Week Three: Not my best work, but still...

With uni over for good, I found myself walking to the train station instead of the bus stop.

One ticket to Gatwick.

I pulled along the heavy suitcase which I’d brought with me in advance. As I sat myself in an empty seat on the train I called up a travel agent to arrange my last minute room. I go to the loo so I can give my credit card details without anyone listening.

He says the next flight is in three hours and there’s room. I tell him I’ll get my ticket at the airport.

It’s busy, but everyone’s leaving on beach holidays. I get my ticket and hand over my suitcase.

I buy a new water bottle after security, and then I wait. My flight is called, and I board. First class.

I put my headphones in so I don’t have to talk to anybody. My phone is already off to ignore my family inquiring about me; trying to talk me out of my decision.

Nine hours later the plane lands.

After retrieving my suitcase I flag down a taxi. Then off to the hotel. The driver asks too many questions, and I don’t reply. Headphones again.

I arrive, I check in – more questions – I unpack, and then I turn in. I want an early night.

I wake up early the next morning and catch the metro. When I get off, I take in a deep breath with a smile on my face.

Walt Disney World. At last. 

Week Two: Life and Writing

Since I like to write about fantasy and science-fiction, I at first thought that it shouldn't matter where I come from. If the places I write about are far off or non-existent apart from in my head, should it matter? Well, even if I’m not writing about the place directly, it impacts my writing in that the place somehow works its way in.

I used to live in a small town called Emsworth, down on the coast of Hampshire, and now I live in New Alresford, which is further north. Both are small towns, rather quiet and out of the way, and in my writing I tend to set my stories in places like this. Because these are places I know, and I can connect with them.

In the same way, what I read also has similar effects. I mostly read adventure stories, be they fantasy or science-fiction, or just an adventure which fits into neither category. And most of these stories include animals either as secondary characters or as the main protagonists. Reading such works impacts my writing because I find myself writing about similar subjects; adventures which take the reader into new worlds, be they in a fantasy land or a futuristic world.

What happens in an author’s life impacts on what they write about; Emily Dickinson and John Cheever are examples of this. When an author writes something, part of their life is written into the work. It may be a small, insignificant detail, but that could make all the difference. 

Week One: Negotiating with the Dead

I first decided to have my try at writing one lonely day when I was searching the internet and came across the FanFiction site.

Before then, the creative part of me always jumped on any opportunity to express itself, be it through art or writing or building things. But it was when I started reading other stories and thought ‘I could do that’ did I realize that writing was the way to go.

It wasn't long before I realized that I couldn't just write any old crap. A flame made me realize that I needed to work on my writing, like keeping the character’s personalities consistent, creating a believable plot and so on. Even though I loved the stories I was writing – they were mine and mine alone – I realized that I wanted other people to like them, too. So I analysed other people’s work, looked up writing websites and books, and began to get the picture. 

As I wrote, I found myself writing about specific things; interesting as it is, I found myself drawing away from looking at episteme, as that requires research and a lot of knowledge about the time period in question. And I’m a lazy person. But I like to challenge different ideologies of today, like trend setting and morally questionable things, and I also like to look at the collective unconscious; in other words, our natural reactions to things.

For me, writing is my collective unconscious, because if I hadn't discovered it, I don’t know where I’d be in life.