Amanda Barratt Author: July 2013

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

A Creative Mind: Fostering and Keeping it!

A writer's best friend is their creativity. Without it, writing a 90,000 word novel would be impossible or at the very least incredibly boring. But how do you keep your creativity up and page after page, novel after novel? The following tips will help you to keep that section of your mind from losing its edge.

CREATIVITY TIPS:

1) Read

All writers need to keep being readers. I get some of my best ideas from continual reading. This means both current and classic novels. Some people think classic works are from days gone by. However challenging your mind with classic novels keeps the ideas flowing. Also, keep reading contemporary novels as well. I can’t wait until new releases from my favorite authors come out. They don’t come out fast enough for me!

2) Ask Questions

One of the best ways to maintain creativity is to ask questions and seek out the answers. Will there ever be enough time in life to get all of the answers to all of the questions we humans have? No! When you stop asking questions and seeking new information, you become dull indeed!

3) Look - Listen- Learn

The power of observation! Keep your eyes and ears open -then take notes. Some of my best last name ideas come from just looking at products in the grocery store. I am always on the lookout for story ideas, names and places and I keep a list of all of them as you never know when they might come in handy.

4) Dreams

Have you ever woke up in the middle of the night with a great story idea! Make sure you keep a pen and paper nearby. Also, never stop dreaming during the day as well. Writers are thinkers and dreamers. When we lose this we lose the spark on our stories.

Creativity abounds! Books, movies, music, children, pets, vacations, etc etc. Let the creativity flow in your mind and right onto the pages of your books!!

Happy Writing!
-Amanda

ROYAL BABY UPDATE!

Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess on the birth of their baby boy George Alexander Louis (nickname Georgie) the future King of England!! Next week's post will contain baby pictures from the first photo call!!

Monday, July 8, 2013

Royal Babies Throughout The Ages

With the birth of the Prince or Princess of Cambridge – and future King or Queen of England, just days away, I thought it might be fun to take a peek through the Royal photo albums and look at some previous British monarchs – when they were babies!

This is the future Queen Victoria. She looks much different now than in the pictures we usually see of her. I wonder if it was difficult to get her to sit still for the portrait. :)

King Edward VII looking much younger than in his coronation pictures. He was the second child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and waited over 60 years to become king!

The future King George V looking dashing in a sailor suit. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a picture of George or Georgie as he was called, as a baby.

Two kings in one picture! King Edward VIII (far right) who abdicated in order to marry Wallis Simpson and his brother and successor, George VI, who grew up to pull the country through WWII and who is father to our current Queen.