Monthly mindscape - kids
Another month has come and gone as always in the blink of an eye. I always start feeling reflective at this time of year, looking back at the year and thinking how much has changed, or indeed how much has not changed. This idea of looking back is, I believe, going to come through in this month’s flash fiction piece. For the image prompt, I picked something a little different,…
How to find motivation for life again
Ooft, this is a bit of a dramatic title isn’t it? But I think all of us can have those moments when motivation for anything is lacking. Maybe work isn’t firing you up like it usually does, or life admin is getting on top of you. I’ve been there (pretty recently actually) and know how it feels when you want nothing more than to stay in bed and hide under…
Monthly mindscape - storm
Well, October just flew by didn’t it? I probably feel that way because I had a lovely break at the start of this month, so I had to squish some work into the remaining weeks. It’s been a month of connection, that’s for sure. Lots of meetings, dinners and talking which has been pretty wonderful. Now though, it’s my favourite time of the month - the time I get to…
What I do on social media free Saturdays
Earlier this year I took a glorious five days away from social media - which may not sound like much, but for someone who spends almost every day without fail on social media (for work and pleasure), it felt revolutionary. I took a break from everything that week, including work, and it really helped to refuel me. It also sparked a change in my social media habits and I decided…
Monthly Mindscape - People Watching
We are officially heading into the last quarter of the year, I wonder how your year has been so far? Personally I’m very much ready for a rest and thankfully I’m actually in the midst of a break from work right now. Feel like I need a moment to pause, breathe and gear myself up for the last few months of the year. Now though, it’s time for another Monthly…
The moments that shape us
The idea for this blog post was inspired by Huma Qureshi and her beautiful post on memoirs. As I read it I was nodding along, thinking about the way I like to write and how amazing it is to capture memories in this way. I’ve always been a documenter of sorts. I started writing in a diary when I was 12, just before my eating disorder developed. Reading back on…
Monthly mindscape - Silent
How on earth are we coming to the end of summer? Time moves in incredible ways, doesn’t it. I hope you’ve all had a wonderful August, I’m really looking forward to writing this month’s short story. I’m listening to Trills, a band that I think is the *perfect* soundtrack for writing. The image I’ve chosen to inspire this month’s story comes from Cathy (@lostinafire). I’ve been following Cathy for some…
5 tips to fall in love with reading again
One of my goals for this year was to read more and it’s something I have really stuck to. I’ve gotten through 8 books so far, and while this may not sound like a lot to some people - keep in mind that my aim was to read 10 in 2019 (!!) so considering that was the level of the bar, I’m pretty damn pleased with my progress. I didn’t…
Monthly mindscape - clean
How is your summer going so far? Mine started off in a flurry of activity but is slowly calming down, which is nice. We’re at the end of July which means it’s time for another piece of flash fiction. Every month I find an image on Instagram that inspires me and flex my creative writing skills. This month, I found an image by Bronte that immediately got my mind whirring.…
How to cultivate curiosity
The official definition of curiosity is ‘a strong desire to know or learn something’. To me, it means understanding something, seeking out knowledge and revelling in the new experience that brings. I’ve been thinking recently how curiosity has shown up in my life. I didn’t love school or even really learning (in a formal setting at least), but I’ve always been curious about people and what makes them tick. I…