About the Author:
Hi, I’m Nicky, I am from Brighton in England. I grew up fascinated by books like Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected and T.V. shows like The Twilight Zone. For years I played and wrote songs in an alternative rock band before going back to university and studying English Literature and Philosophy. I now have a passion for writing fantasy and dark comedy fiction. I love stories that dig beneath the surface of everyday life and play in the shadow worlds that we all have. You can find me online at nickyblue.com
Barry's been patient, but after twenty-seven years of trimming hedges for people he hates, he's had enough. All he wants to do is to find his missing father and to discover his inner ninja. But life’s not done with throwing him curveballs.
A fatal mistake catapults Barry into the adventure of a lifetime. With talking hedges, samurai ghosts, meddling psychotherapists, and an inexplicably non-linear time pattern conspiring against him, Barry must do battle to save his hide, unleash the ninja within, and rescue his father from an ancient army, a dark sorcerer and a raging inferno.
What is the mysterious Prophecy Allocation Department?
Where is The Before and After?
Even more importantly, Will Barry’s underwear hold out until he has saved the day?
Hi, I’m Nicky, I am from Brighton in England. I grew up fascinated by books like Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected and T.V. shows like The Twilight Zone. For years I played and wrote songs in an alternative rock band before going back to university and studying English Literature and Philosophy. I now have a passion for writing fantasy and dark comedy fiction. I love stories that dig beneath the surface of everyday life and play in the shadow worlds that we all have. You can find me online at nickyblue.com
The Secret to New Ideas.
By Nicky Blue
Is this a
magic trick?
Kinda no and kinda
yes. let me explain. I’m going to show you a simple exercise, which if
practiced diligently will teach you how to find wonderful new ideas. Ideas you
never thought you were capable of and you’ll have no clue where they came from.
The exercise is called ‘Free Writing’ and I find it an incredible process for
generating new work.
The purpose of
‘Free Writing’ is to ‘hitch your unconscious mind to your writing
arm.’ — Dorothea Brande
The more you
practice the exercise, the more it rewards you. I return to this practice more
than any other when I’m stuck on a project or need a shift in perspective. I
rate it so highly I would even go so far as to say it’s a gateway to accessing
your muse. (ssh keep it quiet or everyone will have good ideas!)
I find the quality of what comes up for me when I am doing this exercise much
richer. Less self-conscious. I am not employing the same intentional thinking
method that I normally use to direct my writing. It feels like I am by-passing
that and tapping into something much deeper.
Shall we go through
this together? OK lets begin.
Stage One
Flick through an
interesting magazine or book (National Geographic works for me). When you get
to an image that resonates with you in some way, stop. I find images a great
way to access inspiration. It could be a landscape or culture I’m unfamiliar
with, something that creates mystery or possibility.
Now set a timer for
10 minutes and write. Pen on paper. Use your image as your initial launch and
then just go with what comes into your head. Whatever it is!
“The unconscious
is shy, elusive, and unwieldy, but it is possible
to tap it at will and even direct it.” — Dorothea Brande
So now you are writing. You realise, it’s not as easy as it
sounds. In can be hard getting past the fierce regulating grip of the inner
critic. When I started doing the exercise I had to be quite stubborn with
myself to get through it. My inner critic kindly informed me what I’m doing was
stupid, futile and useless. It gave me
insight into how much my writing was plagued by a regulating judgemental force.
The insight helped me dig deeper. I started writing down what my critic was
saying until the insults exhausted themselves. I carried on. Most of what came
up for me to start with was nonsense, however there was always a pearl to be
found. It may only have been the germ of an idea but it was something that felt
special. At the end of the 10 minutes stop writing, get yourself a
well-deserved cup of coffee and relax. That’s great work!
“Sit down to write what you have thought, and not to think about
what you shall write.” — William Cobbett
Stage Two
Now you have
refuelled, go back over what you have written and underline any interesting
ideas, phrases that are worth developing. It might just be one or
two words but they hook you in some way. Now set your timer for another 10
minutes and repeat Stage One using your new idea to launch with.
Watch your attitude
towards the exercise.
I have found that
experimenting with different ideas towards the exercise interesting to work
with. Sometimes just a slight shift in the way I am relating to it can harvest
different results. Here are some perspectives I play with.
Write as if your
life depended on it.
Pretend you are the
last person on the planet and you have to pass vital information to a new race
of beings.
Forget you have
standards.
Drop your guard.
Be unrestricted,
unregulated.
Don’t do what you
think you should do.
Don’t be concerned
with writing something moral or clever.
Write like nobody’s
watching, including yourself.
Get out of your own
way.
Just let it flow.
Don’t do it for
fame, glory or to achieve something brilliant.
“To gain your own
voice, you have to forget about having it heard.”
— Allen Ginsberg.
— Allen Ginsberg.
Stage 3
Now take another
short breather and go back over what you have written. Underline the parts that stand out. Put those ideas onto a blank
page and see what comes up for you. How does it feel? What is your
response? Now try to write 500 words without a timer developing the
ideas and themes you have underlined. Don’t be discouraged if you
don’t find the secret to the universe at the first attempt. Like all things
practice is the key. Keep trying. Why not try this exercise for 10 days and see
where you are at the end of that process? If your experience is anything like
mine, you will surprise yourself!
About the Book:
He thinks he’s a deadly ninja. He's not. He’s Barry Harris and he still lives with his mum. Barry's been patient, but after twenty-seven years of trimming hedges for people he hates, he's had enough. All he wants to do is to find his missing father and to discover his inner ninja. But life’s not done with throwing him curveballs.
A fatal mistake catapults Barry into the adventure of a lifetime. With talking hedges, samurai ghosts, meddling psychotherapists, and an inexplicably non-linear time pattern conspiring against him, Barry must do battle to save his hide, unleash the ninja within, and rescue his father from an ancient army, a dark sorcerer and a raging inferno.
What is the mysterious Prophecy Allocation Department?
Where is The Before and After?
Even more importantly, Will Barry’s underwear hold out until he has saved the day?
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