Ellen Mulholland––writer, dreamer
  • Home
  • Blog and More
  • Words by Ellen
  • Words about Ellen
  • 10 simple writing tips
  • Writers to read
  • BIRDS ON A WIRE
  • THIS GIRL CLIMBS TREES
  • Book Reviews
  • Author visits, book signings, more
  • Shop
  • Young Minds

what stirs your imagination?

1/25/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Writing begins in the imagination. Where, though, does the imagination begin?

If you've ever stood before a large aquarium with a group of school kids, you'll know that each child sees something a little different inside the tank. While the teacher talks about the food chain, the shark circling a school of sardines, or the lifecycle of a sponge, the child sees another universe. "Do you think that shark has a mother in here, too?" "I think the sponge knows when fish swim by. I think it likes their company." "If I were in there, I'd hide inside the rock cave and wait for a crab to come by so we could be friends."

Why does the child's imagination reach further beyond this present reality than an adult's? Why does ours so often begin with what is real and move only inches from it? One might say we are bogged down with so much of this reality (bills, family, health, world crises) that we haven't the same capacity to stretch and dream.

Maybe.

So we must shift our awareness, make room for the unreal, the potential of reality. Once we step back into that child's way of seeing, we can tap more easily into our own vastness. Perhaps in order to do this, we must remember what tickled our imagination as that child. What stirred the dust of truth and raised the possibility of the unknown and unreal?

When I need to stir up my uninhibited child's imagination, I spend time where a kid might. The zoo. A swing on a playground. Watching cartoons. I talk to kids. I remember.

Then I sit down and write. Having stirred up my child's imagination, I've infused my own with a way of seeing and believing beyond what is real. 

What stirs your imagination?

0 Comments

royal role models

1/18/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
I sat down to talk about the grand influence King has had on my writing. His way with words. His ability to provoke introspection. His simple language that prods grand visions.

I realized two Kings have influenced my writing.

I began reading Stephen King's less scary works years ago when I discovered his phenomenal story writing skills. I thought, "there's a lot to learn here". He is my muse, my professor, my aspiration.

A writer needs a model, someone who can demonstrate how to place words just so, build plot and infuse intrigue, where to drop a comma, where not to. A writer needs a master. King is mine.

I have long held close to my heart the teachings and words of Martin Luther King, Jr. He is my other muse, my soul's guide, the sherpa of my heart.

A writer needs a role model, someone who exemplifies ideals and character traits that the writer wants to share with the world. Someone who is such a defined character he defies fictionalism. Someone who is larger than life, who inspires, who lives with heart. Dr. King is mine.

Who guides your pen, your heart, your soul? Will your art imitate life? Whose ideals will infuse your writing; whose style will guide your pen?

0 Comments

writers unravel life's mysteries

1/2/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
As a child, my first favorite literary characters were detectives. Child detectives. I wanted to be Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown. I didn’t love the books for the esteemed literary merits. I loved them because I wanted to be those characters. I wanted to be smarter than them. Nancy was so clever. And she was kind.

Encyclopedia also shared those characteristics. He always put friendship first. He wanted to get the bad guy, not to punish him but to rid the world of cruelty and dishonesty.

These two teenage sleuths shaped my reading habits first, but they also were the essential ingredients to my writing. I don’t write mysteries today. In fact, I don’t read them anymore. What I read and what I write are stories with real characters. Stories with people who want the world to tilt more toward the good. My characters sense injustice, but they really want is to simply add more goodness to this world.

Life is a mystery, and we are its most important detectives. We are the heroes who see what’s wrong and seek to make it right.

Thank you Donald Sobel and Carolyn Keene (all of you!). You infused me with a love for reading, but mostly you inspired me to write stories with characters who care.

Who inspires you? Who are your childhood favorites? Share them here.


0 Comments

    Subscribe to our mailing list

    * indicates required

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    December 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    January 2019
    July 2018
    November 2017
    June 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012

    Categories

    All
    Animals
    Antagonists
    Apps
    Authors
    Blogs
    Book Suggestions
    California
    Characters
    Childhood Memories
    Common Core
    Community
    Crime Novels
    Death
    Editing
    Endings
    Exposition
    Figurative Language
    Flash Fiction
    Friendship
    Genres
    Grammar
    Great Books
    Headlines
    Historical Romance
    Ideas
    Inspiration
    Magic
    Magical Realism
    Martin Luther King
    Music
    Mystery Novels
    NaNoWriMo
    Nature
    Organization
    Paris
    Peace
    Plot
    Protagonists
    Query
    Rain
    Reserach
    Resources
    Revising
    Seasons
    Secret Project
    Senses
    Sensory Writing
    Social Media
    Solstice
    Summer Reading Lists
    Survey
    Theme
    Time Saving Ideas
    Time-saving Ideas
    Twitter
    Twitter Chats
    Villains
    Weather
    Women
    Wonder
    Words
    World Events
    Writer's Block
    Writing
    Writing Challenge
    Writing Tips
    Writing Tools
    WWII
    YA
    Young Writers

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos used under Creative Commons from francisco.j.gonzalez, jinxmcc, pedrosimoes7, vanhookc, mikecogh, Brett Jordan, Leonard John Matthews, NICSOLUCION, Jason Grote, FaceMePLS, Chris Parker2012, quinet, raffaespo, torbakhopper, shannonpatrick17, haru__q, Javier A Bedrina, ChrisL_AK, Brett Jordan, MIKI Yoshihito (´・ω・), liebeslakritze, aldenjewell, koalazymonkey, La Citta Vita, Barrett.Discovery, Javier A Bedrina, Leedman, 陈霆, Ting Chen, Wing, Creative Tools, ..Russ.., Sten Dueland, JD Hancock, The Marmot, Rose PT, Brett Jordan, Kim Bost, lublud, liebeslakritze, UNE Photos, Vassilis Online, Zahlm, Jahvoronok, kurafire, rodtuk, Shan Jeniah, manoftaste.de, Last Hero, torbakhopper, steveczajka, Fountain_Head, thewritingreader, Highways Agency, pawpaw67, Nicholas_T, Gwydion M. Williams, Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com, Canned Muffins, volkspider, peddhapati, DaveBleasdale, Keith Allison, TP studio, Drew Selby, stoneysteiner, WeGotKidz, mrsdkrebs, Kelly Short6, mkhmarketing, moria, WWYD?, Rega Photography, Brett Jordan, Creative Tools, numberstumper, symphony of love, Hub☺, chris kuga, PaoloPV, mikecogh, thewritingreader, Amanclos, Leo Hidalgo (@yompyz), JD Hancock, themonnie, Gwydion M. Williams, jennnster, Sistak, dno1967b, Gwydion M. Williams, Lohan Gunaweera, tsmall, Gustavo da Cunha Pimenta, Hometown Beauty, Charles Henry, Manchester Library, sheggy, Brett Jordan, chaskerr4, Javier A Bedrina, D&S McSpadden, DougitDesign.com / Doug Aghassi, State Library of South Australia, Max Goldberg, bjornmeansbear, juliejordanscott, rcmd_tagcoor_10_3, thedailyenglishshow, mpclemens, Daily Dose Of Champions, edenpictures, MoneyBlogNewz
  • Home
  • Blog and More
  • Words by Ellen
  • Words about Ellen
  • 10 simple writing tips
  • Writers to read
  • BIRDS ON A WIRE
  • THIS GIRL CLIMBS TREES
  • Book Reviews
  • Author visits, book signings, more
  • Shop
  • Young Minds