1st Line Thursday: Writing, reading, photography, and other firsts of February!

Welcome to the first Thursday post of the month! How is everyone? Broken your new years resolutions already? Don’t worry, me too!

Every first Thursday of the month, I’ll talk about firsts. The first book I picked up this month, the first picture I took, the first blog article I read, the first short story I wrote last month, and more!

February is an exciting month for me. I’m going to chase new things, read new books, and work on a special short story to submit that could change my life. So without further ado: Firsts!

The first show I watched in February:

BBC’s Merlin. I’m up to series 3 on my re-watch, and decided to watch more to try and shake the writing rut I was in for my own Arthurian Legend project. I became re-inspired!

I finally fixed my plot issues. All it took was confiscating my laptop and working on paper. Even then I got distracted googling on my phone and watching the other half play Minecraft. I should’ve sat in the office, but the sofa in the living room was in the sun and it was nice!

Anyway, once I settled I figured out what’s missing. Heart. I’d gotten so caught in up bringing Merlin and Arthur to life, that my premise for adventure was flimsy. I didn’t care about it. My characters didn’t care about it. Now, the plot affects them personally. They have reason to care!

The first book I picked up:

Young Sherlock Holmes: Death Cloud. All right, I admit it. Part of the reason I stalled on my Merlin story is because I recently became obsessed with Sherlock again. My muses are pretty fickle, apparently. I need to learn to control them better!

Anyway, in an attempt to kick the worst reading rut ever, I’ve chosen the Young Sherlock series. I adore BBC’s Sherlock, and love Sherlock Holmes. I’m hoping reading a book based on something I already love will help me get back into regular reading. I’ll also finish my book from last month (Remember my broken resolutions? Reading was one of them!)

My first written lines were:

‘Yeah, and get this: He has magic!’

‘Magic? You sure you’re not imagining things?’

My goal for this month is 37500 words. It’s a tall order, but one I hope I can achieve. In an ideal world I’ll write 75000 words in the next two months and finish the first draft of Merlin!

The first picture I took:

The sunrise over the sea. I love this picture. There’s a torch shaped pillar along our seafront with a wire basket on top. If you get there just after sunrise, the sun looks like it’s a flame atop a torch holder. I was fresh out of dragons. I’ll try and find one for next month!

The first article I read:

Ronel’s Folklore Thursday post on Valkyries. I love Ronel’s folklore posts. They’re always interesting, informative and sometimes even inspiring. As a fantasy writer I love learning about folklore, myths and legends. Check out Ronel’s blog if you love folklore too!

My number one goal this month:

I’ve recently come to a realisation. I need to learn more. In the past I’ve been reluctant to take a masters degree, mostly because they don’t cater to genre writers. Recently I discovered a new course with a unit dedicated to fantasy/sci-fi. My goal is to look into it, and I can’t wait!

Hashtag game spotlight: #SockItTueMe

Looking for a new writing prompt hashtag game to inspire you? Recently a friend and supporter of my #sunscribbles hashtag game started his own game, #SockItTueMe. Inspired by his love of writing prompts, #SockItTueMe is great fun! Pontius explains it best on his website. Also, if you love short stories his 50 word ones are amazing!

My favourite line from #SockItTueMe so far is:

‘Arthur reached out towards the sparkling cave wall, carved entirely from ice. His hand was bare, but its reflection wore a gauntlet of the finest steel. Familiar, yet so different. But it felt like coming home.’

This prompt helped me kick my slump. Ice, ice caves, and snow play a big part in my story. It’s a reflection of the crystal cave. It’s Arthur finally remembering who he was. It’s his turning point. He begins to believe in himself. I think we can all do with moments like that in our lives!

The first short story I wrote last month:

The first short story I wrote in January was about a slave in the Roman Empire. One of my characters was named Benedict, because of the aforementioned Sherlock phase that’s taking over my life right now. (Benedict Cumberbatch owns the role of Sherlock :D)

Excerpt:

‘We’re nobodies. Invisible. Our lives belong to our masters. We don’t get to love, learn, leave the city or make our own lives.’

‘Oh don’t be that way. I’m not interested in you, only the puzzle.’

Aurelia scoffed. ‘It’s hardly a puzzle.’

Benedict sighed and ran a hand through his hair. ‘No. I suppose it isn’t… But around here, what else is there?’

Aurelia took the soup off the fire and heaved it onto the counter. ‘Nothing. We’re nobodies. Invisible. Our lives belong to our masters. We don’t get to love, learn, leave the city or make our own lives.’

‘Or fight, or talk about strategy and tactics,’ Benedict added. His eyes darted to the left, and they clouded as a group of soldiers marched by.

Yes, Benedict is also based a little on Sherlock. As I said, my muses are very demanding!

Thanks for reading!

What are your goals this month? What are you most looking forward to? What’s the first line you wrote, first article you read, or first picture you took? Let me know in the comments!