December Life update Part 2: Last post of the year!

Hi readers!

Well this is the last post of 2016 I'll be writing for this blog as next Monday is the second day of 2017! I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I did and I wanted to write a post about the changing of traditions, but to be honest I'm super tired and I've work tomorrow night. Hopefully, work will not be too bad, but you never know.

On another note, it's not snowed here. Manchester, UK has had gale force winds, heavy down pours of rain and minutes of hailstones, but so far it still doesn't feel like winter. In fact it's raining right now!

Also, unlike last time, I've no photos to post up. Not had a chance to really take any.

I have reached my book reading goal of this year though! I only had to read 30 books, but it was a starting block because I plan to raise it up ever year now. So in 2017, I'm aiming for 50 books. Though I should easily make that as I have two series to read, including one manga series that's got about 21 books in it. Of course, I won't be reviewing all of that series book by book! The second series is the True Blood one and I'll have to decided about reviewing all of those there's about 12, I think. Then I've about 10 books on my to-read list. So that's like 43 books, so finding a few more will be fine. Here's my Goodreads link; https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2016/7400715

Christmas for me has been really good this year. Last year, I spent it away from home for the first time and for me I can't believe the difference being home for Christmas does make. I think it has to do with a number of connecting things like; being with my parents, the traditions we have, my family coming together, the food we have and just that sense of like belonging and things being right. It really makes me not want to spend another Christmas away from home, but it's nice to have a bit of a shake up and try new things.

So, what are my plans for next year then? Well, still doing this blog in the same way as well as my short story one. Though I'd like to find more people to submit stories to my blog, would be helpful to me and also grow my followers. I'd like to read more books as I just said. I'd love to get a car too and spend more time with the new man in my life. I'd like to have more days/weekends out to places and hopefully to become more stable in my new receptionist job. Lose some more weight is also on there again and maybe look at moving out. I need 2017 to be better then 2016 as this year has been rough for me and I'd like to start a new chapter now.

What are your plans for 2017? Have you set goals yet? Feel free to let me know. As for now enjoy the rest of 2016 and I'll see you in the new year!

Thanks for reading, Hayley.




Photo from; https://pixabay.com/en/new-year-s-eve-new-year-s-day-1877407/

September's Life Update: 10 free Sewing Projects

Hi readers,

I've got a slightly different post to share with you all today. Originally, this post was about sewing projects you could do with kids during the summer holidays, but now summer is over and most of the kids have gone back to school. I still wanted to write this post though, so I thought why not aim it slightly more at Christmas? So below is a list of free sewing projects that I've done with the young people I work with at the youth center, which you can do by yourself or with family and friends as a fun weekend activity or you could make them for Christmas presents!

I used wool felt in all these projects expect the first one, which I used fabric. You could use anything you like to make these, but I find felt a lot more easy to work with -especially if children are doing the sewing. Also, I just noticed in editing this that all but one of these projects is a soft toy! But most of the patterns can easily be changed to make key ring charms or pillows or however else you want to change them. I think I just find it easy to make soft toys with the kids as they have basic sewing skills and of course, my work being a charity, we don't get a lot of money/supplies for arts and crafts.

I've included the links to all but one of the projects, so you can get the instructs and patterns. I hope you enjoy and find this post useful.

1. Hair Scrunchies

I found out how to make these from someone at work. She was teaching the Thursday craft group of 8-12 year olds how to make scrunchies and hair bands. Seeing how easier it was, I really wanted to make my own and so I give it ago a few days later and now I'm addicted. I'm always in need of scrunchies because I end up mis-placing them! So, being able to now make my own and use whatever pattern of fabric I want is really great. It's a good way to use up strips of fabric and I think they'd make nice small gifts for people with long hair.

