#was going through the wiki again because i need to refresh my memory on Mai

[valiant-portabella-pirkko]

so was anyone going to tell me that apparently Mai Trin shared a piece of steam tech with Joon and she and/or her invocation were so deeply offended by her new employer calling it 'primitive' that she literally went out and retrieved part of a steam creature automaton specifically to prove her wrong, or was I just supposed to find that out myself

[t100ficrecsblog]

an interview with sapphictomaz (they/them) what are you working on right now? Right now I’m working on finishing a fic called “toward eternity,” a canon divergence fic that features an immortal Murphy. There’s only one more chapter that I need to write and post, which feels weird, since I’ve been working on this one fic for the past three months or so. It’s been a long process consisting of obsessing over immortality lore and reading old wiki pages to refresh my memory of plotlines from seasons ago, but it’s also been really fun to completely immerse myself in one project. In that sense, I almost don’t want it to end - once the full fic is out there, and it’s all finished, it’s going to be hard to let it go. I’m going to miss it, but I’m also excited for people to read it in all its glory.

what’s something you’d like to write one day? This is tough - I don’t have a well of ideas to draw on. When I get a good idea for a fic, I generally plan and write it right away, rather than dwell on it. I tend to obsess over my ideas, too, so while I’m writing one fic it’s very difficult to think of a plot for another one. Still, I have been toying with the bare bones outline of a mythology au fic, where Murphy would be an exiled & fallen god and Bellamy is an unsuspecting mortal that gets dragged along on his quest to save the universe. This may or may not ever get written, but the idea and universe that goes along with it makes me smile.

what is the fanwork you’re most proud of? Definitely a fic I wrote called “i’d still choose you.” It’s a mythology au where a mortal Bellamy goes on a quest to save his best friend from the Underworld, only to fall in love with cursed demigod named Murphy and save several people’s lives along the way, mostly by accident. I normally write from Murphy’s perspective, but for this fic I wrote from Bellamy’s point of view, which was challenging because I feel less in touch with his character, but I’m really proud of the way he, and the whole universe, turned out. Greek mythology has been something I've loved for years, so it was a lot of fun melding the world of those myths with the world of t100. At the time, it had also been my longest fic I’d ever written, and I got really great feedback on it, so it’s something that makes me smile whenever I think about it.

why did you first start writing fic? Honestly, I think because I daydream a lot. I started writing fic back in 2012 or so, originally for a book series I was reading at the time called “House of Night.” A character was killed off in the series, and I wanted to ‘fix’ that plotline. I originally imagined lots of scenarios in which that character could have lived, and then one day, I sat down and just wrote out one of these scenarios. Literally the definition of “if the author isn’t going to do it right, then I will.” Only after writing that first fic did I realize that this was something other people did, too, and after I read a lot more fic, it gave me the courage and inspiration to post my own. Luckily for me, I’ve gotten a lot of good comments over the years, which makes it easier to keep going.

what frustrates you most about fic writing? I think the expectations around it. I love feedback and interaction with readers, of course, but there have been times when I feel pressured to update and post in a certain time frame, or if updates aren't long enough I feel bad about that, too. That's my own fault, more than anything. I have to remind myself that fic writing is done for free, and the only expectations I have to rise to are my own. If I'm happy, then it works - but often this is easy to forget.

what are your top five songs right now?     Capable - the Wild Reeds

Famy - Ava

There’s Still a Light in the House - Valley

Give Yourself a Try - the 1975

First - Cold War Kids

what are your inspirations (books, songs, other fic)? Songs are definitely my biggest inspirations for fics. Almost every single fic I write has its own soundtrack that I listen to while writing. Poetry is also a big inspiration for me. I think a lot of the time, a mixture of both song lyrics and poetry lines inspire me the most. For instance, in my current project "toward eternity," I was heavily inspired by the song "When The Angels Sing," by Social Distortion. I also was heavily inspired by Emily Dickinson's poem "Because I Could Not Stop For Death." The very last line of that poem ("I first surmised the Horses' Heads / Were toward Eternity") inspired the title and general themes. So, it's a combination of listening to songs and reading poems at the same time.

what attracts you to Murphamy? what first attracted you? I think I was attracted to Murphamy because I love Murphy, and I think a lot of Murphamy fans would feel similarly. Murphy's been my favourite character throughout the entire series. When looking at his character arc and journey throughout the show, it's impossible to study it without seeing the impact Bellamy has had on him. Especially during earlier seasons, they've had such a fascinating push-pull dynamic with each other that I love to explore in fic. It was during the cliff scene in 2x04 that I really noticed this - that scene is so ripe with symbolism that I still watch it to get inspired. And, I mean, who doesn't like a good, well-developed enemies-to-lovers?

