An original poem Down from the mountains, an odd pair they come,Relieved from the watch they have kept since autumnA cry from the city rings through the spring chill,‘Here’s two more—the sentries from Parnagie Hill!’ And in through the gates, with a spring in their step,Stroll two men in breastplate, dark armour and capSmelling ofContinue reading “The Sentries of Parnagie Hill”
Author Archives: Debbie Coll
The Stories You Tell – Stories that Matter
On my home page, you’ve probably seen the button that says ‘join my email list!’ Maybe you’ve signed up, or maybe you’re wondering what it is. My email list is where I send updates on my blog, writing, songwriting, and where I can tell a few stories I don’t have songs for. But, even betterContinue reading “The Stories You Tell – Stories that Matter”
Special Post–Encouragement for Ks
As a songwriter and author, I love telling stories. Not just stories of fabled creatures and star-crossed lovers, but also stories of real humans and our struggles, and how we get through them. After all, that is one of our favourite things about stories – finding out how the protagonist finally overcomes their biggest fear,Continue reading “Special Post–Encouragement for Ks”
Storytelling Tips from an Unlikely Source II
Just like you can learn from your mistakes, and other peoples’ mistakes, it turns out you can learn from things you don’t enjoy. These lessons are taken specifically from two books in Matthew Reilly’s Jack West Jr series: The Four Legendary Kingdoms (FLK, book four) and The Three Secret Cities (TSC, book five). While IContinue reading “Storytelling Tips from an Unlikely Source II”
You Can Do Anything You Set Your Mind To*
Sometimes when I finish a performance or an assignment, a good friend might tell me that they could never play piano like I do, or they could never write a song like I do. They mean it as a compliment, so why does it feel so awkward when they say it? Some of my leastContinue reading “You Can Do Anything You Set Your Mind To*”
Story-telling Tips from an Unlikely Source
In high school, one of my best friends was obsessed with it. She wanted to get me hooked too, but I was too wise for my own good, and told her that if I watched it I would become as obsessed as she was and would never get any study done. When I started university,Continue reading “Story-telling Tips from an Unlikely Source”
Fifty Prompts; Zero Excuses
Here are fifty songwriting prompts, put into five different categories according to their focus and intention. Use them to practice songwriting, develop skills, and as diving boards into the creative pool. I hope they’re fun, thought-provoking, and most of all, that they help you get inspired and singing a little bit easier 🙂 General PromptsContinue reading “Fifty Prompts; Zero Excuses”
The Twelve Dancing Princesses
Stairs, slippers and secrets… ready for an eery fairytale? I found this one in ‘Grimm’s Fairy Tales’, an old, broken book that belonged to my Grandma. From my research, I think it’s the original writings of the Brothers Grimm, but it has been translated from German to English. (And yes, I too thought of Barbie.)Continue reading “The Twelve Dancing Princesses”
Four Things I’ve Learnt While Editing my Novel
To commemorate starting the fourth draft of my novel, An Experiment in Time and Memory. Every time I work on my novel, I learn something new about my characters, my world, myself, and, most of all, the writing and editing processes. Editing is painful, but it’s worth the effort. The first draft of this bookContinue reading “Four Things I’ve Learnt While Editing my Novel”
I Only Create When I Feel Inspired to… Is That a Problem?
Staring at a blank page for hours, trying to think of what to do with it, is discouraging. But if we don’t have inspiration, should we even try? And how can you create without being inspired?
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