Top 10 Writing Influences

For part of my Creative Voice III module we had to come up with our top ten writing influences in chronological order. They could be any type of media, book, film, music, etc. as long as they inspired us to write. So, as I am avoiding doing dissertation work, here is my Top Ten.

1. Disney Films/ Fairy Tales: Okay, this is a bit generic, but I had to pick just one and I couldn't list all of them. My favourite Disney film is constantly changing. It used to be Sleeping Beauty, then The Little Mermaid, then Hercules, and Mulan, and Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King, and Tangled. Oh, it's just impossible! I love them all! When I was younger I used to read a big fairytale book every night before bed. It used to be my mum's and she had drawn around all the pictures, it is like our only family heirloom, and I hope my kids can read it one day, too. But this book and Disney films inspired me to write my own fairy tales and were responsible for my A* in English for this piece, A Disney Parody.

2. Santa Paws, Come Home by Nicholas Edwards: This is the first book that I read without pictures. I bought it at a book sale at school when I was in year 3, maybe? It's about this amazing dog who gets dog-napped and has to find his way back home. I loved it as a kid and still have it at home on my bookshelf. It inspired me to read, and therefore write later in life. 

Also, who couldn't love this little face?

3. Jacqueline Wilson books: Whenever I used to go shopping with my dad we'd always go to Waterstones and I would always buy the latest Jacqueline Wilson book. I would reread them all the time and still do - check out my post on Lola Rose. My all time favourite was the Girls series, you know Girls in Love, Girls Under Pressure, Girls Out Late, and Girls in Tears. I think I liked them so much because I was probably a bit young to read them and I thought they were a little risqué. I also really related to Ellie, the main character, probably because all her friends were pretty and skinny, and she was more on the piggy side. Others that I liked were The Dustbin Baby, The Illustrated Mum, Tracy Beaker, and Diamond Girls. As I got older the books started to get a bit samey, once you read one, you'd read them all. It seemed like Wilson was churning them out. I soon lost interest. But her books made me realise that stories can help people in need or with their problems, and this is what I wanted to communicate through my writing. 

4. The Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling: This is a bit of a give in, and is probably on everyone's list in this generation. This was the first series I had ever read, I wasn't into reading when I was younger and I actually saw the movie first. It's just inspiring, and that's all I can really say. 

5. Meg Cabot books: When I was in secondary school I remember my friend reading the first The Princess Diaries and was quite surprised because she never read anything. I'd seen the movie and really loved it but I had never bothered to read the book myself. My sister had all of the books in the series at the time and said I should read them. I was sceptical. However, this was my first incident of reading a book and it being so different from the film. At first I was put off. Then I realised that the book was so much better. I couldn't put it down. Soon my sister grew bored of the series and I bought the rest of the books. I remember reading the last one on holiday and it was just a fantastic ending. Some endings to series can be disappointing but this was not the case. I've read nearly all her other books and own most of them, too. I love the Missing series, and especially the Mediator series, which is why I'm so happy to hear that she's writing another one. Cabot's books inspired me to write chick-lit and helped me to progress to more adult fiction like Size 12 isn't Fat. She also writes in lots of different styles like dairies, and one series is done entirely in emails and letters. Since coming to University, however, I realise people don't like chick-lit too much, and have changed my style somewhat. This piece Royalteen was heavily inspired by The Princess Diaries, and to some extent so was The Diary of Lucy Van Helsing.

6. Lord of the Rings film trilogy: This series really got me into fantasy. After watching these films I created my own fantasy world with lots of different kingdoms, knights, princess, witches, and even some magical jewellery.  I wrote so many fantasy quest stories...unfortunately, by computer died and I lost them all. Some I have written on paper still and one day I will type them up again. I have all my drawings of maps, weapons, and clothing still. I used to be obsessed by these fantasy stories and spend all my time writing and drawing. I wish I could be in that mindset again. In a way University destroys the creativity because now I'm so worried about editing and publishing that I'm too scared to write anything in case it's crap. When I was younger I wrote whole stories and thought they were amazing! I have recently finished reading Lord of the Rings and I still think it's brilliant, and I really watch the films again. Extended edition, of course. 

