Tag: inspiration

When you step out of your comfort zone …
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"... how typical of my heavy thing 
not to be consumed 
even by fire 
persistent as always 
to go its own way ..."
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I’ve recently been experimenting with my creativity, and pushing against the boundaries of my comfort zone. I think we all have our comfort zones, don’t we? I’ve never been a big fan of writing groups, preferring to retreat to a quiet, solo space. I say this even though I know that, when I do participate in group work, I nearly always gain some insight. However, I’m an introvert at heart.

This explains why I’ve taken to reading Beth Kempton’s book, The Way of the Fearless Writer, and trying out her writing exercises. It’s helpful I think, to explore alternative perspectives and ideas. But, as you will gather from this week’s poem, not all the exercises have gone quite the way I expected. When do they ever? That’s part of the joy of writing though isn’t it? As I explored in another post, you don’t always write what you think you will. (See: https://fiwynne.com/2026/04/29/when-what-you-create-surprises-you/). Deep buried thoughts have a habit of finding their way onto the page when you least expect. For me, that’s when the magic happens.

The instructions in the writing exercise seemed straight forward: focus on something negative in your life, find an object to represent it and then destroy the object, using fire. It’s supposed to bring a sense of release. Pretty standard stuff right? What could possibly go wrong? Read the poem to find out!

Despite the ensuing chaos, the lingering smell of smoke and the inevitable interruption from my husband, it wasn’t a complete disaster. It wasn’t a disaster because it inspired a poem. It did the job it was intended to do.

And, yes, I learnt something. It’s the same lesson on repeat: I need to stop taking myself so seriously, and learn to relax. I knew immediately where I’d gone wrong: I’d screwed up my piece of paper too tight. The fire couldn’t take hold because I gave it no room to breathe. That’s the story of my life right there! I’m the equivalent of that tight little ball of paper; I’m working on loosening the folds and allowing myself to breathe.

Of course, it’s not quite as simple as that, because I’m well aware that all the anxiety in my life is what also feeds my creativity. A songwriter I used to know once told me that he wrote much better songs when he was unhappy. Having met a partner and experienced happiness, he found it much harder to write. I can relate to that.

I acknowledge that anxiety is a great muse for poetry, but one of the reasons for experimenting with my writing practice is to discover and harness other sources of inspiration. I’m enjoying the process and happy to accept, as with any learning process, that some of it will work and some of it won’t. It’s all about balance at the end of the day. Anxiety isn’t about to disappear from my life, but that doesn’t mean it has to dominate or overshadow everything else.

The best thing of all about this exercise was that we laughed about it afterwards. That alone is worth the lingering smell of smoke that, admittedly, overstayed its welcome.

