L.P. Kirkbride's Blog, page 2

Lights, Camera, Chapter!

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As I work on rewrites for my upcoming novel, Becoming Mr. Austen, the first installment in my Mr. Austen series, about a divorced firefighter turned romance writer, inspired by Jane Austen, a writing method I find helpful is visualization.

     If I can’t decide how I’d like a scene or a chapter to go, I visualize it in my mind, as if it were a play, TV show or movie.  It really helps to see how the action plays out or how the characters are developing.

     It’s almost like the amateur theatrics that were popular during Jane Austen’s time; and the way her chapters progress in her novels resonates with this.

     Or in the famous words of Shakespeare, “All the world’s a stage.”  So, perhaps, life itself is like a story, play or movie, where we each have our own story to tell.  May we explore them all in our own lives.––L.P. Kirkbride, December, 2019 

Summer in Fall: My Jane Austen Trip 2016

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     I confess I got side-tracked this summer and neglected to post my summer blog.  So I thought I’d post my 2016 trip to Hampshire, England to see the Jane Austen sites with my Fall blog.

I went to the Jane Austen House Museum (picture I’ve posted) and saw her writing desk––a holy relic for all Janeites, among other wonderful artifacts.

Then I had some tea and a nice scone at the Cassandra (named after her sister) tea shop.

After that, it was a lovely walk to Chawton House, the former estate of Jane’s brother, Edward Austen Knight.  The grounds were beautiful and we were lucky that day the house was open to the public.  I saw the dining room where Jane would have dined with her brother and his family.  A goose bump moment!

On the grounds was the UK Jane Austen Society AGM.  There were some great talks.  In particular, by TV presenter and historian, Amanda Vickery, who I met in person!  I also met a distant relative of Jane’s and many other friendly Janeites.

I don’t think a lot had changed since Jane’s time––there were still open fields with lots of sheep and large oak trees.

There is Jane in some of my works––she sometimes visits me in them.  My Mr. Austen series is about a firefighter turned romance writer who is inspired by Jane Austen.  And the upcoming Kate Hawkins is about a young woman disguised as a male officer during the Napoleonic wars, who befriends Jane Austen.  My poetry collection Idle Pursuits has a poem in it, titled, “A Nod to Jane Austen.”

It was a lovely trip.  If you ever have a chance to walk in Jane’s footsteps I highly recommend it.  Happy travelling!––September, 2019, L.P. Kirkbride  

A Real Character

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I think the heart of any good story starts with the characters.  And everything else builds around them.  The plot follows where they go.

Usually when I start a story it is the main character that comes to mind first, then the other ones after that.  Then I find the story forms itself based on what drives the characters.  For example, the story I’m working on now, the Mr. Austen series, the main character Russell Neale, also known as Mr. Austen popped into my head.  Then I saw him as liking Jane Austen, and becoming a male romance writer incognito after a challenging divorce.  He’s a “real character”––every pun intended!

Some of my favourite characters are Harry Potter, Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye, Scarlett O’Hara from Gone with the Wind, and Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice, as she reminds me of myself in some ways (as seen in the picture above with Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet from the 1995 BBC production).

Also, I believe characters should seem real, in that they can reflect something in human nature that is in all of us.  That they could be someone we could actually meet.  And by that, the story itself can be something we can relate to.  And we ourselves can become part of the story.––L.P. Kirkbride, March, 2019

Perfect Poetry

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I think it’s important not to forget

The core of writing that is poetry, our muse.

Which came before plays or novels in their set

And still our minds today it woos.

 

I read a poem almost everyday––

I wrote my first one at fourteen.

They allows us with language to play––

Of this I’m sure we are all very keen.

 

My favourite poets are Plath, Cope and Keats

Of them surely no other beats.

Idle Pursuits is my poetry collection

Putting it together was a lot of fun.

 

So let’s always keep a poem in our heart

This one I’ll finish but another start

For poetry ever in literary life will play a part.

––L.P. Kirkbride, Dec., 2018

 

Favourite Reads

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We all have our favourite reads––some inspire us, provide a comfort zone, teach us about life, entertain us.  Whatever the reason is, we are all unique, so we may all have different books that we enjoy; and so much the better––as variety is the spice of life!

     Here are a few of my top choices.  But it can be a challenge to choose as there are so many good novels with merit.  But these are some that have inspired me:

  The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger––I first read Catcher in the Rye when I was 15 years old.  Being the same age at the time as the main character, Holden Caulfield, I felt I really could relate and still can in some ways.  I used to reread it every year on my birthday, as it is a story about growth.  A habit I may pick up on again.

2.  Anything by Jane Austen, of course, especially Pride and Prejudice and Emma.  I love Jane’s wit and consider her an early feminist.  I love the comedy of the five sisters in Pride and Prejudice and the strong female protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet.  And in Emma, the character Emma, already rich, a change from Austen’s usual plotline of impoverishment, is more lacking in morals than wealth, as she goes on a journey to find herself.

3.   Anything, of course, as well, by WIlliam Shakespeare, more so his comedies or tragicomedies––a favourite being Much Ado About Nothing.  His use of language and wit, like Jane Austen, is an amazing application to life’s lessons.  He also has many memorable lines.  I also enjoy his sonnets, #116 is very beautiful.

