The Act of Writing

Oh my darling. You were my whole world and I was yours. The things I had planned for us to do together, they spanned years, decades, our own little eternity of just you and me.             All that lost time is what hurts me the most.             You and I were going to do so many great things together. I say great, you and I were never going to make headlines, we were just two among billions, going about our daily lives, but even daily lives would have been perfect to me.             I really wish you and I had got to live our boring normal lives.             I love you so much. I know I shouldn’t, especially not now that you’re gone from my life and even the memory of you burns like the brightest star. But how could I forget you, how could I not think...

“The future isn’t a warning my friend, it’s a promise, and it won’t be broken by us. That’s the nature of the trap we’re caught in.” The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is one of those novels that comes around once a year and on word of mouth alone becomes a massive, overnight sensation. Personally, I remember hearing about this book months before it was published, and thinking that it was an interesting concept, but ultimately not something I gave a lot of thought to. That is, until the cover design came out. Just seeing how stunning the designs were kept the book in the back of my mind until I finally saw it on my local Waterstones bookshelves. I knew then and there that I had to have it, so later that day a copy came home with me. And it very quickly cemented itself as one of my very firm favourites. From the very first page I was spellbound. The main character, Aiden, knows about as much of the plot as the reader does, i.e: nothing at all. It is only as you fol...

Drip, drip, drip. The rain steadily drops in though the hole in the roof, splashing into the bucket below the hole, each droplet strikingly loud in the utter silence of the room. The musty stench of moth eaten curtains is ever present, having eaten its way into the very fabric of the building decades ago. Dust lays, two inches thick, on every surface, tinting everything a dull, dirty grey. Cobwebs spiral out from every corner, the spiders who made them being long since dead, their corpses litter the carpet where they fell. The three occupants of the room however, do not seem to mind the dust, or the smell. They don't even appear to notice the steady dripping sound of the rain. Sat in a semi-circle, each on separate armchairs, they do not talk to each other, they do not look at each other. For all intents and purposes, they might as well each be in the room alone. Yet oddly, they mirror each other, arms dangling over the edges of their chairs, heads hung as if ashamed. They ...

Against The Current: Past Lives - Streaming Now It's coming up on three weeks since Against the Current released their second studio album, 'Past Lives,' and in those three weeks, it is rare that there's a moment in which I don't have one of the songs from it stuck in my head. This album is infectiously good. I would consider this album a labour of love, considering the amount of work that went into its creation, with reportedly forty songs having been written for it. (However, it should be observed that this figure has come from Chrissy Costanza's twitter and may have been a joke/exaggeration.) The eleven track album has a markedly different sound and style to its predecessor 'In Our Bones,' which is more of a "dark pop" album that "pointed the finger [of blame]," whereas, 'Past Lives' is "introspective," and the emotion behind the lyrics really shows this change. Opening with the song 'Strangers Ag...

This blog's purpose is to be a Portfolio. I desperately want to go into the Publishing industry. My first two years at University have only strengthened this desire, and now that I'm in my third and final year, I've realised that I need to present a much more professional image of myself, on the (miraculous) chance that an employer would want to hire me after I finish my degree. That's where this blog comes in. I've messed around with blogging before, on an account that's not much more than a jumbled amalgamation of my thoughts, feelings and occasionally the odd review piece. As much as I enjoyed writing that blog, I believe that creating my brand would be better done on this (nearly) blank canvas. It looks a little more professional, right? Therefore, as I gain more confidence in my writing abilities, this is what should be appearing on this site: - Film reviews (I own a Limitless card) - TV reviews, both episodic pieces and entire series as a whol...

I'm not as proud of this piece, however I really love the idea and I spent a very long time on it. Chapter 1: Ticking Clocks and Heart to Hearts “Calm down! God, you look crazed, just sit down. Drink your cider. He’ll be here.” She tapped at Anna’s elbow, watching as her best friend half stood, half sat, nervously bouncing and eyeballing every person who walked through the door of the bar. “I can’t!” Anna hissed, her protuberant whiskey coloured eyes wide and staring, “I… I need this to be perfect. I’ve dreamt about it for so long.” Anna’s face was unusually wan, her fingernails more accurately described as stubs. Freya’s heart ached with sympathy. Anna had been on edge all week. Stress lines were almost constantly etched into her forehead and she had taken to watching every entrance in every place they went in public. Freya had been there the night it had started. She had gone to Anna’s place, bottle of wine in hand and a head full of entertaining stories about...