Last year, on Wattpad I set myself a challenge. For the first 14 days in February, I posted one ‘romantic’ themed poem everyday.
I already had a number of draft poems on Opuss but that didn’t make the challenge any easier. First, I had to identify which poem to post. Next, I had to edit them (they weren’t great). Then, I had to remember to post one every day.
Poetry is not one of my strong points. It’s always hard putting my writing out there for others to read and judge but with poetry it’s harder. It’s raw, personal and makes me feel vulnerable.
Somehow we are already into the second week of February without me noticing, so, I won’t be doing my challenge this year. I’m a bit disappointed as I find it healthy to challenge myself and go outside my comfort zone. It helps me develop as a writer to do something new, something difficult.
I will still add one more to the collection for Valentines day 2018. Now I’ve promised, I’ll have to do it! Please click here to view the collection from last year (and check up on me and see if I kept my word).
I watched on Netflik and it was rated mature and described: “A budding teen psychopath and a rebel hungry for adventure embark on a star-crossed road trip in this darkly comic series based on a graphic novel.”
Here’s the trailer:
What did I think?
To be honest, I almost switched it off in the first few seconds. It opens with the male lead killing animals (he’s a budding psychopath – see description). You know when something is really awful and you want to look but you can’t… that happened. I ended up watching the whole series and loved it.
The two characters are brilliantly created. They are so complex and messed up, it makes them likeable – I never thought I’d say that about a ‘buddying psychopath’. Their background stories reveal what drives them and how they became who they are. The writer of the series did a brilliant job.
As the pair rebel against their parents and go on the run, they find themselves in some crazy situations and breaking some serious laws. The Police are after them and… I won’t spoil the ending.
I ended up binge watching the series because every episode ended on a cliff hanger and by the end I really cared for the pair and wanted them to be alright.
Do I recommend?
Yes, but be warned there are some shocking, disturbing and dark elements to the series – it got its mature rating for a reason.
Who wrote it?
Charles S. Forsman (as Chuck Forsman) wrote the Graphic Novel that the series is based on. Then, Jonathan Entwistle wrote the screenplay and directed the series.
I wanted to do this post at the start of the year but January flew by. So here is a list of the the literary (and book) festivals that have caught my eye and are coming up this year:
If you are a fan of Romance fiction this could be the event for you. You can check the hundreds of authors attending to see if one of your favourites are going. Then you can meet them and take your books with you for them to sign. There will be book sellers to.
They have events all over the world so if you miss this one, check out some of the other dates/locations.
Run with the Time Literary supplement, this event has a number of activities such as talks, discussions, workshops for writers through to activities for kids.
If you miss the event or can’t attend, they also offer free videos and podcasts from the event.
This festival is made up of events and you buy tickets to participate in events. Events vary between workshops, speakers and screenings.
If you miss the event, this seaside town is still worth a visit. They have one of the most beautiful traditional bookshops, a lovely beach and chip shops.
This event promises to deliver a platform for underrepresented women writers such a lesbians. This is sure to be a positive event that is making a difference to supporting diversity and inclusion. Supported by DIVA magazine and The Guardian.
If Erotica is your thing, then there is a convention just for you. This event is in its 7th year and often sells out. It has schedule of speakers and events and is a structured event.
This year has a talk on how to blog about sex for the shy writer – aghhh the world of an erotic writer. One day I may be brave enough to write and share erotic fiction but for now the thought still makes my cheeks turn read (no, not like that!). I would probably benefit from the ‘confidence’ talk.
You buy tickets for the events you want to attend. There are a lot of authors attending and giving talks and there are events for children too. The event is not at one location but across the city so make sure you are able to get from one location to another if you booking multiple events. Filter the events by the category you are interested in, i.e. Workshops, etc.
This event is geared towards those involved in publishing but and has various talks on keeping those in the industry up-to-date with financial, legal and trending themes in the publishing world. There are plenty of exhibits covering pretty much every type of genre you can think of.
It is their 70th year running! This 17 day event will bring the streets of Bath alive with music and literature. Check the ‘What’s On’ page on the website to find events that take your interest. Each event requires a ticket and the price differs.
Everyone I know who has been to Bath has always returned gushing about how amazing it is. They are also home to one of the most well known and prestigious writing competitions (Bath Novel Award).
