebury Circle

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.

Stag in a misty forest

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.

Lady reclining on a hill in the sunshine

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.

Waterfall

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!

Once upon a time...

~   ~   ~

Blood, betrayal and brotherhood.

They come to honour a Warrior-Lord’s dream,

An ancient saga weaving their destiny,

But a treacherous rival threatens their fate.

The Wolf Sons are coming.

WULFSUNA

Creative Boost

A rainbow of journals

If, like me, you are one of the may writers who have lost momentum during lockdown (read my previous post) 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?

Astronaut in space

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 you want, you gain an insight into your dreams and create positive manifestation. By writing of the life you would like, you can bring about the changes to achieve it in the real world.

A beautiful garden and a gate leading somewhere...

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.

Handwriting with pen on paper

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.*

Grab a pen and explore!

• If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
• If you could be anything, what would it be?

*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.

~   ~   ~

Blood, betrayal and brotherhood.

They come to honour a Warrior-Lord’s dream,

An ancient saga weaving their destiny,

But a treacherous rival threatens their fate.

The Wolf Sons are coming.

WULFSUNA

Inspiration Hibernation

A blank piece of paper

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!

Apple blossom

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 my first 'Hibernation Inspiration post.

My little tray of filter coffee and matching mug

The ability to ‘find’ ideas comes from stimulation or solace, neither of which are always attainable when you are indoors for months with all 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.

Scales of work/life balance

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.

• Have you struggled to write through lockdown?
• What have you done to maintain inspiration?

~   ~   ~

Blood, betrayal and brotherhood.

They come to honour a Warrior-Lord’s dream,

An ancient saga weaving their destiny,

But a treacherous rival threatens their fate.

The Wolf Sons are coming.

WULFSUNA

Hibernation Inspiration #5

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.

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.

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.

What music whisks you away to pleasant memories?

Write about a happy memory; a place; a person.

Hibernation Inspiration #4

Come into the garden and explore!

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!

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!

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?

'Soft green buds sprout on small trees and shrubs,

Bringing plants back to life.

Through the ground peep shoots, so slender,

Straining bravely against the wind.

You are embraced by the quiet solace of a warm, spring day.'

Hibernation Inspiration #3

Ideas on themes of 'nature' and 'springtime'.

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.

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.

'Sun peeps through leaves on the trees.

The church bell peels through the warm afternoon air.

Spring bulbs bob their dainty heads upon the gentle breeze.

A child's hair flies wild as they bounce over green grass,

Cries of joy and excited screams fill the park,

As bikes and skateboards go flying past.'

Hygge: the new Mead Hall

Hall of Hygge!

I’ve been embracing Hygge, the Danish art of ‘being’ and ‘sharing’, and it got me thinking. This isn’t a new craze that’s never been tried before. This is something the Danish have been perfecting for hundreds of years. It’s something the human race has been practising for thousands of years. It’s simply a case of switching off from all the external distractions of life in our current world and curling up with those you love. It’s about downtime without artificial lights or modern technologies that interrupt us all the while. It’s time to switch off your smartphones, or in the case of our ancestors, leave the swords outside.

'If I can just thread this needle...'

Some may argue that television is the modern equivalent to the tales of Scops or Skalds in the Mead Halls, except instead of listening to oral stories of brave heroes we are eagerly watching people dance or bake their way to glory. Here in the Moxon household we’ve had candles and fairy lights on and the whole tribe has been curled up on a sofa surrounded by cushions and blankets. There’s been reading, board games and knitting. I’ve almost completed a knitted tunic that I began in the spring, hoping to wear it for winter. This is now taking shape and I may still have the weather to wear it in. It made me think of Medieval women combing raw wool as they sit by the fire.

Get the tea on!

Surprisingly, or not, all this Hyggelig behaviour spurred my writer’s brain into action. I’ve had plot ideas, promotional ideas and thoughts of exciting twists in future novels. We’ve planned holidays and daytrips or taken 40 winks, sent into slumber by the warmth of the dog beside us (not with the candles burning mind you!). The communal ‘downtime’ not only liberated us from modern society, but liberated our imaginations. It is easy to see how productive this socially engaging enclosure is and would have been to our ancestors in the Mead Halls. Campaigns could be formed and strategized; community disputes discussed and settled; plans passed for building and crop growing.

