Tag Archives: creative writing

The world of Silence

Posted on by
Reply

By Maia Mcgovern-fanfair

Silence it’s like an abyss of emptiness. A world without sound it’s something no one could image, as even if no one was to speak you would still hear the sounds the world makes, if only you take the time to sit and listen to the symphony of this ancient earth you’d learn thing no one else would. This planet has a lot to teach and if you listen you would learn the reason why even in the quietest rooms you still hear the pulsing beat of your heart or even the way the trees talk roots connected voices humming.

The reason is there’s something dangerous in the silence. It waits till all sound has vanished to appear. Than that’s when the silentium strikes first they take your ability to make sound so no matter how much you struggle against them no matter how much you try to call for help no matter if you break anything silence is all that remains for sound is the only weapon against them. Next they take your sight for it wouldn’t be good for you to try to cling on to the shadows making it harder for them to take you. And lastly they drag your mind, body and soul to them, no matter if you’re a sinner or a saint. A soul is always a tasty snack for the silentium. With your mind and body the silentium are able to gain human forms there no longer affected by sound, though they are still weary of it.

Who am I? I’m the shadow you see watching you when your asleep, the monster that lurks in your wardrobe, I am everything that is feared yet never remembered. Yet only children see me and understand the rule they must abide by for I can only be seen by a child’s eye. The rules? There simple don’t be seen, don’t be heard, don’t move and the last rule to make me go away you must use light a bright light. Small lights do not work they only disturb the shadows. I am the reason people are afraid of the dark and the quite within it. I am the only one who can fight the silentium for no one else from the Great War survived. I was the lone survivor and I want my revenge.

The last shadow signing out

Imagining writer’s ‘block’

Posted on by
1

How can we break it down?

by Tyreck Abrahams

As writers I think most of us could agree that one of the most daunting part of writing is… not writing. The moment when your pen begins to feel like a weight that forces your hand to submission. When your keys feel cold and stiff like the joints in your fingers that have become paralysed by the fear of perfectionism. The thing is, this ‘block’ isn’t necessarily a restriction, the fact your mind can ‘notice’ this ‘block’ is testament to your creative mind itself – we can imagine this nothingness, this unknown that restricts us. For instance; nothing is called nothing, a void is a void, a black hole is a black hole. So, as long as we keep on creating words, then we are writing,  and within writing we can create our own images and emotions. I particularly stumble upon this ‘block’, and even now I am typing this out with hammer heads on my fingertips, subconsciously conscious with every word that I type. Yet at the same time, with every word that I type, I am gradually chipping away at the block in front of me. So remember, IMAGINING is a tool you are already subconsciously using. It is the first tool you use when you begin to write, so you should trust the vision that you can’t see and describe the blindness.

 There are also different approaches to getting past writers ‘block’, and one that I particularly enjoy is going on random word generator and creating poetry/short stories from completely random words. This forces you to be creative as your brain is already thinking on how to conjoin unrelated words and make them harmonious, thus exercising your innovative brain. You would be surprised from the creativity that derives from this exercise. It draws out the unfiltered you; you have the chance to dress these words into your favourite clothes and let them express themselves. And even if you didn’t like what you wore, you can look back on it and think, what would I change? Because I know as kids, we all looked back at a certain point in our life and thought, why the f*ck was I wearing that? Or when you finally had that freedom of choosing your own clothes, instead of wearing a suit and some church shoes (alright maybe, I’m getting too personal, but you get the point). Writing is expressive, and I’d like to assume that everyone has a personality (I hope so). There is always an emotion to express, even if you’re a stoic person, so to bring it back to my main point, this writers ‘block’ is just a façade, an illusion, a fear of a perfectionist. And I don’t think writers realise (me included), how damaging the ‘perfectionist’ route is, as you begin to overthink and this causes stagnation. We should be able to think freely, and even if it turns out like absolute trash, first of all – you wrote, secondly – you can always go back to it and edit, as you have already created a foundation. So, I am not saying it is easy to pump out words when your mind feels frozen, but I hope that it’ll eventually defrost before mum gets back home.

Why I Will Always Be A Fan Of Twilight

Posted on by
Reply

By Sajida Aktar

I remember binge reading all four books within a month and a half. I couldn’t wait to jump from one ending to the beginning of another. To treat myself, I’d watch the movie right after finishing a book to further expand my growing obsession. I couldn’t tell you what my 12-year-old self loved so much about it. I re-read the first book again 10 years later and it took me longer than a month to finish because by then I had developed in all aspects of my life. I pondered, what the hell is this shit? Why did I love it so much? These characters are awful!

The books introduced me to a world of Young Adult Fiction. The selection at the time was modestly small. Publishers were still deciding where this new genre belonged because it was nowhere near Child Fiction nor was it desirable enough for Adult Fiction. Twilight had high school romance, vampire sex, hot werewolves, and a love triangle. It had teenage angst, a feeling of comradeship among mythical creatures and a forbidden love that was in all ways unrealistic but exciting to read about.

I still go back and watch the movies religiously every year. It has become a sort of comfort for me, though I am well aware that the films are in no way Oscar worthy. They bring me back to a place of happiness in a world that didn’t exist but was in all ways a home in my imagination from the realities of boring mundane life. I watch the films because I feel like I am a 12-year-old girl again, waiting for break time to come around so I can find the other girls who read the book. We’d discuss for weeks the new movie that was coming out and our expectations leading up to it. Tearing each other apart based on the teams we chose (I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with #TeamEdward). We knew nothing of boys or men because they were nothing compared to the fictional ones we read about. Those who could afford a copy of the book or DVD would be kind enough to share it around so the others could join in. There was no gatekeeping, we were in all ways unapologetically outspoken about sharing this world with anyone who was interested. Our standards, our education, our look into the world of an almost-grown-up was through this book.

