Hello August in Scotland…and welcome Storm Floris!
STORM FLORIS ARRIVES
Right now as I write this (Tuesday afternoon) my heart is pounding as Storm Floris rattles the windows in my upstairs room. Rain lashes in gusts, and the lush trees of the park bend sideways. Boughs have broken off and skid through the empty playpark. I secured the rain covers of my garden furniture, forgot about my green plastic watering can, which is now bouncing against the sandstone boundary wall.
There’s something about writing in a storm.
My fingers work quickly, striking at the keys, my mind sharpened by the movement and noise all around me.
Wild energy abounds, even if Monty the spaniel is trying to hide from it.
THE STORM OUTSIDE IS ONLY HALF THE STORY
Inside our house, we’ve been living a quieter, slower, more personal storm. My dear Mr.M. is going through cancer treatment, and our lives have narrowed to what matters most: care, patience, hope, and a kind of grace that comes from doing nothing but sitting with the hard truth of what this is.
We have, quite literally, hunkered down in the storm.
A strange kind of permission comes with a storm. Other people understand there’s a storm too. There’s a sense that nothing more is required other than to wait it out.
Photo by Jackie Morrison: pink teacup and candles
HOPE FOR BRIGHTER DAYS
My husband’s treatment gives us hope, as do other peoples stories - those who generously share what they’ve been through in person and in print.
Sitting here with a cup of warm tea, the wind blows outside, rose heads form into colourful petal confetti.
I find myself reaching towards a new story that floats and birls just out of reach. I grasp at a few tentative words, the beginning of something to work with.
It doesn’t need to be a masterpiece, this thing. I just need to begin. A seed planted while the storm rages.
One day soon, the wind will ease, the light will change, and the storm will pass as quickly as it arrived. And that fledgling story will hopefully be ready to grow.
Photo by Jackie Morrison: pink moleskin notebook with rosegold pen
PUBLISHING NEWS
My latest People’s Friend story TIME FOR A CLOSE UP set in Dysart/Kirkcaldy (fictional name: Drystain!), is still available for another few weeks in shops.
This month should see publication of my story titled ANOTHER AUGUST (unless the title is changed) - I’ll give a shoutout when that one appears.
I’m waiting to hear about a few things.
Right now I’m planning something bigger.
I’m scribbling in the dark, ideas glimmering like a candle in a storm!
END PIECE
I hope you’ve stayed safe through this storm and that it might have blown away any doubts you may have about your creative ability. Just start.
As always, thanks for being here and apologies for being so short and sweet this week, but there’s been a lot going on x
Love from Jackie in the Little Writing Corner in Scotland x x
Photo by Jackie Morrison: particularly proud of our home-potted colourful basket of petunias and lobelia!
If you prefer a one-off, as-you-go, support then I’d always welcome a nice cup of coffe:
NOTES:
What I’m enjoying this week: Beth Kempton
birls: In Scots, "birls" can refer to the act of whirling, spinning, or turning around. It can also describe the quick, circular motion of a fish's tail. Additionally, "birls" can be a noun, referring to a circular motion, a whirl, or a spin.
Thanks for making it to the end ;) x
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