Wow! It’s been six whole months since I last updated this blog. I don’t know how many times I’ve opened up a new post page and then closed it again. Too many times.

The thing is, I was treating this blog like something for other people, and not for me. I lost the enjoyment in writing it. So, I took a break. And okay, it was a much longer break than I had planned, but well… you know… 2020.

Last year (Wow, it feels good to say that!) was a pretty horrific year for most people. It was a year…

Five Tips For Aspiring Writers

Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

I’m a member of a Facebook group for creative writers, and almost every day this week, I have seen people posting the same question. I commented a couple of times, but to be quite frank, I got fed up of repeating myself.

So, I thought I’d write a blog post, answering this question with the five tips I would give to a new writer.

1. Write, write, and write some more.

This is the single most important thing. It doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad. You must write…

It sounds strange to write that, but it’s true. When lockdown was first announced, I felt scared, out of control and trapped. It was a sort of claustrophobia, that I haven’t felt for a long time. It’s not that I dislike being at home… I really don’t. I love my home, and I am more than happy with my own company, but in these uncertain times, when I am stuck with my own, often dysfunctional thoughts, for long periods of time, I find myself becoming very low.

Then, a friend posted something about playing the new Animal Crossing game, and…

In Wales, we have been in lockdown since the 23rd of March. That’s 70 days of the Stay Home, Protect The NHS, Save Lives message. Ten weeks of not being allowed to go out and socialise with friends; of not seeing family, and of the entire country more or less stopping.

It seems strange to even think that this has all happened. To go from a world with so many freedoms, to one where we could be fined, just for being found outside our front door, if we are unable to explain why we are out.

Two days ago, we…

Since the death of Caroline Flack, the hashtag ‘BeKind’ has been trending almost daily.

People have suddenly become completely preoccupied with talking about being kind to others. That’s the issue though- that’s all they’re doing- talking about it.

The problem with this, and in fact, any viral hashtag or slogan, is that it isn’t enough to just talk about it. I have seen so many people use this hashtag, and a large number of them have done several very unkind things to others- but it’s okay, because they’ve used the hashtag, and people have seen it — because that’s all that matters, right?!

I know I sound bitter and very judgemental, but it’s the…