Pattern: https://snapguide.com/guides/make-an-easy-hair-scrunchie/

YouTube Video I found useful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN-GpWWhjvk

2. Steggie

I found this little guy whilst looking for a triceratops because that's what I really wanted. I thought he looked too nice to pass up on though and so I got the pattern. I was meant to be making a big one to go with this small one, but I've not got around to it yet. Whilst the body parts are easy to do, sewing the spike plates on is a bit tricky. But he turned out well.

I've not made this with the kids yet, but I'd like too.

Pattern: http://nuno-runo.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/stegosaurus.html

3. Minion

For weeks, the young people I work with on Tuesdays have been asking to make Minions. So I found a simple pattern for a small toy one and I give it ago. There are lots of bits to sew on, but you could glue them on. The kids really loved making them and made their own spin on them with one girl covering the bare 'bum' of her's with a white felt strip with penned in 'censored' Which was so funny. Since taking this photo I added in white dots over the eyes and buttons on his overalls. The H on the pocket originally stood for my name, but then I decided to name him Hogarth, which works well.

There are no instructions for the pattern because I think it's in Spanish, but it's not that hard to figure out what the shapes are and where they go.  

Pattern for Minion via Pinterest: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/8f/3c/0e/8f3c0ec0c0529146a9b04e43148b7119.jpg

Pattern for clothes: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/6d/ed/20/6ded20a2fc4c6ec40abf7e3d3cf61cd3.jpg

4. Mermaid 

This is another thing the kids had been bugging me for. It took my ages to find an easy pattern that was all in one piece - which I prefer and find it easy for the kids to do. I struggled so much that in the end I went with this one. The pattern is in Spanish- I think and so it was a little bit of a trail to work out the best way to fit the pieces together.

In the end, I went with sewing the tail, body and hair together on both the front and back then pinning them together and sewing it all up. Some of the kids choice to sew the three pieces with their matching parts together first then sew them to each of the other parts, but it was kinda tricky to do this.

Also I found the stars that are used to cover her chest not right for the kids, so we made 'bikini' style tops. Actually, mine never really got finished, I was going to give her a small skirt - to cover up my stitching and also put the flowers in her hair. To be honest, I'd like to try this one again and spend more time on it.

The pattern is here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bonifrati/5425111743/sizes/l/in/gallery-lucienerosi-72157625867910218/

5. Ladybugs / ribbon bugs

I adapted this pattern to suit my needs as you'll see. It turned out that all the ribbon I had was Christmas themed and since we made this in June, I didn't think it'd be fitting. So I cut the wings and other bits out of felt instead. These were easy to make, but the kids didn't get into them as I'd hoped. I'm happy with the way mine turned out though.

Pattern: http://www.patchworkposse.com/ribbon-bugs-stuffie-free-pattern/

6. Horse/Unicorn/Pegasus 

I made this like last year because I wanted a unicorn but couldn't find a pattern for one. So I took this simple pattern of a horse and once I had made it just cut out a horn and then I also decided to add some wings. I think it was My Little Pony inspired. For the mane and tail, I decided to use some rainbow fur I had left over and it work well, though attaching it was a bit tricky.

I've not made this with the kids yet because it took me awhile and I found the sewing of the legs hard. I think most girls would like this though, so maybe in the future we'll make them.

Pattern: http://simmy.typepad.com/echoesofadream/2007/05/thank_you_so_mu.html

7. Fish and Seahorse

This is the one I don't have the pattern for. I couldn't find it because I realized that I'd just googled patterns for sea creatures and then picked the best ones. I made like a goldfish and the seahorse like two years back and I also started another goldfish which as you can see I never got around to finishing. Sewing the whole thing with sequence was taking forever.

So make this just find some plain images of the sea creatures you want, print them, cut out the shapes from felt and them just sew them together and decorate. I also made these smaller and the kids made key ring charms out of them.

8. Panda

I was watching Kung Fu Panda the other day and decided I wanted to make a panda soft toy. I love pandas and they are one of my favorite animals. I found two very different patterns, but I went with easiest for this post. Plus, kids can make this very easily and if they are not a fan of pandas it's easy to change the colors to make whatever bear you want.

