Very happy to say I was asked to re-launch the photo series of creative writing inspirations, which I originally started on LinkedIn in the spring when much of the world was in lockdown. (Inspirations? Yes, I was struggling to find a synonym for ‘exercises’, as it denotes a very tedious procedure, and these posts when intended to be enjoyable, to stimulate creativity, so I settled for ‘inspirations’!)
The format is simple: Feel free to write something inspired by the photo, a short story, poem, song, piece of travelogue, haiku, personal essay, the beginning of a longer literary work, or anything – there are no limits and restrictions, the very point of the exercise is to free your imagination and creativity! Feel free to share anything you write in the comments box, or, alternatively, email me at jm.murphy@outlook.ie, and I will try my best to provide some comments and feedback.
With travel restricted across the world, and freedom of movement being curtailed, I feel creativity, especially our freedom to imagine different worlds, is as important as ever. With this in mind, I have chosen some photos that are elevating, that I think transport people to distant scenes.
This is Tollymore Forest in Co Down, Ireland. It is no surprise this magical landscape inspired one of the greatest authors of fantasy, CS Lewis, but go wherever your imagination takes you.
Descending into the mist, but to where?
Perhaps a group of friends spend the weekend in this cottage, the perfect setting for …
Ummm, just imagine!!
Our city landscapes are changing as a result of the pandemic, but what will the cities of the future really look like? I love the way science-fiction authors use their imagination to give us glimpses of future possibilities, and through social and political extremes we learn so much about human nature.
