Song Of The Week Sunday:
Today, 14/1/18, is the day of the second instalment of Song Of The Week Sunday - where I will be sharing a piece of music that I listened to more than any other during the space of the previous. In this instance, from week beginning 8/1/18 and ending today, 14/1/18, the song I listened to the most was the following:
Walk You Home by Karmina!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MCB96wenhM
I happened across this song whilst freewriting sad prose about a relationship within one of my novels; a couple that has been split up due to the state of their country. One character, Blaise, is currently imprisoned, while his fiancee, Amai is part of a rebel faction that wants to overthrow the current government and release the prisoners from their Hellish surroundings. Prior to his arrest, Blaise was collecting intel on the prison and the way it worked before he was caught and imprisoned as punishment.
Throughout the series that this novel derives from, Amai admits that she wants Blaise to trust her to help him escape and let him rely upon her. Meanwhile, Blaise laments over how much he misses Amai, having been apart from her for almost ten years.
Once I found this song, I had it on repeat for DAYS because it applied so well to their relationship; with Blaise being the bolder and brasher of the pair, and Amai being meeker yet resilient and dependable. When they found themselves split up, Amai had lost her crutch in her fiance. She wanted to be with him again but was already well aware of what happened to prisoners when they were captured.
She found herself alone and seeking resources when she found that the rebels had been looking for her too. They had been tipped off by one of their double agents that Blaise had been shouting "Ahhh, my eye!" as he was being sent into the prison. The information was sent off to the rebels who aquired intelligence on Blaise and discovered "Ahh, my eye!", was a cry for Amai. Once they proved themselves trustworthy, she joined their ranks, ready to help her fiance.
The lyrics of the song seemed to encompass that dynamic well - such as "even the brave, they depend on someone" - with Blaise being arrested, he is hoping that Amai can finish what he started. And "the moon only shines with the help of the sun" with their relationship in mind, would depict Amai as being the moon, flourishing with the support of Blaise, even in his absence!
This song is really beautiful and I hope you give it a listen!
Thank you for reading
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra!
- Imogen. L. Smiley
Sunday, 14 January 2018
Friday, 12 January 2018
12/1/18 - Favourite Character Praise Friday - Connor Temple
Today, 12/1/18 is the first of what will be a series of posts praising my all-time favourite characters for their quirks and flaws etc. called Favourite Character Praise Friday. I will be sharing these posts every two weeks to gush about fictional characters in a proactive environment. With this segment, I intend to demonstrate what makes characters great so you and I alike can use these facts to improve our characters!
So who is the subject of my first Favourite Character Praise Friday?
Connor Temple from the TV series Primeval, portrayed by Andrew Lee Potts.
For those who are unfamiliar with Primeval, it was a five season long television series which told the story of people who came across rips in time that would later be known as "anomalies" and how they would learn to predict and contain them. Connor Temple was introduced in Season One, Episode One as the protagonist, Professor Nick Cutter's excitable student with an interest in conspiracy theories. By the end of the series, he was a strong and dependable scientific mind.
The following praise will contain spoilers.
But why is Connor Temple one of my all-time favourite characters?
Season Four and Five demonstrated how Connor had matured through needing Abby around him to survive during a year in the Cretaceous Era.After returning to work, he manages to create better technology, leading to the creation of the first ever man-made anomaly. At the end of the series, he finally proposes to Abby at the end of season five, and then denies it so she proposes to him to prove she would have said yes.
In a Canadian Spin Off of Primeval, Connor acknowledges that he and Abby are happily married, and that rounds off his character arc almost perfectly.
Despite the fact that Connor was a character with several romantic arcs; mostly focusing on his repressed romantic feelings toward Abby, and how he was hesitant to acknowledge them throughout the series, he developed mostly out of grief and trying to prove himself to be a valuable asset to a team where practically every person can be deemed dispensable. Except those deemed to be "geniuses" such as Nick Cutter. Connor strives to be deemed great and is later deemed to be of great credit to the team when he and Abby return to modern England and how much they had been missed by their colleagues.
