Haunting Your Mind

"Stories you read when you're the right age never quite leave you. You may forget who wrote them or what the story was called. Sometimes you'll forget precisely what happened, but if a story touches you it will stay with you, haunting the places in your mind that you rarely ever visit."

Neil Gaiman, Introduction to M is for Magic

Infinite Imagination

"The power of imagination makes us infinite." 

John Muir, "The National Parks and Forest Reservations" Sierra Club Bulletin 1896

Enchanted

I saw pale kings and princes too,
Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;
They cried—“La Belle Dame sans Merci
Hath thee in thrall!” John Keats, La Belle Dame Sans Merci

Of the Sea

Although I did not participate in NaNoWrMo this year I have been working on a novel. One of the central characters in my novel is also the setting: the sea. The vastness of the sea is daunting, and I have stalled because I want the mood of my novel to be right.

In his Introduction to Classic Sea Stories, Barry Unsworth's description of the sea acknowledges the otherness of nature. He states

"The sea is another world, uncontrollable, unpredictable, violent in her rages, beguiling in her calms, but always alien. Moreover, she is vast, beyond our scale in her volume and extent and limitless to our imagination."

It is the imagination of the sea I want to tap into; the juxtaposition of calm and power. The sea is familiar and foreign, comforting and frightening.

I need to dive into the sea and let my pen describe what I find.

Murmuration

A flock of starlings is murmuration--it is also an act or instance of murmuring. Take a moment to watch Murmuration produced by Islands and Rivers for the WWF film and video competition Life. Nature. You. Make the Connection.




Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

The bird's breathtaking flight attests to God's creation.

Etsy Finds: Trafalgers Square

The playful illustrations of Trafalgars Square encourage imagination in the nursery.

Husband and wife team Adam and Kit work together to create whimsical art featuring animals, children and stars. With collections such as Balloons, Book Love, Royal Menagerie, and Wishing Star, it is difficult to resist the dreaminess.

Catch a Moon Beam

Catch a Falling Star

Catching Stars

Trot the Star Flyer

What a beautiful way to introduce art in a wee child's life! If you type in the coupon code "WHIMSY" you will receive 30% off (through 16 November, 2011).

The Magic of Writing

"Ever since I was a little kid, I've thought that there was something noble and mysterious about writng, about the people who could do it well, who could create a world as if they were little gods or sorcerers. All my life I've felt that there was something magical about people who could get into other people's minds and skin, who could take people like me out of ourselves and then take us back to ourselves. And you know what? I still do."

Anne Lamott, Introduction to Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Unlock the Imagination

"As a child of God, you have infinite worth. Your words, even your descriptions of what may seem to be very ordinary things to you, are unique and important [. . .] You may be surprised at your growing creativity: journaling unlocks the imagination." 

Anne Broyles, Journaling: A Spirit Journey