The Long Red Path
04Nov2012 10:21 AM the ravens story
Photo: Trey Ratcliffe, Stuckincustoms.com “the gentle red path”.
Photos are a great source of inspiration when I write.
This makes me think of an inviting, yet slightly scary path through the forest. Inviting you to walk from one world into the next, with this the long path between, the path clearly allowing you to be the one to make a choice between going forward or back. A choice between the known and unknown, enticing with wonders, if you can make it to the other side.
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The Raven's Story
03Nov2012 10:52 PM the ravens story backstory
Gift of Sight
by Robert Graves
I had long known the diverse tastes of the wood,
Each leaf, each bark, rank earth from every hollow;
Knew the smells of bird’s breath and of bat’s wing’
Yet sight I lacked: until you stole upon me,
Touching my eyelids with light finger-tips.
The trees blazed out, their colours whirled together,
Not ever before had I been aware of sky.
When I read this poem by Robert Graves, I had a vision flash in my head that was so full of imagery it gave me a headache. Sounds a bit silly but there it was. That one quick flash stayed with me for weeks and I started wondering about the poem’s characters. I was utterly fascinated with the idea of “knowing the diverse tastes of the wood”. It sounds so private and carnal. The fire in his eyes (I do think its a him), and the new way the world looked and smelled after this encounter. It intrigued and grabbed my attention.
Whenever I had a few moments, I started writing short sketches of the characters as I imagined them. Then I wrote a few short scenes to explore their world. It kept growing from there and its now about 10 rough chapters.
In the first scene I wrote, my main character, Neith, buys a cottage from her ex-boyfriend, Emrys. He stops by her newly acquired cottage and drops off a heavy envelope, telling her its part of the legacy of the house, the envelope and its contents now her responsibility. When she opens it, she finds a number of items, including an ancient pennanular pin. The piece was made of copper, the broken circle was a roughly formed Celtic braid. The pin had been wrought with more care and was clearly a raven. One wing flew high and hooked around the braid, securing the pin. The raven in flight filled the circle, his sharp beak ready to bite into a heavy woollen cloak.
This pin visual also stuck in my head and it slowly turned into “Raventwist” and I began my journey of rebranding “Rocky Mountain Dyeworks”.
I will be posting The Raven’s Story here, a new section every couple of weeks. Read along, send comments if you have any, and let me know what you think.
by Robert Graves
I had long known the diverse tastes of the wood,
Each leaf, each bark, rank earth from every hollow;
Knew the smells of bird’s breath and of bat’s wing’
Yet sight I lacked: until you stole upon me,
Touching my eyelids with light finger-tips.
The trees blazed out, their colours whirled together,
Not ever before had I been aware of sky.
When I read this poem by Robert Graves, I had a vision flash in my head that was so full of imagery it gave me a headache. Sounds a bit silly but there it was. That one quick flash stayed with me for weeks and I started wondering about the poem’s characters. I was utterly fascinated with the idea of “knowing the diverse tastes of the wood”. It sounds so private and carnal. The fire in his eyes (I do think its a him), and the new way the world looked and smelled after this encounter. It intrigued and grabbed my attention.
Whenever I had a few moments, I started writing short sketches of the characters as I imagined them. Then I wrote a few short scenes to explore their world. It kept growing from there and its now about 10 rough chapters.
In the first scene I wrote, my main character, Neith, buys a cottage from her ex-boyfriend, Emrys. He stops by her newly acquired cottage and drops off a heavy envelope, telling her its part of the legacy of the house, the envelope and its contents now her responsibility. When she opens it, she finds a number of items, including an ancient pennanular pin. The piece was made of copper, the broken circle was a roughly formed Celtic braid. The pin had been wrought with more care and was clearly a raven. One wing flew high and hooked around the braid, securing the pin. The raven in flight filled the circle, his sharp beak ready to bite into a heavy woollen cloak.
This pin visual also stuck in my head and it slowly turned into “Raventwist” and I began my journey of rebranding “Rocky Mountain Dyeworks”.
I will be posting The Raven’s Story here, a new section every couple of weeks. Read along, send comments if you have any, and let me know what you think.