Today I found the time to do some writing. When life takes over it’s sometimes hard to find writing time but when I do I always feel better for it. Writing is calming and grounding. I guess because it’s what I do.
I’m working on a story, still in Millie and Bird country – which refuses to let me go – and I’m trying my best to write it in David Almond style ‘from the corner of my eye.’ I’ve let my character Jack Wilde stew in my head for a while now, along with the allotments where he practically lives but never grows anything and his mysterious shed. I’ve written 600 words (not a lot for me but there’s a lot going on) and I still don’t know what’s in his shed although I know more about what’s in his heart and I know there will be singing.
The joy of writing like this is that you discover your story as you go, you get a feel for it too – I already feel this will be good – and you develop an attachment which ensures you’ll make it good.
Some time ago now, Wendy and I had a long conversation with the lovely David Almond for the Writing Game (Wendy’s radio programme). So if you’d like to hear more about David, about his work and his ideas on writing then you can listen HERE
Funny you should mention allotments. I’m haunted by an image, bone white white standing on black loam as fine as ashes. Interesting also you mention singing, the image that haunts me has a sound track, Cat Stevens’ version of the hymn, ‘Morning has broken’. As you say, a lot can go on with only a few words, and a lot can go on before the first word is even written.
Love the image – sounds as if you should be writing a story too – or perhaps you will use it in the novel. A