Two things: currently 20,000 words into my, hopefully, "new and improved" manuscript and my new year's resolution was to read two books a month, at uni we read a book a week so it seems slow in comparison (I'm on my 19th book by June so am chuffed). During the MA, we were taught to... Continue Reading →
When I studied for a Masters in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University, everyone said, 'Just write' when I splashed around wondering how to start. Just write? I know that's important, but I needed tips and found people lacking any useful ones. Obviously, each personality will respond to different strategies, but I thought I'd share... Continue Reading →
26th May 2018 One of my best friends Whatsapped asking for advice on getting started on an idea he had for a story. My answer: I will tell you everything I wish I knew at the start (for me this was only a couple of years ago and I'm still very much a novice who... Continue Reading →
May 10th 2018 On Monday I stopped in Glastonbury. Couldn't not, I love Glastonbury. Possibly my favourite place. If there was a beach and mountains, it would be. It was a sticky, hot, wet-at-the-top-of-the-thighs kind of day. Perfect for a beer at The King Arthur, I thought. But it was shut so I mooched to... Continue Reading →
May 3rd - to my first meeting with Hellie Ogden at Janklow & Nesbit. BEFORE 10:50am. On the bumpy train on the way to London. Good temperature this morning. Usually find trains too hot or cold. Before it arrived, the tracks buzzed from the train's vibrations, first time I'd ever noticed that. Next to a... Continue Reading →
Cam and I broke up. It was amicable and necessary, but still, there is sadness for the devastated hopes we had orginally. We just weren't being productive together. At least it's warm at Nan's, my fingers are no longer numb and I'm writing and playing violin again. Been avoiding my manuscript as I didn't want... Continue Reading →
Last year, writing was a tornado and I was gripped, swirled around in the frenzy of the story I wanted to tell. This year, writing is like a glass bottle lazily floating in the Channel, drifting towards shore; I see it, waddle towards it, freak out at the touch of seaweed on my feet and... Continue Reading →
6th April 2018 A crazy thing happened on Tuesday. I won the Janklow and Nesbit prize so I now have an agent from the agency I wanted to represent me above all others. Who gets this kind of luck? When I found out I dropped to the ground, melodramatic twat, thinking of Amy Winehouse... Continue Reading →
30th March 2018 The online anthology for the Creative Writing MA has been released. Surprisingly, I felt elated when I spotted the announcing tweet and realised it was two years ago I stared at the screen of my previous (temperamental) laptop clicking through profiles of previous students who had completed the MA and finished manuscripts,... Continue Reading →
