Crowd Sourced Creative Ventures (by sarah)

I love writing challenges and things like #FridayFlash and #StoryStarters on Twitter where there is an open community helping each other and giving writing prompts. So imagine my excitement when Neil Gaiman appeared on Twitter wanting prompts and inspiration for a set of stories!

He tweeted a question for each month with the hash tags #JanTales, FebTales and so on. I tried to stay up (he's in the US so time difference) to get all the months but only made it to July though the next morning I retraced and answered the remaining questions just for my own piece of mind.

I doubt any of my mine will be selected but that doesn't matter because if they are not then I have some prompts for my own writing.

The idea is sponsored by [BlackBerry who have been collecting all the tweets on a hub. And there will be charity calendar produced with crowd sourced art works as well (and yes I am hoping to do some pics for that to enter!).

This is a lovely idea as it draws in people and becomes something more than a story collection - it is in truth already a community - I have picked up one follower who was having issues with his writing prompt generator and I have suggested improvements to it and so on...

Anyway here are the questions and my answers:

Why is January so dangerous?

January is a time of change, the door way between one year and the next, a dangerous edge time #jantales

What is the strangest this to happen to you in February?

The strangest thing that has happened to me in Feb is I passed out in an art gallery & came round staring at a picture #febtale

What historical figure does March remind you of?

Queen Elizabeth the first as it was the first time I heard the legend of the Bisley Boy #Martale

What is your happiest memory of April

my little brother being born after so much waiting - that is the happiest April memory #AprTale

What is the weirdest gift you've ever been given in May?

A shovel over breakfast of a baby stoat in 3 pieces by an eccentric ancient aunt who thought we'd find it interesting. #MayTale

Where would you spend a perfect June?

The perfect June is spent with my family running workshops at festivals #Juntale not very interesting

What is the most unusual thing you have ever seen in July?

segway shopping basket grannies fighting and asking for gin - it was of course the stilt walkers latest get up #JulTale

If August could speak, what would it say?

My gown is covered in berries help me clean them up in time for a new golden gown of leaves #AugTale

Tell me something you lost in September that meant a lot to you.

A friend washed away in a flash flood whilst he was collecting soil samples in a small town near my home #SeptTale

What mythical creature would you like to meet in October? (&why?)

The Bunyip because when I was 4 my Australian aunts told me about it and I've always liked the stories #OctTale

What would you burn in November, if you could?

Hatred #NovTale

Who would you like to see again in December?

Too many people who I can't

A Real Valentines Day (by sarah)

It is another valentines day and again me and Alaric have failed to do the traditional type of thing.

This time we built shelves for the kitchen (well got half way through building them with the help of my Dad).

We had take away pizza deal with wedges and stuff for 6 of us and I started reading the girls the complete works of Will S. on Jean's request.

We went through some songs that ment things to us and went to bed - mostly Nick Cave and Tori Amos.

We are happy with this - I don't think either of us was cut out for the standard hyped mush that happens with V-Day. As Alaric said it has become something repulsive with all the commercial stuff. The idea of having to buy expensive gifts to show your love :/

This doesn't mean we don't celebrate but it's more making cardboard hearts with the girls and covering stuff with glitter. Last year I knitted a phone cover for Al - that sort of thing.

This year I wrote him a poem.

Muse Monster Cards (by sarah)

Years ago now I made a little game up to help inspire writers which I would take along to meetings. The first ones were hand made and coloured in, then I cut shapes from cards and glued them together for mark two and then I made a digital version and got a set printed with moo...

Since then I have made a large version which I take to festivals and kid's workshops and so on.

Now as part of World Poetry Writing Month a couple of packs of the cards are being given away. All you need to do is make a comment in on the WoPo site here.

The cards are not yet for sale so this is probably your only chance to get a copy for a while yet and I know some of you have been waiting for them to be launched 🙂

Pancakes! (by sarah)

I ment to start cooking them at like 5 but I went for what was supposed to be a short nap and nobody wanted to wake me up so I got up at 7:30 :/

I was grumpy but it was decided that the girls could stay up late and at 9 o'clock we finally had pancakes!

We had savoury and sweet and so on and the girls really enjoyed it!

Ruskin’s Mill Writer’s Retreat (by sarah)

Today I went to my second one day writer's retreat - this time at Ruskin Mill near Nailsworth. It was organised by the same people Writing Space Stroud and was once again lovely.

It was raining and I currently do not have a camera which is why there are not a hundred photos of chickens with feather flares and light sculptures on the water.

This time it was £30 instead of £20 but included a yummy lunch in the cafe.

I met more writers and had great conversations over tea and cake and lunch between mad sprees of writing. I got 9000 words of The Awakening written today which is amazing even if it does mean the novel is going to be much longer than I was expecting :/

I will finish off the last 1000 words before bed to round it up to 10K.

Once home Alaric made a lovely dinner whilst I made some visual poetry booklets out of card, pen, and old writing magazines. This lead to a fun discovery of using someone I know's story title as part of it 🙂