At the time of writing, the tickets are not yet online. But, from previous years there have been free events as well as events you can pay for a ticket. The paid for events have not been expensive (under £10). Events range from exhibitions, speakers, workshops and children’s activities. Events are split between the library and the Orwell Hotel.
I’ve been a few times to this festival. There have been some amazing speakers and engaging workshops.
This is event is for young people only (18 and under – hence the student price). I had to include it because if I was young, I would go. This event has a number of speakers, workshops and activities and as you would expect a focus on YA and children’s fiction.
My dream is to one day be invited to be a speaker but if I ever want that to happen I need to stop dreaming and get writing.
This event is in addition to the London Film and Comic Convention. The YALC have exhibit stands where you can speak to authors, agents and publisher and buy books. They have agent one-to-ones, workshops and speakers at the convention and lots of space to sit down and read. The focus her is on YA Literature.
The tickets include access downstairs to the London Film and Comic Convention. If you are a fan of Marvel, DC, Anime or anything like that you can pop downstairs to see their exhibits and stalls too.
Date: TBC:5 August 2018 to 14 August 2018 (Last year was 6 October 2017 to 15 October 2017)
Location: Cheltenham
Tickets: TBC (Advanced booking for members)
The information for the site is currently about last years event which was aimed at families and young adult. I recognised a lot of the names and books in attendance and the event is supported by The Times and The Sunday Times. I expect it will be very promising again this year.
At the time of writing, ticket prices weren’t available. This is a really big event with a lot of things going on simultaneously and something for every taste. I have never been but would love to go one day.
At the time of writing this years date and prices were yet to be confirmed. I included it because last years line up was full of house hold names (like Julia Donaldson, Jacqueline Wilson, Miranda Hart, etc). I’m sure this year will be just as promising – this is one to watch!
Many more
There are loads more great festivals around the country and I have only highlighted a small sample.
Please let me know if you are or have been to any of these or have any to recommend.
It’s been a busy couple of days but I’ll leave that for another post. Due to my schedule, I did struggle to have time this week to film my Pip Box unboxing and take photos of the content.
What was in the box?
As usual, Pip did not disappoint. They had a good range of different products and most by brands I have not tried before. Here is what I got:
This is powder face mask that you mix with water to use. The size in the box is a small sample size. I’ve tried it before in Balm Balm’s Starter Kit (£15.50). This was the first organic skincare brand I ever tried because I loved how affordable and effective it is and it initiated my love for organic products.
I’ve always wanted to try their Frankincense and Tea Tree range. They also have a mother & baby range.
This is a new brand for me. I love the sliding tin with the lip balm and it smells delicious – vanilla is one of my favourite smells. Their site offers free deliver on all UK Orders and they have a lot of other very desirable products that now have me tempted.
This body wash smells lush but on top of that it scores all the goodness points for being organic, vegan, cruelty free and doesn’t contain any of the bad stuff. It’s sustainable and 100% biodegradable. Their products uses Ayurvedic ingredients suitable for treating a range of sensitive skin conditions like Eczema and Psoriasis.
Medusa Make-up, Witch Lash Mascara: RRP £25.49 (converted from US Dollars $36)
The mascara has a simple brush that is easy to use. I’ve had no issues with this smuging or flaking – it stays on all day. This is a vegan cruelty free brand that have a vast range of beauty products. I addition, the brand do their own subscription box where for about $15 you can recieve three to five full size products. This is a great way to expand your make-up collection if you are venturing into Vegan or Cruelty Free products. They have some beautiful metallic shades.
Optiat, The Hungover Coffee Scrub (Potent Peppermint): RRP £9.99
The scrub is dark brown (almost black) in colour which surprised me – I guess its the coffee. The minty scent was refreshing. Sadly, this one is not for me… I have a friend that loves body scrubs that I am going to give this him. Scrubs just aren’t my thing.
The brand name stands for “One Persons Trash Is Another’s Treasure” and was inspired by the coffee waste filling landfills and wanting to find a solution – a natural beauty product. If you want an environmentally friendly brand then this is a good one for you to consider.
Pip is a cruelty free beauty subscription box. The boxes contain a range of products from makeup, skincare and body care that are all not tested on animals. In addition, they donate 50p from every box sold to an Animal Friendly Charity.
