The advice often given to writers who are just starting out is “Write about what you know”. This may sound dull if you aspire to write an adventure story set somewhere exotic, or to explore strange new worlds on distant planets. But if you look around you, you’ll be able to see your own neighbourhood in a new light.
Why not write about the place where you live from sunrise to sunset, observing and capturing every small detail? That’s what we did when we were creating a video to promote our magazine St Ives Local.
The day we chose to do this was the longest day – 21 June. And our luck was in – it turned out to be a beautiful, warm, sunny day – exactly as we picture mid-June. We began by watching the sunrise overlooking St Ives Bay, when the fishing boats were silhouettes against the gradually lightening sky, and there were very few other people around.
We strolled through the quiet streets, and watched people gradually venturing out for a coffee and enjoying sitting outside in what was rapidly becoming a beautiful summer day.
On the harbourfront the deckchairs were out and people were starting to sunbathe. The streets were filling up with holidaymakers, stopping for lunch in tables outside cafes and pubs and visiting shops and the town’s various attractions – the Tate Gallery, the public gardens and of course the beaches, which were becoming busy by mid-afternoon.
By early evening, more and more people were venturing to the top of the Island, to enjoy the magnificent views across the beaches of St Ives, and it was there that, like us, they watched the setting of the sun over the sea.
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