Besides Murphamy, what’s your favorite ship in t100? Clexa, for sure. I loved Lexa even before Clexa happened, and then when it did, I was so invested in their relationship and dynamic that, five years later, I'm still obsessed with them. Since I mostly write Murphamy, I do my best to include at least a crumb of Clexa in all my fics because I love them so much. Another t100 ship I really love that I wish got more attention is Remori! I think they're really fun together and bring out the best in each other, and most of all, they support and encourage each other to be better. They're a really interesting pair I wish we saw interact more.

how did you first decide you wanted to write for the Chopped challenge? My friend Elle (hopskipaway) introduced me to it, actually! She'd been an active participant before I had ever heard of it, so I started following it through her. I first wrote for the Holiday Exchange challenge, which was really cool. I'd been in fic exchanges before, but I liked that the Chopped element made it so the fics were specifically tailored to what the participants wanted to see. The environment was really encouraging and supportive, which influenced me to sign up for the Chopped March Madness, too, which was lots of fun!

what’s your Chopped! process like? or is it different every round? This is going to sound weird, but honestly, my Chopped process is...not having a process. I read the list of tropes & ships that have to be included, and then I leave it completely alone for at least a day. Generally I form a base idea just looking at the trope list, but even if I don't, I let them ruminate in my head and then after a while, a plot idea comes to me. I think taking a step back from the pressures of a challenge like that allows me to be fully creative, which in the end, results in a better end product.

what are some things you’d like to recommend? There are so many lovely other fic authors out there I couldn't name them all if I tried. Still, some of my all time favourite authors on ao3 are: blueparacosm, hopskipaway, oogaboogu, sadie18, & maunwocha. They've all got lots of lovely writing that I thoroughly enjoy, and I've had the pleasure to get to know them all, and they're lovely people, too. They all deserve the most love and support possible.

as always, I am delighted to interview another member of the popular Murphy-centric fic-writing conglomerate. they all have such different styles and are so excellent in their own way! “toward eternity” is on my weekend reading list to re-read and comment on every chapter, but “you can bloom again” was the first sapphictomaz fic I ever read and remains my favorite. It’s Harper/Clarke and was written for Chopped!, and at the risk of sounding cliched, it’s a very fresh take on both of these characters. Also, a road trip at the end of the world. you can find them on Twitter here, or find them here on Tumblr @lexasheart. 

[totallygayforrukiakuchiki]

Why I love Rukia Kuchiki (aka rlly important facts that make her the best female manga character ever )

- First I have to say I love everything about her : how well-written she is, even her short temper, her ugly drawings, how funny she is, her love for plushies and cute things, her cluelessness about the human world like she cannot even open a juice box omg, how good she is at acting, the fact that she loves sweet food, her bickering with Ichigo, her small habits and everything that makes Rukia.... Rukia.

((The pics are only here to illustrate ( lol) I didn’t do any reseach and used the ones I already had so it’s SO NOT exhaustive))

Now let’s start with the deeper stuff PLEASE READ:

- Super selfless I mean even TOO SELFLESS for her own good, even Ichigo states that she should care about herself for once, this girl is selfless to the point of self-sacrificing and blames herself for just ??? Self-defending?

- Super forgiving , cannot believe how this girl has forgiven Byakuya, Renji, Urahara, Kira & co without thinking about it twice and never holds a grudge against them.

- Has the strongest sense of justice among all the characters. (Refuses to hurt Riruka, her speech to ichigo at the beginning of the manga, etc etc) Because before “protecting loads and loads of ppl” became ichigo’s motto it was hers.

