Korean Sijo
This is the Korean version of a haiku that has been popular for centuries.
It has its roots in ancient Chinese verse. It is more lyrical, subjective and
personal than haiku and has a strong basis in nature.
It works on a 3 line structure with 14 – 16 syllables in each line. Modern
versions sometimes have six shorter lines. There are 44 – 46 syllables
in the whole poem.
Line 1 introduces a situation or problem
Line 2 develops this or gives an unusual twist
Line 3 gives a resolution
Sijos were originally meant to be sung. The most famous creator of these
was the female classic poet Hwang Chin who lived from 1522 – 1566.
This is one of her poems:
Oh that I might capture the essence of this deep midwinter night
And fold it softly into the waft of a spring-moon quilt
Then fondly uncoil it on the night my beloved returns
Have fun creating your own sijos – and see if you can develop them
further into a piece of flash fiction or a short story.
This poem was inspired by a visit to Snowshill near Broadway, Worcestershire.
Snowshill Lavender
The distant landscape is hazy
like a colour photo
left too long in the sun.
In sultry morning heat we walk the field edge
our eyes dazzled by intense purple strips
divided by cracked brown earth.
The waves of colour and scent
stretch uphill
towards a clump of fir trees.
We hear skylarks singing far above us
and the yellowhammer’s song
“a little bit of bread and cheese please.”
A plane drones overhead
the dried grasses at the field’s edge
whisper in a sudden breeze.
I pick a lavender head and am pierced by memories
of childhood and the vision of crisply ironed white sheets
in my grandmother’s airing cupboard.
I lie on the rough grass and look through the forest of stalks
absorbing colour and scent, following the endless tide of blue
until it fades to smoky grey when it touches the sun-bleached sky.
If you are doing a lot of writing or artwork, it is important to make time
on a regular basis to ‘refill the creative well.’
In her book “The Artist’s Way”, Julia Cameron recommends a two hour
Artist’s Date every week. The idea is to go somewhere alone where you
can absorb colours, images, sounds or smells and gain fresh inspiration
for your work.
Some ideas could include:
a long walk through a wood or by a river
a visit to an art gallery
a visit to a garden centre
a long soak in the bath with a glass of wine
listen to a music concert – either live or on CD
The key thing is – it’s whatever you are going to enjoy or be refreshed
by. Most writers that I know are desperate for some time by themselves.
However, if you live alone and crave company, how about trying a two
hour class once a week – on something that isn’t related to your work!
For instance, you could try Indian cookery, Beginner’s French or silk
painting. You never know – it might inspire new writing ideas.
In the 1920s someone bet Ernest Hemingway ten dollars that he couldnt write
a story in six words.
He produced the following and won the bet:
‘For sale: baby shoes. Never worn.’
Flash fiction could also be described as ’snapshot storytelling’
and is a good discipline to try if words have a habit of running away
with you.
It’s a good idea to stick to a conventional structure with a beginning,
middle and end. Remember to ’show’ and not ‘tell’. For instance, don’t tell
the reader what an uncaring mother Sophia is – show her putting on her
lipstick and going out to a party, leaving her little daughter alone in the
house. Use strong verbs. Make every word count!
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THE WRITER’S TOOLKIT FLASH FICTION COMPETITION
Closing date: 30th November 2010
Theme: STARS
Judge: Sue Johnson
Prizes: 1st £50 2nd £25 3rd £15
Entry fee: £3.oo (2 for £5.00)
Word limit: 150 words not including title
Cheques payable to: S Johnson
Double space entry.
Put contact details on separate sheet.
Enclose a stamped addressed envelope if you would like
your work returned.
Please post to: S Johnson, 10 Woodward Close, Pershore
Worcs WR10 1LP
I was privileged to meet Rachael Hale – who is currently working on an
historical novel – at a recent workshop I ran for Farncombe Estate.
Rachel has a website that is well worth a visit – www.rachelhale.wordpress.com
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In March 2008, I was privileged to be asked to critique Pins – a novel written by
Christine Todd. As I read the novel, I felt a sense of excitement about it and was
certain it would go on to be published and be very successful. I critique a lot of
novels both through my website critique service and for Writers’ News Home Study
and this feeling only comes over me on rare occasions – when in the presence of
what I call ‘book magic.’
One other notable occasion was when I read ‘Scarred’ by Sophie Andrews – a
book that achieved a six figure advance from Hodder & Stoughton.
When I finished Christine’s critique, I told her how much I’d enjoyed working on
Pins and asked her to send me a signed copy when it was published.
Nearly two years to the day, it is published – and Christine was true to her word
and my signed copy has arrived on my desk. I am looking forward to reading it
again – and spreading the word to as many people as I can. For further details
about Christine and her work, check out Red Anemone Books www.redanemone.com
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‘Writing Your Self’ by John Killick & Myra Schneider
Pub: Continuum
ISBN: 9 781 84706 – 252 -8
‘The Writer’s Journey’ by Julia McCutchen
Pub. Firefly Media
ISBN: 978 0 9548848 0 2
‘The Poet In You’ by Jay Ramsay
Pub: O Books
ISBN: 978 1 84694 – 025 -5
‘The Art and Craft of Storytelling’ by Nancy Lamb
Pub. Writers Digest Books
ISBN: 13 978 1 68297 559 7
‘How To Write Your First Novel’ ‘ by Sophie King
Pub. How To Books
ISBN: 978 1 84528 388 8
“You’re lucky to have the time,” is the comment I often get when I run workshops
or do talks for various groups. Many new writers give not having enough time
as an excuse for not writing. More often than not when they analyse how they spend
their time, they could find ten or fifteen minutes.
Notice – I am saying ten or fifteen minutes, not ten hours a day.
Colin Dexter used to write his Morse novels in the small space of time between
The Archers finishing and his daily visit to the pub. An American writer I once
met at a conference wrote his self-help books one section at a time when the
TV adverts were on.
Make this the year you get going with your writing. Check through your day.
Can you find a few minutes here and there? Could you get up five minutes
earlier or go to bed a bit later? Is there a TV programme you don’t need to
watch? Could you leave for work a bit earlier and sit in the car for a few minutes?
Could you spend less time on Twitter or Facebook?
If you wrote just 100 words a day, you could finish a 1000 word story in ten days.
If you did two drafts per month and spent the other ten days or so editing and
revising, you could potentially have twenty four publishable stories in a year.
There are a number of competitions now (particularly those organised by
Leaf Publications) that have a word limit of 100 words or less.
Set up a reward system and give yourself a treat when you’ve completed a
certain number of words. One friend of mine uses this as an excuse to buy
little things that take her fancy. She wraps them up like presents, puts them
in a drawer and then picks one of them when she’s earned it.
Let me know if this works for you!
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