Where Wings Will Carry You

Hello all and welcome, finally, to another blog post! My sincerest apologies for not uploading any updates for the past five months - eek! - but I promise it is for a good reason, both writerly and career-wise. Honestly I’ve been so busy these past few months that I’ve not had chance to physically sit down and update you all on what has been happening in the creative life over the past (nearly) half a year. But, as you will find out later on, I am finally able to craft the update you’ve all been waiting so long for. As I say, I promise this update will not disappoint as I have not just one, but two very exciting developments to share with you.

So, without any further delay, let’s begin…

The first thrilling topic I shall talk about is my progress in the career I am loving every single day - becoming a teacher. I mentioned previously in December how I had been granted the opportunity to deliver some English lessons in my school where I currently TA, as I said I am thinking of one day becoming an English teacher. A few months and many lessons, much marking and lots of helpful feedback later, and I am ecstatic to say that from September I shall be studying my PGCE at the University of Buckingham to enhance my skills whilst I am working as a full time Teacher of English at my school. I am absolutely over the moon with this! I am relishing the opportunity to lead lessons in a subject I adore and the chance to aid the next generation with their own educational journeys. After all, English is a core part of any career or life decision and I am so happy to be able to provide my classes with the lessons I’ve learnt within their own. I have very much enjoyed being a TA as it allowed me to not only grow in confidence, but to learn off other teachers and their own teaching styles, adapting what I’ve seen into my own way of teaching. It has definitely strengthened my skills and I am very grateful for all the tips I’ve been given along the way. However, I am ready to step away from this short but absolutely worthwhile leg of my teaching journey and into some bigger boots, if you will. I am forever grateful for all the amazing opportunities my school has granted me, and for this I cannot thank the staff - especially the Headmaster and Heads of Departments - enough for their faith in me. I will strive to become the best teacher I can be.

… I already can’t wait for the summer to dig through my bookcase and delve into which books and poetry I would like to teach! (Alongside the chance to relax, spend time with loved ones and see to some long-awaited errands of course!)

To anyone who wishes to go down a similar path, or is simply working on achieving their dream career goal, I say go for it! Work hard, strive harder and work on what you know you’ll be proud of later. It goes without saying though to make sure you take time for yourself too. This is a lesson I learnt recently, when I had placed too much pressure on myself to complete far too many tasks at one time and my mind couldn’t take it. So I shall pass on some words of advice I received from family members and colleagues. Take your time. Speak to others if you need help. You are not alone - you can do this! I wish you all the best of luck in your endeavours!

Now, for easily the rockiest of roads I’ve been on. My novella. *Deep sigh*. As long-term readers will have seen, my journey with this novella has been overrun with highs and lows, with moments of instant and sparking inspiration followed by fleeting pitfalls of doubt, creative blocks and uncertainty. Some months I lacked the drive entirely, others I would blitz through many a writing ink frantically scribbling a good chapter and a half in my assigned notebook. (Of course, each story I work on needs to have a fitting notebook cover to go with it. Otherwise, how else will I be further inspired by its aesthetic?) But through it all, the story has been there, growing, evolving into the piece I always aspired it to be. What started as an idea from an early morning practice of my sport to a kindling ember during my Masters degree, flourished into a novella I have grown to adore dearly, a brainchild I have cradled for well over two years now in the hopes of one day developing into a finished piece I can be proud of.

And as of yesterday, on the 31st of May at around 1pm, that dream, that aspiration, that goal which once seemed so very far away, unreachable yet within my grasp at the same time, happened…

I finished it.

I edited it.

I crafted my covering letter and synopsis.

I submitted it to the competition.

It’s fair to say I was a monsoon of swirling emotions once I finally clicked that ‘Upload’ button. Of nerves - a book publisher is actually going to be reading the words I’ve been crafting for so long. Of excitement - I finally have a text I feel confident enough of to submit it onwards. Most of all, I am so incredibly proud and happy of the dream I have finally achieved. Whatever happens past this moment, whether my novella moves on to the next stage in the competition or whether I return to the text to submit it another year or through another avenue, regardless of what happens - I did it! I can officially say it! I finished my novella. I submitted it to the competition I have spent over a decade watching, waiting, learning from. And I could not be happier. Of course, this fizzing, nauseating sickness will likely sit in the pit of my stomach over the next month whilst the publisher reads through the entrants, but at least I can finally say my work, my story is being read by professionals. Any first step is still a great one. I am so glad I pushed aside all my doubts and just went for it! I feel a great sense of relieving accomplishment just getting this far. Again, I must reiterate to all cling to your goals and your dreams, find that drive every single day to reach for what you want most. Do this, and you can’t go far wrong.

