Creativity Strikes Anywhere...

I'm a bit late in posting my mid-week blog because I was at an open evening yesterday. One of my sons is looking at potential courses for autumn next year, so I went with him to the local further education college to find out about Computer Games Development.

Actually there are some similarities between creating a game and creating a story.They both start with ideas and inspirations. They need to be developed and if something doesn't work you go back a couple of stages and try something else, or make alterations to something you have that is good but just isn't quite right. You revise and fine tune until eventually the game/story is ready.

The only difference is that I can understand the terms used in writing, whereas gaming terminology goes completely over my head. I just sat there while my son and the tutor talked in phrases that meant very little to me... :-)

But it must have done some good because today my brain has been working.

Now I have always found cooking dinner to be a creative time- combining ingredients to make something delicious and satisfying.  So as I was putting together a chicken casserole two of my vague characters moved into my conscious. I now know the circumstances that gets them together, some of the back story and the conflicts. So now I need to find suitable names and what they look like...

Some writers report they get ideas develop when they're out walking, or even when they're ironing, so I've learnt to accept this as normal and not to let anyone or anything distract me until I've written it down. Hence the reason for notebooks in my handbag, by the television or near the computer...

So at least it's been a productive few days...

Colour and Me...

As the past few days have been very warm and extremely bright I've been out in the garden taking photos of all the tree and plant blossoms that have suddenly burst into life- okay I know that all the buds and flower heads started to burst into life a month or so ago, but you know what I mean, colour is suddenly everywhere...

(And sympathy if you are the part of the population who start sneezing, itching or having breathing problems the moment pollen starts rising.)

Cherry and Magnolia in my garden

Looking at the various shades of white from the assorted blossom it started me thinking how to describe such a basic colour. In the next-door neighbour's garden is a white Magnolia- I automatically think of the shade of paint when I hear the word magnolia- but it is a different shade of white to the cherry blossom, the former has tinges of pink while the latter reminds me of ground chalk (chalk was used for writing on blackboards when I was in school many years ago).

So I had a look at The Bookshelf Muse blog and viewed the list of words under White in the Colour Thesaurus but chalk wasn't mentioned- well they mostly use whiteboards in many schools now.

If I haven't mentioned this blog before it is worth bookmarking. I especially like the Settings Thesaurus, it has a lengthy selection, among which are a Casino, a Cryogenic Sleep Chamber and a Wood at Night. There's a setting for any genre.

I wonder what I might find in a fantasy Herbalists Shop? Hopefully not eye of newt or tongue of iguana, but then again...

Sadly the brightness didn't last and the dismal clouds arrived- no I'll leave the dirty dishwater description out of it I think and include a few blossom pictures so you can imagine the sunshine.



Open Magnolia blossom