Where does inspiration come from? It comes from all around us, from things we see, hear, imagine, remember. And some things feels so special that they have to be shared in story form. I had always loved horse-drawn gypsy caravans, and when we occasionally saw one on the quiet Scottish country roads where we used to live, it was just magic.
Then my friend Karen, who lives in Ireland, got a bow-top gypsy wagon and the magic got better still! On trips to visit, we got to sleep in the bow-top wagon and I dreamed of putting it into a book one day. In the end, I put the bow-top wagon into a whole series, The Chocolate Box Girls - it became the prototype for the caravan that serves as Cherry's bedroom in Cherry Crush. In Marshmallow Skye, I wrote more about the caravan and explored its history with the character Clara Travers, and in Summer's Dream the caravan even starred in a TV film!
Some places are magical... Karen's gypsy caravan certainly was, and I felt the same about the tepee I had for years until we moved from Scotland. So... do YOU have a special place, a bolt-hole, a hideaway? A tree-house maybe, or a summer-house, or an attic room? A yurt or a caravan or even just a hammock in the garden in the summertime? A shed, a den, a tent... somewhere you can escape from reality and dream?
COMMENT BELOW and tell me more...
Ny nan has a annexe that she uses to store things- I love it and literally live there!
ReplyDeleteI used to have a special place where I could always daydream. It was my old english classroom when I was in year 8. Back then the tables were grouped together and there were posters about reading and chasing your dreams. It was such a special place. And my teacher used to always make me happy to be there. It still is my classroom but now that my year 8 teacher is gone, all the posters have been replaced by pictures of characters from books, the grouped tables are desks and the great vibe I always had is just a memory of the past. But even though it's all gone, I'll still daydream. Nothing will stop me from doing it!
ReplyDeleteMy special place is my school library. In school time it is noisy and crowded, but on Tuesdays after school, I go to a creative writing club. It's in the library, which doubles as a classroom, and is a lot more peaceful than in school time. The club itself is nice, as we have a lovely teacher and all the kids are nice, but its just an awesome place to just sit in a comfy chair and daydream, or write, or just chat! I look forward to it every week as I find it peaceful and cosy, and an easy place to unwind! I love it!
ReplyDeleteAt my friends house, we made a sumer den by putting some wood panels like a door then draping a waterproof blanket on the top and putting one so we could sit down but the place i go which isn't the summer den is my garden sometimes i get the tent up and go there but when it's not summer, i've got a little wooden house which is held up by wooden pillars then it's got a slide and a swing
ReplyDeleteWow awesome! I love qypsy caravans! :) looking forward to new books Cathy!
ReplyDeleteCaren xx
My bedroom! I close the door and curtains then read a book or listen to music.
ReplyDeleteI would love to have a pink bedroom and piles of books,music posters...
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