First drafts, journalling, notes,

Lately I've been working on my new poetry collection and to kick start the base load of 50 poems, I've been snatching my old journals off the book shelf and flicking pages, seeing if lines or ideas jump up at me.

Every time I do this I make a mental note to write more in my current journal- I can't believe the little gems just waiting to be discovered again.  Of course not everything I write has a future in permanent ink, but its the cardiac workout to something in the near future which might attain that dizzy height.

I also read collections of poems for children/adults/text books on poetry and try my hand at different styles of writing also.  But there is nothing like observation, being outside allowing one's senses to be open to the palette of micro and macro happenings that make up a day.

Lately I've even collected little gifts to record in my journal.  And yes there is a poem attached to it- but that one is currently on my editor's desk.

There is no substitute for sitting and writing- it's the delectable surprise that comes, the joy of seeing the world in a tiny shard.   How do you garner ideas?

British Library

I wanted to see the Magna Carta, but became enthralled in the National treasures of other manuscripts, especially the original manuscripts of writers such as Jane Austen, Sylvia Plath, Lewis Carroll, Beatles, Handel's Messiah...

Here are some fascinating aspects of the original maunscripts especially for me the writer:

• the original page of Sylvia Plath's poem 'Insomniac' was handwritten in ink and lines were crossed out again and again
• Beatles- Lennon 'A hard's day's night' 'was composed and lyrics written on the back of a card to his son Julian who had recently had his first birthday'- and there was the card...
• Thomas Hardy- Tess of the D'urbevilles was a thick book, handwritten in ink and pen- beautifully written, the title 'A daughter of the D'urbevilles ' was crossed out to read 'Tess of the D'urbevilles.'
• ' Dodgson created his pen-name by translating his first two names, Charles Lutwidge into Latin and back into English.'
• Ada Lovelace (1815-52) daughter of Lord Byron was educated to be a mathematician because her mother feared she might turn out to be a poet like her father.'

Even a cup of tea had a character to chuckle at:

Master Punch

I had a good look in the Library's shop- unfortunately that was the closest I got to books-  to look in the collections one had to register to become a reader...

But great re-enforcement to write and cross out and change... Jane Austen was writing stories to amuse her family since the age of 12- all good practice for the wonderful classics written later..