7. Doctor Who TV series: I never used to care about Doctor Who much but the Doctor reminded me of a boy I fancied (who loved Doctor Who) so I used to watch it constantly and pretend I was the companion. I also fancied David Tennant a little bit, too. Apart from that though, Doctor Who is a great example of how to write a brilliant sci-fi story; it has everything you could possibly want - space travel, time travel, and a main character who can regenerate so you can keep the series going even if the main actor quits! Over the years I have come up with a few Doctor Who story lines and would love to be a writer for the show. It was because of this programme that I took the Sci-Fi and Fantasy module this term. I've also met two of the Doctors, Matt Smith and David Tennant. Oh, and that boy I fancied? He's now my boyfriend!

8. The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan: I started reading this series in year 10 (I liked converse shoes back then and the book cover was a flying converse). I bought the first two and borrowed the others from the school library. I remember finishing my work early in class so I could read them. I was such a nerd! I reread them over the summer on my kindle and I still love them. I have always been interested in Greek mythology, especially after Disney's Hercules, and these books really satisfied my craving. The books we had at home about the Greeks were really dry and boring, so these were the perfect way to learn and be entertained. This has inspired my dissertation as I want to get kids interested in Gothic Literature. Obviously, with the internet it is a lot easier to learn things, I could just Google Greek myths now. But reading is much more fun. 

9. The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe: This story seems to have followed me everywhere. I first heard of it via The Simpsons, a very educational source. Then in Art A-Level I was told my subject matter was 'too nice' and should do something more 'edgy'. My art teacher wanted me to do something about gangs and drug culture. Boring! I chose the dark literature route. I illustrated the whole of The Tell-Tale Heart and loved every minute of it. Then in the first term of university I wrote a piece inspired by this story, called Obsession. In the second term I went on to illustrate it. Considering I hadn't been a very Gothic person before, I was really getting into it. There just seems to be a strange affinity with this story, and it has even worked its way into my dissertation too.

10. The Gone series by Michael Grant: I read this series over the summer and oh my God! It is gripping. The last one comes out in April and I am so excited, it is my post-dissertation treat. It has been a huge inspiration for my dissertation and after reading these books I changed my idea completely. Gone was the romcom and instead was a dangerously dark mystery with murder and ghosts. This series made me realise that kids don't need protecting from wicked things, and in fact love to read about them. You can also write about crazy things like mutant powers and 'the gaiaphage' and kids will go along with it. 

Obviously, there are so many more books and authors that have inspired and influenced me, but alas, it was a Top Ten, not a Top 100. If you are a budding writer, I recommend you do this too, it can be quite surprising as to what inspires you most. 

Doctor Who Convention - David Tennant & James Moran

This weekend I went to yet another Doctor Who convention, The Lords of Time, in Birmingham. This one was slightly better than the official one in Cardiff as we actually got to meet and talk to the celebrities. Que lots of fan girl squeeing. It was really exciting and I was nervous at first but at the end of the weekend I actually felt calm while talking to them. There were some really amazing guests including, Anthony Head, Frazer Hines, and the one and only David Tennant!

It was also another opportunity to wear my Dalek dress again.

Another great thing was the writers workshop run by James Moran, he wrote the Doctor Who episode Fires of Pompei as well as some Torchwood episodes. Here's more information on his blog: http://jamesmoran.blogspot.co.uk/ or follow him on twitter @jamesmoran. It was interesting to know about how he got into the writing industry. Obviously it was a little different to how I plan to do it because he works primarily on screenplays and scripts, whereas I want to do children's books. His main advice was keep trying, be persistent and don't let it get you down. He said he nearly gave up on a script after its 13th draft but his wife convinced him to keep going, and he realised that if he didn't complete it then he would have wasted six months on it.

