Writing – Diny FvK

RE-PURPOSING POETRY

March 28, 2020February 28, 2020 by Diny

…because of course, poetry has no actual purpose 😉

The first time I wrote a fully scripted ‘theatrical ghost walk’ for Sussex Darkside (the paranormal entertainment company I am partner in), I decided to write the entire thing in poetry. Rhyming couplets of eleven syllables per line to be precise – for all nine poems. I think I must have been mad.

Anyway, that ran for a year at the Royal Hippodrome Theatre in Eastbourne and got some lovely reviews – (you can see some of the poems on my website: (https://www.dinyfvk.co.uk/misinformed-poet/the-death-and-life/) – however, we realised that the audience wanted a more integrative experience; scares, challenges and more interaction with the actors, so I am about to recycle my existing poems and turn them into a murder mystery.

Each of the original poems tells the story of a reported ghost that haunts each part of the theatre we tour our guests around. The stories were unrelated to each other but, because I had a bigger plan in my head of eventually turning them into an actual play, I had written in-between scenes that created a loose link between the stories. Basically, each ghost haunts the theatre for a particular reason BUT, in the tour, one of the ghosts is being beastly to all of the other ghosts and while the audience travel between stories, they bump back into the ghost-characters, who complain to the audience about the ‘beastly ghost’, who of course, ends up murdered (again).

Now, I am turning this into a murder mystery game, so I need to add in some visual clues and ways for the guests to interact with the actors, whilst not spoiling the scenes.

I do love a challenge, and this particular ‘show’ will have its first outing at the end of March in an all night ‘spooky sleepover’ event we are running on behalf of a local hospice charity. I also have to write four 15 minute plays as challenges for the participants. I cannot wait to get started! In fact, I really shouldn’t wait as I only have four weeks to get it done, between finishing my creative writing book, formatting and publishing three books for clients and home-educating my middle daughter… in fact, I really should stop blogging and just get on with it, but alas, I am a hopeless procrastinator.

A MUCH REDUCED OFFICE

March 28, 2020December 12, 2019 by Diny

Due a house-move, my lovely office is no more and I now have a really nice lap table that I can use anywhere (even in bed!), and as you can see, the dog doesn’t care – he is still at my feet providing support and aromas.

I haven’t actually written creatively for about 9 months, due to various events; a housemove and my lovely dad loosing a terrible battle with cancer. It’s not been a good year and I have focussed on working to help other people get their books together – which is incredibly rewarding; there really is nothing like seeing a new author cradling their first book like a newborn baby (I think we all do it).

The only downside to my lap desk, is that once I’m installed under it, it’s very difficult to remove it, so I have to get the kids or the husband to fetch my my tea.

NOVEL PLOTTING – WAS ‘ZOFANTICA’ – NOW ‘BA’

March 28, 2020April 16, 2019 by Diny

I can only think and plot in colour – otherwise it doesn’t makes sense to me, so here is a picture of my latest ‘workings out’ for what was my novel Zofantica but, has now become Ba.

Why?

Well, part way through my plotting it out, I realised that Zofantica cannot happen unless a whole other load of things happen first, and therefore, Zofantica has to be pushed back to book 3 of the series instead of book 2.

So, now I am officially writing Ba; book 2 of Guardians of the Freen-Earth Alliance.

Incidentally, I still haven’t actually written any more of it – just lots of colourful plot diagrams.

I am a hopeless procrastinator.

WORK IN PROGRESS – THE NEXT STAGE OF ‘THE LOVE OF THE SEA’

March 28, 2020April 7, 2019 by Diny

These are the notes and the finished paintings for ‘The Love of the Sea’. It has been an exciting process finding and then commissioning an artist to interpret my poem into a series of pictures.

I was incredibly lucky to be introduced to Samantha Tuffnell, an ink and bleach artist, who was able to see the poem and my vision for it and produce this wonderful set of images.

I met with Sam this morning and we discussed how we are going to turn them into a saleable book/coffee table art-piece, which is going to take lots of research and planning.

PLANNING TEEN SCIENCE-FICTION NOVEL, ‘ZOFANTICA’

March 28, 2020April 5, 2019 by Diny

Having already written the first seven chapters of this follow-up to FREEN, I decided to plot each chapter and state a clear purpose, so that I can clearly see what I am revealing to my readers each time.

I found a hard-back, A4 notebook and am starting chapter 1 from the rear and working forwards so that the most recent chapter is closest to the front of the book. I have a page for each chapter on the left and a blank page on the right for post-it notes and sketches. It makes sense to me to do it like this, but then I always read magazines from the rear to the front – no idea why.

MY WRITE PLACE

March 28, 2020March 20, 2019 by Diny

I love to see where other people write (especially the very successful ones), so I thought I would share my ‘write space’.

I always imagine myself writing in a beautiful Victorian house with high ceilings and french doors that can be opened onto a lovely garden and that I am interrupted only take a gentle stroll or to talk to my editor.

In reality, I know I am extremely lucky to have an office at home, but it also doubles up as an education centre for my home-educated children and I am mostly interrupted by having to vacate the room when my dog’s wind becomes unbearable.

UPDATE: So, my lovely office is now the domain of my work-obsessed husband, who, due to working 16 hours+ a day in the living room was forcibly extracted and re-located in what was my office and the living room was restored to it’s former function. I now work at the dining table (or the kitchen, when the girls practising piano).

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