You know that feeling when a song transports you to another world? That incredible moment when the music you’re listening to just pulls you right away from where you are – it uproots you. That’s the effect that these 25 songs below all have upon me.  They’re not distracting or overwhelming. They’re just right, little tidbits of music that help me to power through those … Continue reading Day 22/30: Here’s 25 Songs You Need To Add To Your Writing Playlist Now

As I move into my second year of study at Warwick, I thought I’d take a look back and reminiscence over some of my favourite topics that I studied in creative writing last year. Perhaps some of these topics might interest you (as they did me), and you can research even further into them!  1) Sigmund Freud’s Theories of Interpreting Dreams One of the most … Continue reading Day 21/30: Five Of The Most Interesting Topics I’ve Studied in Creative Writing

If you haven’t heard of StoryGraph, it needs to be the next app you download. And no, this isn’t an advert – this app is genuinely one of the best, and most enlightening I’ve ever used. Essentially, StoryGraph is a way of tracking your reading progress, in a similar way to GoodReads. You can input your books into the system, and update it every time … Continue reading Day 20/30: Why You Need To Download StoryGraph

Writer’s block is one of the most frustrating byproducts of being a writer. I’ve compiled a flow chart below, with some tips that I use to try to overcome the bane of my writing existence! Continue reading Day 19/30: How To Combat Writer’s Block

I eat lychees because they remind me of my office friend. A few years ago, he told me about the fruit on one particularly boring afternoon at work. We had worked together for several years and somehow made vaguely interesting conversations from the mundanity of the office – the lychee conversation being one of them. I scoffed at him when he told about them, disbelieving … Continue reading Day 18/30: Fiction – Lychees

In a recent trip to a second-hand bookstore, I stumbled across Jenny Offill’s novel Dept. Of Speculation, deciding to check it out because of its intriguing cover. The phrase ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ definitely isn’t true for picking out books – certain book covers draw me right into without even knowing what it’s about – and this was one of them. I … Continue reading Day 17/30: Book Review – Dept. Of Speculation by Jenny Offill

It was a cold Tuesday morning when it occurred to me that jam on toast was your favourite breakfast. I remember this because you shouted down the phone when you’d burned your toast and realised there was no jam in the cupboard. I wrapped my hand around the coil of the phone and smiled to myself. You had your funny little habits. It was a … Continue reading Day 16/30 – Fiction: ‘Talk To Me’

Space tourism is on the rise. It sounds like something out of a film – but the opportunity to fly into space and stay in a hotel is now a near reality. The up-and-coming space tourism industry is accelerating, and it seems to be gearing up for some incredible future endeavours.  Recent advancements have been seen in the last month, with Richard Branson and Jeff … Continue reading Day 15/30 – The Future of Space Travel: Space Hotels, Affordability & Commercial Flights

When I decided that I wanted to study English and Creative Writing degree in Year 12, I was familiar with two things – number one, how difficult it would be to forge a career in the creative industry, and number two, therefore, how hard I would have to work to achieve my aspirations. One thing I wasn’t so familiar with was the judgement and scrutiny … Continue reading Day 14/30: Why Being Persistent and Consistent Is The Best Way To Break Into The Creative Industry (And Science Backs This Too)

Yesterday I wanted to grow up.  I threw out my toys, my teddies,  Bin bags full of old clothes by the door.  Today I fished my toys from the bin,  Cradled my teddy bears tightly,  And hung my clothes back in the wardrobe…  Condemned to never changing.  Continue reading Day 13/30 – Sevenling: ‘Circles’

There’s a beauty to nature. My recent holiday to the Lake District reminded me of the fact. Away from the bustle of suburban life back in Birmingham, I was severed from reliable WiFi connections which I often feel I’m tethered to too much for an entire week. Seven days to be immersed into the Keswick countryside, seven days to reflect as I always like to … Continue reading Day 12/30: Non-fiction – The Insignificance of Man

Safety in numbers, but the room’s empty. Continue reading Day 11/30: Microfiction – Alone