release Download
15/07/2026
How I fell in love with language …
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"... a love of language 
is the gift that keeps giving 
it doesn’t need me 
to push boundaries 
that feel boundless ..."
```
I’ve been experimenting with writing exercises recently, working my way through Beth Kempton’s The Way of the Fearless Writer. It’s prompted new poems about subjects I would’ve been unlikely to write about previously. It amazes me that the smallest thing can inspire you to take a different path.

I’ve written poems about things I’ve heard on the radio; people’s stories are endlessly fascinating and I cannot help but be moved to write a response, if only for myself. Other people’s experiences often resonate because they remind you of something in your own life. You find a connection, no matter how tenuous. Of course, it isn’t only people who can do this. There’s been a lot of coverage this year of David Attenborough’s amazing career, as the world celebrates his milestone birthday. Who hasn’t been touched by the footage of his encounter with gorillas?

Nature can be a huge source of inspiration too. Is it just me, or does your heart miss a beat when you see a rainbow? I love rainbows; they feel like a sign that things will work out.

I don’t always find it easy to find the right word when I’m writing. When I’ve written a poem, I have to live with it for a while, keep going back to it, often tweaking a word or two. Like bread straight out of the oven, it needs time to settle. I’m ever conscious that my command of the English language is not as good as I’d like it to be. My school days spanned the 70’s and 80’s. We weren’t taught English grammar quite so rigorously as previous generations. I was never encouraged, at school, to learn poems by heart (although I did have to learn the entire Gospel of Luke, which is another story).

But I fell in love with words. I devoured books because I loved to discover other people’s stories and experiences. One particular year at Secondary School, we had a double English lesson on a Friday afternoon, when we had to write “A Composition”. Most of my school mates bemoaned this lesson, struggling to know what to write. But I was in my element and never struggled to think up a story.

I’ve been writing ever since and yet it’s still true that I can’t always find the right word. One of my prized possessions is a battered Roget’s Thesaurus, bought for me when I was at university by a dear friend. It’d be the book I’d take to the Desert Island, along with my 12 discs (I simply can’t narrow it down to 8, sorry Radio 4).

That said, I’m not the type to adopt an unusual word just for the sake of it. I do think people sometimes use language as a form of showing off. That’s not my style. I’d rather keep it simple and accessible. I want to connect with others, not intimidate them.

One of the writing exercises in Beth Kempton’s book encouraged the reader to experiment with inventing words. It was just a bit of fun, but I found it both difficult and uncomfortable. There are already so many neglected words, why should I need to invent more to describe emotions and experiences that’ve been with us for time immemorial? Yes, of course, sometimes there’s a need to create words for new things that simply didn’t exist before, such as the internet. But given my writing is mostly about feelings, then I think the English Dictionary and my battered Thesaurus will do just fine.

language Download
08/07/2026
How fictional characters can feel just as relevant as real people …
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"... what if we tried 
to let go
and let be
focus our energies 
on finding 
our true selves
we each could live
long and well
in our chosen skins ..."
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As a child, I was an avid reader and found my first heroes in the pages of books. Classics such as Heidi, Little Women and Black Beauty fired my imagination, but my favourite was Laura Ingalls Wilder and I read all the books as well as watched the series, Little House on the Prairie. I loved her fiery spirit and could very much relate to the curse of living under the shadow of the all-so-perfect older sister.

I think we all look to others for inspiration; they help us navigate through life, trying to understand who we are as people and where we fit. One of the first truly inspirational person I met in the flesh, was the wife of a family friend. Unlike other grown ups I’d encountered, she wore faded jeans and wandered around in bare feet. She was a terrible cook, and was often seen with an open paperback in her left hand as she stirred the pot with her right. I never saw her with make-up and the closest she got to grooming was to put her hair in a ponytail. She was a free spirit and I loved her for it.

It took me a long time to find my true self. To some this seems to come easy, but I’m sure it isn’t. As a child, I used to think everyone else’s family was normal and mine wasn’t. My parents divorced when I was in secondary school, which was unusual in the 1970’s. Now, of course, I know that normal simply doesn’t exist. I wish I’d learnt that sooner: it would’ve saved me a whole lot of angst!

When you don’t know who you truly are, it’s tempting to try to be something you are not. I’ve done that countless times through the decades. It never does work, at least not in my experience. No end of people trying to dissuade you seems to work either; you have to discover it for yourself. That said, I’ve lost count of how many incredible people I’ve met in life who have inspired me, either through something they have done or said, or simply in the way they choose to live. There were a handful of brilliant teachers, parents of friends, managers at work, and some public figures who particularly impressed me. I’ve been inspired by poets, songwriters, authors and their fictional characters. My life has been made all the richer due to people, real and fictional, that have helped shaped my character and I’m extremely grateful.

This is a very recent poem, written in the Faroe Islands, where I was lucky enough to visit the statute of the mythical seal woman of Mikladalur. This myth is not unique to these parts and, indeed, I read about such myths, and many more, in Sharon Blackie’s fascinating book, “If Women Rose Rooted”. It got me thinking about the seal woman and her mythical life. She was forced to live as a human for many years, wife to the man who stole her skin. What must that have been like, I thought, but then I realised that, sadly, it was perhaps not that unusual a story.

So many of us end up living a life not of our choosing and we may spend our lives searching for what we should be. The journey is all part of life isn’t it, and I think it matters as much as the destination, if not more so. It can feel frustrating at times and most paths are not linear. We go back and forth, learning and unlearning, most of our lives. That’s all part of the story and is made the richer for it. Wherever you are on your journey, I hope you find the path to your true self.

seal woman Download
10/09/2025