Time for adventure

Like a warrior whittling runes into a bone comb, dreaming of heroic ventures as he warms his toes by the hearth, so we have been busy making and plotting in our own 21^st Century way. There is a saying that ‘the old ones are the best’ and I think the Danes know this very well. Hygge is an old tradition and is still the best way to live, tapping into our past as we move into the future. Here's to exciting adventures and some literary 'a-viking' across the oceans of the writer's page!

BE CANDLE SAFE – NEVER LEAVE A BURNING FLAME UNATTENDED

~  ~  ~

Elaine writes Historical Fiction as E S Moxon and is currently editing the second novel in the 'Wolf Spear Saga' series, writing the third instalment, as well as a set of Old English tales and several novellas. You can keep up to date with her publishing progress on her website.

Available as e-Book, Paperback & Hardback (Amazon, Book Depository & more)

Blood, betrayal and brotherhood.

An ancient saga is weaving their destiny.

A treacherous rival threatens their fate.

A Seer's magic may be all that can save them.

WULFSUNA

Last Rites and Burial

When writing in any era, the end of a life can take on various meanings, depending on the beliefs of the deceased individual. There may be an exotic afterlife to consider or particular funerary rites to adhere to. Tossing history into the mix brings with it layers of archaic ritual, older cultural boundaries and long-extinct practices. Therefore, this can be a complicated yet fascinating aspect of writing historical fiction.

West Kennet Long Barrow

photo: E Moxon

In my ‘Wolf Spear Saga’ series I must consider many factors in relation to the death of my characters. For my Germanic characters, they descend from a warrior line. Kings and tribal leaders would have received the ultimate in ornate burials with plenty of grave goods. If he is an experienced horseman, he may even be buried with his ‘noble steed’. However, in times of danger when there is little time to linger for fear of return attack, they might resort to a funeral pyre. This may be inevitable after battle if they have several dead warriors and limited time. Cremation was for centuries an acceptable form of funerary rite, even when some turned to Christianity. Grave goods have been found in Christian burials, despite not being a religion that encourages the placing of sacred objects with the body or cremation urn.

photo: visualhunt.com

Religious beliefs come and go, evolving and overlapping throughout history. Forms of burial container exist in hundreds of designs that have beauty or function to carry the dead into whatever future they perceived lay before them. Some expected to be collected by fearless shield maidens who would deliver them to the feasting hall of a one-eyed war-god, in order to battle into eternity. Others would expect to meet other deceased relatives in a summer meadow, able to lead a fruitful, playful existence with their array of grave goods.

Snettisham Great Torc

photo: visualhunt.com

Deaths of religious figures, such as priests and priestesses also vary depending on cultural and religious differences. Evidence has been found of herbs in Coptic jars and headdresses or pillows made from the leaves of plants considered to have magical powers. Essences in bottles and flower garlands worn as funerary adornments can hint at the importance of incense or plant oils accompanying those who possessed the ability to see the future or read the messages from scented fires. Embalming is a particular ritual that was perfected by the Egyptians, though is not restricted to their ancestral history alone.

Stonehenge

photo: E Moxon

Finally, then there are the cultural rituals replete among warrior tribes and the elite among ancient peoples. The Welsh and Irish sagas abound with the ‘rites of passage of kings’, with several tales of fathers being brutally murdered by sons. This has a multitude of connotations, from disgruntled sons eager to remove fathers from thrones to the right of every warrior to die a noble death. To die ungracefully in one’s own bed would be a disgrace to many a brave king, but were a son to ‘send’ his father to a noble death via the sword, then the king’s reputation and warrior-status would remain intact. This act, a ‘rite of passage’ could send the king into his chosen afterlife.

Oseberg Ship Burial

photo: visalhunt.com

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Do you consider the end of your characters' lives as much as their creation?

How much detail and thought do you employ when creating characters?

Has a character's death affected you when writing/reading it?