It’s a great way to discover new brands and new products in an affordable way. The contents is always worth more than the subscription an contains a varied assortment.
Often when works of fiction are discussed, word and/or page count comes up. When you see books on a shelf, one of the first things you’ll notice, apart from the author’s name and book title on the spine, is how thick or thin they are compared to each other. Some people like J. R. R. […]
I must confess I am in love with Canva and been using it for a few months. I started off using it on my laptop and then I discovered there is an app. Now I can use it anywhere.
Canva helps you create visually effective images for a wide host of reasons. I used it a lot to create my blog titles and images for tweets and Instagram. I also have used it to create a party invitation for my son’s birthday party. I discovered the site via Wattpad when looking for software to create a novel cover.
Here are some examples of what I have created:
What is Create with Canva?
This company is currently offering a free beginners course for people that want to get better at using Canva. They also have a resources page with useful information and recommendations for blog host sites and other courses you can pay for like how to earn from you blog with affiliate marketing.
Free Beginners Course
I found the course via Twitter and enrolled. There are five lessons and each lesson is delivered daily to your inbox. The lessons are bitesize YouTube videos and just 5 minutes long. You can join their Facebook page to have access to the course in full right away. Here is what I think:
Dashboard tour:
This is sent out with the ‘welcome’ email and is an introduction to Canva.
Lesson One: Working with templates, text and color
This covers the basis of using the templates on Canva. How to amend the template and colour theme. How to edit the text, add more text and resize. I thought I knew most of this simply from using the site but they did teach me a new trick – spacing! Everything in this class used the free features in Canva.
Lesson Two: Working with images in Canva and uploading your own images
This was about using the images in Canva and how to add your own. Again, I thought I had this sussed but they taught me some new tricks. I make use of the free images in Canva (there is a vast collection), however, I didn’t know that some of the free images are cropped and you can change the cropped area and use some of the hidden parts of the picture! There were other tricks they taught that I expect I’ll be making use of in the near future.
Lesson Three: Working with free photos, frames and grids
This lesson started by introducing collages – a feature I have never considered using (seriously missing out). They taught us how to use different photo layouts from scratch and for Instagram. Finished with how to use and edit backgrounds.
Lesson Four: Working with shapes, lines, illustrations and icons
This started off nice and simple with adding elements to your design. I haven’t really used this part of Canva and through watching the lesson I saw how useful they can be. Gillian also covered some useful time saving short cut keys and how to group objects.
Lesson Five: Getting organized in Canva, creating templates and batch producing designs
This was incredibly useful and I haven’t used any of the features covered. I learnt how to create a brand theme in Canva (rather than saving notes on my phone), how to sort my files in folders on Canva and how to make a batch of designs.
Would I recommend the course?
Yes. It starts of quite easy so it is suitable for absolute beginners. It also is likely to uncover a trick that you haven’t worked out on your own, enabling you to get even more out of Canva.
When I signed up, I was worried that it was going to be five lessons telling you why you need to buy the premium service but it didn’t. Every feature I was shown how to use was using the free features available to everyone.
I honestly don’t know how Canva do it. If you haven’t got an account on there you need to go create one.
Presenter – Gillian
The course is presented by a lady named Gillian who has a nice clear voice that is easy to understand and not irritating. You don’t see what she looks like as the video is showing what is happening on the screen.
For my birthday (in November), my husband treated me to a lipstick and a lip crayon by organic beauty brand Axicology and I loved them. Working off his previous success, he bought me another lipstick for Christmas.
I thought it only fair that I share these with you so you too can discover this brilliant brand.
Axiology is a brand that makes natural organic lipsticks that are vegan friendly and cruelty free. Their packaging is from recycled paper and made by women in Bali giving them employment opportunities. Plus, they donate a portion of their profits to charities that support the welfare of animals like PETA and Orangutan Foundation (so it’s ginger friendly).
By buying their lipsticks you are helping reduce pollution and support women in Bali and raising funds to support animal friendly charities. Wearing lipstick has never felt so good.
Lip Crayon
Bliss is a lip crayon.