I'd love to make this one bigger and out of micro-fleece or another soft fabric, so that he could become a pillow. That'd be really awesome. I love how he turned out and do think I'll be making him some friends soon.

Pattern: http://mollychicken.blogs.com/my_weblog/2005/11/anna_panda.html

9. Fox

This little guy would make a really nice pillow/cushion. Or maybe a pin or a key charm. I found him really quick to sew up too. He's sitting on my desk with my panda right now, but I sure wish I'd made him bigger because he'd be another good soft toy for snuggling with. He's be great for fox lovers.

Pattern: http://littlewhiteschoolhouse.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/free-fox-softie-pattern.html?m=1

10. Day Of The Dead Doll

It's nearly Halloween! So, when I came across this doll I knew I had to make her. She took me awhile and I do think that glueing the bones ect on would have been easier, but I do find hand sewing relaxing. I'm really pleased with how she turned out as I struggled to get the pattern pieces the right size just due to my computer. She's not as complicated as she looks to make either, it's just the time needed.

Pattern: http://www.aestheticnest.com/2014/10/craft-day-of-dead-doll-free-pattern.html

Surprise bonus; knitted Dragons.

Lastly, does anyone remember the knitting patterns I brought in Leeds? Well, my mum has been busy making these guys! She also made the rainbow hedgehog, but I forgot to take a photo of it it. I so want to make a small hedgehog by myself at some point though and aren't the baby dragons so cute?

This all for this week, thanks for reading and please come back soon. Feel free to share you thoughts below. 

A New Year, A New Start

Hi readers,

It's been a long time since I last wrote on here. I've been mega busy and this blog just fell to the side. I guess part of the problem was that I didn't seem to be getting much interested and I wasn't having fun any more reviewing books. That in a way is my own fault though, because I'm highly educated and wanted to review books in an essay style way, which just doesn't work that well with a blogging format. So, now I've decided to try and have another go at doing that, but compacting my book reviews to a limit of 500 words. I'll still be looking at the normal things of character, plot, writing style and my evaluation though.

I also want to do a new publishing schedule and for now it looks something like this:

• A book review, once a week, (though not necessarily the current book I'm reading).
• A review of writing technique(s) etc, at the start of each month, (how to and examining usefulness).
• Creative writing piece, once a month, (see below about my sister blog). 
• A monthly update, at the end of each month, (on what I've been doing and what's coming up).

I'm hoping that this will help and encourage me to write more on this blog and also all my readers will find it useful. You can also connect me if you have an suggestions or other comments. I have a number of ideas for this month already such as looking at writing prompts (probably my next blog post), reviewing Anne Rice's Prince Lestat and things I could write about for my monthly update.

I'm currently still writing and publishing daily my own short stories on my sister blog at: http://thestoryfiles.wordpress.com/ This is where all my creative writing will now take place and it just makes it easier for me to have two separate blogs instead of trying to mash everything together. Though, I might publish my most read story of the month up on here to try and generate some more interested in my writing. I should add that to the schedule. Please check it out. It's growing fast, but I could still use help to spread the word and gain more followers.  

Also, I have decided to try and do a reading challenge. I've posted the list below and also the link to it. I saw this on Facebook and thought I'd give it ago. It's a good way to expend my reading and book reviews. I believe I have got a lot of books that would qualify, which is great news because once again I'm watching my money this year. Even though, I now have a job! I finally got offered a paid position at the youth center I've been volunteering at for two years now. It's doing the same thing I was doing before - helping and running arts and crafts activities for 8-12 year olds- which is really great. I'm only doing one day/three hours at the minute, but hopefully that'll increase once I've done my trial period and finished my teaching course, which I'm currently doing on Thursday. I'll be writing more about these things in my monthly update post.

For now, I'll leave you reading through the reading challenge list.    