His character develops independently from his romantic arcs, he learns, when Abby is presumed dead, that he does not really love his girlfriend, Caroline and when he finds out she is alive, he crosses to the other side of an anomaly to save her. On the other side of the anomaly, Connor confesses he loves Abby but then reverts back into his shell, denying that anything was said. He then went on to continue to date Caroline.
However, he did not actively admit his feelings until much later in the series, despite every character being aware of their mutual feelings toward one another.
Despite Connor initially being depicted as a character who was still young with unforeseen potential, unlike his colleagues, Nick Cutter, an evolutionary zoologist, Stephen Hart, a wildlife conservationist and skilled marksman and Abby Maitland, a zookeeper, Connor seemed to be the least likely candidate to be a significant character, let alone the longest living male character, appearing in every single episode.
Originally, his colleagues were sceptical of his skills, demonstrated when James Lester called him an idiot and an irritating student, and Captain Becker noting that his tech didn't work when he tested it, as if he didn't believe it would work in the first place. This demonstrated that his colleagues did not always have faith in what he could produce, but despite their moments of disbelief, he was a brilliant man of science, and the creator of the first man-made anomaly.
But what do these factors tell us about writing intelligent characters? Several things!
So who is the subject of my first Favourite Character Praise Friday?
Connor Temple from the TV series Primeval, portrayed by Andrew Lee Potts.
For those who are unfamiliar with Primeval, it was a five season long television series which told the story of people who came across rips in time that would later be known as "anomalies" and how they would learn to predict and contain them. Connor Temple was introduced in Season One, Episode One as the protagonist, Professor Nick Cutter's excitable student with an interest in conspiracy theories. By the end of the series, he was a strong and dependable scientific mind.
The following praise will contain spoilers.
But why is Connor Temple one of my all-time favourite characters?
He demonstrated immense character development throughout the series
Connor's character is initially excitable and eager to impress those who surround him with his explorations, despite the fact that the information he was invested in was classified by the Home Office and therefore should have been kept a secret. He had a schoolboy crush on his friend, and colleague, Abby, who he actively endangered toward the start of the series. However, Connor realises early on in the series that keeping his mouth shut saves lives; when his best friend Tom is killed by a parasite that was transmitted to him via a bite from a dodo bird. He matures as he grieves over the loss of his friend.
In the second season, Connor is still depicted as somewhat childish and ditsy, being the only character in the main quartet that is not allowed to carry a gun, and when he is given the opportunity to use one, he shoots Abby in the leg with a tranquilliser dart. Later in the series, his lack of life-experience is played upon by the antagonists of the series, with a new love interest stumbling into his life and taking advantage of him.
In season three, Connor's technological prowess is demonstrated to be immense and he is no longer a character played off for laughs in times of distress, instead he is able to further the plot by building equipment to accompany tech he build that can detect the presence of the anomalies as they open in their era. The new devices were used to contain the anomalies to prevent creature incursions. When his mentor, Professor Nick Cutter is murdered, he makes sure to fulfil his last request of him and strives to do so. At the end of season three, he and Abby found themselves trapped in the Cretaceous Era.
Season Four and Five demonstrated how Connor had matured through needing Abby around him to survive during a year in the Cretaceous Era.After returning to work, he manages to create better technology, leading to the creation of the first ever man-made anomaly. At the end of the series, he finally proposes to Abby at the end of season five, and then denies it so she proposes to him to prove she would have said yes.
In a Canadian Spin Off of Primeval, Connor acknowledges that he and Abby are happily married, and that rounds off his character arc almost perfectly.
His romantic arcs were not the essential justification for his development as a character
Despite the fact that Connor was a character with several romantic arcs; mostly focusing on his repressed romantic feelings toward Abby, and how he was hesitant to acknowledge them throughout the series, he developed mostly out of grief and trying to prove himself to be a valuable asset to a team where practically every person can be deemed dispensable. Except those deemed to be "geniuses" such as Nick Cutter. Connor strives to be deemed great and is later deemed to be of great credit to the team when he and Abby return to modern England and how much they had been missed by their colleagues.
