Catching a Bird of Paradise

My motto for Day 4 of my “Be Inspired” Resolution: Exotic Flowers Spark Exotic Thoughts! My Plan:   Go to a florist, purchase an exotic cut flower and then come up with as many associations as I can. Normally, I would make a beeline for lilies and more specifically orchids, but I eliminated them from the ranks today. I wanted to find something new. Stumbling into the green oasis that is our local flower shop was already a great change of atmosphere compared to the damp, grey streets of winter outside. Taking a deep breath of the fragrant air, I relished the sudden explosion of colour and rich scents. Conscientious as an explorer of exotic lands, I set about making my selection. Big or small? Delicate or bold? Rich in colour or intriguing in shape? Hovering like a hummingbird between the exotic blooms, I finally managed to catch myself a “Bird of Paradise” - also known as Strelitzia reginae among people with a green thumb. 

Photocredit to banana-tree.com

The first thought that came to mind was that the flower actually looked like sun-flare dragon hatching from a shimmering green egg. Furthermore, I could also see the birth of a phoenix: freshly hatched on the left to spreading it wings and taking flight on the right. Or it could be the wind-blown sails of a great ship upon a sapphire-coloured sea on a quest to the land where sun and water meet. My fantasy was certainly sparked and I noted down ideas for a good 20 minutes. 

The one that I liked best casts my bird of paradise as the tribal symbol for a tribe of warriors known for their deathly beauty and exotic fighting style. Their weapons are sharp as the edges of the plant, their poisons bold and lethal like the colours of the bloom. The tribe worships the sun and strike with the last blue blade slicing night from day and day from night.

I admit, I tend to be a fancy thinker.

What do you see?

Trying my hand at poetry!

Ever wondered how you could take your storytelling to the next level? Or give a measure of authenticity to the world you created?

A great way to make a reader believe even more in your world is by employing or quoting from different text types. When you are writing a novel or short story in a contemporary or historical setting, you can quote other authors’ works in order to give your world a feeling of authenticity and to help your reader buy more into the scene you want to set. A good example is the YA fantasy novel Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier. She foreshadows each chapter with a quoted text passage, a poem or a self-authored entry from a log-book assigned to a character with an authentic voice in her novel. The same principle, consequently, also holds true for new worlds in a fantasy setting. Of course, then, producing authentic literary material is up to you. Historical records giving a quick introduction to a country’s history, chants telling tribal histories over a campfire or sermons used during rituals can go a long way in intriguing your reader. 

I always wanted to try my hand at poetry. My goal? To let an original poem tell the ancient lore of the world I created or hint at main plot points with a few cleverly rhymed lines. 

Well, today, I made my first attempt. I started simple with a clerihew rhyme scheme and left syllable counts to Shakespeare for now. My trusty helpmate for today’s project was an online rhyming dictionary – www.rhymer.com. Here is one of my better poems from today’s effort.

Theme: The Chameleon

Beware of the Chameleon,

That holds no colours of its own.

The charming creature

Harbouring talents of a lethal nature,

walks hidden among you,

cloaked in its enemy’s hue.

Any comments?

Be Inspired!

What goal did you set for 2012?

New Year’s Resolutions: It’s a tradition. One, that at times, makes you feel like you have to commit to a grand or tedious scheme aimed at self-improvement. But those kinds of resolutions usually go up in smoke as soon as your hangover kicks in! Experts actually say that in order for your resolutions to stick, you have to give them a 30-day trial run. Also, you should choose a goal that is dear to you personally or which sends you on an adventure to discover the world around you. In that spirit – and for once taking the advice to heart -, one of my resolutions for 2012 is to “Be inspired!”. I feel like I have been sitting around too much, waiting for things to happen instead of going out there and seeking new experiences for myself. Well, it’s a new year and there’s 30 days left in January. My goal: To find something that inspires me every day! And in order to keep myself from quitting, I will post my findings on twitter each day. Anyone interested in joining me?

I can’t wait to discover what I will find, but I can tell you what I unearthed today.

My Spark of Inspiration # 1:   A picture trip down memory lane!

At the start of a new year, I normally reminiscence about the things I have seen and learned in the last year. In 2011, I actually got to travel a lot. Great Britain, Greece, Portugal and Germany were on my list of destinations. Thanks to fantastic weather, my trusty camera and the best travel buddies, I collected a host of great memories, impressions and anecdotes. The places that inspired me the most were the Monk Republic of Athos and the Meteora Monasteries in Greece, Sintra in Portugal and the baroque city of Dresden.

Check out some of my finds!

Don’t these views just reek of atmosphere and inspiration?

I could nearly hear the religious chants echoing from the majestic stone formations of Meteora. What a great setting those ancient monasteries would be for a thriller or a historical novel, especially if you add the mysterious monk republic on Mount Athos to the mix. Sintra, on the other hand, had the romantic charm of a medieval, fairy tale town tying in wonderfully with the surreal gardens of the Quinta da Regaleira. I will never forget the underground tower there, which incidentally already houses two characters of mine. I am certain that all these impression will eventually find their way into one or the other of the worlds I will dream up in the future. For now, they are filling the pages of my travel journals and are eternalized in the pictures I and my sisters took.

I hope that at the end of this new year I will have an archive of things, impressions and experiences which strike my creative vein and inspire me. For today, my trip down 2011 memory lane led me right into the decadent world of Geltown’s maverick, the big villain in my new writing project. What will tomorrow bring? What inspired you today?