You can also follow on me on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thestoryfiles
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ironmaidenfan9
Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/user?u=327832
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=208056472&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile
Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/hails9/
Readwave :http://www.readwave.com/hayley.hardman.7/
Wordpress: http://thestoryfiles.wordpress.com/

Thanks for reading and your support. 

• Public Profile

Images and Links Used:

http://videohive.net/item/new-year-countdown-clock-2015-v2/6417745

http://writerswrite.co.za/50-lyric-titles-as-writing-prompts

http://tammarawebber.blogspot.com/2014/12/favorite-novels-of-2013-and-2014.html

Keep Calm and Sew!

It's strange to think that up until ten or twenty years or so ago, most women knew how to sew. They knew how to make clothes, toys and home furnishing by hand and using a machine. Many could also design their own patterns and create something new that fitted their needs. Girls were taught the basic techniques in schools or extra classes or else by family members. They also learned to knit, crotchet, cross stitch and anything else that falls into this category.

Now though, it seems to me that these skills are slowly fading, yet the demand for handmade items is still high. No longer are people being taught how to sew in schools and family members haven't been teaching each other because everyone is just too busy or else it doesn't interested them. Plus, nearly all items can now be made via machines and thus given the 'handmade' look. This means that shops can sell this stuff cheaply and sometimes it can be more cheap then the materials needed and the work being put in! So, people take the easy route and just go with the handmade style look to their clothes or furnishings. Of course there's nothing wrong with this, but to me it shouldn't be allowed to take over.

In a way, this decline of sewing reminds me of all the other skills that people have or are losing. Most of them seem to be hands on skills like carpenters, blacksmiths, farriers, old fashion farming and some engineering jobs. They've mostly fallen into history because of the new technical and peoples ways of looking at things. Don't get me wrong, that's not a bad thing, it just seems a shame to me that these jobs are not popular anymore.

  

I should get back to the actual point of this post now. I recently discovered a hidden talent and love for sewing that maybe had been overshadowed by all my other hobbies. Working with older children at the youth club and teaching them the basics of sewing by hand and creating a whole range of items, was the trigger. I never really thought about where my talent might have come from but on reflection I can so place it!

Crafting seems to have always been in my family one way or another. I have memories of curling by my nana's gas fire in the dim light whilst she crotchet blankets, dollies and dolls' clothes. I have a few she made in my bedroom, but where the rest went to I've no idea. I always remember her crocheting and knitting though and her needles always being close to hand. My grandmother, who I never meet was also into the same hobby, but she was also a fan of cross stitching. My mum can do everything, but crochet as she finds that too tricky, which is a weird thing to say. She has always been into making clothes, toys and cross stitch pictures.

My first memory of my mum making something for me was my school uniforms. I hated wearing them- not because they were handmade- but because they looked slightly different from the brand new uniforms that everyone else wore. My mum said that I was too tall for my age and she couldn't find any uniform that fitted me, so she decided that making one would be easier. I think that memory caused me to be put off handmade clothes for years. Then due to getting into making cards and scrapbooks, I become interested in knitting and so encouraged my mum to get back into knitting. Thus she has made me some nice jumpers, jackets and soft toys over the last few years. She also taught me how to knit, but I still have a lot to learn!

On reflection, the youth factory really did inspire me to start sewing again. I remember that we had a session making squishes. Which are soft flat-ish toys made from white cotton and fabric pens. I knew I could do that on my own and so did create some hearts and stars. Then I moved on from that made myself a cushion to take to Dungeons and Dragons with me. Then it just kicked off and now I seem unable to stop myself from making things out of fabric and felt. I've found that working with both is relaxing and fills the time. It's also helped me with my depression.