His character develops independently from his romantic arcs, he learns, when Abby is presumed dead, that he does not really love his girlfriend, Caroline and when he finds out she is alive, he crosses to the other side of an anomaly to save her. On the other side of the anomaly, Connor confesses he loves Abby but then reverts back into his shell, denying that anything was said. He then went on to continue to date Caroline.
However, he did not actively admit his feelings until much later in the series, despite every character being aware of their mutual feelings toward one another.
The other characters learned to respect Connor's intellect
Despite Connor initially being depicted as a character who was still young with unforeseen potential, unlike his colleagues, Nick Cutter, an evolutionary zoologist, Stephen Hart, a wildlife conservationist and skilled marksman and Abby Maitland, a zookeeper, Connor seemed to be the least likely candidate to be a significant character, let alone the longest living male character, appearing in every single episode.
Originally, his colleagues were sceptical of his skills, demonstrated when James Lester called him an idiot and an irritating student, and Captain Becker noting that his tech didn't work when he tested it, as if he didn't believe it would work in the first place. This demonstrated that his colleagues did not always have faith in what he could produce, but despite their moments of disbelief, he was a brilliant man of science, and the creator of the first man-made anomaly.
But what do these factors tell us about writing intelligent characters? Several things!
- Writing serial works means that characters have a lot of time to mature as people, going from excitable enthusiastic bright eyed students to scientific geniuses with the prowess to create revolutionary pieces of equipment
- A character is more than their love interests - Connor existed outside of his romantic feelings for Abby and it is important that your characters have more to them than their affections for another character
- Intelligence in the eyes of a western audience can be a deemed laughable quality, with nerds being shunned for favouring academics to other aspects of life. However, if characters are going to mock another's work it should revolve around it's own arc, for example, James Lester found Connor to be an irritating student but at the end of the day, was grateful he was alive and still able to contribute to the team
Thank you for reading my reasons for adoring Connor! I hope my praise influenced the way you perceive your own characters!
Until next time!
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra!
- Imogen. L. Smiley
Tuesday, 9 January 2018
9/1/18 - Happy Tuesday! University Inspired Writing Prompt!
Happy Tuesday! University Inspired Writing Prompt!
Today, 9/1/18, is the second instalment of a new series of posts; University Inspired Writing Prompts. Since my first year at university, I have been compiling a collection of writing prompts inspired by my time studying in Derby. I hope that these prompts help you create your own works!
All of these prompts are dialogue based, and are inspired by real conversations I have been part of whilst at university.
Prompt Two:
"I can't believe our TUTORS stood us up!"
This derived from an instance during induction week where my classmates and I had not been informed that the meeting place for our of the city and it's amazing arts' scene was being moved to a secondary spot in town. Due to not finding this out, we were under the impression that our lecturers had forgotten us or had stood us up. We carry this joke on with our lecturers to this day!
Hopefully this prompt inspires something - even if it is just a smile
Thank you for reading
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra!
- Imogen. L. Smiley
Today, 9/1/18, is the second instalment of a new series of posts; University Inspired Writing Prompts. Since my first year at university, I have been compiling a collection of writing prompts inspired by my time studying in Derby. I hope that these prompts help you create your own works!
All of these prompts are dialogue based, and are inspired by real conversations I have been part of whilst at university.
Prompt Two:
"I can't believe our TUTORS stood us up!"
This derived from an instance during induction week where my classmates and I had not been informed that the meeting place for our of the city and it's amazing arts' scene was being moved to a secondary spot in town. Due to not finding this out, we were under the impression that our lecturers had forgotten us or had stood us up. We carry this joke on with our lecturers to this day!
Hopefully this prompt inspires something - even if it is just a smile
Thank you for reading
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra!
- Imogen. L. Smiley
Sunday, 7 January 2018
7/1/18 - Song Of The Week Sunday
Song Of The Week Sunday:
Today, 7/1/18, is the day of the first instalment of another aspect of this blog - Song Of The Week Sunday - where I will be sharing a piece of music that I listened to more than any other during the space of the previous. In this instance, from week beginning 1/1/18 and ending today, 7/1/18, the song I listened to the most was the following:
My Shot from Hamilton: An American Musical!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwlBxYyjrqM
I have been a fan of Hamilton for many months now. I have been listening to music, predominantly from the First Act non-stop ((pun unintended)) since I was introduced to the musical. The first song that I listened to on my own accord was My Shot all those months ago, and the song has followed me since; with it coming up as the song from the musical that most describes me. I found that that was greatly amusing as I have been described as being overly ambitious, having a one track mind and being desperate to not pass up any opportunities that come my way.
