Boost Your Confidence To Write -3
Last night I was greatly inspired by an interview on my favorite radio BBC -In the Studio -with one of Iceland’s most popular novelist, poet, screenwriter and lyricist.- Sigurjon Birgir Sigurosson; better known as Sjon
The interview was an outstanding lesson for any budding writer or tips for anyone looking to boost their confidence to write.
Source of Inspiration
His secret weapon as a writer is a second hand bookshop, where he browses and research; he was frequenting the bookshop since he was a teenager.
His best ideas come when walking by the sea; it helps him to relax and exercise the body; during his walks his mind is occupied by the sea and the wind; his best ideas comes when walking on the move.
He emphasizes the importance of peace and quiet.
He talks about –space to think into which brings out the concentration and creativity.
It was particularly enlightening to see how he uses his browsing and research, he mainly looks for players, characters and stories.
His process is to gather a lot of material before he writes and he exercises strict discipline; writing one page per day regardless to how long the day takes.
Relaxing presence of background music.
Remember what I said about music in the last blog; well Sjon listens to soft background music, as he puts it –"music creates space in his mind"
Importance of the magnetic force of descriptions.
Pay special attention to his poetic descriptions-“high endless sky”.
He writes in a 100-year-old fisherman house; I particularly like his comment where he usually lie down and take a nap on his sofa and becoming one with his house.
It reminded me of my high school days when I would climb a tall tamarind tree and study with only the birds to keep my company.
Whether you are a budding author or just wanting to boost your confidence to write. Listening to SJon is one of the best lessons on the subject of writing.
Please view the podcast for a better understanding.
Just google Sjon"s secret weapon if you are interested.
Share your thoughts.
Recent Comments
3
I tried cut-and-paste with your "Sjon"s secret weapon", only to get a bunch of nonsensical products that interested me not at all..
Turns out, you used the quote mark instead of apostrophe -- certainly easy to do -- and with that changed it goes directly to the podcast! Little bit of detective work solves the puzzle!
I've driven past that cottage on a tour bus bound for viewing the aurora borealis --- all lit up, looking like it was especially highlighted just for us!
Thanks for the inspiration, as always....
Tim
Sorry about that, how did you get to the podcast, did you have to type BBC have typed it several times and that has never happened. He did write lyrics for a song that was nominated for an award, maybe that has something with what you found. the singer is a close friend. Did you get a briefing on the writer and were you there in the summer;? The landscape must have been beautiful. The very thought of the cold makes me numb.What did you think of the interview, was it helpful?. Thanks for sharing.
Wow! So many questions! You really are "my kinda guy!" -- boundless curiosity!
OK, here goes:
1) Getting there -- just highlighted the full text, pasted into the search line and edited the double quote for an apostrophe
2) Bjork is the singer, major-famous pop singer from Iceland, nominated for an Oscar™
3) Yes, the tour guide pointed out the cottage as belonging to the famous Icelandic poet & author; I then bought one of his books but have not yet gotten to the point of reading it
4) No, we were there in the winter; specific trip to view the aurora, package price of around $700 apiece for flight, 3 nights hotel, two tours & transport to & from the hotel. Too good to pass up
5) For Arizonans the cold was nearly unbearable! Even new, insulated boots and resurrected cold-country outerwear didn't defeat the temperature. We managed by ducking into every open doorway along our walks -- one reason for the book purchase, no doubt!
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat! Awesome country!
Tim