…write, draw, sing, stick,colour in, compose, rethink,
anything to do with creativity…
coming soon
January 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment
A creative alternative to NaNoWriMo
October 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Want to be creative in November but don’t want to do NaNoWriMo? Then take a look at this wonderful list over at Abundance Blog. There’s 30 creative things to do each day, and to be honest many could be full-time projects on their own.
And then we were five – happy birthday !maginality
September 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Five years ago today !maginality was born. It was a simple birth. And since then there have been difficult times and good times. Now five years old it is time for !maginality to step forth into the wide world again.
She has a new song to sing and she’ll be the muse for all our creative needs. So get ready, it’ll soon be time once again to balance inspiration, preparation and perspiration. But first, let’s party…
Happy Birthday !maginality
Bring forth the DJ
Planet Funk – Too Much TV (The Sun Remix) from glowpeak on Vimeo.
Such a bad boy
August 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Once again I am hear apologising for not posting. Yes I know that all the top blogs say that an apology is a no no and I agree with their reasons. There is no point having a blog and then apologising all the time for not posting. That doesn’t equate to great content!
Since the last post I seem to have fixed the issue that caused me to lose the site and thankfully the database back-up worked fine. Remember children back-up your sites.
I am almost done with getting the theme I want to use ready, I just need to convince myself that is the route I want to go down. If not I’ll end up using the standard theme, and again upset all the blog a-listers.
In the meantime, be creative it’s what you were born to be.
Ahem, apologies
July 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment
It seems like something, and I’m not quite sure what at this point, has messed up this site. It could be an upgrade, but I don’t think I upgraded anything. It could be a hack, but really, would anyone want to hack this site?
What is more likely, is that I have done something, added a plugin or some other piece of code that has taken it upon itself to cause mischief.
Well, the site is back and currently running. But it does look a little weird at the moment.
Normal service will be resumed…. someday… soon…
The Essentials for Writers
April 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment
There is a great post over at Write to Done entitled A Bucket List for Writers. In it you’ll find the six core competencies for writing. These, give or take a little tweaking are essential for creative writing. Great post.
Imitation is the best form of flattery, but dulls creativity?
February 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I’m sat here listening to my spotify playlist of my favourite songs from the 80s. Apart from realising that I don’t get out much, it has shown me something that I feel I have to share with you.
Sounds like…
The 80s saw the wide use of the drum machine and samplers in music. And that meant some interesting times. Certain musicians and artists used these instruments to go beyond what was physically possible with a real drummer or real musician. They used the medium to develop their creativity and art.
Meanwhile others used the virtual instruments to create a clean sound. In fact, and this is why I am writing this, they tried to make the virtual sound exactly like the physical. And I was part of that too. I remember spending hours crouched over a Yamaha drum machine attempting to make it sound like a real drummer… instead of asking the several that I knew to play a ‘good beat’.
And the point is… ?
I can’t help thinking that to try to make something sound exactly like something else, with no discernible change or improvement, is pointless. Why simply re-create?
If you have something in your creative bag of goodies then use it to its full potential. Push it. Move beyond what was originally intended.
Take an image
Take a stamp
Take a sound
Take a word
and create… you know you want to!
And if you wanted to know the inspiration to this post. I believe the only ‘real’ sounds here are the vocals, but even they may have been tampered 
However, I would like to add that I really love this song, and pretty much everything else that came out of Sarm West in the 80s.
The best software for writing your novel
February 1, 2011 By 2 Comments
Life used to be so simple for authors. A quill, some ink and parchment and you had everything to be the Shakespeare of your day. Only a matter of years ago a sturdy Remmington Typewriter and a ream of 80gsm would be sufficient to create a best selling paperback. But now, in the world of computers and apps there is simply too much choice.
Specialised software
If you want to write the next ‘Girl who did something a little bit strange’ series, you could use software specifically created for you. And, quite helpfully, the software divides itself neatly into Mac and Windows flavours. Almost.
Prior to this year if you had a Mac then de facto software was Scrivener. This wonderful piece of software allowed you to plan your novel with a virtual reconstruction of a corkboard. It’s basically an index card system that allows you to research, collate and then add to text to your notes.
If you were of the Windows or Linux persuasion, then you could get a similar, if less pretty (but hey, isn’t that all that Mac software is?) piece of software called yWriter. I have used yWriter for years. The software was created by an author, so if you like the way he creates his novels, then you’ll like the yWriter.
