Sunday 25 April 2010

the week in pictures

because this week has sort of been about pictures.

I like sitting with my notebook and a biro and drawing a shape. Sometimes it stays a shape, sometimes it becomes a drawing, often words come and land around the shape.

The process is a bit like freewriting, you don't know what's going to come, and you have to get over the initial feeling of 'what' to write/draw. I am no artist. Sometimes it's just boxes, rows of boxes, sometimes circles. Triangles. Etc.

But there's something freeing about it, it sort of unclogs me. And I like it when a shape sparks some words. I'd love to write a novel around shapes that are sometimes drawings where words come and land.

I'll share a couple from my notebook this week.

This one started as a square that was being pulled out of shape, but since I realised it looks like head, neck and shoulders, that's what I see. The words came from the 'pulling apart' of the box.




This one started with the long rectangle in the middle, which felt like a door, or a divide of some sort.



I had a birthday this week, my first without my Mum. I don't write about my grief here on the blog, and I don't write Facebook updates about it. I write in my journal, and I talk to people. Maybe it comes through in the fiction I've written since losing her, without me meaning it to. Maybe one day I'll look at every word I've written in the last 4 months and think it is drenched in it. I just didn't think I could say I'd had a birthday, without saying it was without her. It was both happy and sad, every day is.



Most of my friends bought me books, which is awesome. Look how lovely they are. Which should I read first?




One great moment from this week: drinking wine, with this view. It was easy-ish to imagine it was ALL MINE, and not the Earl of Harewood's.




Dyed my hair, used the leftover hair dye to advertise my friends' ace Zombie web series, Zomblogalypse.




New shades



Greek coffee, with homemade biscuit (started out as a birthday cake, evolved into birthday biscuit)


Mmm, might have to go and make a Greek coffee. My boyfriend is half Cypriot, and I was introduced to this kind of coffee by his late father, who drank it all the time. It's amazing - you boil it up in a pan with water and sugar, and serve it in these little cups, a bit like an espresso cup, and it's just so nice. Very strong, very sweet, kind of gravelly, but serious and full on and no-messin.




12 comments:

Alex said...

You should read The Master and Magarita first, no question.

claires inner world said...

I'd read the Kelly Link first - I love her!

Happy Kimono said...

Love the shades Treacle, very Jackie O ;) I write my lyrics from shapes and doodles. One day soon I shall show you my notebook....it's mainly pictures :/ x x x

Teresa Stenson said...

Well I started 'A Crime in the Neighbourhood' because it felt nice in my hands. And it's very very good already. Kind of like Donna Tartt's 'The Little Friend'. I can't wait to read each of them. I've had 'Master and Margherita' on my list for a while, and the first few lines of the Kelly Link book are excellent.

Elle - That's interesting you write your lyrics that way, it does seem to lend itself to pared down and poetic language, the shape doodling. And I take the shades compliment from you very seriously because you are Baroness Big Shades x

Teresa Stenson said...

Oh dear, I spelt 'Margarita' like the cocktail...

Creepy Query Girl said...

Hi there, just wanted to say 'thanks' for visitng my blog. I'd say freewriting is exactly like scribbling too. YOu never know what you're going to end up with; That looks like some pretty good coffee! I always liked the italian press kind.

Teresa Stenson said...

Hi Creepy Query Girl (you win the Best Name For a Blogger Award EVER)
It is good coffee, and it makes me feel like I'm on holiday when I drink it. Even though I've never drank it anywhere but at home... thanks for visiting me too :)

Clowncar said...

Read Kelly Link first! I love her (though I haven't read that). She has a short story called Catskin that is a dazzle.

The picture of the woman to the left of the door is quite cool. Thanks for opening your notebooks to us.

Teresa Stenson said...

You are welcome, re:opening my notebook. It does feel like the most personal thing I've done here, but I guess sharing your work is like that, but it's usually in the finished form when it's published in books, online etc.

Another Kelly Link fan, good stuff. The amount of 'big' writers who are quoted on the jacket saying they love her is impressive. If you're impressed by that. I am.

The story you mention isn't in the collection I have. I'm going to read it next, when I've finished 'A Crime in the Neighbourhood' by Suzannne Berne, which is just so so good I almost devoured it whole in 1 day.

La Belette Rouge said...

Dear Lovely you: I hope you had as happy birthday as you can without your mother.
Hope your coffee and books are both deliciously rich and enlivening!
xxoo

Miles said...

Aw Tree, I love you. Finally catching up with your blog. I love reading what you write and I hope you always do it.

x

Teresa Stenson said...

Thank you, Miles. I love reading what you film and with my eyes on a screen x