A rant from a writer

Hello,

I thought I would come on here to give you some exclusive looks on how my book is going. I'm nearly at the finish line but I haven't hammered down a release date yet as I haven't sorted out the next stages after the editing progress but we are getting very close on my end :) 

To describe what my days have been lately, I've been working in the mornings, trying to aim for 1000 words everyday (writers count in words not pages). The skeleton of the book is complete and I've been focusing on ironing the details, making sure there are no plot holes, which is why there is a lower word count. I work for a solid three hours before I have lunch and the majority of the word count would have been completed in this time. In the afternoons, I either continue to edit (while watching a few shows because I am also a teenager guys) or if I've done a considerable amount of work in the week, I just clock off entirely. Sometimes I do pick it back up in the night. I've learnt that I gain the most inspiration at night and my words always flow the best so its a great way to end the day. 

Writer's block is a big issue that a lot of people face and it has been an obstacle for me. On days where I feel that I'm not flowing as well, I will do 20 minutes of solid work and then 5 minutes of just scrolling through my phone. Its a nice reward and when I start to write, I always feel more refreshed and it just works better. This doesn't mean you get to spend however many hours you want on your phone, I only stick to five just to stop my brain concentrating so much. Or I just grab a snack. I would read a book, except that I know I wouldn't want to stop reading and then I wouldn't write. If my mind is in a better place then I'll keep writing but if I'm continuing to struggle, its nice to take a longer break. The world won't end if you don't get your daily word goal, it just means you work harder the next few days. But I would like any writer to know that everyone goes through writer's block and it really helps to just take a break and think about something else. You might get inspiration from someplace else!

Speaking of shows, I've really been getting into Drive To Survive on Netflix and I've gone into an F1 deep dive. I definitely recommend the show, just be aware that a lot of the rivalries they try to portray aren't all true and you should go watch interviews of them on YouTube and I assure you there is NO tension whatsoever between the drivers. And I've learnt the rules very quickly but don't ask me to list every world champion because I'm not that deep into it.

I was trying to give you insight on my day but that did turn into a rant. If you did make it to the end, thanks for reading and be on the lookout as I post more updates!

character aesthetics of the core four :)

ALL PHOTOS TAKEN FROM PINTEREST!!

Celeste Albus:

Riven Markham:

Trinity Albus:

Ky Robertson:

New Years Resolutions for 2024

Well 2023 is nearly over and 2024 is nearly upon us. I've gained a lot of new experiences, achieved some goals and made some new friends this year. With the New Year, resolutions are always at the forefront of our minds. We always plan to achieve some goals, whether they be professionally, academically or just small things to strive for. By the end of the year, most of us may have accomplished a few, may have forgotten about a few or just thrown out the list altogether. Here are some of my New Year Resolutions:

• Publish My Solo Book

If you've continued to read my blog for the past few years, I have shared a few tidbits of me writing my solo book. I am still writing this book but its nearly finished. I hope to publish it in 2024 and you'll be the first to know of a release date or a preorder date. The process has been very long and I've been working very hard to get it into your hands.

• Goodreads

I have been noticing a few of my favourite people to watch on social media, mainly BookTubers, have been participating in the Goodreads Wrapped, which is basically Spotify Wrapped but for Goodreads. I do have a Goodreads account but I never really updated it. I essentially only have a list of books I want to read that is not organised and consists of mostly Tiktok recs. Next year, I want to actually utilize Goodreads and maybe even review a few books on there, we'll see how we go :)

• Senior Year

I'm heading into my first year of senior year which means I'm in the big leagues now. What I do academically this year truly will have an impact on my future. All along, I have just been studying the night before and I want to try and start studying a few weeks before to better prepare me. I do say this every year so we'll see if I actually stick to this or not. 

• Start Writing More

I want to start using the tools I have around me and start developing more stories. This blog has been a very fun, recreational activity but I want to try and write some more although that may be hard when I'm balancing senior year as well.

• Stop Caring About My Reputation

As any teenage girl living in this modern society, our reputation holds a very important part of our lives. Who we are seen with, who we associate with and especially what we seem to be to other people. Everyone has a very different version of themselves they present to certain people and while that will never go away - intertwined into our very core as a human being - I suppose I want to stop caring what other people think of me so much. A lot of people dropped out this year, leaving us with a smaller group of students. Most of which I will never see again. This is definitely the year to start trying.

• DRIVE

This isn't so much of a resolution but a goddamn fact. I am the youngest out of all my friends (yes, ALL of my friends) so they all have their license and I can't even legally take the test to get mine. The element of surprise is also ruined because I am so desperate to have it that they would all expect me to get it as soon as my birthday is over. Some of my friends have had birthdays passed and they haven't taken the test so fingers crossed, there is a 1% that I may get it before them. 

This is literally all I have for my New Years Resolution. I always only do a few anyways so I don't feel like I'm restricted because I HAVE to accomplish these. Maybe that's what should be on my New Years Resolutions next year. Have more resolutions...

Work Experience at ABC Radio

The following week, I did work experience at my local ABC radio. ABC is the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and is the national, local and emergency broadcaster. It is funded by the Government and provides radio, television, online and mobile services everywhere and at any time. 

I experienced the high intensity rush of the mornings, when they produce their on air breakfast show. It's a very crazy time, where they have to screen calls, make sure everything is running on time while preparing for tomorrow's show as well. They have a smaller office than many of the other local radio shows which meant that most of them left earlier because they had taken the early shift for the show. Having less people also meant that those who had a job there had to have a wider variety of skills and be able to not just present, but to source local news as well. I also learned that a lot of their news stories were sourced from local residents who called or texted them. 

I was taught how to use their systems, such as Radio Assist 8 (NETIA Software) which is what they operate with when they chop up and stitch their audio. All their audio files, from anywhere in Australia are located on this system and I had some fun, stitching together some news files and some music files! I also came with one of their reporters to two events, a small press conference where I had to wear the construction uniform and a walk against violence. I captured photographs of both events and I learned a lot, such as how to perform during a fast paced circumstance. This wasn't quite as long a journey as it was to the city of Sydney because it was my local radio and I could catch the train on my own. 

My supervisor, Caroline left some very pleasant words for me on my post work experience report:

"She takes direction well and has shown a great ability to learn new skills quickly."

Caroline Perryman

Content Maker/Producer

On my last day, I was asked to give a short interview live on ABC Breakfast with their radio presenter where we spoke about my writing, hobbies, personal life and other stuff. Thank you for having me and I really enjoyed my time!