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“…nightmare upon nightmare …”

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This morning, while driving along an average road on an ordinary day, I heard the testimony of three women caught up in the tragedy exploding between Gaza and Israel. The emotion in their voices was as raw as an open wound.

The first to be interviewed was a female journalist. When asked how she felt about her role in such a situation, she described a deep sense of responsibility. She said her role was to bear witness, to report what she found. It was she who described the situation as “… nightmare upon nightmare …”.

The second interview was with a grandmother whose community and family had been attacked. She said the knowledge of how close she had come to losing her own grandchildren had switched her peaceful DNA to one that fully supported Israel’s army. Voice shaking with grief she then spoke of her anguish at not knowing the whereabouts of her friends.

The third interview was from a video recording with a mother in Gaza where bombs were falling. The interview had been adapted for radio. She tried to describe the view from her apartment, the devastation, and went to open a window on to her neighbourhood to do so, but could not see anything and started to cough. “I cannot breathe …” she said.

I drove on – the agony in the voices stretching ahead of me down the ordinary road.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023

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Crossed spoons on a gravestone

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We came across this small gravestone on a walk not far from Inverness. It stands close to the cemetery gate and all that we could read on it were these spoons. The cemetery itself is not large, and is now surrounded by farm buildings.

As far as I can tell from a quick look through the internet crossed spoons aren’t one of the more usual symbols on gravestones. I don’t think Inverness was known for its cutlery, so perhaps these spoons have some other meaning.

My research hasn’t given me a definite answer, but it has provided a little information I never knew before I began this search.

  1. The difference between a graveyard and a cemetery is that a cemetery is not attached to a church.
  2. In the Highlands spoons were often made from horn, and the way in which they were made was a closely guarded secret protected by the Travellers who’d perfected the art.

It’s the second point that makes me think that perhaps this stone might mark the grave of a Traveller, whose name was perhaps not known by the community who buried him or her.

I would love to know more, if anyone out there has the time to pass any information on. The two links that follow connect to the Highland Folk Museum site and two of their blogposts relating to horn and spoons.

This link gives information about the importance of horn in the Highlands.

This second link shows the process of making spoons from horn.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023

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When it comes to plotting a story

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I do not find plotting easy. When I write I begin with the idea of a story I wish to tell, and then I wait for a character’s voice to become strong enough to lead me through it. Together we go on to discover what happens next.

However, there are many, many writers with a different approach – the plotting approach. Often they will lay out the bones of the story in advance, so they have a clear idea of how it will progress, and only then do they begin to paint in the emotional heart of the tale.

For me, one of the easiest places to spot plot is in picture books. In many the arc of the story has been perfected, allowing it to emerge from the illustrated pages as polished and smooth as a marble. The finished books, often little more than 400 words, feel so complete that it is hard to even imagine the layers of development that have had to be worked through to reach the final story.

The best of the picture books combine the genius of the words, with illustrations that deepen the magic. The combination means everyone is in for a treat … and occasionally a surprise too.

Take The Tadpole’s Promise. This was first published in 2003. I picked up a copy, as innocent as a child, and read it through with a ten year-old. We were swept along with the sunshine on the river beneath the willow tree, and did not expect the ending. It hit us like a splash out of nowhere, completely unexpected thanks to perfect plotting and a hidden twist. It also left us with plenty to digest at the end. My only advice with this picture book is to reach the end yourself, before beginning to read with a very young child.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023