Re-Introduce Myself Blogfest: Hi There . . .

I'm taking part in the 'Re-Introduce Myself Blogfest'.

The basic concept - in the growing blogasphere where new people are joining everyday - is to write a short piece about yourself in order to remind everyone once again who you are before you continue to get swallowed by the ever-expanding webspanse. 

So here goes:

My real name (married): Dawn Rose Ilott.

My publishing name (maiden): Dawn Rose Cartwright (Or DRC to some)

I'm settled in a happy marriage to a HGV driver but have no children (except for a grown step-son).  Instead we have a cat, a Persian called Daisy - or Stinky Pete (Pete on good days).  On evenings when the other-half is out trucking, I'm usually writing.  I've written 15 novels since the age of ten and now have itchy fingers to find the perfect publishing agent for my more recent fantasy series (I say series but they're a collection of stand-alones set in the same fantasy world, and all connected with the same history and the same legends, etc etc, yada yada).  In the meantime I have a thriller and a collection of short horror stories published on Amazon Kindle, purely there as an experiment to see how easy self-publishing on the cheap is and to see whether it's the way forward for me or not.  Let's just say after a year and a bit of being self-published, I haven't given up hope in finding that agent.  So, until that day comes I'll keep writing my fantasies and my horrors and I'll keep doodling and designing and appreciating art, and I'll keep watching films and reading and living the life I lead.

I'm Dawn and I'm pleased to meet you all... :)

Pic of the Week . . . Rado Javor

A day late, but hey!!!

Pic of the Week.  This week I was inspired by a piece by Rado Javor.  I hadn't heard of him until recently and it dawned on me that I am actually familiar with his work and have been for sometime.  Now I have a name to go with it all.  Rado is a Slovakian concept artist who specialises in capturing a fantasy filled historical world referred to as 'magical realism'.

This piece, titled Battle Ship, blew me away.  His attention to detail is phenomenal!  I've said this before and I'll say it again.  Be sure to check out his deviant art page, and if you're interested, here's a link to his blog, too.        

Enjoy and have an inspiring weekend :)

As an after note, to fully appreciate Rado's attention to detail, check this piece out on a larger scale here:

Inspiration In Locations...

Inspiration is all around us - everywhere we look.  From the streets of London and the architecture that follows, to the rolling hills of the countryside and coastal shores.

So many times whilst driving somewhere I've become lost in thoughts and dreams as I watch the world go by (luckily whilst I've been a passenger and not driving.  That could create a few problems...) and so many times ideas have come to me; locations in my fantasy world have come to life, followed by its history, and I see my characters travelling through or living there.  Inspiration really does follow us everywhere, and when you're looking you can see so much beauty.

So, when you hear the saying 'too beautiful for words', does this ever ring true?

Sometimes.

I was inspired by watching a Top Gear challenge (for those that don't know, Top Gear is a TV show about cars etc etc).  The challenge saw the trio (Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond) venture to Vietnam with 3 run down scooters and bikes, and they had to travel across the country on these, a journey that took them to Halong Bay.  I was mesmerised.  It's so beautiful, and as soon as I saw it, I knew a place like this would exist in my world and in my WIP.  Just look at it!

So with something like this, how can you find the words to describe it and do it justice, to bring across the breathtaking feeling I feel when ever I see it?  It's a challenge.  A challenge that I accept.

So, what places have inspired you? And have you ever found yourself 'lost for words' when it comes to describing it?

Pic of the Week . . . Frank Hong

Well it's snowing here in wintery England and it looks set to stay until Wednesday (according to forecasts), and so to celebrate this white stuff that's falling from the sky I thought I'd go for something snowy.

Introducing artist Frank Hong and his art piece 'Dragon Age'.  Be sure to check out his gallery on DeviantArt.  If you like this, you won't be disappointed with the rest :)

So, enjoy and have a warm weekend :)

We All Need Confidence When It Comes To Writing...

Confidence.

What is it?

When it comes to writing, confidence (amongst numerous other things) is feeling happy with what you're producing.  It's the knowing that your story works, that it flows, that your characters are real.  Yeah, you still may need to edit a few things, but you're confident you can do this, you're confident where these changes need to be, and that your changes will work.

You know what you're doing and you're happy.

But take a wee hiatus from writing and things can change.

I read a blog post a little while back and they mentioned that the longer you leave writing the more you lose your confidence.  I've never considered this before, but having just taken a good few months off writing my WIP, I've found this to be true.  I've gone back to it with mixed feelings.  My characters are seeming 2 dimensional.  The story isn't as fantastic as it used to be.  Where's my enthusiasm?  Where's my love for these people?

My confidence in this piece has fallen dramatically.  Maybe it's to do with looking at it all through fresh eyes - minus the rose tinted glasses.  I'm seeing faults.  I'm seeing flaws.  I know it's a good story - one that I'm happy with, and despite losing my enthusiasm, I know I could make it work.

The trick is finding that enthusiasm again.  Which I'm working on.  I can't and refuse adamantly to a abandon it.  I'm so close to the end I can smell it, but can I bring myself to finish it?

That's the hard part.

But I will.  I will force myself on.  I will sit in front of that blank screen and write the last few chapters.  And then I will edit it and I will correct the flaws that I see.  I will make it work.  I will love it again!  It's all about having confidence in what you can do.  Every writer needs this confidence.  And it all starts by blogging about it.

First step to rebuilding that lost confidence:  Check!

Pic of the Week . . . Nimarra

ON THIS DAY January 11th 1693 Mount Etna erupted, and a connected earthquake destroyed part of Sicily. 

Because of this I thought I'd base this weeks Pic of the Week on volvanic activity and the likes.  This picture is a wallpaper I found created by an artist going by the name of Nimarra. 

Enjoy and have a grand weekend :)

Pic of the Week . . . Life of Pi

A couple of writer friends and I went to see 'Life of Pi' in the cinema the other day.  I have to say, having seen the trailers, I had no idea what it was about and therefore had no real urge to go and see it.  However, when I'm invited to the cinema, I don't need much persuading and I have to say I was thoroughly surprised.

It was SUCH A GOOD FILM!

The trailers don't do it justice.  I think they're intended to show how spectacular the visual effects are - and having seen them in 3d, I'm inclined to agree - but the trailers don't give any of the real story away which was why they never gripped me.  Basic story line:  A ship wreck renders a young boy alone on a life raft in the middle of the Atlantic with only an adult male Bengal Tiger for company.

I'm not going to write a review for it.  I enjoyed it and if you like sweet tales then this may be for you too.  That's all I'm saying, but I am going to dedicate Pic of the Week to it.

As you may know, I'm a crazy cat lady, and my heart wrenched at what that tiger had to endure in the story.  At one point he even gives the old 'Puss-In-Boots' look with those huge butter-wouldn't-melt kitty eyes and I felt like crying (in fact I think I did in a few places...lol).  I can't help it.  Any other cat lover out there would agree that no matter what the breed - be it a moggy or tiger, lion, leopard - they all have kitty characteristics that remind us of our own beloved felines and it yanks at our heart strings.  Well, it does mine.

So, here's Pic of the Week and it's a scene in the film where a whale breaks the surface of an ocean full of bioluminescence.  This part was stunning.

Enjoy and have a great weekend.