                                                                               

Workshop Cafe

Today I ran a 'Writing Workshop' at a local cake café in my neighbourhood. It was a beautiful blend of creative camaraderie and idea sharing, with cake!

A gaggle of writers

It all began one day while talking to the owners and enjoying their baked wonders. Kiss Me Cupcakes are a most welcome addition to our local community, not least because of their gorgeous baked delights. They are enthusiastic about bringing people together in their delightful wood-panelled café for a variety of events, sharing creative endeavours and eating cake. Did I mention there is cake?

Writers' Fuel

While I run a bi-monthly writing group at my local community centre, I thought it would be fun to hold a workshop, especially for those who find it difficult to begin a project. It can take time and immense effort for people to overcome the initial hurdle of putting those first few words on a page. Using some fun activities and simple handouts my little gaggle of writers went home today with 50-100 words of a story, a basic plot arc and some idea of direction.

Heads down for the '50 words' round!

We decided we loved it so much, we'll be doing it again soon. A big thank you not only to the café, but also the attendees who were inspiring and enthusiastic! Thank you especially for the marvellous feedback.

Me in my Author's Nook

Blank Page Syndrome

Beginning any project can prove a fearful experience for many; a perilous precipice of white expanse where no words dare to fall. Toes curl, hair bristles on the back of necks and fingers pause over keys. They envy those who freefall into the abyss and dream of the day when chapters gush onto the page in a vomit of inspiration. Yes, writing is a messy craft for some.

I recently wrote a blog on keeping a writing ‘log’ after experiencing insecurities over the little time I thought I was spending on my craft. It turned out these insecurities were unfounded and other areas of my life had only appeared to have consumed my writing time. Quite often doubts and insecurities arise when we are confronted with what our own psyche views as a mammoth task.

Starting a new novel, entirely undrafted or plotted in any way except for a title had shaken my confidence. The ‘Blank Page Syndrome’ had crept in while I had been busy with daily work and family routines, to undermine my ability to even begin! Goodness, it had even cast doubts on whether I was doing any writing at all, about anything.

A few weeks into the log settled those initial doubts. Then it was time to get to work on the fear of that vacant page. Where did I begin? I read books, lots of books, all factual research on various topics relating to the novel I hoped to write. As I made notes on Druidry, equine history, Autism and the movement of Celtic peoples after the departure of the Roman Empire from Britain, visions emerged. My vacant page contained words, not of a story per se, but of scenarios.

Finding the roots of your story is one way to chase away the Blank Page Syndrome. Once you set down roots, it is hard to be uprooted as the trunk expands, branches spread and leaves grow with your ideas. Soon these disparate scenarios contain characters, or at the very least names or titles of the protagonists. They may not have faces or hair colour, but they are saying things and moving around a landscape that is slowly emerging, like a watercolour filtering over paper.

Soon you discover you are linking these scenarios together and forming a jigsaw with them, slotting in new ideas or moving them around. External factors or other characters appear to tip the delicately balanced plot, sometimes even before it has completely formed and you find the story spiralling into unknown, unplanned pastures.

You have the beginnings of a book!

• Have you ever suffered with the blank page syndrome? If so, how have you dealt with it?
• Are you a tight plotter, loose pantster or a little of both?
• If you have an idea do you stall it and pause to assess if it will be detrimental to the original plot, or run with it and see where it will lead?
• Do you throw out an idea if it doesn’t fit within the strict confines of the perfect story arc you created, or allow it to alter your story?

Writing as ‘E S Moxon’, Elaine's debut historical fiction adventure ‘WULFSUNA’ was published January 21^st, 2015 and is the first in her Wolf Spear Saga series. She is currently writing her second novel, set once again in the Dark Ages of 5^th Century Britain, where the legendary Saga ensures a Seer and one named 'Wolf Spear' are destined to meet. You can find out more about Elaine’s novels on her website or follow her on Twitter or Facebook.

Elaine lives in the Midlands with her family and their chocolate Labrador.

~ ~ ~

Blood, betrayal and brotherhood.

An ancient saga is weaving their destiny.

A treacherous rival threatens their fate.

A Seer's magic may be all that can save them.

WULFSUNA