I’ve been feeling so inspired lately – lucky me!

But why?

I think it was due to a couple of big boosts I’ve had to my writing ego.

First of all, Travel Generation approached me last week, asking for me to write them a few articles for their travel blog. I was more than excited, having enjoyed some previous posts on this website, so accepted immediately. Three articles of mine are due during next month and September, so keep an eye on my Facebook for news of their publishing dates. Totally encouraged, I went on a creative binge, and not just in writing for Travel Generation. Blogs and articles were free-flowing!

Secondly, last week was Towcester Writers meeting for July. The pre-set theme was ‘Pre-Wedding Jitters’ (I wonder why…?) and I read out a short piece of 1200 words I’d worked quite hard on. I wasn’t totally sure it worked, but writing on that theme seemed to come a bit easy. The theme wasn’t true to life at all, and I did get asked how my relationship was with my mother (it's fine!), but the group loved my short story. I have never had such an enthusiastic reception from my fellow writers! Chuffed!

So how has this helped me?

Well, since that successful reception, I have entered my pre-wedding jitters story into a competition. It’s been so long since I’d entered a writing competition and it felt good to be back in the saddle. I can’t share the piece with you until the winners have been announced , but I’ll be sure to post the story on here in September when the deadline has passed.

Why am I blogging about this? I'm not bragging, honest: I think it’s good to formally and deliberately recognise these moments of inspiration. So many times in a writer’s life we struggle with ‘writers’ block’ (real or imagined) and sometimes it can feel like we’re writing the same old stuff on the same subject. But when those precious occasions come along when you feel truly excited and inspired to write, we should grab them with both hands and see where it takes us.

How have you felt inspired lately?

Lou x

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Born To be A Tourist

I'm not happy with the title of this piece, but I hope the story itself works out well. This was read at a recent Towcester Writers' meeting. We were given a prompt of THE DIARY. 

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WAKING UP

Tuesday 3rd June 2014

No alarm clock had been set for this morning, and it wasn’t an accident. There was a medley of clothing strewn over the floor. There were empty bottles in the bin. Some unrecognisable keys lay just inside the doorway. Someone needed to open a window. 

It was the morning after the night before. At least, Kate assumed it was still ‘morning’. The sun streaming in through the half-drawn curtains certainly suggested daylight hours were firmly in progress – and it was promising to be a hot day. She didn’t want to open her eyes; Kate recalled the disorientation of going to bed last night and could only imagine the mess which waited to greet her. “Morning!” … a sprightly greeting she imagined, coming from imaginary lips of the muddle. “Now, clean me up, you bad girl!”

Kate’s legs felt like they were glued to the bed sheet as she attempted to roll over, the light Egyptian cotton sheets almost too much of a physical burden. Blindly fumbling on the unfamiliar nightstand for some paracetamol, placed there yesterday in anticipation of the headache pounding in her temples, she nudged the man sleeping to her right.

It was his turn to wake up.

He looked so peaceful, dammit. As relaxed as a monk on dope. How did he do it? There was no sign of the same aches, exhaustion or plain suffering Kate was experiencing. She’d seen it before, and no doubt, she’d see it again. Many people had a higher tolerance to those kinds of shenanigans than Kate did. It was just so bloody infuriating. Well, irritating at the very least. She couldn’t summon the energy right now to feel an emotion more extreme than ‘irritated’.

Forcing her eyes to open more than a paper cut’s width, she wasn’t sure if it was condensation running down the window panes, or if her eyes were having that much of a problem focussing. It was so damn hot. She tried to remember whose idea this had been.

‘Never again…’ Kate thought.

Wednesday 4th June 2014

This morning, Kate was her own alarm clock. Body clock reset from the events of the last 48 hours, she was ready to go. The more familiar room was tidy and aerated this time, the window blowing in a slight breeze. This morning the sunshine beckoned instead of threatened.

“Up! Up! Let’s go!” Kate cheerfully said, poking the same man in the ribs. “Come on, we haven’t recovered from yesterday to waste today in bed!”

Shortly, you would find man and wife a drink’s spill away from their ocean view balcony. Cocktail in hand, toes in sand. The holiday Down Under was just beginning. 

Lou x

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Born To be A Tourist

Image courtesy of WikiHow

One of the items on my 30 Before 30 list is to 'make my own pasta'. I borrowed a friend's pasta maker and it took me more than 18 months to get round to actually doing it, but did it, I did! Here's the story of how I made my own fresh pasta and ticked off another #30before30 challenge. 

First I had to make the mixture. I carefully bought all my ingredients, but the only 'fine' flour I could find in a selection of about 14 varieties was bread flour - and it had grains in it. This meant I had to sieve out the lumps, but I figured it made the flour even more fine. Perfect!

I followed the recipe, but it came out way too wet. I was making the green pasta recipe, where you need to add a whole packet of fresh spinach, so that's probably why - a bit too much water was added to the mixture post-boiling. I added more flour and egg in sensible quantities (guided by the original recipe) and I think I saved it. 

Leaving it to rest for a while, I put the pasta maker together. This contraption was a little confusing, but I eventually got there! 

The first step is to take a large handful of the dough and press it through the rollers on the widest setting. The instructions in the pasta making manual says then to slowly work down through the thickness settings (8-1), but I found it work just as well jumping in settings of two (e.g. 8, 6, 4, and finally 2). 

There is definitely an art to this, something willing videographer/housemate seemed to catch onto pretty fast! The drier the mixture, the better the result. 

Once it's as thin as you can manage without destroying it - it'll be as long as your arm! - then the real fun starts. This is when you get to make shapes out of your precious mixture. I went for noodles and spaghetti - the simpler shapes for a beginner!


The noodles had a bit of trouble coming out of the shaper in the machine's teeth,  but something which resembled noodle pasta finally came through. Hooray!

This was the finished result. It was a little moist - probably due to the spinach/water content. Maybe I should have started with a plain pasta mix, but where's the fun in that?! I left it out to dry for 3 days... Unfortunately, due to the egg content, the pasta went mouldy before it dried. Oops. Good job I wasn't hungry! 

Well, that was fun, and it's one more thing crossed off my 30 Before 30 list! Would I do it again? not likely! Pasta is so cheap and easy to find in the shops. And you don't have to do a deep clean on your kitchen after it's made. Thanks to Lauren for lending me the machine - glad I tried it out!

See you next week - I promise to post some more of my writing. I do have something in mind... You deserve it, putting up with my pasta, Hen Do news, wedding planning, and 'rough day' posts of late!

Lou x

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Born To be A Tourist

This is for anyone who had any doubts why I was skiving from my Friday blog post last week... Best Hen Do EVER!!! (And it was mine, whoop!)

Business as usual now I'm home and still alive!

Lou x

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Born To be A Tourist

Tomorrow, Friday 3rd July, is the start of my Hen Weekend so... I won't be posting!
I'm having a week off... Bit scared, very excited, but hopefully I'll still be here to post for next Friday. 

Until then, it's a good time to head on over to my travel blog, Born To Be A Tourist. I know you've missed some good posts on there! Two weeks ago I told you about the time I made cheese in Costa Rica, and this week it was all about Dallas Fort Worth Airport. 

Lou x

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...And on Twitter
Born To be A Tourist