Why I Wrote A Region of Reverie
The Lake District is one of my favourite places. I first visited it in 2019. It wasn’t until my second visit the following year that I felt inspired to write about it. In December 2020, I self-published A Region of Reverie, which is a collection of poems and other pieces of writing about the Lake District.
A Region of Reverie
The 40 pieces of writing in A Region of Reverie are split into three sections:
A Place to Savour
About how beautiful and precious the Lake District is.
A Place of Change
About how the place inspires people to change for the better.
A Place Overrun
About how the place is visited by too many tourists.
Writing the Way I Did
A Region of Reverie’s subtitle is ‘Poems and other pieces of writing about the Lake District’. While there are lots of poems in the collection, the other pieces of writing could be described more as mini stories.
When writing A Region of Reverie, I started out by writing poems, but I had ideas for a few mini stories so I included them in the collection.
What I find interesting about poetry is how it’s about paying full attention to each and every word. With a story, it’s more about the bigger picture, i.e. the characters and the plot. With poetry, there’s far less text, so the emphasis is on the small number of words that make up the poem.
Having sentences run over multiple short lines helps certain words and phrases stand out more, I find. I think if I formatted the writing normally, i.e. letting the text fill each line, it wouldn’t have the same effect.
What’s the Cover Photo?
The cover photo is of Cockshott Point, a scenic viewpoint in Bowness-on-Windermere. I took the photo on one of my early trips to the Lakes. When deciding on the cover, there was no doubt in my mind that it would be best to use a photo I’d taken myself. Picking one was hard – there were so many beautiful snaps to choose from! In the end, I settled on this one because it looks great and it includes a lake, some greenery and some distant fells, all of which are key characteristics of the Lake District.
Why Call It A Region of Reverie?
I only came up with the title about halfway through the writing process. I was thinking about how when I’m in the Lakes, especially if I’m by myself walking, I’m away from everything else in the world. When I’m there, I can unplug and unwind, not having to think about anything. The word ‘reverie’ seemed perfect for describing the state of mind I’m in whenever I’m visiting the Lakes.
After deciding that ‘reverie’ was going to be part of the title, I decided on the ‘A Something of Reverie’ title. I just didn’t know what the Something was going to be. I settled on Region not just because of its alliteration with Reverie, but because it reflects how the Lake District is more than just a vague place; it’s a specific, defined area complete with its own boundary.
Will There Be Another Instalment?
Possibly. I’ve written six more poems and mini stories about the Lake District. I may write more if I feel inspired. If I do and if I write enough, I’ll eventually self-publish them as a second instalment of A Region of Reverie. I’m not sure when this would be done, mainly because I’m juggling several other projects at the minute. Maybe next year at some point? I don’t know.
Regardless of whether or not I release a second instalment, I do want to write something else set in the Lake District. Not poetry or mini stories, but instead a short story or even something longer. I have an idea and it’s for a horror story, parts of which take place high up in the fells. It’s a vague idea right now and it would take some time to develop, but I’m sure I’ll get the story fleshed out and written someday.
Read A Region of Reverie If You Haven’t Already
Download A Region of Reverie and read some pieces of writing about the Lake District. Maybe they’ll encourage you to book a visit…
Here are the links:
A Region of Reverie - Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, Kobo
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