My Chandler's Ford Today post this week looks at why creativity is good for you and it was inspired by my wondering whether when you've been creating, say, stories for some time, do you still appreciate what you do as much as perhaps you should?

I think it is easy to take the joy of creating anything for granted and I hope this post encourages all of us to take a fresh look at what we do creatively and almost, if you like, fall in love with it all over again.

I also think it is a good thing for writers to be open to trying different forms of writing.  It flexes your writing muscles, you may well discover a form you become addicted to (in my case, I found flash fiction or maybe it was a case of flash fiction finding me!), and you get to find out what you really want to write.

It also means when successes come your way, no matter how large or small, you appreciate those more too and that can never be a bad thing.

My Chandler's Ford Today post this week, Facts and Fiction, looks at how a good knowledge of non-fiction can and does inspire ideas for stories. 

The big danger, of course, is having such a fantastic time looking up all the details, working them into your story and so on, that you lose focus on what you are meant to be writing in the first place!  What I've found useful here is to write down a list focussing on the main things only.  Naturally I then get my first draft down and then begins the lovely editing process!  There is always something to be cut out!

So feed your imagination by reading widely and then be selective what you draw on to create your characters and fictional worls.

I talk about music and moods in my latest Chandler's Ford Today post.

What role does music play in the fictional world you've created?  Is it music as we would understand the term?  Are any of your peoples particularly for or against music on religious or other grounds?  Can anyone use music to influence the behaviour of others (and, yes, I am thinking about the Pied Piper of Hamelin story!). 

We have our own history of great composers in different fields of music so what would your world's equivalent be?  Is classical known but rock not?  Or is classical the big unknown or only for the elite?

I often use walking the dog as a chance to get away from it all for a bit and my latest Chandler's Ford Today post is another in my Hidden Hampshire series, which looks at a local, lovely woodland walk.

How do your characters get away from it all?  What drives the need for them to do so?  How successful or otherwise are they at this?  Does whatever is "bugging" them catch them up and overwhelm them or does the break away give them the respite needed to find a solution to their problems?

How often can your characters get away from it all?  Are regular mini breaks enough or do they have to get right away for a week or more?  How easy, or otherwise, is it for them to do this and what obstacles might get in their way?  Some good stories to be found in answering those questions I think!

Have a wonderful writing year in 2018.  I plan to!