It used to be that I would listen to the radio while driving around, but since being introduced to podcasts a number of years ago, my commutes have been completed listening to some funny and interesting conversations and some incredible stories. My podcast list is stupidly long (and consequently my backlog to listen to is unrealistic), so rather than regale you with every single podcast I subscribe to, I thought I’d highlight those I enjoy for the readers and writers among you.
You may recall that last year I decided to set myself some writing goals, which unfortunately, for the most part, I failed at miserably. Rather than letting that defeat me, however, I thought I would set myself some goals again this year, with a view to helping me focus. I no longer have study taking up my writing time, but I do have Netflix distractions, so I need to find some balance and set out to achieve. I keep talking about wanting to write, but rarely do I set aside time to do so, so I really need to stop procrastinating and start doing! You might therefore notice that a lot of these have carried over from last year.
I can’t believe we are already at the start of September, and that it’s been quite a few months since my last update! I can honestly say that a lot has happened so far this year and my writing journey has had a few hurdles along the way. Not all of these hurdles have been unpleasant, that’s for sure. The wedding in March was obviously a highlight, and in July/August we enjoyed two weeks in New York City for our honeymoon, which was just a dream come true!
Something I have recently had to reassess was my reasons for continuing an Honours in creative writing when my brain was screaming at me in displeasure about having to do it. Although I still love reading historical fiction and had the bare bones of what I thought would make an interesting story, being faced with all the research around the history versus fiction debate, postmodernism and new historicism (and other –isms) was overwhelming and a constant weight on my shoulders.
Back in January I set myself some writing goals for this year – goals that I thought were realistic and achievable. With May already upon us I thought it was a good opportunity to check in and see how things are going (hint: badly) and to reset some of the goals if needed (hint: this is needed). So without further ado, it is time to rip this bandage off and rub salt into the wound of my neglected writing goals (and my lack of sleep means poor clichés)!
I have recently joined a new book club through my workplace and I am very excited about it. What I’m most excited about is that I’m not running this one, after I ran one a few years ago and just grew frustrated with it. This time, all I have to do is read the assigned book, show up to the meeting, and contribute to the discussion. Simple! Well, you’d think it would be that simple, but books clubs in general can be a source of frustration if people only approach it half-arsed. So here are my personal top steps that all book club members should take to ensure a lively book discussion.