I've never been more pleased to be woken early. I got a text from the Boss Lady this morning to say the roads were too icy and dangerous to open the school. 'Brilliant,' I thought, as I went back to bed, 'I can get a good load of studying done today.' So far I've emptied the biscuit tin and had too many cups of coffee. I did actually read a couple of chapters of Tom's Midnight Garden, underlining some quotes that will no doubt prove to be completely unrelated to the question.
(Photo from: http://www.dwyfor.com)
Important study resources
For this children's literature assignment, I have to write about the importance of a sense of place, and I've got a lovely load of books to choose from. At the moment, I'm thinking of using Tom's Midnight Garden and the first Harry Potter, but it could be Swallows and Amazons or Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, or perhaps Northern Lights. I'm spoilt for choice. Obviously, nearer the time, I won't be musing in such a laid-back fashion; I'll be in a panic about receiving scathing comments from my tutor. He seems nice, but I can picture him sighing and holding his head every time he reads my assignments.
Likewise with creative writing. This is the only assignment I've got stuck on. Poetry. I now sympathise with those children at school who sit there and whine, 'I don't get it,' and who expect me to do the work for them. Anyone who can write me a 40-line poem on anything will be paid handsomely. I got my twee Scarlet Fever story back, with a score of 85, which I'm well happy with (sorry, I have teenagers). I would reproduce it here, but I'm afraid it would make you vomit with its sickly sweetness.
Mmm, so, poetry. The course encourages you to keep a notebook, in which you jot down inspiring things. I have such a notebook. Since the course started in September, I've written: 'Bring lunch on Tuesday.' Maybe I should write an ode to yesterday's left-over pasta? I can't even think of topics for a poem. I'm starting to panic now. Everything I see or do, I try to imagine a poem about. Walking in the snow? Too much of a cliché. Cooking dinner? Boring and very short. I'll have another coffee and think about it. Hmmm, what rhymes with coffee...?
I'm on the same course and the same bit...a couple of things I have found helpful regarding getting inspiration for poetry is to take quotes I like from anything I happen to read and jot them in my notebook (think epigrams haha).
ReplyDeleteI have also started a little folder of images that I spot, from facebook posts or just general web browsing...any image really that I think might potentially make me think. The postcards activity in the beloved BRB (sigh lol) gave me the idea, and I have found images something that I personally find much easier to interact with...I pare it right back to the basics, just noting things on a 'clustering' type basis like colours and interesting shapes...it can be surprising where a fairly mundane image takes you!
I have a very eclectic collection of both quotes and imagery, but am hoping this will turn out to be useful!
Thank you for the comment. I had a look through some of my old photos and now have an idea about when I climbed Ben Nevis with my family. Images work better than words for me, obviously! Thanks again - you'll have to get a mention in my commentary.
DeleteWell what I have started is doing some course online...currently I'm doing a course on Cyber crime :)
ReplyDeleteEveryone has there own interest...as far as concerned for this I rarely read books but whenever I do its makes me feel calm and relaxed and makes me imagine the whole story in my mind itself! :)
That sounds an interesting course, Garima! I love learning new things. As for books - I can't do without them. It will be nice to be able to read anything I want to when my degree finishes. Good luck with your course!
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