Well hello, hello, hello! It’s been over six months since my last blog post… Whoops! I could write a million and one excuses about why I haven’t written in forever, especially as I was posting fairly regularly for the first half of last year, but really, it can be summed up in about five:
I co-wrote a 90,000 word novel
I started my third year of university
I got a job that requires me to get up on the wrong side of 5am
Countless other writing projects
We’re living in a global pandemic… Still.
Okay, okay, so that came across as a bit whiny but most(!) of it has actually been pretty cool. Instead of reflecting on what I failed to do (run this blog) I want to talk about what I’ve been up to in the last 6-7 months.
On Writing a Novel
So, yeah, I co-wrote a novel. It’s called Seven Wonders, and you can find out about it here. Between July and August we wrote about 60,000 of said 90,000 words, so a lot of time was spent with my co-writer Mae and I socially distanced in my bedroom listening to the same playlist on repeat for long 4-5 hour stints. When THAT was finished, we only had 2 ½ months to edit the whole dang thing, get feedback, market, publish, etc etc… I want to make a full blog post about my experiences writing a novel, so look out for that in the near future! But yes, I’m unafraid to say that Seven Wonders consumed my life for about 5 months.
On Starting My Third Year at University
I was really lucky last term to have a mix of online and in-person classes, which meant seeing my course mates and studying in the writing room, something I sorely missed at the beginning of the pandemic when I was halfway through my assignments! I took an amazing workshop in children’s and young adults writing, which allowed me to start developing the concept and first chapter of my next novel.
However, I had three super hefty and important assignments which kept me up at all hours. Like many people, I struggled with the move to online learning and found myself frustrated at times, but it paid off, as I got all 1sts last term! I’m now working on my dissertation and final few assignments… It’s only a few months until I graduate now and that spicy bit of panic is kicking in, but, I’m excited for what the rest of this term has in store.
On Getting a Job
Not much to say here - for privacy, I will only mention I am working at a corner shop in the bakery. It’s busy work, having to get up at 4:30am every time I have a shift, but it’s paying for my future so what can you do! In all seriousness, I am so proud to have my job as I was so anxious about the job interview and was so surprised to have gotten the position! It might not be a forever career, but it’s a huge step in my mental health journey, and so I’m happy!
On Countless Other Writing Projects
There are too many projects on the go to go into any real detail here but I’ve had the pleasure of working with a few new magazines this past year including Voices, The Falmouth Anchor and FalWriting. I’ve been contributing my own articles and editing others, building up my portfolio all the while - which you can check out on my brand new portfolio page! Another, bigger project I’m working on this term is the Prussia Cove Book Project, as an editor. PCBP aims to be a collection of 3rd year Creative Writing, English and Journalism work which will be published this spring. I am so excited to be working on a publication where I get to see more of the inner-workings and have such a prominent role, and I can’t wait to see how it works out! On Living in a Global Pandemic
This past year has been testing for everyone (both emotionally and literally). I have experienced much fluctuation in my mental health, picking up poor habits to compensate for a lack of energy, and have generally struggled to complete day to day tasks on top of my other academic and employment responsibilities. It feels important to mention this because, whilst yes, I have made successes these past few months, I’ve also felt so low mood that I have had days at a time where I barely moved from my bed. I’m lucky to be someone who can work away their worries, though it always comes back to me when I’ve finished writing for the day. I would hate someone to see this post and think I have adapted easily - I have not. I haven’t adapted at all!
That’s it, there’s my defence. I’m going to try and write for this blog more frequently, more than anything, as a record of accountability to ensure I am always making an active effort to explore more facets of my identity as a reader, writer, and academic. 2021 will be a year of huge importance, and with it, change, at least for me. I want to keep the best record of it possible. And so, I will write to you again soon!