She is willing to give her life to save human souls and to go anywhere for them. Honestly if even 50 ⁒ of the shinigami has her sense of duty the world would be ideal

- She is a tiny girl. Who can kick your ass and order you around. She is also able to stand on her own and OMG that’s so refreshing a shonen heroine who is selfless and caring but needs no man and is bossy THANK YOU. I mean she has all these qualities but still she can act boyish and punch you in the face or kick you if needed.

- She is FUCKING beautiful/ pretty without even trying and without fitting the standards She is also super graceful like woooooow. (And don’t fight me on this. Mizuiro, Keigo, her whole gang from the Rukongai, Hantarou, and even Orihime said so). I’d even say she can be sexy too, looking at Kubo’s drawings (dancing with Snow White, Mafia colorspread, honeymoon colorspread, Halloween costume etc etc)

- Extremely brave. Always ready to jump in front of danger and ready to die to protect ! (Even from her first appearance in the manga) (and she did it again)

- Has been through so much shit and is still so strong and amazing. She started off in the Rukongai as a kid with no family and had to steal food and fight to survive. Might have gotten killed everyday, it was hell litterally.

Lost all her friends to death except Renji.

Entered the academy and lost her best friend, her childhood friend, the only person she had left . Was adopted by her noble step-brother who didn’t even bother to look at her for 40 years and made her feel like a nuisance / a disappointment (I am not blaming anyone here, I know they may have their reasons I am just stating the facts).

Was bullied at the academy and had NO FRIENDS because people considered that she didn’t deserve to be here and only got a place bc she was privileged and a noble.

Had to kill the only man who ever looked at her as “Rukia”, understood her and was here for her when she was in the academy (and whom she loved - and if you think otherwise I’ll assume you have the emotional awareness of a pebble or cannot read a panel properly)

- Super self conscious despite having it all??? (Am I good enough? Do I deserve to be here? I nii-sama doesn’t look at me it’s probably that I am worth nothing) Girl stop doubting and blaming yourself !!! You are amazing !! (I relate a lot so that makes me love her more).

I’ll just add this , this is from her wiki page: “her cool and lone demeanor often forces her to hide her personal troubles, even from her friends. Ukitake says that Rukia rarely opens up, and has difficulty making friends”.

She is not just “cold” she doesn’t want to get hurt again and that touches my heart woooow

- Strong in a physical way. She protected Ichigo as many times as he protected her. I love how equal they are (even despite their big difference of level). I mean she defeated a fucking espada when she only had her Shikai + being in the deepest emotional and mental pain possible, stood against Yammy, is really talented at Kidou, beat strong hollows when she was powerless and IN A GIGAI, reaches bankai and became a captain when she started off as... nothing. She was a nobody from the Rukongai. She was very mediocre and her Kidou skills were average. And nobody really believed in her at first but she did it.

- also how she is attached to the human world is so touching to me. There are many other small things like how despite being a noble she remains so modest and chooses to talk to ordinary people. Etc etc.

- Caring and understanding. Always here to help the others. She is the only one should could lift ichigo’s spirit in one go when he was down. She did several times. She helped him through the trauma he went through due to his mother’s death, offering him a shoulder to lean on AND DIDNT ASK HIM to talk to her yet because she know it wasn’t what he needed and knew it would hurt him. But told him that when he would want to talk about it to someone, she would be there for him. I MEAN GIRL YOU ARE AWESOME IF HE DOESN’T ASK YOU TO MARRY HIM, I WILL.

And it made him feel so much better that he quoted the exact same words to his fathers chapteeeeeers after. She also helped Orihime and encouraged her when she thought she was useless and an inconvenience. She said together they would find a place for her to fight alongside everybody. WHEN all the other characters didn’t allow orihime to fight with them bc she was too weak, Rukia offered her support and to find solution together instead. (( Q U E E N)).

Encourages Ichigo’s sisters to eat next to him when he is severely injured etc, etc

- And how eager she was to save orihime!!She was litterally dying and yet crawled on the floor because she empathized with her and wanted to save her so much

- Annnnnd to finish I love how her relationship with Ichigo is written like, how deep they trust each other and don’t need words to communicate (like how she respects his personal space [“it’s enough just to know he is safe / memories in the rain/ their fight vs Grimmjow etc etc]).

