As well as occasional updates about my writing and books, this is about images, sounds, conversations, experiences and how they may imspire, or trigger an idea, or resolve a problem in our writing. They come from many sources: pictures, poetry, films, books, music, or just being out in the real world. For example, poetry and jazz can inspire rhythm in words and sentences. Films and images evoke atmosphere, narratives, characters. Novels, radio and newspapers (both online and offline) can spark interesting story lines. Music and lyrics create new colours and trigger memories. People – known, unknown, and imagined – contribute to characterisation.
So, check out my Pinterest Boards and discover some of the things I find a source of inspiration.
Ever wondered why sci-fi and horror films and books have such a hold on our imagination? Might it be the fear of being invaded by an alien force who want what we have, whether real or imagined, and will stop at nothing to get it; risking their lives in the process. The press cover of the desperation of migrants is similar, presenting them as sub-human and capable of the most extreme behaviour and therefore by implication ultimately destructive of the Western way of life. There is a reality and there is a fantasy but there is a difference between them and the hysteria of the press and others doesn’t help. Maybe reading or watching a film which works with these primal fears may put such fears into perspective.
Released in 2013 and shot in black and white, the film evokes French New Wave. With its slow, lingering camera shots, minimal, restrained dialogue, it evokes a feeling of moodiness and anxiety. In this way it’s kind of existential piece, although expressed differently from ‘Locke’. The two characters, Ida, a noviate nun meets up with her only surviving relative, an Aunt who deals with her problems via drink and sex. A strong and interesting contrast to her niece which, with the introduction of a jazz saxophonist, can only lead to a complex...
read more“Easy reading is hard writing.”
The song running through Echo’s mind after the river incident and Ifan has disappeared.
This is the song goning through Sebs mind after Nixie has left him and he reaslises he loves her.
Marguerite Valentine is a former child protection specialist now writing psychological thrillers. Her debut novel is 'Between The Shadow And The Soul'. 
