Day 347: Anima Circus and company...

Tonight I have been to a charity concert at Uni and it was brilliant. It's funny, you spend three whole years studying at a place and have no idea what kind of talent is in a couple of buildings down. There were choirs, performances on french horn, saxophone and even a bassoon. They were fantastic. Then to add to the classical flavour, there was a few tracks from a jazz/scar band called Anima Cricus who were AMAZING! I mean, these people have been right under my nose with so much talent and creativity! I didn't even know.

I had a great evening, but there's a part of me that came away sad. Sad that I'm leaving that creative place in a month and sad that I didn't go to more concerts, plays and events that could have given so much inspiration. It's good to share in other people's creativity.

So what I'm saying is, don't miss out. What's going on at your school/college/town? Be inspired by what's under your nose, before it's too late...

Day 179: Harry Potter

Over the past couple of weekends, I have been catching up on the Harry Potter films, ready to watch the 7th; Happy Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1. I know, I know, it's been out for ages. I'll get there.

Tonight, I watched HP4, The Goblet of Fire. They miss loads of the book out, don't they! But then, how are you supposed to fit 400 pages into two and a half hours?

It must be such a challenge to make a book into a film. How do they decide what's important and what can be left out? How do they decide what clothes the characters wear and who to cast? Which bits of dialogue do they keep and which do they edit out...?

Touch one.

That's my challenge for you today. Take a book you really like and see how you would turn it into a film, or a play, or maybe a game. Why not take a film you like and think how you would turn it into a book...

Be creative with the stories you love. How else could they be seen, heard, enjoyed...it's up to you!

Day 44: What's in a name?

I think William has really posed an interesting question here. What is in a name?

Do you think names are important?

There are definitely names I like and names I don't. For me my taste in names is usually defined by other people I know. In my primary school there was a nasty little boy called Nathan and he is the only person I've ever known called Nathan. So, understandably, I don't really like it (sorry if you are/know someone called Nathan). But the name Jenna, I've never met anyone I didn't like called Jenna.

I'm pretty sure that you have similar stories.

So it would seem that there is something to names. I think it's definitely something to consider when it comes to giving our characters names in plays, stories, poems, dramas, scripts...

I am 'drawing up' two new characters at the moment and I know one of them is called Holly. It was just the name she wanted, but the other character (who is also a girl) is more tricky. I don't know what her name is yet...this is what brought all this name stuff up!

Are names important? I wouldn't say 'Emma' really defines me, but I can't imagine being called anything else.

Something to think about...

Day 41: Words

"People around here didn't waste words; language was a tool, not a treat. You didn't roll it around on your tongue, revel in it."

'What I Was' by Meg Rosoff

If you are anything like me, then you probably use words way too much! I talk ALL the time, the more words the better. Chat, chat, chat.

Do you use more words when you're around people who don't talk very much, or do you tend to be the quiet one? Should we revel in words, or should we see them as a treat?

I guess the real question is, how do we use it in our creative work? Do you use words wisely?

If you write plays, scripts, poems, stories, articles, dialogue, comedy...then words are really important. It's vital to get the balance right. That good old saying sums it up pretty well, 'it's quality, not quantity.'

Think about the way you use words. Do you need to edit a bit more? Do you need to use a few more? How about the words you are using, is there one that would work better?

Think about it. How will you use your words...?

Day 37: Oli

All you budding writers out there, try this out. In fact, even if you're not a writer, give it a go anyway. Anything that gets your creative juices going is worth it! I recon it could spark off a lot of ideas (hence why I'm sharing), not just for story writers. Okay, here goes...

Look around you and find an object (something vaguely interesting. Don't chose a plug socket or something boring like that.) Now I want you to imagine that your chosen object is you (ie, you become a lamp).

Now write 50 words exactly which describe you as this object. How do you feel? Do you like what you do? What do you look like?

Oh, and one more thing. Each word can only be one syllable! (ie, one sound like cat rather than kitten.)

Take a look at my example. See if you can guess what I am:

This is my safe place, cool and dry. Light streaks through the blinds all day. Specks dance round me, full of grace.
All at once my stretched out leaf is touched by a beam and I glow. Some dust lands on me, but some falls. Here I stay, at peace.

In case you didn't guess, I am a plant which sits in my bedroom. I have had it since I was 14 and he is called Oli (sort for Oliver).

Have a go yourself. I love doing these kind of challenges. It's fun to see what you can say with such restrictions. Plus it's great for editing and makes you really think about your word choice.

If you're a musician, try writing some lyrics this way. If you're a script writer, try describing a scene or doing some dialogue. Poets, I think it would be great for you.

What my teacher said to me, I shall say on to you; if you can write this, you can write anything!

See where it takes YOUR creative mind...

Day 32: Vampires

It seems to be the new craze at the moment. Everyone is either on team Edward, Team Jacob or there is of course the Team 'I hate everything to do with Twilight.'

Whatever you think about the saga, it has certainly caught the world's attention.

So lets consider the concept of vampires. They have entered all form of creative story telling for centuries whether they be blood sucking demons or lovable rouges. I watched a film last night where the whole planet had turned into vampires and they were running out of blood resulting in starving, desperate killers. It was a pretty gross film (blood and gore and stuff), but I thought the concept was a bit different. It wasn't vampires in the minority hiding from humans but the other way around.

This got my creative (human) head thinking...have vampire stories been pushed to their limits or is there still more to explore?

