Self-Publishing Update: Time For A Revival.

Tags

Adventure, Hope, Journal, journaling, non-fiction, Self-publishing, Travel, writing

Finally, I sat down today and wrote out a comprehensive plan of how to take my hiking novel forward. The main issue I’ve faced is that a lot of the advice I’d given was pre-pandemic, so, for instance, info on train travel to reach destinations or visiting a pub was in need of revision. Covid-19 caused my usual drive to evaporate – like a lot of people’s, I guess – and I shelved my attempts to carry on with writing the novel for several months.

Lockdown came and went. Thankfully, my editor, Jessica Coleman (www.colemanediting.co.uk), was always on hand to give me sage advice. Jessica advised me to keep a journal of 2020 to record not only the hikes I took in this new world, but also what coping mechanisms I adopted. Without this sound and simple advice, I think I may’ve consigned my book as a lost project – something which I’m ashamed to admit.

Keeping a journal has been a novel experience for me: the whole exercise has been a chance for me to reflect and to think up new ways to carry on hiking. For instance, if you read my recent post on how to travel the world for free, you’ll know that I’m attempting to walk every capital city in the world via YouTube from the comfort of my own front room. So far, I’ve done six; I’m going to give an update on my virtual adventures in a near future post. Spoiler alert: I’m off to Caracas, Venezuela tonight.

Being able to reflect made me realise on a deeper level than before that hiking is therapy for me. Going outside freely again after lockdown – in a socially distanced way – over the summer emblazoned my heart with fresh passion. I think that deeper sense of love for this hobby comes across more in my renewed edits.

Journaling has given me a source of hope and strength. Without thinking about it, I was writing the book even when I was thinking about giving it up. Sure, as well as revising what I’d already written, I have another chapter to write for this year. But that’s okay because, thinking about it now, despite all that’s gone on I know I can relay a message of hope.

When hope was lost it was hard for me to write. But thanks to my family, friends, Jessica Coleman’s advice and kind words and being connected with lovely people here on WordPress, hope has returned.

Thanks for reading this. If you have any comments, it’d be great to hear from you.
Peace and love…and hope for now xxxx

Poem: Send A Message To Your Heart

Tags

anxiety, blogging, Blogging community, Hope, Mental health, now, panic, Poem, Poetry

When this world bruises you, leaving you battered and forlorn,

Hold on, hold on – I know you can brace this storm.

Don’t think about the past or be guided by future fears,

Just anchor yourself in the present, let go of those tears.

Stay grounded in this moment – there’s so much joy in the now,

Send a message to your heart, I promise you’ll get through this somehow.

Poem: Sleeping Sun

Tags

blogging, Blogging community, Hope, Mind, Poem, Poetry, Sun

Through the hazy glow of dawn,
As pinks and golds stream across the land,
And dance and glint across the rivers,
It’s only when I’m with you that I understand.
For here Time pauses and suspends,
The World becomes wonderful and new.
The Sleeping Sun has awoken
And casts hope on everything we do.

Flash Fiction: Running (A Medieval Fantasy)

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blogging, Blogging community, Discovery-Prompts, Fantasy, Fear, Flash fiction, Hope, Medieval, Short story, writing

‘Silently, silently,’ she whispers.

The candlelight illuminates her pale, pain-laiden face. Sweat pours over my hands as I try to loosen her bonds.

Her attempts at humming a tune to soothe me against another botched effort fail due to the undercurrent of angst I sense in her rhythm.

The candle flickers casting wild shapes against the rough stone walls. The dank smell permeates my nostrils as if a mouldy old boot had been pressed hard into my face, making it hard to think let alone talk.

‘If I hadn’t heard you call out, I wouldn’t have thought anybody else was trapped here,’ I say.

‘How did you manage to escape?’ she replies.

‘There was a loose piece of small rock in my cell. Every day when the guards untied my hands for me to eat, I sharpened that rock for a few seconds at a time. It took me a couple of weeks.’

‘Then?’ she asked expectantly.

‘This morning when I woke I found the rock sharp enough to cut through the ropes. When the guard went to untie my hands from behind my back, I brought the rock crashing down on his head.’

‘Did you kill him?’

‘No, he was wearing his helmet. But I stunned him enough to bolt past him out the door.’

‘You need to hurry,’ she says. ‘He can’t be far behind.’

‘I have these,’ I reply, holding the cell keys aloft. ‘That should hold him long enough until somebody comes to see why he’s taking so long.’

She stares wide eyed as I finally yank the rope free.

‘I thought I was the only person here too,’ she says with a weak smile.

‘There may be others…’

But before I finish my sentence we hear distant shouts far back along the corridor.

We step out into the passageway, looking both ways. She grabs a burning torch attached to the wall. Normally, there would be guards passing through at regular times, so our concentration is heightened when we see nobody. This causes a strange creeping sensation within me as we face no resistance at all as we run through the lower levels of the castle, into the catacombs and eventually down the sewer. Every part of me is on full alert as I hear her breath rising and falling in rhythm to our pounding feet.

After braving the freezing moat on this clear, chilly winter night, we turn and look back at the castle, shivering and wet.

‘Look there,’ she points.

I can see the Lizard King glaring down at us from the battlements,  malevolent and unnerving.

‘After them!’ he rasps as the drawbridge starts to lower and the chants of bloodthirsty soldiers fill the silent night.

‘Now it makes sense why nobody tried to stop us from leaving the castle,’ she cries.

‘Why?’ I inquire. My voice is dry and panicked.

‘He wanted us to leave, so he could have us hunted down. We are but game to him.’

Her words echo in my ears. I take hold of her hand and we flee blindly into the silent, dark forest. Foolishly, I grip the cool surface of the rock-knife, thinking it to be our last line of defence if the hordes that are flowing out of the castle catch up with us.

ABOUT

Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that seem hopeless. No matter what way we turn there seems to be no clear path ahead. All we can do is keep running in the hope that an answer will come somehow.

I hadn’t written a medieval fantasy story for sometime, so it was nice to be able to return to this genre.

I hope you enjoyed reading this. If you have any comments, it’d be great to hear from you.

Stay safe and have a good week, Everybody. 😊

Hope Is Important

Tags

Coronavirus, Hope, Humanity, Peace, Poetry, writing

Hi, I’ve been inspired to write this poem because of the amazing efforts of people to reach out to others during this crazy time in the world. If you take the first letter from each line it spells out ‘Hope Is Important’. Thanks for reading.

Here we are, uncertain times,

Optimism hard to define.

Please stay at home, distance keep.

Extra care, yet lack of sleep.

Isolation, maybe self-imposed,

Seeing life as it slows.

It’s time to wake up, realise

Much love can come amid the cries.

Please reach out and offer support

Or stay at home – a battle fought

Right either way; make a change today

To combat this horrid virus

And leave stories to inspire us.

New Age for Humanity begun

Time to see we can be as one.