When I met him for his autograph (he didn't have a photo opportunity) I asked him if he had any tips on writing sci-fi, as I am taking a sci-fi and fantasy module next term. He said to make sure that anything you write isn't hollow, or that things aren't just for show. I really liked this bit of advice as sometimes I do write things just for effect but really don't have much purpose. I see it happen a lot in films and tv shows and it's starting to annoy me now. Sometimes I hate being a writer because you can stop thinking with a writer's head on.

James Moran also said that when writing sci-fi or horror stories the plot should still make sense and be interesting without the sciency or scary bits. I think this is great advice but in the end he told me to ignore everything he said, as he wrote on my photo.

He had so much more to say but the excitement of the weekend has blown it from my head. I still have the celebrity shakes. I just can't believe I actually spoke to David Tennant! My second Doctor in a year.

Who will I meet next year?

Doctor Who Convention - Matt Smith & Tom MacRae

I went to the Doctor Who Convention yesterday. It was thrilling for many reasons, but here are two in particular.

Here's number one:

That's right. I got to meet Matt Smith! If you didn't know he is the current Doctor of the popular TV show Doctor Who. If you didn't know this then shame on you, and go watch some episodes right now! I have never met a celebrity before so this was very exciting. Sadly we were in and out very quickly so I didn't get to savour the moment! However, we did see him again later in the day.

Here's the second reason: at the convention there was a talk by the crew, including writer Tom MacRae. He wrote the episode The Girl Who Waited which had a lot more to it that I had originally thought. I admit, it wasn't one of my favourites but now I really want to watch it again! Tom MacRae was charasmatic and funny, he had some interesting insights into writing. I felt really inspired to write after listening to him, and it made me want to share my Doctor Who ideas with him.
Personally, he was better than Steven Moffat who was also there. He didn't give away anything about his writing and didn't like to answer questions lest he give out spoilers! So typical! Though we saw him casually walking by during the convention. There were too many famous people than I could handle!
Anyway, Tom MacRae was doing autographs too but while we were in the queue he left, so regrettably, I did not get to meet him and tell him my own ideas or ask him any questions.

Overall, it was a great day and I wouldn't mind being in the TV business. It kind of makes me wish that I had picked the Writing for Mainstream Television module!

Oh by the way, you can't tell, but I am wearing a Dalek dress. I am too cool!

My Doctor Who Experience

Do not read on if you don't like spoilers! 

Doctor Who has been on our screens since 1963 and the Doctor Who Experience proudly marks how successful the show has been. The closest many of us will come to the Doctor and his TARDIS is by watching the television show. That was until now. The Doctor Who Experience is a place where all fans of Doctor Who can enjoy the thrill of the show and even help the Doctor escape from the bad guys once more. Steven Moffat, writer and Executive Producer of the show says, ‘The Doctor Who Experience is a fan’s dream come true - a fully interactive adventure that will allow viewers of the show to get as close as possible to some of the scariest monsters from the series.’ And I was one of first people fortunate enough to go to its opening week.

The Doctor Who Experience was two years in the making with exhibits including monsters ranging from the Absorbalof to the Zygon; costumes of every Doctor and each recent companion; and sets from the whole 50 years of the show and most amazingly the authentic interiors of the TARDIS. However, its main attraction is the 20 minute interactive walk-through with the Doctor guiding you through a whole new Doctor Who adventure; with you as his trusted companion.

But before you read on, remember Sweeties: Spoilers!

Upon arriving at London’s Olympia Two, where the Experience is being held, you are greeted and directed to an elevator. Now, this was all very exciting for me especially as I did not know what to expect; I had been purposefully avoiding any reviews as I did not want it to spoil any of the surprises.  The elevator doors open and the sound of the iconic Doctor Who theme tune surrounds you; instantly you know it is going to be good. After your ticket has been checked you then have your photo taken in front of the time vortex, but do not worry you won’t get sucked in!