The movies have created a safe place to my younger self and I will forever be tied to the franchise because of it. I come back to it after a bad day or a cold evening in Winter, where the best time is spent wrapped in a blanket and having a mug of hot chocolate as my company. I come back to it every year because it reminds me to nurture that little girl inside of me that I sometimes forget about every now and then.

My Last Goodbye To You

Posted on by
Reply

Maryam Khan

Everything was an adventure with you,

From your spontaneous outings that always ended in laughs and fond memories,

To the random lie-ins we’d have when you were having a low day.  

But that all went away when you did.

There were no more random walks in the park,

No more jumping on trains and seeing where they took us,

No more looking at strangers and thinking up stories about their lives.

All that was taken away when you were.

So now as I sit here by your grave,

I think about all we did together and remember how you used to say,

“In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take”.

So as my last goodbye to you, I promise to take all the chances I’m given.

‘Writing and Space’ by Fleur Bruneau

Posted on by
Reply

When I am sitting down to write in creative ways, I find the space I am in to be as important as the subject in which I am writing. 

For example, writing in libraries has never really worked for me, as I feel some Godly judgement cast upon me by others in the library, despite the fact that they aren’t even aware of my existence, let alone care.

However, this external pressure means I can focus on nothing else but focussing, and thus end up not writing anything at all. 

I have tried writing in The Hideaway within uni thinking maybe this would be a helpful place to be. It is not silent, which means that I don’t think I’m going to be thwarted for existence, and has a good amount of coffee that is nearby – which seems to be a crucial point when I work. 

The major downside to The Hideaway, it seems, is the sheer amount of things going on. The bright house lights, the bright colourful lights, the screen that displays the music video of the music being played that is slightly too loud, the consequential shouting as a result of the too loud music.

I often find myself gazing into the blue lights that hang in columns from the ceiling like one would gaze at fish in a tank. Not a single thought passing through my head

For me, I must be in a place that has movement and noise, but not so much that it becomes distracting. There must be some form of overpriced coffee (which I use to bribe my monkey brain into work) and some form of light music being played in the background. I have to be sat next to a window or the lights must be ambient. This particularity means that it consequently means I do very little work. 

I jest.

Starbucks, I have found, seems to be the place that fulfils all these factors. The baristas leave you alone, no one will speak to you, there are outlets that allow you to charge your phone when you inevitably forget to charge your laptop the night before. The wifi is reliable, but not so good that you can procrastinate by watching a YouTube video. 

I have since discovered that doing work in Starbucks allows for me to build the facade that my life is in fact together. This air of assumed confidence means that I can convince myself that I am Okay at writing, that the last 2,000 words I wrote aren’t utter utter shite and that this is my world that others happen to be living in.

For someone with anxiety, this facade of arrogance means I complete work outside the four walls of my flat without having a panic attack beforehand. The coffee, the music and the overall vibes are perfectly conducive for my work.

Space, it appears, is as important as your writing.

A mantra against imposter syndrome

Posted on by
Reply

by Nadia Siad

We often think that other people know more than we do, that when we get a high grade, we ‘just got lucky.’ We self-criticise and think our work is never good enough. This results in a lack of productivity and stress. Imposter syndrome is sometimes so normalised that we don’t even recognise it for what it is. 

It is natural to be your harshest critic, but it is also important to be kind to yourself. We’re all only human, we’re not made to be perfect and produce perfect work all the time, so let go of perfectionism.

Remember that people know as much as you do. Yes, there will be subjects where someone has more knowledge than you, but there will also be subjects where you have more knowledge than others. 

So be kind to yourself and know that you’re not alone.

Fantasy Prompts Based on Current Events

Posted on by
Reply

by Nicole Blythe

Have a look through each of these creative prompts and see where they take you!

A study at Brown University of a crater on Venus caused about a billion years ago, has shown that it’s crust, or lithosphere, is too thick for it to have tectonic plates (at least in the last 1 billion years) which could disprove the theory of tectonic plates for Earth.

Due to the increasing levels of unrecyclable plastics found in the ocean, chemists are currently trying to find ways to make plastic more recyclable. Most plastic when melted down becomes too brittle to work with or mould into something new.

“You do not deserve the air you breathe. Do you deny it?”: Jörmungandr is the world snake of Norse mythology. Having been banished from his home to live in the darkest, deepest parts of the Ocean’s on Migard, the members of the ocean go to him as their last hope of stopping the humans before it’s too late.

Nasa’s Chandra X-Ray Telescope has been able to provide new, key information on blackholes outside of our galaxy. As blackholes were said to only have a mass, an electrical charge and spin they were said to be ‘bald’. Extreme blackholes (those that have maxed out their charge and spin) are said to now have ‘hair’ – they have other features that can be observed and measured.

Black Intentions: Having been left with nothing, two starving sisters make a deal with a magician for power from the ancient giants that live inside of blackholes. He gives them this power on the condition that they use their powers only for survival. However, the giants of the blackholes possess powers so strong, it is almost impossible to resist temptation.

A dustbin man, Jose Alberto Gutierrez, in Columbia started amassing books he found while collecting rubbish about 20 years ago. Having now collected over 20,000 books, he has opened a library called “Strength of Words” that children can visit for free during the weekends.