Looking Around and the Lockdown Lull!

Hello there!

It has been a while, hasn't it? In reality, I should have paid more attention to this blog, as I'm sure it's a good way to get my thoughts out there, but I thought I'd update you all.

Over lockdown, I wrote a book! Completely separate from 'This Lighter Realm', it took me a lot less time than I thought it would to complete (around 3 months for the first draft). Currently, I'm looking for agents (I have applied to quite a few recently!) with hopes to traditionally publish this book (and maybe more!). Therefore, I won't disclose anything except that it is a fantasy, YA novel and I really hope that the agents I have submitted to like my work! I've had a couple of rejections already, but I'm not downhearted, some people will just never like my writing, and that's absolutely fine with me.

Towards the beginning of lockdown, I had a massive lull in inspiration. I abandoned a project I had been working on for quite a few months due to it being terrible and I was having no fun with it. Then, the characters from my current book walked into my mind and, slowly, I built a world around them! I found that reading, especially reading fantasy, really helped with me getting back into writing again. Mainly, the lack of things to do also helped. There's only so much of suburban London that one can take over the course of six months, so I decided once again I would create myself a new world, new characters and new story!

In fact, I had many book ideas over lockdown, a few of which I have saved up for future projects. Towards the end of summer, I found that my work ethic was fantastic and I was most certainly ready to get back to school. Now that I have returned and it's exam year, I have no idea how much writing I will get done from now until next summer, but a writer always finds a way! Now that I'm back with my friends and hearing quirky lines or witticisms every day, I find that I am creating characters in my mind without even thinking about it. Then, it hit me that I take inspiration largely from the people around me. Lockdown made my inspiration dwindle terribly because I was seeing just the same two people (not that my parents aren't lovely, of course) every day. For my fellow writers out there, it will get better. Writer's block can be frustrating, but it's not forever.

Happy Writing!

AJ xx