It does take awhile to decided what to make, but I just Google for inspiration and the Pinterest it. Thus I have two boards of things to make. Now the actually making part can take forever, but the end results always seem to be worth the time spent. I've actually decided to make Christmas presents for my family and friends as I've the time and though it might not seem cheaper over all, it's good fun. This does mean that I can't show all my creations, but here are a few;

                                                                                                                                                                 
The other thing I've been making are these candle jars. I was inspired by a walk though I saw on Pinterest and so have made my own. The first is made with actual dry leaves and the second is made with skeleton paper leaves. Both look really good though.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Images from;
http://cherryandcinnamon.com/tag/vintage/
http://dict.space.4goo.net/dict?q=forge
Author's own. 

Baking Day

Hi readers,

Here's something different for today! I'm letting my cooking side out and spending the day- well most of it- in the kitchen. I guess I felt like doing something different and I've not done baking in awhile. I guess after my last kitchen disaster when my butterfly fairy cakes (cupcakes) didn't turn out right at all, I sort of stopped because I was so disappointed by it. However, I've never been one to let things stop me ad it seems that taking a break and then returning to it does work.

I would say that I'm an good cook. I know my way around a kitchen, I know a number of recipes by heart and I've had enough practise. Sometimes though like most people, I have good days and bad days cooking. Though today seems to be a good one as my jammy fairy cakes have turned out just like the photo above! Actually this photo came from the recipe I followed too, so it worked out.

The reason why I like baking is because it gives me time to think- often story ideas! - be creative, experiment and be a bit artistic. I have found in the past that my baking can sometimes reflect my mood. The best things I've made have often been baked on the spur of the moment, when I've been relaxed and not putting much thought into what I am doing. This means that I use new or else very simple recipes at that moment. I then get the best results out of my baking.

The times when my baking has turned out wrong, have been when I've decided not to follow the recipe-for whatever reason- when I've been in a hurry or when I've been trying to hard because none-family members are going to be eating it. Often this means that I spend too much time thinking about it and wanting it to turn out perfect. That mind set can led to things not turning out right. Getting the balance correct is hard for me to do, but I keep trying!

I guess my baking can be compared to my writing in a way. When I don't think about things and just write, I end up producing something good. My writing has always had something of a natural flow within its structure and this does become clear when I've just got on and typed without stopping. It's odd, but I write when I've stopped thinking about and putting in the effort. I guess this way everything can just come out in a natural way and so it does appear like that on the page.

Like my bad cooking though, there are times when I've tried to hard or been over thinking about my writing. I produce 'bad' writing and end up giving up because I'm not in the writing mode. This can also lead to me doubting and judging what I've written. The typing often feels forced and the even though the flow might still be there, it might be harder to see.

I also made some mini orange and lemon muffins, though the photo and recipe below are slightly different from the one I used as I couldn't find my one. However, it looks like they turned out good too and they smell so tasty! I can't wait to eat them now. I ended up making two different cakes because my brother doesn't like jam and I know he'd feel left out! Though to be honest, I feel like I could eat them all myself!

My parents have gone away for a few days, so I got left in charge of myself and my brothers when they are around. That also means I've had to do all the cooking, tidying and washing -though that doesn't feel un-normal for me now! For tea tonight I thought I'd have one of my favourite dish from university and that's bbq Huntsman chicken. I've just had a quick look for the recipe but I can't see it. The only difference is that you marinate the chicken bbq sauce and then add the bacon and cheese. It's just an awesome burst of flavours and goes with any side dish.




Tomorrow, I am going to try and cook something that I had at one of the restaurants we went to during the canal boat holiday. These sweet potato wedges tasted really good and were different from normal wedges and chips. So, I thought that they might go well with fish, but we shall see tomorrow. And with that I'm going to try one of my jammy cakes!




