Put the Radio on

There are days I can't start a story, or can't continue.

What is it that stops me?

Fear.

You might think that sounds silly... How can she be afraid of a few words on a page?

Stop sitting there, staring out the window and just get on with it! Come on! Write!

It sounds simple. Simple and silly.

Open the laptop, tap the keys, form words and make sentences.

Nothing to be afraid of, surely?

It's not so much the action of typing, or a lack of ideas, images, plot, characters etc.

It's more what all that says to me when I read it back.

If I start to think about where those words come from and how they make me feel, then I am lost. Lost in thoughts, memories, photographs all jumbled up with my imagination, like ingredients in a Magimix; kneaded together, ready to roll into a story.

What's wrong with that? Isn't that the point - how and where stories start?

Well, yes. I just didn't know it could make me feel like this: like I'm turning myself inside out and spreading my jam-guts on toast. They're not really my guts - Bryn's story is about Bryn, not me. But, like most writers I guess I cannibalize my life and experiences and regurgitate them (apologies if you're having your lunch).

I stare at what I've written and it looks good (despite the resemblance to guts... sorry, I'll stop now!) but it's as though I don't remember writing it. The images in my head made words, sentences, paragraphs, chapters all by themselves. I have no idea how they escaped from that secret locked-away space between my ears and rearranged themselves in black and white on the screen.

Did I do it in my sleep? Sleep-writing... is that a thing?

Is that where the fear comes from - the not knowing where it comes from in the first place?

Ironically, I think it's the fear that makes me want to write. The more scared I am of how this ability to form mental scribbles into stories happens, the more curious I get about what else I'll find in there - so I keep going. Splutter-start-stop-splutter-start... like an old Volkswagen Beetle lost and kangerooing down a bumpy country lane.

I'll get from A to Z in the end, it might just take me a while to find the right gear.

Alive and Kicking

What does a story look like? How do you know when you've written one?

5 words, 500 words, or 50,000 words?

Prose, or poetry?

First person, or third person?

I'm more interested in a story appearing, than its appearance (if you see what I mean...)

So I say, don't worry about what you think it should look like. Chances are what you end up with will be different to how you imagined it anyway. Stories have a habit of writing themselves, once the words find the page...

I joined in with a creative writing workshop this morning. We did a few random tasks to generate ideas, spent a few minutes writing, then sharing was optional. We all started with the same tools and prompts, but came up with completely different shaped stories. That's why words are magic - you can weave them together in your own unique way.

Here's the story I made with pen and paper from: 'Wind powered acrostic'

Turning

Undulating

Rushing

Briskly

Inspiring

New

Electricity

How do I know it's a story?

Well, it tells me something about what a turbine does, in just 7 words.

I could add description to each line and make it longer, but I think it sounds rather good as it is: an accidental poem!

Domino Dancing

At the beginning of a story I wrote, the main character was not keen on reading and even when his teacher encouraged him to escape into an adventure, he still insisted there was already too much going on in his own head to take in anyone else's world. No spoilers here, but our reluctant reader does become more interested in books as the pages turn and he realises there's more to a paper caper than just words!

A literary journey can get going when someone is given the right book. Simple as that! But what if it starts with meeting the right person to give it to you...

If you know a reluctant reader, or you are one yourself, it's probably just that they, or you, haven't yet discovered the story that will ignite curiosity. It may be a story that's already familiar; you just didn't get a spark the first time around. Or it may be the person who will offer you that book hasn't found you yet. Be they a librarian, teacher, bookseller, friend or family - they'll be waiting somewhere with something precious to share with you. When it happens, you might not even know; but in time you'll remember and want to pass that gift to someone else so they can experience the magic of reading too.

Ooh, I got all philosophical there! It's because I believe there really is a story, poem, comic, recipe book out there for everyone. It will find you when you least expect it, which is usually when you need it the most. Be bold and brave; read what's around you, write down what you notice and how it makes you feel. It might just be the spark you need to start your own story.