I also find it AMAZING that she cares for him so much when his hollow is coming out, I mean she is not even slightly frightened and worries about him instead, she could-she should be traumatized after what happens with Kaien being possessed by a hollow but no she isn’t. + How they protect each other, helped each other through trauma, how they offered each other everything that the other ever wanted (Power to protect / normal and comfortable relationship).

Imma stop here because I could write 45 more pages explaining why their relationship is like the Golden Book of Healthy and Mutually Beneficial and Equal Relationships but that’s not the point here lol. But I like pretty much every relationship Rukia has with any character (Renji, Byakuya, Orihime, Ukitake etc..) I think she really brings out the best from each one of them.

I’m stopping here but there are so many more reasons to why she is my favorite character ever, just Knox this is rushed and non-exhaustive, I just felt like screaming how much I love Rukia Kuchiki to the world . But yeah non-cliché strong girl. Who will fight you. Who can stand on her own. But still shows us many emotions and is so caring and selfless.

[sarakaybct-blog]

Stage 2: Design

Game Design 

This part of the project is taking me back to our first studio project; cards for play. I know that I didn’t do very well in regards to following the guidelines specified in the brief - DISCUSS, REFLECT & ITERATE. I merely focused on listing the things that I did and how I did them. I didn’t include as much feedback and reflection into my project. Hopefully I don’t repeat the same mistakes. 

Im excited to get started on the design stage for this final project because I’m required to use Adobe Photoshop. I’m glad that I took art design in High School, because we spent a whole year using that program, so I’m very familiar with it. I might be a little rusty because I did take that subject back in year 12, but I’m sure the minute I hop onto it, my memory will get refreshed.  So before I get into first step “Produce quick sketches of the game layout” I want to understand the meaning of Game design Design elements The development process. And how I can apply whatever it is that I learned into my app game. Let’s begin. 

What is Game Design? 

1. “Game design is the art of applying design and aesthetics to create a game to facilitate interaction between players for entertainment or for educational, exercise, or experimental purposes.”  2. “Game design can be applied both to games and, increasingly, to other interactions, particularly virtual ones.”  3. “Game design creates goals, rules, and challenges to define a sport, tabletop game, casino game, video game, role-playing game, or simulation that produces desirable interactions among its participants and, possibly, spectators.”  4. “ Game design is a subset of the field of video game development. Game design is a field with a broad focus. As such, the skills of a game designer are drawn from the fields of computer science and programming, creative writing and graphic design. Game designers take the creative lead in imagining and bringing to life video game stories, characters, gameplay, rules, interfaces, dialogue and environments. This being the case, a game designer is a cross between a writer, artist and programmer. It is an individual who presents a comprehensive artistic vision, while also possessing the technical skill to oversee and contribute to programming, image rendering, level design, digital editing and other construction aspects of game design.” 

Design Elements - How does this apply to my app game?  Games can be identified and characterised by "what the player does." This is often referred to as gameplay. Major key elements identified in this context are tools and rules that define the overall context of game.

Tools of Play:  “Games are often restricted by the components required to play them”. In this case, a person requires a mobile phone to play an app game. 

Rule development:  Since games are generally characterised by their tools, they are usually defined by their rules. Even though rules are subject to changes, enough change in the rules sometimes result in a “new”  game.  There are exceptions to this in that some games deliberately involve the changing of their own rules, but even then there are often immutable meta-rules. Rules generally determine turn order, the rights and responsibilities of the players, each player's goals, and how game components interact with each other in to produce changes in a game's state. Rules for App game -  Goal is to swim as much as possible with your sea creature while avoiding the ocean pollution to earn as much score as possible. 

- Player must slide their finger from left to right/touch/tap the screen to make the character (turtle/fish/sea creature) swim.  - Avoid the rubbish/debris, oil spills and toxic materials/chemicals to survive/stay out of harms way.  - Collect energy power boost to increase your top speed and become invincible. - Play to unlock new sea creatures.   I used an app game called “The Astro” as a template to create these rules. It kind of has the same rules and game style that I was going for.  