This week I have listened to My Shot very often. I found that it was a source of great motivation for writing poetry for UniSlam and coming up with other projects I can invest my time in. I found that it was great in boosting my morale and confidence in my abilities.
I love this song! Perhaps you'll give it a listen?
Thank you for reading
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra!
- Imogen. L. Smiley
Today, 7/1/18, is the day of the first instalment of another aspect of this blog - Song Of The Week Sunday - where I will be sharing a piece of music that I listened to more than any other during the space of the previous. In this instance, from week beginning 1/1/18 and ending today, 7/1/18, the song I listened to the most was the following:
My Shot from Hamilton: An American Musical!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwlBxYyjrqM
I have been a fan of Hamilton for many months now. I have been listening to music, predominantly from the First Act non-stop ((pun unintended)) since I was introduced to the musical. The first song that I listened to on my own accord was My Shot all those months ago, and the song has followed me since; with it coming up as the song from the musical that most describes me. I found that that was greatly amusing as I have been described as being overly ambitious, having a one track mind and being desperate to not pass up any opportunities that come my way.
This week I have listened to My Shot very often. I found that it was a source of great motivation for writing poetry for UniSlam and coming up with other projects I can invest my time in. I found that it was great in boosting my morale and confidence in my abilities.
I love this song! Perhaps you'll give it a listen?
Thank you for reading
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra!
- Imogen. L. Smiley
Wednesday, 3 January 2018
3/1/18 - Writing Advice Wednesday
Today, 3/1/18, is the first instalment of a new series of posts; Writing Advice Wednesday, where my advice to new writers will be shared once every two weeks.
It is important to remember that my opinions are not law in any way, shape, or form! Not everyone has the same experiences as I do in this field but it is valuable to share opinions on topics to try and help others!
Today's topic is RESEARCH and how much research is TOO much research!
Okay! So let’s begin! How much research do I personally do?
When I am drafting a story I do absolutely no research! None! Zilch! No research whatsoever, but only when I am making the first draft and moulding it into something legitimate. I do not start conducting research for my works until the second draft is complete and then I only look into what I am aware may not make sense, like a character being in a medically induced coma for ten years and being fully capable of running through the halls to find their comrades. This does not actually seem plausible and therefore I conducted research into the impacts of long term comas
I personally think that once you have three sources giving you insight of the same POV into a topic you will be able to understand a subject well enough to write about it! But sometimes you can’t find that and that’s okay! So here is my advice on how to dictate when you’ve done too much research
Tip One: Try To Remember The Specifics
What was it you actually needed to know specifically? Was it something basic, like “Can adrenaline stimulate muscles after long-term sedation?” Which has the poetential to have a simple ‘Yes or No’ answer, or was it something more complicated like “How long does physical therapy take for a double amputee” as that is a lot more subjective and case sensitive. If you can remember what you originally needed to know you ca work out if you’ve answered your question or try to use the information you have acquired to actually answer the question.
Tip Two: Ask YOURSELF If You Know Enough
How does asking yourself help? When it came to writing a genderfluid character in a story of mine, I found myself doing primary research by talking to my friends who had the same identities. I found that through interacting with them on a one to one basis I was able to learn how they felt about their identities, pronouns and being misgendered. That helped me so much that I figured I wouldn’t need to know much more so just got writing!
Tip Three: Try To Write An Essay On What You Are Researching
Yes, this one sounds RIDICULOUSLY counter-productive but I found that it personally helped me when I was struggling to determine how much I knew about something in my story so I decided to test myself and try and write an essay about the topic because I was too ansty to wait much longer to write. It generally astounded me that I knew so much about the topic and it motivated me to get a move on and actually write!
