It's always windy in Dudley and the bus takes forever.It goes everywhere. "It'll dry yer washing" whenever we complain.My Nan always said the same. "Why do we have to come here Mom?" Not Mum."It's good for ya, and I've got to go to Wilkos, stop moaning, come on."She walks a bit faster, just wants the …
Even if you 'follow the plan' you still might not be a fanof what exactly you end up with -because who decided long agowhich direction you should gowho actually came up with it? Parents, peers or politicians?Who gave you your choices?Rules, regulations, rightswho controls your voices? Who to trust, who to tellwho really knows you …
It's been a while since I've had the time and energy to write here, but writing alas is in my nature so now I feel ready to catch you all up on what's been happening since March 2020. These are some of my experiences. Like the rest of the world facing unprecedented times, I have …
Continue reading Life and writing through a pandemic – COVID-19.
We don’t talk about it The lies, the half-smiles and the pain Hidden behind her face Because she doesn’t want pity. Party pooper can’t take The noise tonight, Noise of the big wide city. Go home. Cry. We don’t talk about it. The water in her eyes. We don’t talk about it. She’s fine, but …
One of my biggest fears about writing is that one day somebody is going to call me out - a fake, a phoney, or as a clueless wannabe. She has no idea what she's doing! I always thought that this was just nerves or another wonderful side effect of having anxiety, that is until I …
So, it's been a while since I wrote a new blog on here, apologies, I've been tinkering away in the background of my life. This one's not really for advice or a showcase for my own writing, it's more a journal entry of where I'm at right now as I begin to take on a …
I was lucky enough to perform this poem at my local poetry open mic night at The Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton, the theme was 'Social Media'. There were many great poems and stories told and the night was wonderfully open and friendly to all. I had never read my own poetry aloud to an audience before …
When was the last time you went to your library? I say your library as there are many different kinds: Academic, Public, Private and Workplace. You will have access to a library somewhere - when was the last time you went? I talk a lot on this blog about writing and reading and how important …
Reading is always a good idea - to quote Stephen King from his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft - "If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around these two things that I'm aware of, …
Continue reading Why you should be reading as well as writing
I've just graduated with a First class degree in Creative & Professional Writing from the University of Wolverhampton, and I could not be happier about it. Sometimes though, when I talk about my degree I get this... "A Humanities degree?" "What job are you going to get with that?" "Ah, you're doing English, so you're …
Continue reading So you’ve got a writing degree – what next?