Single or multiplayer:  Most games require multiple players. However, app games are mostly single-player games. Single player games are unique in respect to the type of challenges a player deals with. Unlike a game with multiple players going up against each other (with or against) to reach the game’s goal, a single-player game is against an aspect of the environment, against one’s own skills, against time or chance.  Many games described as "single-player" or "cooperative" could alternatively be described as puzzles or recreations, in that they do not involve strategic behaviour (as defined by game theory), in which the expected reaction of an opponent to a possible move becomes a factor in choosing which move to make.  This app game will definitely be a single-player game where the player is not required to use any strategic behaviour since the game only involves a “dodging” movement 

Luck and strategy:  A game's tools and rules will result in its requiring skill, strategy, luck, or a combination thereof, and are classified accordingly. There are different types:  - Games of skill - physical and mental  - Games of strategy  - Games of chance 

This app game involves skill of practice, dexterity (skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands.) As the player repeatedly plays the game, their skill of practice will increase, with each try, they will get better. 

Use as an educational tool:  By learning through play, people can expand their social and psychological skills, develop emotionally, and achieve the self-confidence required to join in new experiences and environments. The app game is being created not only as an entertainment tool but an educational tool - where play is used to communicate the effects of ocean pollution on marine life. When people engage in this game, it can challenge their thinking and it’ll provide insight on this issue. 

The Development Process 

“Game design is part of a game's development from concept to its final form. Typically, the development process is an iterative process, with repeated phases of testing and revision. During revision, additional design or re-design may be needed.” 

For this app game, I am going to be the game developer, designer, and artist. This means that I am responsible for: 

Inventing the game’s concept, its central mechanisms, and its rules.

The title and theme 

Fleshing out the details of the game's design

Overseeing its testing

Revising the game in response to player feedback.

Creating the artwork 

Producing a prototype of the game

For this project, I know I will be able to carry out all of these task apart from overseeing its testing because I won’t be making a fully functioning game. The end result will simply be images of the artwork/prototype.  

Concept:  “ A game concept is an idea for a game, briefly describing its core play mechanisms, who the players represent, and how they win or lose.” 

Idea: To create an app game the provides insight, raises awareness on the issue of ocean pollution and its effects on marine life. Core play mechanisms:  Aim: To swim as much as possible with your sea creature while avoiding the pollutants in the ocean to earn as much score as possible.  Rules:   Player must slide their finger from left to right/touch/tap the screen to make the character (turtle/fish/sea creature) swim. - Avoid the rubbish/debris, oil spills and toxic materials/chemicals to survive/stay out of harms way. - Collect energy power boost to increase your top speed and become invincible. - Play to unlock new sea creatures.    Components: Mobile Phone  Player represents: sea creature How they win or lose: Avoid the rubbish/debris, oil spills and toxic materials/chemicals to survive/stay out of harms way.

Design:  “The play sequence and possible player actions are defined, as well as how the game starts, ends, and what is its winning condition.”  (See in upcoming blogs) 

Prototype:  “A game prototype is a draft version of a game used for testing. Typically, creating a prototype marks the shift from game design to game development and testing.”  (See in upcoming blogs) 

Testing:  “Game testing is a major part of game development. During testing, players play the game and provide feedback on its gameplay, the usability of its components or screen elements, the clarity of its goals and rules, ease of learning, and enjoyment to the game developer. The developer then revises the design, its components, presentation, and rules before testing it again.”

“During testing, various balance issues may be identified, requiring changes to the game's design.”

As I’ve said many times, I will not be applying this step in my game design process. I’ll only reach to the prototype stage. However, I will be getting feedback from peers on the games idea, gameplay, layout, and other things mentioned above. By doing so I might require to make some changes to my design. 

References 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_design#Concept

https://www.internationalstudent.com/study-game-design/what-is-game-design/

[limejuicer1862]

Wombwell Rainbow Interview

I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me. I gave the writers two options: an emailed list of questions or a more fluid interview via messenger.

The usual ground is covered about motivation, daily routines and work ethic, but some surprises too. Some of these poets you may know, others may be new to you. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I do.