Thank you for reading! I hope I helped in one way, shape, or form!
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra!
- Imogen. L. Smiley
Tuesday, 2 January 2018
2/1/18 - Happy Tuesday! University Inspired Writing Prompt!
Happy Tuesday! University Inspired Writing Prompt!
Today, 2/1/18, is the first instalment of a new series of posts; University Inspired Writing Prompts. Since my first year at university, I have been compiling a collection of writing prompts inspired by my time studying in Derby. I hope that these prompts help you create your own works!
All of these prompts are dialogue based, and are inspired by real conversations I have been part of whilst at university.
Prompt One:
"Sorry, I'm late, I had to go to A&E because I cut my finger on a tin of baked beans"
This was said way back in September 2016, when my friend and now housemate was late to hanging out at the pub because she, as the prompt suggests cut her finger on a tin of beans and it didn't stop bleeding erratically for over an hour.
Hopefully this prompt inspires something - even if it is just a smile
Thank you for reading
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra!
- Imogen. L. Smiley
Today, 2/1/18, is the first instalment of a new series of posts; University Inspired Writing Prompts. Since my first year at university, I have been compiling a collection of writing prompts inspired by my time studying in Derby. I hope that these prompts help you create your own works!
All of these prompts are dialogue based, and are inspired by real conversations I have been part of whilst at university.
Prompt One:
"Sorry, I'm late, I had to go to A&E because I cut my finger on a tin of baked beans"
This was said way back in September 2016, when my friend and now housemate was late to hanging out at the pub because she, as the prompt suggests cut her finger on a tin of beans and it didn't stop bleeding erratically for over an hour.
Hopefully this prompt inspires something - even if it is just a smile
Thank you for reading
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra!
- Imogen. L. Smiley
Monday, 1 January 2018
1/1/18 - Monday Book Review! - The Road
Monday Book Review:
Today, 1/1/18 is the first of what will be a series of Monday Book Reviews, expressing my personal opinions on works of fiction. Today, I will be looking upon a piece called 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy.
I originally read The Road when I was still studying at college. As a fan of post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction, my teacher gushed over how I, in particular would enjoy reading this book and would probably find a great volume of things from within it that I could use for points of analysis. However, when it actually came to reading the book, I found it hard to get through. I found that the lack of punctuation and minimalist dialogue made the story harder to follow than many other books I had read before.
However, I recently reread this book and began to look into the piece as a writer ought to explore other works already published instead of just looking into them at face value or to analyse as a lit student. I believe that the reason I found The Road harder to read the first time around, was because it was very much a piece of "Dirty Realism" in reference to the reality of how surviving in an apocalypse would be - especially when in such a small group; a very repetitive cycle of travelling with very little to offer in terms of conversation. The term "Dirty Realism" refers to something that is mundane and would otherwise have the potential to be dismissed as a unnecessary and irrelevant, but where many amazing stories can be held; in essence it is a term used to describe stories that are based in the here and now.
When reading this book "like a writer" should do, I found that there were many things that could be learned about control; particularly with dialogue - despite how I felt when I originally read the piece's dialogue when I initially read it, I found myself enthralled by how sharp and controlled the monotonous dialogue was; complimenting the character's bleak outlook on the dying world around them. McCarthy demonstrated that by keeping the dialogue minimal you could evoke an entirely new level of internal conversation that derived predominantly from the question "why?". Why are they not talking about anything but the now? Because there is no guarantee of a future and it's easier to accept that when nobody discusses what they wanted of the world before it was plagued by the apocalypse. It was very clever and I commend McCarthy for that!
I found the character of 'The Man' interesting as despite the fact he was falling ill, he was desperate to preserve the life of his son, instead of attempting to get better to protect his son. I found this dynamic fascinating as the generalised assumption is that parents would rather have long lives with their children as opposed to giving teaching them how to survive and dying earlier as consequence. However, when the circumstances of an apocalypse were considered, the second option seemed to be reasonable. As someone who spent most mornings at secondary school back in 2012 ((when everyone believed the world would end)) conspiring of what my friends and I would do, it was very interesting to see how other people would react in an apocalyptic situation, particularly parents.