Normally that would be a done deal, however, Scrivener is about to launch for Windows. I used the demo version to win NaNoWriMo 2010, so I have experience of both pieces of software. There isn’t much to choose between them. Scrivener does allow you to export to ePub format, but then MobiPocket creator is probably the better option to create eBooks.
Personally, I prefer yWriter, but that was the first piece of software I used. I’ll let you decide, because they are both great. And if you want to try Scrivener for Windows then follow this link.
Focus on writing
Another issue for writers is the need to shut out distraction and get on with the actual writing. One of the problems of computers is that they multitask. Unfortunately, whatever you have heard, we don’t!
Well help is at hand for you too. FocusWriter (available Win/Mac/Lin) is a sufficiently powerful word processor that’s main aim is to shut out distractions. I love the way this is light, portable and very simple to use. My only issues are that it doesn’t offer background music (or I haven’t found it yet) and that functionality is pretty much available elsewhere.
Word Processors
Any word processor worth its salt has a full screen option. If it has this then you have a distraction free environment. If it has an outline option then you also have a story planning piece of software.
What I am saying is that if you have a decent word processor do you really need any of the above? If you don’t then take your pick from those listed. They all work and are great at what they do. But, don’t overlook what you already have! Both Google and Microsoft offer very good online, cloud storage option for writing and saving your novel. My NaNoWriMo effort for 2010 was a collaboration between Scrivener and Google Docs.
The way forward
Start. It is easy to put off writing by taking too much time wondering what piece of software you should use. The software is out there. You novel is in there. It is time to mash up the two of them. I’ve given you a list above, it’s up to you to create. And if I’ve missed anything, please let me know in the comments. Over to you.
‘. a long time ago in a galaxy not far away.’
What is the most influential influence on your creativity?
January 29, 2011 By 1 Comment
As we wander through life we are influenced by many and varied things. As teens we will dress according to the latest fashions and as adults we will often let our peers influence us. I have a feeling that peer pressure is more active in adults than in teens. Teens have their tribes, adults don’t. But that is another post at another blog I think.
Multiple influasms
Depending on what you get up to in your creative life, you’ll have a variety of influences. You may have a painting influence, or you may have a writing influence and so on. I can list a long line of people who have influenced and inspired me on my creative journey; Stephen King, Gary Numan and Mark Rothko to name three. I’ll be creating my own influence board in a few days. You can too by downloading the template from fox-orian.
But is there one specific influence that stands above all the rest?
All time influential moment
I think the most influential moment in my creative life is related to music. What is interesting is that the moment doesn’t belong to one of my all time favourite songs. The moment I am talking about is the opening minute of Dreams Never End by New Order*.
I like the rest of the song but it is the opening that has had the most influence on me. It has influenced the way I both play the guitar and how I have written a great number of songs. I first heard it at the age of fourteen and it was at that exact moment that I was teaching myself how to play the guitar.
If you want to know what I am talking about then listen here.
Influence not interference
But if you let an influence take control you’re on the road to plagiarism, or just plain disappointment. We need to let our influences inspire us and move us on. There is no point in imitating. We need to be influenced and then take that influence to another dimension.
For me those sixty seconds have influenced the way I strum the guitar and the way I break down a chord when I write something new. In the end, that influence isn’t evident but I know that it has been fundamental to any guitar part that I create.
So what are your influences? And more importantly, how do you let them influence your creativity?
*The track is from the album Movement, which also has an amazing cover. I admit I am totally smitten by Peter Saville’s design and the whole attitude of Factory Records. They have all influenced me. But this one minute is still my moment.
What pen should I use for my artwork?
January 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Basil Fawlty: Where are the pens?
Sybil Fawlty: They’re in that box. It says “pens” quite clearly.
Basil Fawlty: Looks more like “Ben’s.”
Sybil Fawlty: Well when Ben comes, you can give it to him.
Fawlty Towers
You’ve either got a box of pens like John Cleese or you don’t.
You may have one or two lying around that are useful for the odd piece of drawing but what if you’d like to know which ones are the best? Well you need look no further than The Artist and The Monsters at Peonyblue. They have a wonderful post about pens that will leave you salivating your way over to a stationer to bulk up your collection. (Or is it only me who starts to salivate at the mention of stationery?)
So if you need to know the best pens around for your artwork, then take a look at this gorgeous list.