I recently had a clear-out of a cupboard which wasn't really mine, but was full of my stuff. Dear parents, thanks for letting me store stuff!

While having a good root in boxes and through files, I found a dirty, old, thin newspaper. It was more of a gem than it sounds - my first article in print! My university (Keele) published a weekly newspaper, "Concourse", and I managed to get a book review printed in an issue during my final year. The piece is nowhere near perfect, but it made me quite nostalgic. I left university in 2006, so it's been eight years since I last saw this. 

After this first publication, feeling the early buzz of getting my name in print, I wrote another three or four articles. From memory, one was on the history of popcorn (following a film festival on campus), and another was extolling the virtues of studying abroad - check out "Why you should study in Canada", an updated version of this article which I posted on my travel blog recently. I forget what the other article was, but I was, and remain, excited to see my name in print. 

Finding old pieces you were proud of or enjoyed writing is a great excuse for keeping all you create. Has anyone else ever found some age-old writing they've written and been transported back years or decades? 

Lou x

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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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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. 

--------

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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Image courtesy of WikiHow

Today, there are commemorations happening in France and the south-east coast of the UK to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day Landings in World War Two. For anyone who's not aware, D-Day was the start of "Operation Overlord", the 1944 Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied western Europe, involving a landing of 156,000 troops. This operation began on the beaches of Normandy on the western French coast. It was the amphibious manoeuvre which marked the start of the end of the war. As many as 4,000 Allied troops and 9,000 German died in one day.

Here in the UK, it is easy to let commemorations of both world wars wash over you a little - there are so many things going on throughout the year to remember the events of this key part of British (and indeed, world) history. Poppies in November, various key events which are remembered, and there will be more to come due to other conflicts. I feel incredible guilty typing that, but I think it's true in a way. However, today, 6th June 2014, is special. Today is the final official marking by veterans of the landings. As you can imagine, most of the veterans are in their 90's now and their numbers are declining. The veterans association is dis-banding. 

In the next few years, the memories of D-Day will become history as the last of the survivors pass away. 

It is important, in my opinion, that the ones left behind who were too young or not yet born to remember it to sustain an inherited memory of events like these. My grandparents were not involved in D-Day, but they were a soldier, a Wren and an evacuee in World War Two, and I have been lucky enough to hear stories from all three of them. Two of my grandparents have passed away. I miss them every day, even after a few years have passed by. I believe, in a similar vein to remembering D-Day veterans and events, remembering my dear grandparents every day is a way to retain the memories of their persons and a way to honour them and what they brought to our family, their communities, and indeed their country. The memories of my grandparents who've died are gone. The stories they told me have become memories for me; memories I cannot pass on to my future children, but I can certainly pass on what I have learned about my beloved grandparents to help them create their own family history.

History is being made every day, most hours. We cannot commemorate EVERYTHING, but we can record it and we should remember important memories like these. We can, of course, mark past events to remember those who gave their lives. However, we also need to remember to feel proud for the bravery, skill, and dedication those involved - and isn't just respect for the soldiers we should show. What about the planners, the people in logistics, the people who dealt with the ones who came home injured/dead, the women behind the scenes? 

Memories are both easy and difficult to hang on to, but they should be a lesson for the future. What use is history if it doesn't teach us something? Any military personnel reading this will probably think of the lessons learned from the conflict and be able to reflect on so much that has changed, but the rest of us can join this reflection too. 

Why were we at war? What were we fighting for? Why was it so important? What humanity was shown in these dark days? How would the UK, Europe, the world be different had World War Two had a different ending?

Watching the coverage on the BBC today, there seems to be a sense of humility among the veterans, not seeing themselves as heroes. Indeed, it's turned into a family event, where stories are shared and new memories are made. 

We need to ensure the lessons learned and the reason the UK declared war on the Nazis is not forgotten as those who were involved are buried. World War Two should not leave our school text books for a long time yet. However, I have a strong opinion that more history than just World War Two should be taught in secondary schools. Years 9-11 in my school (1990s) was solid war learning, and it could have been much better structured... but that's a whole other rant/blog.
 
