The irony of late

Irony. Isn't it funny how you still want something even though you are probably toxic to it?  That is how I feel about rain at the moment. My little coastal community has had approproximately 800mm of rain, the most ever recorded in history, yet here I am sitting at my computer desk willing it to rain after a weekend of flooding. Funny how things happen. Plenty has raced through my mind since the floods began, for those of you who don't know it started in Cairns a Far North Queensland city and continued on to my little town of Boyne Island and is still dumping hoards of moisture although now its ventured off to central New South Wales. I've never seen anything like it. I've also never seen such a great time to grab lovely inspiration from people. This afternoon I was walking along the beach looking at the beached boats; dead, overturned fish, and the cliff face of sand trying to recall where the sand dunes once were. There were masses of rocks, old and bleached coral underneath sand that once existed. There was even a long, concrete boat ramp that suddenly appeared. For 30 years my family has lived in this community in the same house right near the river mouth yet none of us knew these things existed. The boat ramp almost looked as if an out-of-work concreter organised its construction earlier on that day. Very bizarre & highly intriguing. I could literally walk up and down the beach, inspecting life, death and mangled wrecks and draw so much inspiration from what I see, but its not the sad things that come to mind when I look at them. When I was growing up in Boyne Island there used to be these basic, cricketty beach shacks that made the beach feel authentic, even though they were out of their time (before they were soon demolished and turned into million dollar homes) they held a great sense of wonder about the history of previous people and the old times in the area I lived in. Other thoughts that fleeted through my mind as I walked along what was left of the beach was all the different groups of people that had suddenly become acquainted because of a sad event/tragedy. Neighbours knew neighbours all of a sudden and were on the look out to help them. Some serious good spirit stood up in the community and helped out random people who had flooded homes. I love that kind of stuff. I could write, read about that stuff all day. Fantasy is great but let's face it the reality of pure humanity simply helping each other is a story line that never gets over done. So..today I'm not giving you an image of the beach in its 'sad' state, I'm giving you an image of the beach today when I was enjoying soaking up its beauty whilst doing yoga (at sunrise). It will be your Inspiration station- if you have gained nothing from my words. Also...I encourage you to do two of the following things...

1. Get on Pinterest and look at the YES board, it centres on positivity. If you're unfamiliar with Pinterest feel free to flick me a question and I'll assist. Basically once you find this board you'll have a series of oohh and ahh moments whereby you will be hanging out for the next post.

2. Check out this site for your Already Read segment- pick and choose from Elizabeth Browning's work. Let us know what you think!
http://www.poemhunter.com/elizabeth-barrett-browning/

PS If you have a blog I want to know about it! Let me know now so I can follow you!

Ciao lovelies!

Floods..

Turns out this morning the first writing I receive is to be warned to go to higher ground due to flooding in my area. Since I'm near the beach & high tide along with the added 200mm of water we are expecting today is approaching I will say bon voyage at this time until I go and check out the status of our place. Ciao & to all those Australians...HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY! I'll be celebrating our great country later no matter what! It can't be missed!

Jules :)

Quotes for today!

Some random quotes for you as per promised! Comments are welcomed.

- hotel opulence; decadently enjoyed and thankfully mortgaged by somebody else.
-success- the sum of all mentalities
-pressure- what you create
-faith; what you realise you don't have enough of when you need it the most.
-friends: people who help you without prior engagement.
-fear- a barrier to appreciating all of humanity
-gifts: things that are God given and highly immeasurable
-insignificance is found only if you want it to be.

These are obviously my own quotes, copyright is reserved to Julia Kate Trask- no reproduction is permitted without consent of the author.


DISCLAIMER: Written content does not reflect the opinions of my employer & therefore cannot be deemed as such.

INSPIRATION STATION!

Get inspired, use whats around you to spur some anecdotes..from these they may move to quotes or even stories...i encourage you to get the urge to make a note of something beautiful or curious...writing spurs on a love of things literally (pun intended) and in turn revolves into another circle of writing...enjoy pictures 1 & 2! :)

The return

I’m back! It’s great to be writing again after a little break away. I trust you are enjoying reading, writing and sharing joys with others. It has been raining like crazy here, 300 to 400mm of rain in about 30hours, it reminds me of wet, London days however they were a little more subdued then Queensland down pours. Still amongst my puddle jumping in my Hunters, I can’t say I’m still not reminiscing over snowy times of my London living days. I hope all those in the Northern Hemisphere are soaking up the beauty of the winter season! Before I left I told you that I would share with you a little poem I had written to teach my niece, now Goddaughter, about what the meaning of a bluebird is, as I got her a padlock brace embellished with it, so here it is.

The Bluebird

On this little bracelet holds a bird they say brings happiness for you
It’s a symbol that’s been passed down generations too
It is a reminder of prosperity, good health and cheerfulness
But most of all, it’s to remind you dear, that for you I want the best.

I apologise for a bit of a hold up on the segments & that they are displayed in a post format and not in their own section. I am definitely new at the skill of blogging; however I have enlisted the help of a great friend and fellow blogger Bettina Rae who writes for Little Old Souls. Little Old Souls is a blog for mothers and creative sewing folk that add a classy, vintage touch to baby and young children’s clothing. She does custom orders and also provides inspiration for those mothers who are finding something to do with their time while their baby naps. Check out her website pronto and fall in love with her designs!