Photos and recipes:

http://www.sainsburys-live-well-for-less.co.uk/recipes-inspiration/recipes/jammy-fairy-cakes/

http://www.jalna.com.au/cakes-muffins/lemon-and-orange-mini-muffins.html

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/9839/bacon+and+cheese+chicken

http://www.sainsburys-live-well-for-less.co.uk/recipes-inspiration/recipes/sweet-potato-wedges/

Collaborating Writing

    
Been almost a week since I last wrote, but I've been ill and busy. I've had lots of ideas for posts though and today I've picked to write about collaborating writing. This is due to the fact that I'm currently embarking on this myself with my boyfriend. So, I thought it would make an interesting post and get me in the mood to write some more. Also it's about time I had a post on writing too! My last few ones have been focusing on my life and D&D. Which is understandable, since I've not been doing much writing since finishing my Diss. I hope that's about to change now.

There are lots of different ways for writers to collaborate on writing. Too many to get into here, so I'm just going to talk about the main ways. It's possible to see when work has been collaborated on as two authors names will appear on the front cover. This can get you wondering about how and why they decided to join forces. I like the idea of the manuscript being passed around and the writers each adding a chapter or changing things until it becomes a whole, but that sounds like a long process and could led to disagreements or unevenness appearing in different areas of the works. However, writers both doing some of the writing is common enough, though they probably take half the chapters each to achieve this.

One of the simple ways to collaborate is for the first writer to have the idea and the second writer to write it. This is what my boyfriend and I are currently doing. He came up with the basic plot and characters for a Darren Shan styled story and I am busy expending on his ideas and trying to write it. It's proving a bit tricky because teenage novels are not my normal area-though they were when I first started writing-so it's getting back into that mind set. This way does work well though, though all the work is left up to the second writer and the first comes up with most of the ideas. The first write may also do some editing as well and that can be mega useful to allow the writers to discuss things further.

Another way to collaborate is something I've been doing for the last 3 years with my friends and that was having them suggest ideas/events that could then appear in the writing. They also wrote the backgrounds for many of the characters and though most of this work didn't appear in the finished novel it was still important to know. Having them read and edit the novel also helped, though they didn't really do any of the writing. That was all down to me. This way works more if there is only one actually writer in the group and the others are just there to listen to ideas of to help redraft.

It's not just novels and short stories that writers can work on together. Lots of TV and film scripts can have joint or secondary writers. Series writers (Normally there's more then two writers and they sometimes can have guess writers too) also take it in turns to write different episodes, something that can be very noticeable- take Dr Who for example- sometimes, but this generally doesn't effect the main characters or plot of the story. Series writers also have to work closer together to make sure that things are considered throughout and that the running background plot stays the same. This is a great way to work though as it gives each writer a chance to put different ideas out there and create spins on events that other writers might not have thought about. It's also good for the audience as they get to experience a slightly different view or story that keeps them interested in the show.

Film scripts are less collaborated on than TV ones and when they make books into movies nearly 99% of the time a different writer will write the film script. There's a whole list of reasons why this happens. Sometimes the book writer might have some influence or get ask how they'd like some represented but normally what you see in a movie is the scriptwriter's and the director's verison of things. Writing a script is actually easier then writing a novel, it types up a lot faster and needs less imagination to create. However, none of my ideas have really been suited to this formatting.

So, why do writers join together? Yeah, they can just write their own ideas and things, but sometimes it's fun to work on projects with others and other writers can bring certain things to the work that might not have happened otherwise. Of course working with someone can have it's problems. Everyone views the world different and no one really has the same ideas. It goes for readers too. Everyone has a different vision of Harry Potter or Frodo Baggins in their heads. So, how does a writer go about turning someone else idea into a novel without going off track and making it their own? It can be almost impossible to do this! But collaborating is just that, people getting together and creating something they can agree on. Luckily enough I'm actually working with another writer though he does scripts, but because of that he understands that I'm going to put my own spin on things and the visions in my head are going to be slightly different from his. This is an experiment though and we are both keen to see what's going to happen.

 

Halloween trick or treats?

(My pumpkin this year)

Yeah! It's Halloween! Though I've been celebrating since Wednesday, that was the night of our party-due to the issues with the other nights. Anyway, a lot seems to have happened since I last typed and its only been 10 days. I've lots of photos as well, so I'll be posting them as I go along. 