I shall keep you updated on this in future updates. Don’t forget to keep up to date on my writing progress and moments of inspiration on my Instagram!

I am keeping positive, though, of course! I can only hope they see my novella for what I aspire it to be and to become.

Looking back, I must reflect on how my piece came to be. As you will have seen on my social media, a couple of years ago I was gifted a gorgeous fountain pen adorned with a Chinese dragon and phoenix. The moment I saw it I vowed to try my absolute best to write a bestseller with this beautiful piece of equipment. As such the majority of my novella’s first draft was composed in an aptly themed notebook - which I won’t disclose the design of here since it will give away the novella’s plot. All the while I was writing the text, I knew I would one day in the future have to type up everything I had handwritten. Honestly, though, I don’t regret it one bit. For me, writing in notebooks is often much nicer than at a computer. It is portable, allowing you to take you pen and pad anywhere without the need for an electrical port or charger. There’s also something so soothing about the scrape of the ink against the paper that you just don’t get with typing. Writing in a notebook first also saved me editing time in the future too, since I could edit my work while I typed up the pages. At time I would find myself omitting pages of interactions I had already employed earlier in the text, or details I had described differently in previous sections of the narrative. All in all, it is a process I will absolutely be sticking with and one I would recommend other writers to follow too. After all, there really is no feeling quite like opening to a new blank page in a beautifully designed notebook you know fits the theme of your work perfectly. I already have the next notebooks in mind for the next writing venture … but I shall be allowing my mind a rest first.

There is one part of this writing endeavour that I would improve on, however. That is time. When a set deadline is months away, it is difficult at times to motivate yourself when there seems to be eons of time between you and the end goal. I know I experienced this a lot, only writing snippets of my text a week - which did help with the growing narrative, to be fair - and then leaving it for a good fortnight before returning again. It wasn’t until probably April time where my determination really settled in once more. But then again, I always did work better with a slight bit of pressure. Not enough to make me unwell, of course, but just enough to get my over-organised brain in gear to set up a definite plan that I could not stray from if I wished to complete my mission. Perhaps in future, when the main goal seems so far away, I will set checkpoints for myself, moments in time of where I want my story to be in relation to how much time I have left. In the end, there was just enough time to complete my work before the deadline, however this was thanks to a sudden spurt of motivation to not give it and to give it my all, frantically typing in between workloads in the evenings and at the weekends, spending half of my half term organising the final details. The next time I embark on a project like this, I would like to give myself even more time to craft the story and allow more people the chance to look over my work and provide their opinions, which I can then incorporate into my editing process. Of course, my work was read along the way, but many eyes are better than one after all. I guess we are all learning at the end of the day. If anything, this thought process has only strengthened my desire to carry on writing, to put as much passion and excitement into the next story. I already have two in the running, tales which I keep returning to over the years. You will just have to wait and see which book I turn to first…

So, as you can see, I have had quite the brain-intensive few months. However, I did embark on my first holiday abroad with my boyfriend in April, as I’m sure many of you will have seen. This was as much a celebratory holiday of all our career achievements as well as a chance to get away from it all and spend ten glorious days in the faraway island of Tenerife. I had such an amazing time, from exploring all the options that our all-inclusive had on offer, to splashing in the sea and the world’s best rated water park Siam Park and drinking cocktails by the poolside. Easily the highlight for me was the tour around Mount Teide at sunset, where we enjoyed a glass of cava as we watched the sun fall past the volcano, followed my stargazing in the moonless night. We even got to look through some telescopes at faraway constellations whilst snuggling up with blankets and hot chocolate. Honestly, one of the best holidays I’ve been on with the best company and I am very much looking forward to both our next adventure and the next time we explore Tenerife’s shores once again.

Below are some of the highlights from our trip:

Now here we are, in the present. I am thrilled, nervous and enlightened all at the same time. Most of all, though, I am ridiculously happy, which is a feeling that, not too long ago, seemed unreachable. It just goes to show day will always follow the night. In other words, joy will follow moments of sadness. I write this entry to share my positivity with all - down or upbeat, inspired or not - with the hopes that it makes your day that little bit brighter.

I hope you enjoyed what I was finally able to share today. Keep smiling and I shall see you for the next entry!

… I promise you won’t have to wait five months for the next one.

Until next time,

Emily