Today I have added a fair bit for you. There are a few images in my Inspiration Station post to get you thinking. I encourage you to start with a word and let it build from there. Truth is I never used to write every day and still today the only thing I write consistently is my journal. I found writing a journal made me feel sane when at times I felt like my world was going insane. If nothing else I encourage you to begin a journal and look back on it even a few weeks after you have written and examine what you wrote about. Not only will you learn more about your character but you’ll get an idea of your writing style, how your humour or descriptions come about in your writing and from there you can use Inspiration Station to try the same skill you already  have honed in your journals to apply to images or quotes you see. This leads me to the next thing, I have included some quotes I have written this week. Quotes is where I began after journal writing- it was in many cases small muses that vented how I felt about things, positive and negative. See what you think and PLEASE DO, share what you think or some of your own. I really LOVE hearing what people have got around and I would LOVE to know what blogs you are reading & who inspires you.

Until next time…I hope you enjoy what I share with you & remember, writing was never meant to be kept to one’s self! Ohh and keep your eyes peeled for a new look coming very soon!

Jules

Symbolism & a great glass of wine

Hello readers! I hope you are all well & that you enjoyed William Blake's 'London'. Tomorrow I am embarking on a roadtrip to the scene of where my niece will become my Goddaughter, I'm super honoured and looking forward to getting away a bit. Since I'll be away, I thought I'd leave you with a few things to enjoy until I return.

Today, I researched the meanings of some symbols that are seen on gifts we regularly give as traditions to others at major milestones. It was something that was spurred on by the purchasing of a Christening gift for Emelia. What I found was fascinating- there are soo many symbols out there that are scarcely used these days for their traditional meanings- what's more I found it very interesting to look into the history of some of these symbols. Go and have a look at them, from the birth stones to the meanings of christening gifts and the meaning of each individual flower. Its lovely when you understand a little more history. I used my new found knowledge to develop a poem, simple yet succint (poetry's not my forte as such, but I'll share it after the little girl has seen it!). Aside from this the day certaintly had an interesting & inspirational array of activities planned because later on when I was enjoying cooking chicken & basil tagliatelle and sipping on a rather large glass of Moscato I got lost in the moment and ended up at home for the night watching a movie instead of out at my local. I suppose you wonder- how in the world is that inspirational or interesting? I guess its the love you gain from doing something you didn't realise you were actually pretty good at (cooking) and thoroughly enjoy and secondly enjoying something that light heartedly makes you think of what is important. If you haven't seen 'A Thousand Words' I suggest you get your hands on a copy. It really made me think what things would I say if I only had a thousand words- what things would I consider to be most important to communicate & why give them that importance? I wondered, would a 1000 be words be easy for A.W.R readers? I hope you all enjoy your weekend, take some time for family, friends, YOU, laughter & silliness amongst all of your own writing brilliance. Bon voyage lovelies....

Jules :)


  

As per promised..Already Read #1

William Blake's 'London' has to be the first piece of literature I share with you for the Already Read segment. It was written around the time of the Industrial Revolution in London. I've had the privledge of seeing this original poem in the British Library earlier last year in London. Nothing gives you tingles like seeing original works from authors you loved. I hope you can appreciate his crafty work...and don't worry while this one is a little on the sad side I have plenty of more to share to keep you smiling...

Please note this poem & its credit etc comes from the following website:
http://wildernenglish.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/london-by-william-blake/

The morning after

The morning after commencing your first ever blog is what I imagine an unsafe shag with an inappropriate suitor would feel like. Uncomfortable, awkward and full of pressure. So many blogs out there with tips for writers & comments that suggest your really not worth developing a writing blog if you ever make a mistake. I'm going to start with the disappointment. I, author of A Written Revolution, will definitely make a mistake at some point in time during my blog. Ahh, now that's all covered I can relax...

Several years ago I went to a writing conference and an author told me, you must write every day- you will only be good at writing unless you write everyday. I must say I disagree, though clearly I'm not a published author- yet. For me the benefit of writing each day is that your art becomes perfected, however why write when nothing inspires you to? In saying that, these days (about 5 years on) I do write everyday but this has come about from looking at situations and scenarios; the way light falls in a room, even how flies interact on dirty coffee cups in mall food courts; and getting an outpouring of ideas sometimes completely unrelated to what I am looking at. Today writing isn't an effort- just a joy. How did I get there? READING. I didn't read every day necessarily but when I read I enjoyed what I read. I took notice of how authors placed the words into their audiences' imagination & I ensured I lingered on the words for a while. So from now on in, I am going to bring you 2 things at least once a week aside from my musings...

1. Already Read- a series of works from famous authors (endorsed by me!)

2. Inspiration Station- a photograph/image that may spur on your inspiration to write.


This week's Already Read will be posted tomorrow...keep your eyes peeled!

Until next time..

Jules  :)

It's just the beginning!

There's a lady who frequents local coffee parlours, sets herself up with a skinny cappuccino and a notepad of any random shape or size. She buys a coffee and stays for an hour- her mind occupied by the very ink falling onto her pages, though her face says she's uncertain about where the ink's journey will lead to. Quiet pauses, spatial stares and random fits of laughter accompany her attire and then she's gone; until the next time when the notepad strikes again- never planned or poised just as random as her entries and exits from various coffee shops she encounters.
 
This is me. I sit in coffee shops satisfying my caffeine addiction all the while creating stories, poems, songs that enable me to capture the world in its beauty and its downfall. In many cases I do not consciously know where my writing takes me at first, I simply enjoy the journey that it takes me on. To me life is a stage and the men and women potentially great characters for a story. I adore the ability words have to say a multitude of things in a small space and time & truly believe there is more about what we aren't saying that should be listened to than what we hear. Great writers I've studied like William Wordsworth, William Blake, Jane Austen, Elizabeth Barrett Browning inspired my ability to see the world in a different view and spurred on what is now 10 years worth of writing. I'm looking forward to sharing my short stories, poems, songs, prose and quotes with you. I hope you enjoy; if not may some of my ideas at the very least create A Written Revolution in you that blossoms into a great love of good literature.

Julia.