Thanksgiving

Hello again.
The first poem I was asked to write for Plymouth was about Thanksgiving. I don't really know very much about Thanksgiving so, as you might imagine, I needed to research quite a bit.
I thought of a lot of stories that interested me very much but I didn't think I could do them justice in 500 words or less so I decided to write a poem.
I was going to do something based around the two little boys whose father won them in a custody battle and then disowned them and put them on the ship themselves.
Unfortunately, I thought that might offend people.
My best idea and the one I ended up writing was about one of people on the ship marvelling at her famous descendants. I thought it would be an interesting twist since some Americans like to trace their ancestors that way.
Anyway, in the end it wasn't suitable but here it is and I hope you enjoy it.

The Blood I Boast

I pricked my little finger and watched a drop of blood well,
Suspended on the surface of my skin.
I touched it once, it sailed away
Through the air and escaped into my glass
Where it broke in a flurry of red, and spread.
At first it was a long tendril reaching down
But then small roots floated to the top
And guided all the other drops
Through clashes and confused flurries.
Then, finally, together, they sank
Slowly and more measured
And formed letters in some way I've never seen
In a long, long stream, all for me.
Then faces swam around the sides,
Expressions changing rapidly
Curved in pouting red lips
That quivered and then disappeared.
They paused a moment, saddened
As the shapes they made were swallowed
One by one in the thinning red.
But by and by they rallied and floated further outward
Light pink, the individual drops Could no longer be seen.
Each drop touched by a drop of the blood I boast
And boasted in its turn.

After the Thanksgiving event I will post the poem I am actually going to use. I think this is the better poem though. Please comment and let me know what you think.

Plymouth YCL: Originality

Hello to anyone reading. My name is Ailie and in the following posts I hope to share a bit about my experience as the Young Plymouth City Laureate and also to give people a few writing tips that I hope will be useful.

Originality

The first thing I want to say about originality is that, really, it doesn't matter.
It is impossible to be completely original.
Depending on who you ask there are only four or ten or thirty-six plots in the whole history of humankind. So really don't worry about it.

Of course, there's a difference between thinking 'You know, JK Rowling was really on to something.' and writing a story about a boy that lives in a cupboard under the stairs, and thinking 'Hmm, boy under the stairs, toy on a chair... Eureka! I'm going to write about a phantom that steals toys from children!'
The second is good - creativity should definitely fuel creativity as long as it's not too obvious. A good rule of thumb is to get a friend to read it. If they say 'Ah, cool. Did you base this on Harry Potter?' go back to the drawing board immediately.
The first is liable to get you sued. You really don't want that.
There isn't a way to guard yourself from subconsciously re-using ideas, that just happens. Just make sure you don't do it deliberately.

There is also a difference between re-working an old story like Cinderella, and filling a novel with every cliché known to man. To guard against this I would recommend taking a little bit of your brain and moulding it into a crotchety garden gnome. Name him Cynic. Go to him with every story idea you have, if he groans drop it immediately.
Unless, of course, you are writing a parody.

The second thing I want to say about originality is that it is entirely over-rated. If you can write something old better than anyone else has ever written it before go for it and ignore people who use words like 'derivative.' Loads of people wrote melodramas before Dickens but he's the one that is remembered.

Indeed, stories actively incorporating myths or old legends or even newish ideas are often better thought out and more in-depth than novels pulled entirely from the ether. Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings were both based on some folk-lore and even Shakespeare dramatised very well known stories.

So, in conclusion, go forth my little creative friends and write!