A week of lessons

This week, I learnt a few things about writing. I learnt it's possible to be the only person in a class of twenty to dislike J.K. Rowling's writing style (specifically in A Cuckoo's Calling). I learnt that studying the same writers every week is just as tedious as it sounds. I learnt that you can plan, write and barely edit an entire short story in one day and there will still be people who are impressed by it. I learnt that my writing in its most natural form is YA. I learnt that I need to write more.

I learnt that if you're reading your poetry at an event and you want your friend to record you, you should make an announcement before you begin so he doesn't forget to turn on the camera.

A summary of January

Greetings all! I write this wrapped up in my genuine silk blanket that I bought in Shanghai about three years ago.

And you thought I was kidding.

What did I get up to last month, other than realising I had no time to stick to this blog on a routine schedule?

Not much creative writing outside of my course, I'm afraid.

• I've been to the library a couple hundred times (probably), both my university one and Senate House. Senate House is amazing in terms of books. They have SO MANY BOOKS. I'm talking Matilda many. It's so quiet there as well, people stare daggers at you if you so much as wear squeaky shoes *cough* swear it wasn't me *cough*. If you're an academic (or just really interested in books), I highly recommend you sign up to Senate House. You have to pay some fees to join unless you're part of the University of London squad but it's worth it.

• I bought a new yoga mat (my old one was falling apart - literally) and a foam roller. I've gotten back into working out three times a week, in an attempt to rekindle my abs. I have gotten so unfit since I stopped training for my cosplay last summer - shocker, right? It's going to be a while before I'm running up the stairs at Russell Square.

• I watched Into the Woods and allowed myself to get immersed in agony, annoying my friends by inserting songs into every day scenarios (January 31st? "It's the laaaaast midnight!").

• I've also started working in a sixth form again, helping students work on their essay writing. R.I.P. my Fridays - which I would only spend in the library anyway, so really it's not too much of a loss.

• I went to an empowering BME women's event at university, which was amazing. After nearly three years of being able to count one, maybe two, brown faces out of a class of twenty, it was a freeing experience to be in a room of twenty brown faces.

Oh, and I fulfilled January's goal. 'Pics or it didn't happen'? Well, okay.