Film & TV

Pan’s Labyrinth and the Power of Imagination

14/10/201909/10/2019 Jessica Davidson6 Comments

A perfect example of the Pluto archetype can be found in Guillermo del Toro’s gothic horror masterpiece Pan’s Labyrinth. It’s a melancholic, imaginative tale with an ambiguous ending – like all good fairytales before they were sanitised for children. The film references loads of other fantasy films and fairytales, including Little Red Riding Hood, Alice… Continue reading Pan’s Labyrinth and the Power of Imagination

21st Century Crisis

Active Hope and Imagining a New Future

26/02/201805/03/2018 Jessica Davidson2 Comments

In the last post we looked at time and our need to slow down and be more present. This is especially important if we want to create a more positive future for ourselves. When you step into the eternal Now, you tap into a larger perspective of reality that helps you to get more done.… Continue reading Active Hope and Imagining a New Future

The Shining Ones

Plagiarising Dracula in my sleep

16/10/201726/06/2020 Jessica Davidson2 Comments

This week we’re counting down to the publication of The Shining Ones – exciting and nerve wracking all at the same time! And we start, appropriately enough, with its origins. Sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint where an idea for a story comes from. But others arrive with an obvious genealogy, even if the story eventually… Continue reading Plagiarising Dracula in my sleep

The Shining Ones · Writing

Write What You Know: Things I’ve Written that I Don’t Know

18/09/201707/02/2018 Jessica Davidson19 Comments

I’m up to my red eyeballs with editing and proofing The Shining Ones – putting commas in and taking them out again – so here’s a short post about things I’ve never done. (And my eyes really are red! The heating is back on and they’re not happy about it, and staring at a computer… Continue reading Write What You Know: Things I’ve Written that I Don’t Know

Publishing · The Shining Ones

Why I Gave Up the Dream of Getting Published

11/09/201713/03/2020 Jessica Davidson28 Comments

They always say you should never give up on your dreams, but what if your dream isn’t worth fighting for? What if it turns out to be a nightmare? I’ve been writing and sending my work out for years, trying to get the publishing industry interested in what I’m doing. But the publishing industry has… Continue reading Why I Gave Up the Dream of Getting Published

The Shining Ones · Writing

Fantasy Fiction: a genre distinction too far

07/03/201609/06/2019 Jessica Davidson5 Comments

I wrote a Fantasy novel by accident. That’s not an easy accident to have; not like tripping over your own feet or walking into a glass door. It’s not that I was trying to write something else and it turned into Fantasy. I wasn’t aiming for any genre in particular – I just wrote the… Continue reading Fantasy Fiction: a genre distinction too far

Writing

His Dark Materials: interview with Philip Pullman

14/12/201526/06/2020 Jessica Davidson

In this fascinating interview, Philip Pullman talks about His Dark Materials and some of the ideas in the books, including: loss of innocence, religion, William Blake, the oral tradition and why fairy tales differ from novels, plus a little dig at CS Lewis and Tolkien. Recorded at the Durham Book Festival in October this year.… Continue reading His Dark Materials: interview with Philip Pullman

Creativity · Meditation

Colouring Books: Art Therapy or Mindless Money-spinner?

10/08/201509/06/2019 Jessica Davidson9 Comments

There’s a new mindfulness craze sweeping the nation: colouring books for adults. It’s supposed to help you relax and be more mindful, but does it work? The idea is that keeping your hands occupied allows the mind to become still. If you struggle with normal meditation, where you have to sit and do nothing but… Continue reading Colouring Books: Art Therapy or Mindless Money-spinner?

Writing

Writer’s Manifesto: N is for Nourish Your Dreams

21/04/201526/06/2020 Jessica DavidsonImage1 Comment

Dreams take you on an inner adventure. So do novels. Dream big, and remember… Truth is meaningless without dreams. >Writer’s Manifesto (pdf)

Writing

Writer’s Manifesto: I is for Imagination

04/04/201526/06/2020 Jessica DavidsonImage3 Comments

Feed your imagination whatever it desires. Run to greet it with open arms and play in its waves until you’re soaked through. >Writer’s Manifesto (pdf)

Dark Night of the Soul · Psychology

Red Book Dialogues: Dark Night and Soul Retrieval

16/03/201526/06/2020 Jessica DavidsonVideo2 Comments

This brilliant dialogue between Jack Kornfield and Katherine Sanford explores some of the practical applications of Jung’s ideas, such as active imagination and sand play, and they talk about how we can come to terms with our suffering by going on an inner journey, or soul retrieval.

We’ve lost touch with our inner life and that’s why the world is so crazy and destructive. The world has become the dumping ground for what we refuse to face in ourselves – the ‘chaos of our own emptiness’, as Katherine Sandford describes it. We’re experiencing a global dark night of the soul caused by the collapse of the materialism that has driven society for too long. It’s an initiation that demands we live from the soul and become authentic. They also look at the rebirth that follows the dark night and provide a guided meditation to help you discover your hidden inner gifts.

Enjoy!

>More Red Book Dialogues

Creativity · Writing

A Writer’s Guide to the Creative Process

05/01/201526/06/2020 Jessica Davidson2 Comments

Writing a book is a transformative experience – terrifying and thrilling at the same time – like exploring a jungle or climbing a mountain. The process can take many twists and turns and you never know where you’ll end up. With that in mind, this series will explore the creative process and map out some… Continue reading A Writer’s Guide to the Creative Process