This blog post comes to you in four parts!
Part One! I went to see Snow Patrol last night and it was just indescribably perfect. You know that feeling you sometimes get at gigs, like you've just fallen in love with everyone in the room? Like, even though you're wearing an oversized band t-shirt and beat-up converse, and your Biffy Clyro guitar pick necklace is your only jewellery, you suddenly feel beautiful? Yeah. It was like that. I might have started crying at one point.
Ok, now that that's out of the way, part two: Michael's topic for this week was about talents and projects and stuff, and like his, mine is writing.
When I was five years old, my parents bought me a copy of "The Twits" by Roald Dahl. I started reading it that afternoon, and I didn't put it down until I was done. That was it - I was hooked.
I've been writing my whole life, and I like to think I'm pretty good at it. Like Michael, I have issues finishing big projects, like novels - I'll plan, start writing, but by then another idea will have taken root and I'll make a start on that, the previous project forgotten. I must've finished hundreds of short stories, and although I never really think they're good enough, other people seem to like them.
I've never been able to imagine myself doing anything other than writing. That's why I'm having such problems with choosing universities and planning my future and all that important stuff.
Ok, current projects: I'm trying to write something for Kristina Horner's Less Than Three thing. The deadline is in two days, I believe, and I only have one story finished that I'm not particularly proud of. I've been editing it for the past week and will probably enter it today, but I don't really expect it to get into the book. It doesn't feel like my best work, but every other story I've tried to write for the contest has just rolled over and died on the page. So it's all I've got, and I guess all I can do is hope that this is one of those situations where my perfectionist side runs away with me.
I don't know if you could exactly call this next thing a project, it's really more an obsession. You see, most of my stories are very character-driven. My ideas almost never begin with plot, but rather with character, and the problem with this is that it can be difficult finding a story to suit a character.
Just over two years ago, this character walked into my head. Over time, she developed a personality, I gave her friends, comrades, enemies. Now I have this whole cast of perfectly-formed characters kicking around in my mind, begging me to put them in a story, but every time I try, it just doesn't feel good enough for them. I really hope I can find something great for them, because I've never imagined a set of characters so complexly before.
Part Three: Emily asked about something we've always wanted to do, but never had the chance. I'm going to tell you about something I wanted to do and never got the chance, but then did get the chance, I guess.
So I've always been an alright-ish singer. Like, I know I'm not going to be the next Adele or anything, but I can carry a tune and I've sort of always wanted to just sing on stage. Maybe front a band or something, I'm not sure. It's always been kind of a vague, repressed dream. Anyway, for years I let my friends believe I was a terrible singer, because I was really self conscious about it. But then when I started my youtube channel and started playing ukulele, and spent a bit more time with my guitar, I decided I wanted to put some songs up there. So I did. And my friends were so shocked, I wasn't sure whether to be pleased or slightly insulted.
That was all several months ago. I should tell you that my school runs a talent show every year, on the last day of term before the Christmas holidays, and I've always wanted to do something for it, but I've always been too shy. But this year, when they announced it, my friend Jack suggested we do a Kills song together (if you don't listen to the Kills, go listen right now) and I didn't really think about it, I just agreed.
So somehow I found myself standing on-stage, holding a guitar and singing Goodnight Bad Morning to several hundred people who hadn't even known I could sing until about a month before. It was the best feeling, after we had finished the song I wanted to stay up there and play an entire set.
And now we've finished with that story, Part Four! My question to you all: do you have something that you wear all the time, or something that people just associate with you, like a trademark? If so, what is it?
I have three wristbands that I wear near constantly: my DFTBA one, my This Star Won't Go Out one, and one from camp. I only take them off for school, because my school has bizarre uniform restrictions. I also have my Biffy Clyro guitar pick necklace, because Biffy Clyro are absolutely my favourite band of all time.
You're all amazing!
~Julia
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