On this emotional and sombre day, I have a message for the veterans still with us, and a thought for the ones who've died since and on the day. Simply, thank you for our freedom. 

Special mention to 89 year old Jock Hutton who repeated his parachute jump from 70 years ago this morning. Incredible. Well done him!

Lou x

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Images courtesy of Cross Fit James Island and the BBC website

This Friday on Miss Write's blog I'm sharing a poem I knocked up at Towcester Writers this week. 

I set the group the task of pulling five random and mystery words from a bowl and writing a poem or piece of prose using all five of them. My five words were:

PIZZA                           YARIS
WEDNESDAY              PURPLE CUSHION
JANICE

Here's what materialised!

Janice the Pizza Lover

Janice was a pizza lover,
Hawaiian was her choice
She never munched while on the move,
Imagining her Yaris as a Rolls Royce.

Janice was looking for a job;
Where else could she work?!
Pizza Express made her a waitress
With responsibilities she couldn't shirk.

Janice started work on a Wednesday,
The quietest day of the week. 
She dropped no plates and spilled now wine, 
And put up with the chef's cheek.

Janice made some friends that night
In her new team of young staff.
A pizza, she was given to take home
To say "welcome and thanks for the graft."

Janice was feeling pleased with herself,
And was looking forward to another slice.
Juggling her car keys and the pizza box
She caught a delectable whiff. 

Janice's car became a kareoke booth -
She sang the whole way home
Oh disaster! She swerved to avoid a cat,
And the pizza took on a life of its own. 

Janice looked at the seat to her left.
A large red stain beamed up at her.
Her precious car no longer a sparkling Rolls -
The old banger now reeked of pizza.

Janice arrived home in quite a different mood;
Her mum knew something was up.
Story told, mum chucked her a pillow.
"Here - this purple cushion will cover it up!"

Janice still dives her little old Yaris,
And she still eats pizza, none to share.
The cushion is a bolster to bottoms -
Passengers of the Yaris, beware!

Lou x

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Image from Just Eat

This fell onto the page this week, so I thought I'd share. I do not hate Twitter and I do not love it - it's a just a great tool I use to promote my blog, to network, inspire and be inspired. 

LOVE - HATE

Sometimes it's a very fine line between the two!



Tweeting is a thing I do not need
To Tweet all day and tweet all night
Is obsession beyond reprieve

Yet tweet I do and tweets I write
Carefully constructed on a creative bent
But you can be sure it never keeps me up at night

Lou x

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Image courtesy of Leading Women

It's Halloween - some folks are scared by thunderstorms, so this is a poem I've written about a huge thunderstorm. It hit my previous home town of Towcester ("Toe-ster") with a strong fist and I felt inspired. Yep, I'm a proud hippy. #NatureInspires 

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Humbled and Rumbled

First a rumble
A flash, a pause
I’ve seen heavier rain
But these drops sound weighted 

It’s a wonder
How rain eases
In anticipation
Of foreboding anger

Stuck in a bowl
Towcester’s storms hang
Over grey cloudy skies
Loudly voicing their thoughts

Rain falls harder
Hail storms partner
Celestial thunder
Follows a splitting sky

Photographic
Blinding lightening
Catch it in the corner
Of your eye – instant light

Flashes light rooms
Excitement builds
Electricity’s loose
On a regional scale

Lou x

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Image courtesy of Wunderground

I’m grabbing 45 spare minutes to work on my novel. I’m just over 22,800 words through the first draft of my second novel, and it’s been slow-going over the last few weeks. Life’s been busy and I’ve been grabbing a quiet morning with both hands and working on my WIP.

What’s my tactic for maximising the impact my precious free 45 minutes can have?

1.     I put my mobile phone out of reach. Even if it doesn’t ring, I will undoubtedly pick it up and fiddle with it. It’s a distraction I don’t need.