So the set up for my party went on for 3 days before hand, because we had to turn the house into a giant spiders den with lots of black cobwebs and candles for light. We carved the pumpkins on Tuesday, which took an age- as you can see. Then on Wednesday I made pumpkin pie and a sponge cake.

 Then it was party time! We made a rule that everyone had to come as a movie, TV, anime character and anyone who didn't turn up as such had to take off an item of clothing and run down the road screaming little green men are chasing me! Luckily, everyone turned up in a good costume and we had a good time.

 

Then on Thursday I had booked my ticket to go and see the Poet Laureate- Carol Ann Duffy and Billy Collins who's sort of the USA PL. I'm not really into poetry but this seemed like a once in a life time thing and it was free as well! So I went along and saw them both read out some of their poems and then I brought some books and got them signed! I seem to be building up a collection of signed books now.  That was a good experience.

 On Friday I went on a field trip with creative writing fiction. We went to the Williamson Tunnels in Liverpool for the afternoon. It is meant to be the inspiration for our next short story, but the small area of tunnel we were shown didn't hold much inspiration, though the information the guide give us did. I heard that many people were disappointed in the trip, having no doubt built up the same expectations I did and then had then crushed on arrival. Thing was it would have been nice to spend more time down there and to explore other sections, though I know how dangerous it could be, also the fact that the tunnels were built for nothing and had no real sense of history was a down side. I think what made the tunnels most interesting to me was the fact that they were setting up for Halloween and that added a whole different face to the tunnels. I'm not sure about ideas either, because I already had one, but it seems like it's been done a billion times already. Still shall have to see how it goes.

Lastly, I'm waiting for the trick or treaters now, its almost time for them to start showing up at the door. Some how though I think my dog has given up on them already! Still I shall light my pumpkin and see if anything decides to visit me. Happy Halloween!

Fiction Field Trip

Yesterday, I went on a field trip with my fiction group to the Liverpool World Museum. The idea behind it was to become inspired through the images we could find in the museum exhibits and then have story ideas for the last fiction assessment. I'd been to the museum a few times before and its still pretty good. I always see something new and enjoy wondering around the display cases. Things were a bit different this time because we were there to work and I took a lot of photos, which I'm hopefully going to create a murder mystery story out of and had two ideas.

Striking a pose.

There's something above you.....

I think most of my class had fun too and I'm looking foreword to reading their stories in a workshop next week. I've already written my story, though I'm not sure what people are going to make of it because it has a number of different levels and I'm still not happy with it. It's a case of I know what I want to say, but I can't express it through words. Hopefully someone can give me a hand with it.

There was a new exhibit too, a plant world and it was very interactive. I think the small group I was with spent most the time in this room, though we did get to see the bugs and the Ancient worlds. We were meant to concentrate on the bugs, because the stories have to involve them. It seemed to be a good subject because the bug world is so large and can be used in many different contexts.

Discovering a new world......

So going to museums can be really useful for writers because not all only can you have ideas but you can get background information too. I've a strange love for museums and such places anyway, thanks to my parents and being taken to many places when I was young. In fact, beside from writing, reading and playing Facebook games, there's nothing I like better then exploring a new place! Be it woods, countryside, beach, castle or a cemetery, I just love walking and connecting with nature. I've some of my best ideas in theses places too!

The world of the ancients....

Well...when in Roman you've got to look the part!

Who says mummies are not scary????

Before I go off to get ready for a night out, I'm going to share my current reading material! It's a newish novel by John Drake and the second in a trilogy. It's called Pieces of Eight and the first one was Flint and Silver. These novels are about the events before Treasure Island and answers some of the questions that were created, but not answered. I'm loving reading them, the story telling is just so good and the adult-ness that I was seeking from Island and never found is very clear in here! So I'd recommend them for anyone who loves Island and pirates.