Bliss: Is a summery coral so I haven’t worn it much yet. I have found the crayon more drying than the lipsticks but I’ll probably wear it in the summer. It costs £23
Lipsticks
Goodness and Fundamental are both lipsticks. It costs £24
Goodness: This is a nude colour and very natural. It has a hint of gold shimmer to it and is very hydrating. You could easily wear this colour everyday but if you wanted to make a statement the colour would be too subtle.
Fundamental: The first time I wore this colour to work, I got so many compliments. It was great. It is a darker and more daring shade than I’d usually wear but I’m so glad I braved it because it is now my favourite.
The case
I have never been so impressed by a lipstick case. The outside has a brushed gold affect. You push the base and then it ‘pops’ and your lipstick unlocks, you slide the top off to reveal the beautiful polished gold lipstick inner tube. I made a little video on Instagram to show it off because I love it so much. Please check it out below to see what I’m talking about.
Ally Aldridge – blogging on writing and literary conventions, etc
Alison Aldridge – re-blogging the above so all my content was in one place.
Plus, I was still posting to Blogger as a back up plan… just in case I didn’t take to Word Press.
I now can see what a mistake that was. It was a lot of work to keep all of them running and current. This year, I am planning to just post straight to ‘Alison Aldridge’.
2. Be personal
I was trying to keep my blog professional and leave my personal life out of it. I didn’t think people would be interested in hearing about me.
But, when my life is busy, it’s hard to write about the other stuff and it would be easier just to share with my readers what I’m up to. I can already see I’ve got an eventful year ahead so moving forward, you can expect to see a few more personal posts.
3. Be brave
I’ve found that if I want to review something I should contact the company because sometimes they will support you with it. Saal Digital posted on Instagram asking for bloggers and I applied. I thought I had no chance but was happily mistaken and now I am the proud owner of a beautiful photo book of my son.
Bouncing of my previous success, I’ve bravely approached a company whose service I’d like to use and asked if I could review them on my blog. They kindly awarded me ‘Gold Membership’. Stay tuned to see my review of this – I will reveal soon… (this is one for the writers).
The future
There is loads more I’ve learnt but the above are the three lessons that stand out the most. I’ve also still a lot more to learn too.
I’d really like to get into vlogging too – I just cringe at the sound of my voice (and sight of my face – lol). Plus, I’ve no clue about editing a video. Please comment with links if you can help me or to your vlog so I can see what you do and learn.
Dabble is an online writing platform for plotting, writing and editing. It works best in Google or by using their app but can be used in any browser.
Features:
Dabble Account and cloud storage
Plotting tool
Export to Word/text file
Word counts
Novel series
App (works on a PC)
During November, they offered a free trial to NaNoWriMo participants. We were able to use the site for free and they enabled a word count tracker – nifty!
Price:
Dabble Writer usually costs $9.99 but at the moment there is an introduction offer of $4.99 which if you subscribe will be at 50% forever.
Dabble Writer is an official sponsor of NaNoWriMo. If you took part, check the NaNoWriMo offers page to see if there are any exclusive additional offers for NaNoWriMoers.
Projects
I created two projects to test out the software. One was Daisy Chain (my NaNoWriMo project) and the other was Jewel of the Sea (aka Drift).
Daisy Chain: This required regular updates so I needed to work on the story whenever I was able to. Switching between computers (and browsers) did cause a little technical issue but the support guys at Dabble were awesome. The site runs best in Google chrome and the app. There is also a little cloud that you can click to save your progress and ensure it has been backed up.
Jewel of the sea: I uploaded this so I could experiment the downloading to word feature. I was really impressed. It puts it into the correct format for agents so all you need to worry about is the line spacing.
Word Count
Word Count total: There is a tracker that shows your overall word count for the novel (or project).
NaNoWriMo Tracker: The word count tracker for NaNoWriMo was incredibly intuitive. It deducted words if I deleted any and updated my daily goal based on how many words I needed to reach to keep on target based on my total. They are currently developing a personal goal tracker so writers can set their own word count goal at anytime in the year.
Plotting Tools
This was one of the features I enjoyed using the most as I currently have nothing like it.
It looks a like pin board with post it notes stuck on it. You can create different boards for tracking different things.
On the board you create different headings (or timelines). I found it easiest to use it to track my characters developments within the story and plan I needed to happen and when. It was easy to move and edit these too so it didn’t feel like a digital hindrance.