A thought-provoking insight into a dystopian world, Blue Ticket became the first fiction book in a long time which I read cover to cover, although at times I wondered if this was because I was in search of more. I was hooked immediately by the chilling world in which the book is set. Motherhood is determined by the pulling of a lottery ticket from a … Continue reading Day 10/30 – Book Review: “Blue Ticket” by Sophie Mackintosh

The unofficial dictionary definition  States sonder as a realisation  That each random passerby has a life as meaningful  And deep as yours  All of the people in the shopping queue  Or the people I gather with on a bus  All the nameless faces I see a crowd  All the cars of passengers that shoot past  Isn’t it so wonderful and terrifying  An image reversal  My … Continue reading Day 9/30 – Poem: The Wonder of Sonder

The huge gap between the summer break and the new academic year means that restarting your studies can initially feel overwhelming. But what if I told you that you can avoid this feeling, and gradually ease yourself back into academic life? I’ve compiled a list of six tips below which are perfect to kick-start before university, meaning that you can hit the ground running come … Continue reading Day 8/30: 6 Easy Ways To Academically Kick-Start Before University

One of biggest differences I have found between studying A-Levels and a degree is the reading. “How can a book be different at university?” I hear you ask. Well, it’s not the book itself, per sé, but the sheer volume of reading. Some novels are completed in three weeks at university, whereas at college I would spend a term or two on a similar-sized text. … Continue reading Here’s 5 Ways To Read More Efficiently At University

Dear Future Me, I always write to you. But you never seem to write back. I think about you a lot, if I’m honest. I dream of what you might be, and I simultaneously fear you. Say if you don’t achieve what I want you to achieve. Say if you achieve more. Say if you’re achieving things that I haven’t even imagined yet.  There’s a … Continue reading Day 6/30: Non-Fiction – ‘Dear Future Me, Keep In Touch’

Despite my long-standing interest in English Literature, it has been shamefully long since I’ve read a book outside of the curriculum. I’ve studied the likes of Homer, Chaucer and Virgil at university, and enjoyed them, but I’ve never truly got back into reading for pleasure as I did when I was younger. As a child, I would whizz through books at speed. I couldn’t get … Continue reading Day 5/30: Article – How to Fall in Love With Reading Again: Rekindling My Childhood Hobby

Isn’t the weather lovely, I think to myself  As we experience our third heatwave of summer  I smile as I wear shorts into town  Because God, the UK is never like this  And the sun beats down on my back  And my legs and my arms  And I am glad  It’s day three of the heatwave  And I’m enjoying it  I don’t have to wear … Continue reading Day 4/30 – Poem: ‘The Weight of the Summer Sun’

They say that we’re all villains in someone else’s story. When I first heard this quote, I began to trawl through my memory, back to some particular moments in my life which sprung to mind, where my role in them was certainly not saintly: To the girl whose sandcastle I stomped over when I was 11, I’m sorry. I’m sure the only image you have … Continue reading Day 3/30 – Narrative Essay: ‘The Villain: Me, Myself & I’

Every morning I’ll double check that the top button of my collar is fastened. The last time I forgot to do that was the first day of secondary school. My father never made me forget that day. He was strict about a lot of things. Tidiness – no toys were ever to be seen in the living room.  Bedtimes – in bed on the dot … Continue reading Day 2/30 – Flash Fiction: ‘The Button’

I blow my birthday candles out Another year gone by But age is not just a number And I often wonder why Age is a funny little thing It tells me where to be It puts my body on a timeline For everyone to see It tells me to be settled down Before I’m thirty-five It tells me to compare myself To everybody else that’s … Continue reading Day 1/30 – Poem: ‘Age Is Just A Number’

I’ve been reading more recently. A lot more. And no matter how long it’s been since I last picked up a book, I always feel that same feeling after I’ve read. That same desire to emulate the feeling in my brain: that hot desire to keep turning a page and find out what happens to that character or to that essay point or to the … Continue reading Why I’m Doing A 30 Day Writing Challenge