Saving the Endangered Fantastical Creatures: So, what do you call a group of…oh my?! 

By Sarah Elliott

Never has it been more relevant to learn some new collective nouns. I mean, what do you call a group of vampires? Or harpies or basilisks? Strange creatures are found in stories, poems, films, architecture, and of course under your bed!

Fantastical creatures – a term more recently made popular in film titles but encompassing a whole range of any ‘living’ being that is deemed a little (or a lot) out of the ordinary. For the purposes of this article, we’re going to define them as:

An imaginary, strange living thing (not a plant) most likely created in the mind of a wonderful writer!

We will peer through our spy glasses and zoom in on distinct types of fantastical creatures: human/animal hybrid and all-out beast modes! But first, let’s secure our foundations and take the DeLorean back to where the earliest fantastical creatures raised their heads (or multiple heads).

If we’re thinking of ancient and early beginnings, it’s always a safe bet to go back to Ancient Egypt. Here we can find still standing, evidence of a fantastical creature – the Sphinx! With the head of a human and the body of a lion, the Sphinx stands for wisdom and knowledge. Greek mythology associates it with guarding the entrances to temples and only allowing passage after a riddle is answered. The Greek sphinx also has the wings of a bird! Existing before 2500 BC, it’s evident the Great Sphinx of Giza has a pretty awesome anti-ageing routine! Egyptologists are still trying to work out how old this magnificent monolith actually is.

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The Muse Has Left the Building: Getting your ‘Poe’ mojo back on the go

By Sarah Elliott

If you fancy yourself as a 21st-century bard but you’re in an open relationship with your muse and they aren’t around right now, read on. Inspiration for poetry can be hidden or in plain sight and this article will help you spy it out.

Ink gone dry? Battery drained? No spark of poetic inspiration flying in like a superhero to come save you? Imagine, you’ve been commissioned (yes getting paid) to write a collection of poems and you can’t find any inspiration. Instagram poetry prompts are more played out than reruns of Friends. You’re worn down from workshops like a pencil top eraser and that cursed cursor keeps winking at you with zero promise of follow-through. Well, sometimes when we get stuck like this, it helps to go right back to basics – do like Maria Von Trapp and start at the very beginning. What is it you’re trying to do? Let’s start by getting clear about what a poem is.

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Writing: a habit you don’t want to break – but how do you start and maintain it?

By Sarah Elliott

We are going to explore why as writers, it is key to develop a writing habit, what stops us and how we can work towards solving this problem. But first, let’s see where you are.

Oh, did the fairy godmothers visit your crib and grant you incredible writing talent opening all doors for you and making you rich and successful for all time? No? Well, that means that the writing talent you have wherever (or however) you got it may need support if you want it to reap rewards (and not just financial ones).

Enter your writing habit, to complete this dynamic duo to help you attain your writing goals! Talent + writing habit = writing triumph! 

Ever experienced sitting in awe at a musical performance? Perhaps you have longed to be able to play music like that and felt a tweak of jealousy. Because it’s alright for them, right? Up there being successful and all that. But wait, if we took a peak behind the curtain, what would we see? Hard work, commitment, passion, regular practice – a habit.

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