Friday 23 January 2015

Featuring on Sunny Sweet Pea

This month I've been trying to get my blog out there a little by promoting in the sidebar of one of my favourite bloggers Sunny Sweet Pea. As part of the package she posts a lovely postcard paragraph on your blog and I am truly delighted to have been privileged with such a lovely little space on Jenny's blog and what a lovely message from her too. Seeing this has just spurred me on further to try and make a success of my blog and keep updating it when and where I can.

lostgirl
The Lost Girl’s Playbook

Now it’s time to introduce you to the lovely Jenna Rose. A fellow book worm and creative spirit, her blog is all shiny and new and it’s great to be able to welcome her to the blogging world. I am rather envious that she is doing a creative writing degree. If only I could turn back time and realise, before I got to uni, that I really don’t enjoy glaciers and rocks very much.
 
Post of the month: A history of writing – her writing story is both inspiring and impressive considering Jenna is just starting her degree. I may have to probe her for some publishing tips.
Bloglovin’ | Twitter
 
If you're reading, thanks Jenny!

 Love & Peace - til' next time!

Monday 19 January 2015

New Term - New Plans

Hello all! I do apologise for the slight lack in posts this month, only starting back at uni has meant lots of assignments, deadlines and general busyness. However I'm going to take a little time aside to let you in on what I've been up to on my downtime.
 
Having stumbled across an Instagram post claiming that it was the last weekend to enjoy the cosy vicinity of the temporary, Apres Ski Lodge, I decided that it was a must-visit and coaxed the byf into joining me for a little tipple before dinner. It was pretty busy but we managed to catch a table beside the log-fire and contentedly sipped on our Prosecco whilst we chatted and giggled about surprise vacations, impromptu wedding talk (although we are certainly not planning on hearing bells of the sort anytime soon) and general daily nonsense, small-talk etc. Although small, the atmosphere was lovely and welcoming, banter was being had and drinks were enjoyed under roof of the wooden alpine themed chalet.
 
 
Slightly loved-up and a little high on the fizz, together we decided to treat ourselves and go all out and so went to dine in the gorgeous retro interior of The Cosy Club. With it being a weekend it was understandably busy and some waited for table whilst I was handed a little more Prosecco. The byf was being unusually frivolous and I had to question if the pair of us had gone crazy. However I wasn't going to deny it was quite wonderful even if the beverages were going ever so-slightly to my head. Dinner was wonderful, the food was completely scrumptious and the conversation was rife. All in all it was a delightful evening of spontaneity and I was ever so thankful for it!
 
Mid-week came about and the moral was running low and so after the byf had finished his exams we took swiftly into town and took shine to visiting the quaint Georgian Tearooms. Having graced through the square many times on a frequent basis, we've many times talked about going but never quite got round to actually stepping through the door. Luckily being mid-week and two weeks into term, the place was practically deserted and so we were seated to the lullaby of Celine Dion's infamous track from 'Titanic', ordered afternoon tea and took a step back into another temporary world where work should not stress one out. It proved a rather lovely afternoon treat.
 
 
Then the fortnight was topped off with a weekend road-trip into Wales, lunching out, browsing round markets, visiting friends, several trips to MacDonalds, country walks and beach-side strolls eating fish n' chips - it was a much needed break away from looming deadlines and academic stress, the weather held-out and whilst it was frosty it was sunny and I'm so grateful for so many little things.
 
 
 
Hope January is going well for you all,
 
Love & Peace - til' next time!
 
 
 

Thursday 8 January 2015

A History of Writing

Ever since I was a spritely young thing I have been intrigued by storytelling, imagery and the written word. So with this in mind and my continuing obsession with purchasing an unnecessary amount of pretty notebooks and pens any time I'm let loose near a stationary shop, I think it's fair to say it should have been predicted that writing would shape my life as I ventured through my teenage years - as it did, being-schooled as I sat my GCSE's I would spend a good majority of any spare time writing in notebooks or typing for hours on our old-school computer. In-time it paid off, I managed to successfully find some of my works published in a few mainstream and lesser known publications. Keen on television also, I wrote my own stories with my  favourite fictional characters and on a punt sent off some ideas to a series in Australia, and as it turned out I got a rather, albeit brief, but positive response. This only spurred my desires further and I made a decision to study TV & Film Production at college as an alternative to sitting my A-levels.

yes
 
The next four years proved a transformation period as my skills as a writer were tested in various forms, I gained great moments of inspiration and lacked to write anything of worth at all on other occasions, I wrote two short drama scripts and even wrote a few drafts of my very first novel courtesy of NaNoWriMo. I gained a few more published credits, received a few rejection letters, completed my course with flying colours and gained a couple weeks of work experience with a company or two. I'd been accepted to study Creative Writing with Publishing in my university of choice and quite frankly things couldn't have proved much more positive on a career front.



Since starting my degree my writing progress has been undeniably varied with various high and low points, my genres of and styles have varied as they should do, but ultimately I've been a little disappointed that I haven't created or achieved more in this time. Although that said I did manage to finally get a rather big dream off the ground - I managed to create my very own magazine from scratch and am now close to publishing my second issue with contributors as far as America taking part, it's truly wonderful and a lot of people have been very kind and positive which is always so encouraging, although needless to say it is very hard work on top of a joint honours degree!



Little Ivy Magazine

Aside from the magazine however since starting university I haven't exactly had much published, until a very lovely email arrived in my inbox yesterday. At first I looked at it with intrepidation, thinking I don't really want to read another potential rejection, however I turned out to very pleasantly surprised. Turns out a poem I wrote during my degree has been selected to feature in Whim Magazine's February issue, which as a fan I am absolutely delighted about :)

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Love & Peace - til' next time!