2.     If I have something is going to cut short my writing time (e.g. work, Spanish class, meeting a friend), I set a timer. This ensures I don’t get carried away and write for hours, and I don’t sit clock watching. Every glance at my watch is a few seconds of distraction. I use the timer on my phone, so point one about putting said phone out of reach needs a caveat: my phone needs to be within listening distance.

3.     I close down my internet browser – after announcing to the world on Twitter that I #amwriting, of course!

4.     There’s always a cup of tea sitting beside me. Keeping hydrated is key to producing any content - good, bad or ugly. Nothing at all will appear on my blank pages if I’ve not had enough to drink that day.

5.     Having a spare half hour or so doesn’t always mean I’m using it to crack on with writing. Case in point: I very rarely write before I go to bed. If I’ve had a busy day, I won’t spend the last hour I’m awake slogging at my first draft. It’s just not productive. I remember saying in my student days that “my brain shuts down in time for Eastenders.” I don’t watch that show anymore (two years clean!), but my brain is still in the habit of closing down around the 7pm mark.

I’ve just lost 15 minutes of ‘novel time’ writing this blog post, so I’ll leave it there.

How do you make the most of those treasured few minutes of writing you can grab here there and everywhere throughout the week?

Lou x

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It’s Friday again! This week’s Miss Write post is a little one,  a little poignant, and a little sad one.

Tonight sees the start of the countdown to me removing my book from Amazon.

You heard me right. This is my final blog post as a writer with a novel to sell on Amazon. This coming Wednesday 31st July, I am going to be taking GIRL MEETS BOYS, my debut novel, down from the online supermarket giant. It's been published since October 2010, but both the paperback and the ebook will be unavailable after this date.

If you want to grab a copy, now’s the time to do it! 

It’s a piece of history in a short volume… Err… Or just a damn funny account of my experiences of online dating. How can you resist the cute cover?!? (Still love that!)

Read exactly why I’m taking my book down from Amazon here, and let me know if you agree...

I’m working on my next big thing this weekend, so hopefully it won’t be long before I have something new to show off. Bear with, bear with!

Have a great weekend,

Lou x

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I’ve decided to take my debut novel down from Amazon. ‘Girl Meets Boys’, my internet age rom com was published in Autumn of 2010 and I had the aim of having just one stranger buy a copy. The books have sold better than I ever expected on both ebook and in paperback and I’ve made a surprising amount of cash, but it’s time for the party to end.

“But why?!” I hear you exclaim.

There are several reasons why I’m going to stop selling my novel online.

I stopped promoting ‘Girl Meets Boys’ about 18 months ago, with the thought that I can’t go on about it perpetually. People would get sick of hearing about it, I was sure! The mini book tour of local libraries and book shops stopped. I didn’t do the weekly mention of it on my Facebook and Twitter pages. I removed copies on display in local shops.

The main reason I’m taking the book down is that I am no longer proud of the publication. Don’t get me wrong, I was overjoyed when I held my first printed copy of the first book I’d ever written. I was excited with every sales figure update and grateful for every cheque which followed. But I know I can do better now. I don’t want this book to be a reflection of my writing abilities, as I feel I have progressed a long way since the date ‘Girl Meets Boys’ was published.

Sure, if I kept it available online I would sell some more copies, but I think I’d prefer to treat it as an achievement and work even harder on my current novel – my Next Big Thing, working title ‘Scrabble Pieces’.

My blogs, both here and at Born To Be A Tourist, are booming with visitor numbers, with new people discovering content and commenting every month. My monthly MK Pulse column is still being accepted with open arms, for which I am very grateful, and I am still writing the odd short story. I think I have enough on my plate writing-wise, even without ‘Scrabble Pieces’ text slowly crawling onto the page. I’ll soon have something back on Amazon to show you, guys! I’ll be removing the book from Amazon in July, so if you do still want to order a copy, go for it (and thanks!) - you have a month or so to grab one.

‘Girl Meets Boys’ will always have a little place in my heart, being my first novel, but it’s time has come and gone. Goodbye, and thanks for all the fish. 

Keep writing, and thanks for your on-going support for this blog. 

Lou x

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