One of the scenes that stuck a chord with me as a reader and a writer alike was when The Man and The Boy found a can of Coca Cola and The Man gave it to his son to drink as it was unlikely that his son would happen across a commodity that his father was so accustomed to having access too that he would probably not appreciate it as much as his son would. The Man acknowledged in that scene that The Boy wouldn't get those opportunities and as he may never be able to drink a can of Coca Cola again, he gave it to him. I found this scene heart-warming and striking at the same time due to the fact that it reflected the sacrifices families make for their children to access things that their parents may not have been able to.
All in all, I feel that reading McCarthy's work less fascinating than the process of analysing it as both an lit student. However, regardless of how I struggled to engage with the piece, I would recommend it to any new writer that wants to learn about different styles of writing.
Thank you for reading! See you in two weeks for another instalment of Monday Book Reviews!
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra
-Imogen. L. Smiley
Today, 1/1/18 is the first of what will be a series of Monday Book Reviews, expressing my personal opinions on works of fiction. Today, I will be looking upon a piece called 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy.
I originally read The Road when I was still studying at college. As a fan of post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction, my teacher gushed over how I, in particular would enjoy reading this book and would probably find a great volume of things from within it that I could use for points of analysis. However, when it actually came to reading the book, I found it hard to get through. I found that the lack of punctuation and minimalist dialogue made the story harder to follow than many other books I had read before.
However, I recently reread this book and began to look into the piece as a writer ought to explore other works already published instead of just looking into them at face value or to analyse as a lit student. I believe that the reason I found The Road harder to read the first time around, was because it was very much a piece of "Dirty Realism" in reference to the reality of how surviving in an apocalypse would be - especially when in such a small group; a very repetitive cycle of travelling with very little to offer in terms of conversation. The term "Dirty Realism" refers to something that is mundane and would otherwise have the potential to be dismissed as a unnecessary and irrelevant, but where many amazing stories can be held; in essence it is a term used to describe stories that are based in the here and now.
When reading this book "like a writer" should do, I found that there were many things that could be learned about control; particularly with dialogue - despite how I felt when I originally read the piece's dialogue when I initially read it, I found myself enthralled by how sharp and controlled the monotonous dialogue was; complimenting the character's bleak outlook on the dying world around them. McCarthy demonstrated that by keeping the dialogue minimal you could evoke an entirely new level of internal conversation that derived predominantly from the question "why?". Why are they not talking about anything but the now? Because there is no guarantee of a future and it's easier to accept that when nobody discusses what they wanted of the world before it was plagued by the apocalypse. It was very clever and I commend McCarthy for that!
I found the character of 'The Man' interesting as despite the fact he was falling ill, he was desperate to preserve the life of his son, instead of attempting to get better to protect his son. I found this dynamic fascinating as the generalised assumption is that parents would rather have long lives with their children as opposed to giving teaching them how to survive and dying earlier as consequence. However, when the circumstances of an apocalypse were considered, the second option seemed to be reasonable. As someone who spent most mornings at secondary school back in 2012 ((when everyone believed the world would end)) conspiring of what my friends and I would do, it was very interesting to see how other people would react in an apocalyptic situation, particularly parents.
One of the scenes that stuck a chord with me as a reader and a writer alike was when The Man and The Boy found a can of Coca Cola and The Man gave it to his son to drink as it was unlikely that his son would happen across a commodity that his father was so accustomed to having access too that he would probably not appreciate it as much as his son would. The Man acknowledged in that scene that The Boy wouldn't get those opportunities and as he may never be able to drink a can of Coca Cola again, he gave it to him. I found this scene heart-warming and striking at the same time due to the fact that it reflected the sacrifices families make for their children to access things that their parents may not have been able to.
All in all, I feel that reading McCarthy's work less fascinating than the process of analysing it as both an lit student. However, regardless of how I struggled to engage with the piece, I would recommend it to any new writer that wants to learn about different styles of writing.
Thank you for reading! See you in two weeks for another instalment of Monday Book Reviews!
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra
-Imogen. L. Smiley
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