Inside the first section of the exhibit are a few costumes and sets from the latest series with Matt Smith, with focus on the Vampires of Venice and Vincent and the Doctor episodes. Again the Doctor Who music plays loudly in the background; it is timed well with a countdown to the next walk-through experience. While queuing up I felt just as excited as any of the little children around me, although I was disappointed that I did not dress up like they had. Around the Experience there were many mini Doctors; all with bowties and sonic screwdrivers, and some even with fezzes! I want to wear a fez now, fezzes are cool!

Once the countdown reaches zero the doors open and you are sent into a small room with a screen and some benches. I have to admit that I was a tiny bit upset; I thought it would be more than this, and I did not even get a place on the benches, which were taken up by all the young children. But still I got goose bumps as the Doctor Who theme played again and the Doctor appeared on the screen in a trailer of the most epic scenes from the first series. You can imagine my surprise and thrill when the screen then cracked in two – much like the crack in Amy’s wall – and parted revealing a huge set of a futuristic museum. For a moment I thought this room was a work of 3D but there was an actual room behind the screen; it was like real science fiction!

Here another video was playing on big screen and a Node (an information drone from the Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead episodes) with a very realistic face starts talking about the artefacts in the museum; items from previous episodes. These artefacts include the giant telescope from Tooth and Claw, Van Gogh’s painting of the TARDIS exploding from The Pandorica Opens, and one of The Beast Below’s creepy Smilers. The use of projection of the Node’s face is very clever and just shows how much effort people have gone through for the Experience. However, the video is interrupted and suddenly the Doctor is on the screen! He has been locked in the Pandorica once more and he needs help; he had been looking for Amy Pond he says but decides that ‘shoppers’, as he calls us, will have to do. He then uses his sonic screwdriver to make the TARDIS appear; and its appearance is truly amazing. A wall disappears and out of the smoke the TARDIS materialises. It’s accomplishments like this that show how much effort and technology has been used in the making of this experience. Creative Director, Simon Clarke, spent three months creating these breath-taking scenes; ‘”Our goal was to achieve a seamless integration of the animated elements with the set design, painted backdrops and the glass screens that would house our graphics and VFX sequences, we wanted to create, in the same way an illusionist would, an indistinguishable line between what's reality and make believe.”’

The TARDIS doors swing open and it is definitely bigger on the inside! Everyone hurries inside - I’m practically running - and we are all delighted as we gather around the TARDIS console. It looks exactly like it does in the show, except this one has rails around it with a range of control sticks on them. The Doctor appears yet again on another screen and says we have to drive the TARDIS using the control sticks. He says that the younger you are the better, as adults aren’t very fun. There were no children near the control stick I was closest to so I did instead. This experience really brings out the nine-year-old in you whether you are nineteen or ninety. The Doctor tells each person when to pull their control stick and the floor rises and falls like we’re really moving; I couldn’t believe it, I was actually flying the TARDIS!

After we land the Doctor says we are in enemy territory and that we need to take the back door despite there not really being one, but you never know what you could find inside the TARDIS. You walk down a corridor, something that hasn’t been seen in the TARDIS for many, many years until The Doctor’s Wife, wondering what’s going on, when you hear the scariest thing possible in the Doctor Who universe: EXTERMINATE! At this point my heart’s beating with trepidation and I am little bit scared, though I know I’m old enough not to be. But I can hear all the little children give yelps of fright; I don’t think there has been a generation since the beginning of Doctor Who that isn’t scared of the Daleks.  Terrifyingly, we have ended up in the cockpit of the Dalek’s spaceship and the Supreme Dalek declares that you must be EXTERMINATED! A Dalek chorus begins: EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! But before they can they become distracted as another Dalek ship attacks as part of a civil war. Once the Daleks are distracted by gunfire the Doctor comes on the screen and tells you to run. Word of advice: if you’re not up for running do not become the Doctor’s companion.