Isabel del Rio

is a bilingual writer and linguist.  She was born in Madrid but has spent most of her life in London.  She has published fiction and poetry in both English and Spanish. Her books include La duda, shortlisted for two literary awards, and the bilingual Zero Negative–Cero negativo.  Her latest collections of short stories are Paradise & Hell and Una muerte incidental.  Among her poetry books are The Moon at the End of my Street and Ataraxy.  Her novels include Dissent, part of the trilogy Planet in Peril and El tiempo que falta.  She has worked as a full-time journalist and broadcaster for the BBC World Service, and as a full-time linguist for a UN agency in London.  Her poems have appeared in printed and online magazines, and her short stories have been translated.  She regularly takes part in poetry/prose readings and is an established performance and visual poet.  She is the co-founder of a new independent publishing venture, Friends of Alice Publishing.  Her website is:  http://www.isabeldelrio.com (it includes a selection of stories and poems in English and Spanish under the dropdowns ‘Stories’ and ‘Poetry’)

The Interview

1. What inspired you to write poetry?

I started reading and writing at an early age.  I was especially encouraged when I realised what the purpose of writing was:  to be read.  My parents would read us all these wonderful tales when we were children −my father sometimes made stories up on the spot, something which I would later do with my own children.   I was also good at drawing, so I would write little stories and illustrate them.

My first serious poem was dedicated to my mother after her death.  I was barely an adolescent, and what I wrote was unbearably long and terribly sad.  Love lost, nostalgia, remembrance, darkness, tragedy were my subjects back then… and I suppose they still are now.

2. Who introduced you to poetry?

I was exposed to poetry in two languages, English and Spanish, and I could not help but continuously compare the two.  I was always trying to establish the difference between what was poetic in English and what was poetic in Spanish, and would think about the different  rhythms, the distinctive subjects in each language, and so on.  As children, our mother would make us recite poetry and plays (mostly from the Golden Age of Spanish literature, i.e. 17th century).  Also, my grandmother knew many popular poems and songs and she would recite or sing them to us.  And then there were nursery rhymes at school, as well as reciting and singing with friends.

But I also loved to listen to people’s stories, which I found to be even more impactful because they were for real.  Most don’t realise that they sometimes say rather poetic things, and I was always on the look-out for an exciting line or a good story.  I remember when I was a young child and we went to visit a beautiful lake.  It was a group of parents and children.  We were standing in front of the lake, contemplating its beauty, and it suddenly became very quiet.  There was absolutely no sound coming from anywhere, the water was perfectly still, and no birds or insects could be heard.  And one of parents said: “Can you hear the silence?”  In my child’s mind I found that question to be both perplexing and beautiful, and I was entranced.  That sense of wonderment is most probably the source of all poetry, and we must never lose that sense.

3. How aware were you of the dominating presence of older poets?

I do not consider older poets dominating literature so much as dominating language itself.  If you are to write, start at the beginning −find out how language was used by those who had no other medium but the written page to give expression to their thoughts and ideas.  In the case of contemporary poets, we have to be very familiar with the language of today:  social media, online publications, blogs and wikis, as well as all the visual incentives to express our views.  Technology has changed how we do it, yet we are not that different from poets and writers from long ago in what we do.  The sentiments are the same as those from centuries back.  Indeed, we have more words, more concepts, more innovations.  But back then, the richness of language, the complexity of expressions, the long and detailed descriptions were all unique, and young writers should resort to the classics to find out how it was done.  Recently I re-read two “classics” to refresh my memory (reading the classics truly puts you in your place!):  Poe’s The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, with descriptions that stir universes as nothing today can;  and Frankenstein, in which despite its narrative flaws (let’s not forget that Mary Shelley was but 20 when she wrote it, though possibly aided by Shelley himself) the intricacies of the language are matchless.

4. What is your daily writing routine?

As a full-time writer, I normally work 3-4 hours in the morning and 4-5 hours in the afternoon.  I have been known to write late into the night, but I avoid that sort of thing because I need regularity for my sleep.  I wake up very early, at around 5 a.m., and read online papers (I am a news junkie!) and begin to get my ideas in order, or come up a few ideas for further development.  If I am in the middle of a story (which is usually the case), I think of speech or descriptions that I will type into Notes on my iPhone, or simply write on a post-it.