4.  The poetry of John Keats.   There are many great poets that I admire, but Keats is at the top.   The language he uses is so beautiful and deep with meaning.  Particular favourites are “Bright Star” and “Ode to a Nightingale.”  It seems each time you read his poetry you can discover new things and feel more each time.

5.  Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.  I appreciate all the strong female characters in this story and the setting.  The interaction of the characters gives the story a feel good element.

6.  Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling.  I find this series magical––every pun intended!  All the details she gives us about the world of magic brings the story to life and makes us believe that it could actually exist and in a way it does or relates to our own world as she show us that the real magic in life is love itself.

7.  The Jack Aubrey, Master and Commander series by Patrick O’Brian.  I love historical fiction and a good sea story with some adventure.  O’Brian’s historical detail and nautical knowledge are amazing; and he adds a strong comical element to his stories, along with great characters.

8.  The Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit children’s stories.  Potter’s artwork is equally as engaging as her endearing tales.  She is masterful at matching her art to her stories.  I love to read them again and again, or just look at the pictures!

9.  I also enjoy reading letters and journals––they are a nice, quiet, personal read.  Some favourite letters are John Keats, especially his love letters to Fanny Brawne; and also the letters of Elizabeth Barratt Browning and Robert Browning.  A good journal is Mary Shelley’s journal of their travels in Italy with Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron.

I will finish my list here, but it could go on!  Feel free to share your own favourite reads in the comments section or you can also find me on Twitter and Facebook under L.P. Kirkbride.  Happy reading!––L.P. Kirkbride, 22 September, 2018.

          

Journaling: A Personal Journey

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Besides doing my writing and artwork, I also keep a personal journal, and ones as well for each book project I do.  It can be nice to take a break from my regular writing, but to still write.  I write just about every day.

I think journals throughout time have been significant from Samuel Pepys to Anne Frank.  Novels tell great stories, but journals can tell first hand personal stories that can show us many things and reveal a part of history.

I also keep project diaries for each book project I write.  It can help me to collect my thoughts and see where things are progressing.  My personal journal also allows me to express myself about the things around me and about life.

I also enjoy reading others’ journals such as Mary Shelley’s journal of her time in Italy with Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron.  I will sometimes go back and read my old journals––it’s nice to go back and revisit memories.  So, I think journals are important as they are a record of a life and also a certain time in history.  They really are a personal journey.

And I guess my online blog is like my online journal.  I look forward to continue sharing this journey with you.––L.P. Kirkbride, May 2018

 

 

 

 

 

Plot Along

The general outline of a story is really just the bare bones.  The real meat of a tale is the writing itself.

I always start a story with an outline to help me get started and keep me on track.  But once I start writing it anything can change along the way––the plot can alter, new characters develop.  Though I may follow my general plan so much more can come out of that.  I often feel that I am plotting along as I go!

––9 December, 2017, L.P. Kirkbride

PS:  a Very Merry Xmas to everyone!

 

My Summer Office

In the summer I long to be outside, but to also keep up with my writing and artwork.  So, I make the solarium in my garden into a summer office or den.  I decorate it with maps, knick-knacks and makeshift curtains.  I also plants herbs and flowers in pots, as nature can be inspiring.  So, in between work I can garden and relax.

One can get back to one’s roots literally.  All the fresh air is good for the mind and gets creativity going.  It’s a good way to refresh before the fall and winter sets in again, which have their own charm with cups of tea and books––I love the rhythm of the seasons.

When we immerse ourselves in nature, it can ground us and remind us  of what’s important and why it is that we pursue the arts.––L.P. Kirkbride, 25 September, 2017

‘Summertime and the Schedule is Easy’

When it comes to my summer and writing schedule, I like to spend more time outside, but I still don’t want to lose creative time.  I try to combine the two.

I write and do artwork in the solarium in the garden (pictures to follow), which is my summer office.  I also read and have walks in the woods.  See picture below of one of my walks:

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Also in the summer, it’s nice to take a vacation.  So, I will be taking a blog break in July and August, 2017; but look forward to posting, again in September, 2017.

I also take a writing vacation for a week or so––where I read, garden, go for nature walks.  It’s always good to have a vacation, even from something you love.  It can help you regroup and collect one’s thoughts, so you can revisit your work and do even better!  I hope you all have a great summer!––L.P. Kirkbride, June, 2017

Finding Memories

Recently, I was decluttering my house and going through one box I found my old school book of short stories from when I was 11-12 years old.   I had also illustrated them.  With story titles such as:  ‘Bangs and Sam,’ ‘My Life As a Hat,’ and the ‘Magic Crayon.’  Some of them show quite an active imagination!  And a few the makings of a story.

I suppose not much has changed, as I am still writing and illustrating my own stories, such as the upcoming Mr. Austen, later Kate Hawkins and a childrens’ story.  But I guess the quality has improved!

How nice it is to find memories again, that one has, perhaps, forgotten about or thought was lost.  It was a nice walk down memory lane.––8 May, 2017, L.P. Kirkbride