The ‘post it note’ (tile) has a heading and brief description. You click on it to open up and a little note paper where you can go into more detail about the plot line.
This is a great planning aid and helped me to visualize the story.
Story notes
This is another great feature. I’ve never shared my story notes *cringe*.
I split my notes into two categories (headings) ‘Characters’ and ‘World Building’. Within those sections I create a note on different things that are important.
It is really handy to have everything stored in the same place and organised instead of loads of files saved in different places or programs. I love having some where to stash my ideas and notes about the story.
Novel series
Within a ‘project’ you can create multiple books. This enables you to track a whole series all in one place. Genius!
Dabble future?
Customer Service: The team at Dabble are extremely responsive to their customers and I think this will take the company forward to a bright future. They were always on hand whenever I had a question about using the site. No problem was too big or too small. I wondered if they ever slept.
Development: They have developed the site a lot from Sept to Nov so I’ve no doubt that they’ll make true on their promise to continue improving and bringing out new features. They also ask their subscribers to suggest features and vote on features to help them prioritize what their users want the most. Here are some of the features coming soon that excite me the most:
Goal tracking – set your own word count goal any time of the year (not just for NaNoWriMo)
Images in story notes (save a picture of your world map or the engagement ring or a celebrity that looks like you character)
Editing mark up (you can highlight a section you know you need to rework)
Novel cover (upload an image for you novel cover)
Character image (upload an image of how your character looks) and character tools
Restore a previous version as a new file
More ways to import and export including dragging a project to your desktop to save it
Social – enable word count competitions and stats to be shared socially
Am I subscribing?
I am very tempted to subscribe but currently I have a lot going on that I don’t think I will have the time to really make the most of having a subscription.
However, Dabble Writer is something I would definitely consider in the future as I found it a very easy to use interface, fantastic customer service and the features were exactly what a writer needs.
I’ve now had the products two weeks and had a chance to try all but one of them them. Here is my review:
Benecos – natural eyeshadow (rose gold): As always Pip are brilliant at picking colours – I don’t know how they do it! They sent me the shade Rose Gold which is a really pretty shade. This is a great eye shadow. It will become a staple in my make-up bag. I would recommend it and I would buy it again.
This product was from from Pravera Direct. This is the first time I have seen Pip recommend a store (rather than the brand directly). I love discovering new ethical beauty shops so I’m really pleased.
It costs only£4.95.
Tisserand Aromatheraphy – bath soak (rose & geranium leaf): This is the second time Pip has sent me a Tisserand product (last time I got a hand cream). I prefer the smell of this product. It has an earthy rose smell to it. It alsogffelt really rich and moisturizing in the bath, almost like an oil. I really enjoyed this and I’m certain it will get all used up in no time.
It costs £10.95.
Bloomtown -100% Natural & Vegan Lip Balm (red & berried): This is a winter life saver. It had prevented cracked lips and kept them hydrated whilst in out in the cold. An added bonus is that it has a subtle red tint to it and smells delicious.
It costs £4.80.
Raven Chocolate – Mini Coconut Milk Bar: This is the first time I got something to eat in my Pip box and I generously offered to share it with my 4 year old. OMG, I wish I had recorded our reactions. We DID NOT like this! We are clearly not ready for vegan, dairy free, sugar free chocolate. YUCK! I’m glad we got to try it as it enabled me to learn this is not for me.
A 25g bar costs £1.95
Still to try
Freyaluna Skincare – nourishing face steam (fennel & rose): When opening my box I had a stuffy nose so I was most excited to use this product. I had dreams of resolving my nasal congestion and getting a facial at the same time. Sadly, I got sick and then was rushed by Christmas and visiting family and I’ve just not had any time – aghhh! I am still super keen to review this product properly soon.
You can get a small 5g packet to try for £2.00 or buy a 30g jar for £11.00
The Pip Box Review
I love my Pip Box so much that I’ve decided to cancel my Birch Box subscription. I prefer the products I get and I end up using them all up (no waste). It’s great value and I’ve discovered some brilliant new products and brands to love. I highly recommend subscribing.
ad a number of draft poems on Opuss but that didn’t make the challenge any easier. First, I had to identify which poem to post. Next, I had to edit them (they weren’t great). Then, I had to remember to post one every day.