When I was working full-time as a linguist (for decades and until only a few years ago), I only had evenings and weekends and holidays to write, and yet I managed to do it regularly and produce a considerable amount of work.  Throughout the day I would send emails to my private email address if I had any ideas worth saving.  Even with a full-time job I was able to write.  You must want to write above all else!

But writing is not only about putting pen to paper.  Writers are involved in so many activities nowadays: readings, performances, presentations, launches, keeping up with their social media presence, and so on.  As a writer in two languages, I am also involved in Spanish-speaking literary groups, so I am extremely busy.  I translate literature as well, mostly poetry.  And I also run a small publishing company.  And let’s not forget that certain hours of the day have to be dedicated to living!

5. What motivates you to write?

I am motivated by a love of words, and the feats you can achieve solely with words.  But I am also pushed by the need to say what has to be said, especially at such volatile and uncertain times.  In a way, my life has been dedicated to words, and  I consider myself a language practitioner as I have worked in most language-related fields: broadcasting and journalism; writing, scriptwriting and screenwriting; literary and technical translation; lexicography and terminology; tutoring in writing and translation.

I certainly consider words to be sacred and they must not be taken lightly.  I use them sparingly and carefully, both in my writing and in everyday life.  There is also an element of plasticity in words: not only must words say exactly what you mean, but they must look good on the page.  Words are ultimately an art form.

6. What is your work ethic?

Persistence, dedication, commitment, sacrifice, keeping at it and never looking back despite setbacks, defying adversity, dealing with rejection (it took me a year to recover from my first rejection!), coping with the lack of interest by others.

As a writer you are always an outsider, and even fellow poets and writers do not always provide the support you need.  As to non-writers, many are not remotely interested in what poets have to go through nor in the sensitivity poets require in order to feel what is happening around them and not only see it.

7. How do the writers you read when you were young influence you today?

As both a poet and a fiction writer, my first serious fiction readings were of Guy de Maupassant’s stories, and in poetry I very much admired (and still do) Antonio Machado.  The list of writers that influenced me when young would be too long to mention.   When I write, I always have in my heart the first writers I ever read, and I must not forget that they were also my first teachers.

Also, I think one ultimately never changes.  Or let’s rephrase that, your sensitivity, largely responsible for your poetry, never changes.  As an example, I still consider my best poems to be those I wrote when very young.

8. Who of today’s writers do you admire the most and why?

Again, it would be an endless list, and it would depend on the subject, genre, historical period and so on.  Let me just mention one poet: Don Paterson.   I find his aphorisms, for example, quite magnificent, the formal effortlessness concealing reflective complexity.   And one fiction writer:  Jorge Luis Borges, the master of short stories, as well as an exceptional poet.  In both cases, the philosophical content of the writing is as fundamental as the stories or the poems themselves.

9. Why do you write, as opposed to doing anything else?

It has chosen me, I suppose.  Would I have chosen writing?  I probably would, but that’s because I can somehow and stubbornly deal with the struggles that come with the job −at least most of the time!

10. What would you say to someone who asked you “How do you become a writer?”

You need a good toolkit.  Words are your bricks, grammar is your mortar, you require a decent floor plan to know where you are going, and any embellishments will come from reading anything you can get your hands on.  And of course, you need an idea to write about.  And where do ideas come from?  Well, that remains a mystery, for they can crop up any time from places unknown.

And remember that  there is no such thing as inspiration, only hard work (and the sweat and tears that come with it!).

Writing is a simple enough recipe:  sit and write; then get up and walk around; then sit again and read what you have written;  do this twice, three times, or as many times as necessary until you get the required taste, look and feel;  stir and serve especially cold.

11. Tell me about the writing projects you have on at the moment.

I am working on an autobiographical book of poems.  A bilingual memoir.  A spy novella.  And as always, lots and lots of short stories.

Wombwell Rainbow Interviews: Isabel del Rio Wombwell Rainbow Interview I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me.