I'm a huge believer in the second view. All you young minds out there have definitely got the potential to be fresh, new and original with your stories in all different forms of creativity.

So how about it? What could YOU do with the vampire genre (yes, I think it can have its own genre)? There is ALWAYS another story to tell...could you create it?

Day 31: Word up!

Sometimes you sit down to be creative and there is just nothing there. At least that's what happens to me from time to time.

So to remedy this 'block' here is a little exercise to help:

Open a book, any book. Point to a word and write it down. Do this 3 times (with the same book or different ones I guess) and hey presto, you have a 3 word starting point.

Here is one I prepared earlier! My words came from 'What I Was' by Meg Rosoff (which I've just started and it's going pretty well).

Here goes...

The words: 'examine' 'something' 'impossible' See if you can spot them!

“This is impossible.” I said, trying to unscrew the pipe under the sink. “It’s never going to stop dripping. Just look at it.”

“Who are you talking to, Lucy?” said Michael from behind me. I turned to meet the cupboard door in my face.

“Aww! Who put that there?”

“Err. Luce, it’s always been there. It’s the cupboard.”

“Shut up!” I said standing up, hands on my hips.

Michael pointed at my t-shirt. “You’ve got some brown stuff on you, by the way,”

“Yeah well done, genius. I’m trying to fix the tap. It’s hardly surprising you haven’t noticed. It’s been leaking for days, probably from your stupid party the other night. Dad’ll kill you when he gets back.”

“Chill, sis,” he said taking the spanner from me. “Leave it to me.” He crouched down on the floor, without banging his head I might add. Mr perfect, as always! “And it was a gathering, not a party.”

“Whatever,” I said, arms crossed. He’ll screw up in a minute. All I have to do is wait.

After taking a million years to examine it, he finally started banging about.

“Well?” I asked. He was full on lying on the floor now. Images of beached whales came floating to mind.

“Give me a minute.” he said.

The doorbell rang. “It’s probably Jessica.” I said, running to the door. I opened the door and she stared at my t-shirt as if a dead rabbit had been smeared over it.

“It’s only oil from the pipes,” I said. “Michael and his stupid college friends broke it at their ‘gathering’.”

Jessica giggled. “Was his friend Toby there?”

I rolled my eyes, “Don’t start that again. Come in.”

Together we walked into the kitchen just as the pipe started spraying something brown everywhere.

“Michael! What have you done?” I said.

“Nothing.” He quickly tightened the nut and it went back to the drip. Casually Michael got up. His t-shirt was now an interesting shade of brown. Jessica burst into fits of laughter.

“Good one, Mike,” I said as he passed me the spanner.

“You’re right, it’s impossible,’ he said and out he went.

So, there you have it, a creative piece inspired by just 3 words. Use my words if you like, or find your own. Whatever takes you fancy.

And don't think this idea is only for story writing. I wrote a story 'cause that's what I do to be creative. Try and use it in whatever you do, dance, drama, music, animation, art...

See what you can do. Go...

Day 29: Think, act, speak...

No I'm not trying to pitch a funky new version of the highway code or promote safety or anything weird like that. I am trying, of course, to inspire creativity!

Task: The next time you see someone (your mum, sibling, friend, the milkman...) ask them a question. Any old question today, ie, 'what did you have for breakfast this morning?'

The changes are it will go something like this: stop, do some kind of action (like looking up, frowning, scratching their head etc) and then they will answer you. Why? Because this is the order in which we communicate.

First, we think. This is usually followed by some kind of body action, to show we are thinking. Then we speak.

What has this got to do with anything??

Well, if you are a writer, actor, figure animator or anything else that involves the way people behave, then this IS important!

How many times have you read a book with a line like this:

' "I can't believe you," David shouted. He raised his arms up in his anger.'

It's SO annoying when you find how they have spoken AFTER they've said it and what they were doing.

'David raised his hands up in the air, shouting, "I can't believe you." '

See what i mean?

This rule can be used in drama too. If you are writing a play, make sure you get the way people act in the right order. That way your creative work will be more believable.

Try it out for yourself. Be a student of people watching!

Day 17: People watching

Have you ever found yourself waiting for a friend in a park, cinema, shopping centre, train station...? The likely answer to this question is most definitely yes. At these times you end up getting annoyed and spending your time thinking, 'where on earth has my friend got to!'

Well. the next time this happens to you I want to encourage you not to see it as an annoying waste of time, but think, how can I use this time to spark creativity?

Try this; just sit back and watch the people around you. What are they doing/wearing/eating/talking about? Would you do that? People who don't know they are being watched do the funniest/unexpected/realistic things. Trust me, it's loads of fun to watch people doing their shopping or playing footy in the park, chatting on the phone or whatever else you see people doing.

It teaches you about how people react. Add their behaviour to your characters, or try and capture it in art, dance, theatre...Who knows, they could end up contributing to your masterpiece without even knowing.

Nothing is ever a waste of time, not when you're creative!

Day 2: Imagine this...

I want you to imagine you have a friend over to stay. They're sleeping on the floor next to your bed and in the middle of the night you accidentally drop a sock onto them. So what do they do? They freak out! They don't know if it's a spider, a mouse or whatever else their minds turn it into... The question is, how do YOU react? Is it funny, mean, ridiculous??

Now think about a character in your play/story/animation/dance piece...How would THEY react?

Asking strange questions of your creations is a great way to get round, realistic and believable characters. That's what people relate to. So make them real, make them your own...

(Ps, I'd find it hilarious!)