2013 - 2014

I enjoy Monday's. I like the possibilities, that even though the last week may have been awful or at least not what you expected Monday will always come around again and breathe fresh air into the week. So, you can imagine my excitement at the new year! Initially I was upset, a vast majority of my time working (read: Facebooking) I read continual status' about the negativity towards resolution's, the anger infused by people expressing their opinions about 2013 and their aspirations for 2014 and I think to myself, why? I read more  status' slamming these status' then the status' under fire. So, to combat all of these status' I have a blog post of resolution, promise and aspirations to spark your 2014.

(On a side note: I think it's very important for writers to have resolutions. Writing, I think, is all about personal exploration, of trying out scenario's and living them in the eyes of the characters for both the writer and the reader. A new year then is another chance to start again and be the person you want to be. My hope is that when I look back I will have been many people, but most of all myself.)

- I plan to write more coherently, rather than working on scraps. Something to hold and have formed by 2015.

- I want to submit more (See my other blog post about my first submission and rejection) I spend a lot of time hunting out magazine's to submit to that sit in my bookmarks until I have 'the perfect piece' but it never really exists, I should just go for it.

- Working less is not on the cards, I'm a bit of a workaholic, but the time I have off I plan to spend more wisely. Incorporated into this is going to see more plays and see my friend more which I have, unfortunately, neglected for work.

Those really are my resolutions, in there somewhere is the usual loose weight, eat better, go to the gym, buy more nice things, read more, but those carry year to year.

I'd also like to send 2013 off in the best way by acknowledging the things that have been great:

- I graduated with a 2:1 in English Literature and Creative Writing
- I made it 'official' with my very supportive boyfriend Luke Davies (Wales Strongest Man under 90kg)
- I have 2 new jobs at a comedy club and a football ground
- I have started my Masters in Creative Writing, and have made good progress I hope.
- I moved house and made Preston my official home.
-There are great people in my life and more to discover.

Have a great 2014 guys, there will be lots more here to see.

Natasha
x

Bookshelf Organisation.

Yesterday myself and my partner took on the dreaded task of merging our bookshelves! It took an entire day but this is the result. I can't decide if we're a bit awesome or a bit sad that is was such an adventure! (Pssst. It means we're awesome!). This is my entire book collection and about half of Luke's, so we'll definitely have to buy another book case. I googled different ways to organise them so I thought I'd make a post about how we did it. We organised them in medium first so fiction, poetry, plays, art books, text books and other, and then we split them into genre from literary fiction to sci-fi, classics. We were going to alphabetise them but we have quite a lot of odd shaped books and Luke is a big collector of hardbacks so that's why it looks a bit haphazard. I quite like it that way. The next plan in the library is to get another bookcase and maybe a display case or some book stands to display the special copies and make it more or a feature wall. That is the only wall that is free in the room I also have my piano and violin in there plus the desk and computer etc. I'm quite impressed with our little collection.

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks - Review

This is Iain Banks first novel from 1984, and it is the first Iain Banks novel I have ever read. This has been sitting, lonely, on my shelf for about a year and I had every intention of reading it a hundred times. If I'm being honest, the size of the novel makes it convenient to read, sitting comfortably in the hand at 184 pages. Don't be fooled by this! This is 184 pages of beautifully uncomfortable reading. I am equally impressed and disturbed by this novel, slightly worried I haven't let this novel settle into my mind and that I am writing this review too soon, having finished the novel 10 minutes ago. That is the intelligence of this novel, it forces you to sit down, back straight and pay attention to it. If you laze around reading a page or two at a time you're likely to miss the fine details, and then loose the plot. At one point, and you'll know where I mean, I had to hand this book to my partner as I couldn't continue reading, I couldn't even bare to have it in my bag, but that lasted about 5 seconds before I just had to know what was going to happen.  This novel doesn't give the game away at any point, even the ending is a slow burner, but the more I think about it the more I want to chew over the finer images of fire and running, drunken haze's and kite flying.

                            

The novel follows an *cough* eccentric period in the eccentric life of Frank as he methodically grooms and cultivates the island that is his home. In the process we discover some of Frank's achievements and are given an in-depth view of Frank's mind. It's a journey,  pack a cheese sandwich and an apple in that backpack and be prepared to ramble the dunes. The blurb gives away that Frank has killed three people, children, two cousins and his brother, two boys and one girl, and these murders dropped from a great height *still a bit raw!* fall into the lap of reader and force you to accept them and move on, or you'll miss them. Murder mingles with animal abuse and the border line of sanity and insanity are amongst the side lines. The relationship of a secluded family with a history of macabre, and how these twisted jigsaw pieces fit together is the true plot of this novel. 

The imagery contained in Banks novel is beautiful, set on the north-east coast of Scotland and allows for a connection between plot and  nature that accentuates and isolates all characters in the novel. The glory of nature is juxtaposition against the mechanical thinking and construction that Frank takes out on the island itself. Turning beautiful rolling sand dunes into dams, or erecting poles high in the sky that will break up the horizon line and a step further adorning them with the dried heads of gulls and mice, or the occasional cat. There is a real fight in this novel between nature and human intervention, which leads subtly to the end of the novel.

On Being Taught Creative Writing...

After reading THIS  great article by Fay Weldon I feel provoked to say a few words about Creative Writing, particularly studying it at undergrad level.

       I have to admit, to myself mostly, that I was sceptical about the whole thing. My first choice had been music, and that hadn't worked out, essentially I was having a life crisis at 17. That was until my photography tutor told me that I should study writing. She said I was good with words and I liked to string things together, essentially what I'd tried to do with my images and failed, scrapping through by giving ridiculous and long explanations and writing essay's (in both photography and music) to explain what I was trying to express without words. Looking back I can't understand why words weren't good enough, now they are. I spoke with my literature tutor who was happy I was going to pursue reading but she was sure I'd get bored with it, so a joint degree was a brilliant option. That's how I ended up writing. 

    Of course there's the old 'I've always written', 'it's part of who I am' and they are true, I have a million stories, poems and snippets written all over the attic boxes but it wasn't until writing was given that priority that I thought seriously enough about it. Words are what we do, they are all around us. Conversation separated us from the animals, or something like that. If you can be taught to speak, you can be taught to write, and I think everyone should. Then maybe we will avoid those essay facebook status', for instance,twitter is great, it forces you to put an entire rant into 150 characters! (unless you cheat like me and put See last post at the end of everything)

      In music and photography they teach you how to put your own expression into the act,to take the technique that you've been taught and the passion that inspired you and combine them to produce your masterpiece of the moment. So why shouldn't they do this for writing. We express ourselves daily through facebook, twitter, email, text and on the phone with words, it makes sense for us to be able to tailor those words effectively. 

One day, when it's all over, I'll write something insightful about writing at university level, for now, onwards with the Masters in Creative Writing. 

Missingwer x