The death of sleep

I'm in a curious, reflective mood tonight. Ideas are literally clustering around me, jostling for space in my already overcrowed head. My notebook is fast filling up with things to be developed at a later date.

Recently I've noticed a return of the insommnia that peppered my teenage years. Too many thoughts, too little time. I guess that means I'll be burning the midnight oil again.....

But apart from the lack of sleep, this can only be a good thing. After all, this is what I came here for. I've been reading some more of my coursemates' Lady of Shalott inspired stories the evening, I'm impressed. It's fascinating seeing the variety of responses to the same exercise. Each is unique, and distinctive, offering up a different perspective. Every week, we are challenged to do something different, something outside our comfort zone. The best thing is that it doesn't matter if it doesn't work. You learn from it, and you move on.

This morning we had a session on writing for children. We began by looking at some examples of children's books, including one of my all-time favourites, The Hungry Caterpillar. It's amazing how a book can evoke so many memories and feelings. I can still vividly recall numerous books from my childhood that literally transported me into the world they created. It's the compulsion to capture that feeling, to create a world and characters that readers will become lost in, that drives me to write.