Wandering, Wondering Wings
A warm welcome to the chilly Autumnal season and to my next blog post! This month holds a fair few writerly and personal reflections, so let’s get started!
First of all, October saw the start of a brand new advancement for me in the form of officially turning 23. This is an especially exciting but daunting year as it sees me moving away from younger into more mature adulthood, with a general idea of the direction I want my career to veer towards but ultimately an openness to what lies ahead. Of course, despite the inevitable moments of misdirection and doubt, the first week of the 23-hood began positively through being able to fully celebrate without the complications of Coronavirus lockdowns, a luxury I respect. It was so great to finally see my friends all in one space and to boost the celebratory spirit!
Next on the agenda is my official dissertation results! These were displayed a mere day after my birthday, at an earlier time of 8am rather than the traditional 12pm, and what an amazing birthday present it was from my university. There is no better feeling than to be greatly rewarded for the hard work you know yourself you put in: the headaches, the persistence to locate that perfect journal source, the long afternoons-turned-nights staying up to complete that self set deadline. To receive a 71 for my creative piece (whose name shall still remain vacant from this site - watch this space!) and a 75 for a critical reflection I poured my mind, soul and spirit in to - calculating at a 72 overall - is a massive lift to my esteem and an exciting end to my MA results journey. All that remains is my final result in December and my graduation in January, pandemic depending. I am left feeling incredibly hopeful for the future and proud of the efforts and rewards I have received from this portion of the venture and looking forward to seeing where the tale develops from here.
Of course, I cannot publish this entry without first admitting that I have had a relapse from writing over the past month. It is always important to prioritise mental health and so I felt I needed a break from intense university writing to be able to fully enjoy and appreciate writing for myself once more. This has achieved what I needed and has helped me realise the priorities I need to focus on to help achieve my goals, not just as a writer but for my accompanying career. As such I have set a few promises to myself, something to bear in mind for all writers, or anyone, who find themselves a little lost on the paths potentially travelled, especially after leaving university behind.
One - finish those writing projects on your mind. These may not be completed works, edited and ready for submission, but at least planned or left to the point you’re happy with for now.
Two - understand what it is that drives you to find your ideal career. At the end of the day writing will always drive you, so find something that equally motivates you to maintain that enthusiasm in the work place also.
And finally Three - don’t be afraid to admit you don’t have it all planned out yet. The worlds of writing and employment are vast, intimidating but also varied and ever-changing. Goals change and adapt so work on what it is that you need right now and prepare for what you want to happen in the future. As the saying goes, “life is about the journey not the destination”. So live.
I hope this blog entry has helped motivate, calm or even entertain and allow you, reader, to escape. Words are capable of all of these things, as are you. We’re all striving to reach our own goals and for that I wish you the best.
Keep an eye out for my next blog where I’ll be going into detail about my experience hiring and communicating with a sensitivity reader for writing projects!
Until then, stay safe and see you in a few weeks!
Emily