writing – F C MALBY

Using Photographs as Writing Prompts for Short Fiction

Lots of people ask me where I get my ideas from when writing fiction. The answer remains elusive. As a photographer, I find much inspiration from snippets of every day life that are captured in photographs. Scenes from life, interactions, a moment in time. These all form the seeds of an idea.

I find black and white images particularly striking. Ted Grant famously said, “When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in Black and white, you photograph their souls!”

I use Pinterest to collect and find ideas. You can read about it in this post. I’ve gathered together a few of my favourite recent photographs from other photographers into a board of writing prompts. You can see a few of them below, but go to the board for the full range.

All photo credits: Unsplash (see my Pinterest Board for individual photographers)

There is something about a visual stimulus which can spark an idea. It also makes the writing process less daunting, particularly if you’re struggling with writer’s block.

Do you use images for inspiration in art or writing? Let me know in the comments. If you find inspiration from any of these writing prompts, I’d love to hear from you.

Celebrating 100,000 Blog Views with Writers and their Creative Spaces

To celebrate reaching a blogging milestone of over 100,000, I thought I’d share more of what you’ve enjoyed recently. One of my most viewed posts over the past month has been Writers and Their Creative Spaces. So, here are some of the creative spaces of other writers.

Hemingway’s writing space at his home in Florida Keys. He wrote whilst on his boat or at his Key West home. Here, he wrote The Old Man and the Sea.

In celebration of hitting a blogging milestone of over 100,000 views

Michael Pollan built this small writing hut in the woods by his house in Connecticut. Pollan was inspired by French writer, Gaston Bachelard, who wrote in The Poetics Of Space, ‘I should say: the house shelters day-dreaming, the house protects the dreamer, the house allows one to dream in peace.’

“The house shelters day-dreaming, the house protects the dreamer, the house allows one to dream in peace.”

Neil Gaiman built a gazebo almost 30 years ago in his garden. He says, “I can look out of the window and some wildlife will occasionally look back…There are heaters down there, because it gets cold here in winter, and blankets on the chairs, ditto, and I have to try and remember not to leave bottles of ink on the table as they freeze. It’s just out of reach of the house Wifi, too, which is a good thing.”

It’s just out of reach of the house Wifi, too, which is a good thing.

Roald Dahl wrote in a shed in Buckinghamshire, which he called his Gipsy House. Everything was within reach of his chair, according to illustrator, Quentin Blake. He also wrote with his favourite pencils on yellow paper.

Inspired by Dylan Thomas, who found writing at home difficult with young children, Dahl built his Gipsy House – a sanctuary, somewhere where he could work without any interruptions.

A sanctuary, somewhere where he could work without any interruptions.

Unlocking Creativity: The Power of Daily Writing

I often get asked by new and aspiring writers how to begin and where to find ideas. The first thing I want to say is that no two writers are the same, nor do they work the in same way. The next, and probably the most important thing I would say, is that consistency is key. The more regularly you write, and the more often, the better you will become.

“No two writers are the same…consistency is key.”

Nothing is wasted. Even if there are days where you write paragraphs that won’t be read or printed, you will still learn from the process. It’s like muscle memory, but for the brain. Creating new narratives engages your brain in new ways and it also helps to form fresh neural pathways and connections, sharpening your mind.

Writing also physically changes the brain, improving memory and critical thinking. It activates multiple ares of the brain and increases levels of self-awareness, as well as enhancing well-being. Handwriting has more benefits than typing, but I do both. I find it helpful to journal ideas, but I type up my work when I get going.

“I find it helpful to journal ideas, but I type up my work when I get going.”

Start small and build up. Try writing 100 words over a coffee before you begin the day. Some writers get up early and write for an hour, but it’s different for everyone. Check out the 5am Writer’s Club and the Twitter hashtag #5amWritersClub

Build up slowly and keep it consistent. Aim for once a day or set aside a few days a week where you have a slot to write without distractions. Switch everything off, especially your phone. Go for a walk first if you can, or if you need a break between writing stints. The motion of walking can clear any mental clutter in your mind, helping you to focus on new ideas. The increased blood flow to the brain also boosts creativity and cognitive function.

“The actual motion of walking can clear any mental clutter in your mind, helping you to focus on new ideas.”

Use images to help with inspiration. I’ve written a blog post on creating Pinterest boards for writing inspiration, but you can use a photograph, a postcard or read some poetry or short stories to get you started. Sometimes, you just need an idea, a scene, or a snippet of conversation, or a line of poetry to begin.

I’d love to know how you get on. Leave a message in the comments, and feel free to ask any questions.

Poems Published in Cable Street Press: Issue 9

Four of my poems have been published in the marvellous Summer Edition of Cable Street Press, Issue 9.

A word from the editor on Issue 9:

**Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly, Sage Flowers, Marigolds.**

Bastille Day has come and with it, the explosion of writing and art that is the latest Cable Street Issue. I’ll be frank with you—every issue blows my mind. I see all the pieces one by one and they are surprising, delightful, shocking, thought provoking. But then they all come together, and each and every time, I’m moved by the web of art in conversation that is created...And these are only some of the many treasures of this issue. Storm into this tower at your own speed, making sure to check out the poetry of F.C. Malby and Roberta Schultz…There is plenty to enjoy on this Bastille Day weekend.

— Hardy Griffin for the editors

Poems by F C Malby

My poems, Crossing, I Have Already Gone, Moths, and Where Have All the Birds Gone feature a range of themes, including the contentious issue of immigration. Through Crossing, I wanted to give a voice to the voiceless; this is a particularly exigent issue.

Crossing

I line up with other bedraggled bodies,
some look as though they might be dying,

others carry the weight of grief. I watched
a child slip away while we waited yesterday,

saw the life leave its lungs, the mother clung
to its body, tears wet the child’s face. It’s not

pretty, it’s worse than they tell you. I don’t
know whether we will make it or whether

we might be taken back. I don’t speak
the language, few of us do. It matters.

The look on the guard’s faces is difficult
to read, tells me they’ve seen so much

of this. None of us know what to do or
what’s next. Clothes dry on a makeshift

line between tents, next to plastic bags
of what we have left after the police take

anything else. Some of us camp under
bridges, avoiding the boulders that stop

us settling on softer ground. We wait for
the next boat, for a better life. The

mother is still holding the child. We
wait. Some of us won’t make it.

Read my other three poems here.

Exciting News: Four Poems to be published in Cable Street Literary Journal

I’m thrilled to have an acceptance of four poems to be published in International Literary Journal, Cable Street, in July. They only publish work three times a year, so I’m happy that my poems have found their way into this wonderful journal. I don’t know about you, but I love a backstory, so I thought I’d share a little about the publishers ahead of the publication.

CABLE STREET

“We are, first and foremost, an international, online journal fostering exchange among writers and readers of many languages. We post new issues three times a year: on or about May 1, Bastille Day, and Thanksgiving.

Our name reflects the essence of our journal: a festival of communication across nations and traditions, a chance to wander the byways of art from many hands and many lands.

Cable Street is a road in London’s East End. It takes its name from the ships’ cables once made there—cables that traveled the world on British fleets. A place enlivened, then and now, by the dozens of languages spoken by sailors, traders, and immigrants. A place where, in 1936, a coalition of antifascists took a stand against the British Union of Fascists, turning back the tide of repression and ethnocentric dominion.

Like our namesake thoroughfare, Cable Street embraces the human family in its multitude of cultures.“

Photo credit: Cable Street Journal, Cable Street, London

More news in July!