This time you’re in a spooky graveyard and I can’t help but think of the Weeping Angels from Blink, The Time of Angels, and Flesh and Stone. This eerie graveyard is the perfect hiding place for them. I keep my eyes open the whole time, never daring to blink just in case the Angels take advantage and send me back to the past; letting me live to death.

Luckily, you make it out unscratched and there are people handing out 3D glasses, which does somewhat ruin the spooky atmosphere. Again we’re in a room with a large screen, and as I put my 3D glasses on I’m eager about what I’m going to see. The Doctor has managed to escape and is now safely in his TARDIS but the Pandorica explodes and all the evil creatures are out in the vortex, which is on the big 3D screen. First the Cybermen, fatal and precise, fly out at you, shooting lasers, more horrifying than ever in 3D.  Then the Daleks back again, ready to EXTERMINATE for the last time; it is impossible not to move out of the way of their deadly plungers despite knowing it is only 3D. Then lastly, but the most terrifying, the Weeping Angels leap out at you. You strain to keep your eyes open, but it doesn’t matter, the lights start to flash on and off. With every flash they get closer and closer until they’re about to grab you; this time I’m not the only one ducking and diving, I can hear the girl next to me letting out startled screams and the children whimpering.  Fortunately, the Doctor presses buttons, pulls leavers, twists knob, and uses his sonic screwdriver to finish the whole thing off and the Cybermen, Daleks, and Weeping Angels are all sucked back into the vortex once more. You can breathe a sigh of relief; the Doctor has saved the day yet again.

In an interview Simon Clarke said that this was the best bit of the Experience; ‘"This was an opportunity for us to have fun and an example was when we maximised the 3D effect for the 'Vortex sequence' in the Pandorica chamber. Of course, the ultimate test of our work is to see and hear the reaction from the audience as the images appear to pop out of the screen and grab you."’ And believe me; I think this was very effective!

That’s the end of the walk-through, but the Doctor Who Experience is by no means finished. Once you leave the room there is an opportunity to have a photo taken with Matt Smith’s Doctor; it’s only a picture on the wall but people were still queuing for it, and I was one of them. From here on there are rooms filled with extraordinary Doctor Who things; anything you could wish to see, touch, learn, wear, hear, do, and know about Doctor Who is under this one roof. Olympia Two is surely like the TARDIS; much bigger on the inside and filled with wondrous stuff!

One of the best things to do is to have your photo taken using a green screen. This means that you can have your photo taken with a range of backgrounds. I had mine taken with the TARDIS, but there are other possibilities to have it inside the TARDIS, or even being trapped inside the Pandorica. While these photos may be expensive at £12 a photo, they are well worth buying; how many times will you be flying in the TARDIS?

Another great opportunity is learning how to walk like a monster. This is exactly what it sounds like and a great amount of fun; even as an adult I couldn’t resist learning how to walk like a Scarecrow, a Cyberman, or a Clockwork Person. This was brilliant fun; I didn’t even feel embarrassed when people stood around to watch, they even applauded us at the end!

The Doctor Who Experience is always adding new and relevant things to its exhibition, keeping it up to date. Only this makes me want to go back again and again! Since the opening date they have added the Vashta Nerada, who live in shadows; the Sycorax, the aliens who attacked on Christmas Day in David Tennant’s first episode; and the Silence… Sorry, what was I saying? I’ve forgotten.

After all these exciting things there is even a little shop; the Doctor would love it! This shop sells everything Doctor Who, from the old series and the new. It also sells things exclusive to the Doctor Who Experience, so buy it while you’re there or you’ll regret it later!

Overall, I would say if you were a fan of Doctor Who you should visit this exhibition; no matter what age you are, this will transform you into an excited child. And if you’re not a fan you should visit it anyway; I guarantee you’ll be a fan by the end. And a little tip: definitely dress up!