Monday, 30 April 2018

30/4/18 - Monday Book Reviews - Poetry Edition - Rapture

Today is a very special day! As it has been sixteen Mondays since the first post on this blog, it means, it's finally time for the fourth Poetry Version of Monday Book Reviews!

The subject of today's review will be Rapture, a collection of poems by Carol Ann Duffy. 


I was a huge fan of this collection! Duffy has a way with words. These pieces, focussing on relationships were heavy and emotive. I had several favourites from this book! I want to discuss them because I felt that they encompassed so many different emotions. But which one was my all-time favourite?

Hour.

I studied that particular poem in GCSE English with my best friend and we swooned over the use of language in such a short piece to encompass the emotions Duffy, or the character she was depicting, had experienced.

Finding this poem again was an amazing surprise. I had loved it five years ago and I loved it rediscovering the poem. I felt like coming back to such a beloved piece was refreshing and insightful. When I was in secondary school, my classmates didn't seem to understand why my best friend and I were so enamoured with Hour as a piece, for it was so short! Especially when compared to the stronger more narrative pieces like Quickdraw.

The poem is short and sweet and beautiful. In just a few short stanzas you can imagine that situation, place yourself in the shoes of the narrator and it is so captivating. Every word seemed to be so precise and explicit in explaining that state of mind!

I have been a fan of Duffy's work for a very long time and hope that this tiny rant about Hour provides you with some substantial reasoning to justify giving this collection a look!

Thank you for reading! See you in two weeks for another instalment of Monday Book Reviews! - Next time, we will be going back to prose! 
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra
-Imogen. L. Smiley

30/4/18 - My Camp NaNoWriMo (April 2018)

For anybody that happens to have liked my Facebook Page or follows my Twitter, you are probably aware that I have been participating in Camp NaNoWriMo April 2018. This event is an informal NaNoWriMo event, meaning you have to write a certain volume of words/pages but you get to choose how many you do. These events run twice a year, once in April and once again in July, with the official NaNoWriMo event taking place in November.

This April, I decided that I would participate in this for the first time since I was in college, and actually managed to make significant strides toward the goal that I had set. To prepare me for the November NaNoWriMo, I always aspire to reach a total of 50K within the space of a month.

The goal for this Camp NaNo event was to create a short novella length story about a male character coming to terms with being asexual and learning that you don't sex to be happy in life and ends up establishing solid platonic relationships with the people around him. I named this story 'Ace Of Hearts'!

I managed to write a total of _ words throughout Camp NaNoWriMo, a graph of my progress through the process can be found below:



As you can probably see from my stats, my word counts were higher at the start of the month. This was because I was still on my Easter Holidays and was, therefore able to apply myself and write a larger volume of content before returning to university for my third term. At the start of my first day of classes, I had eighteen thousand words out of fifty! That was a great head start and allowed me to have a bit of leeway in terms of getting back into the swing of my degree. I was very grateful for my progress at the start of the month, even as the volume of words I was producing per day seemed to lower. But I managed it so I am more than happy!

But how did I find this experience?
I didn't struggle all that much as I am familiar with the idea of juggling a NaNo event with my coursework, as that has been my experience every year I have participated - my first NaNoWriMo was done during my A-Levels, and the subsequent NaNoWriMo events have taken place within my first and second year at university. I was familiar with the volume of work I would need to do in order to accumulate my ideal word count and am satisfied with the way it went!

Do I have any advice?
Always - you need to be aware of whether you feel that you are up to writing, sometimes you have days where it's easy to just dedicate your time to yourself and those days are very important, especially in such a high-pressure writing event. NaNoWriMo and other events under the same brand name can be immensely taxing, even for 'veteran' participants. Self-care and pacing oneself is pivotal to achieving a "win" at a NaNoWriMo event.



30/4/18 - Random Monthly Post: Slice Of Life?

Hello! As today is the last day of April ((where on earth has the time gone)), I am going to share, yet another, random post about something without a set theme. This month was the first cycle of the NaNoWriMo series in 2018 and I was eager to participate. More can be found out about that over here! However! I will not be talking about my experience. Instead, I wish to talk about my motivator if you will.

Now, I can hear you all asking me now, "what WAS the motivator?". So I'll tell you now, plain and simple.
What motivated me to write the piece in which I did for Camp NaNoWriMo April 2018, was the genre of the piece itself. And what was that genre? Slice of Life.

Slice of Life is a genre I actively indulge in. I hope one day, to write compelling pieces of realism that depict the trials and tribulations of a normal life. I want to write how amazing experiences feel when you are engrossed in the moment as it comes. And so, I sought to write a Slice of Life piece about a character, Rio, as he went to university.

Anyone who has taken a look at my writing prompts which derived from my experiences as a university student myself, will admit that being a student has the potential to provoke many interesting stories. I wished to work with these ideas and experiences, honing them to craft an authentic enough sounding narrative for Rio, a Fresher at the University of York.

But why Slice of Life? As a genre fiction writer, surely you'd be more invested in complicated plots that come from space operas and fantasies.

Indeed I am, but at the same time; there are many things that a person experiences in their daily life that are just so wonderful. Sometimes it takes seeing the world through the eyes of another person to make you understand that.

Albeit, my most complicated pieces are usually genre fictions, it is arguable that one has the prowess to create something immensely poignant when you craft a story in the here and now. I have usually been too caught up in the macrocosm of a story to shed tears over the characters that die in the process of reaching the endgame goals. Admittedly, I want my characters and their deaths to evoke emotions in the reader, but sometimes its easier to do that in different manners.

I feel, personally, that Slice of Life pieces with a backbone of plot tend to be skillfully crafted and creators ought to get more credit for their works.

I hope to write more personable pieces of Slice of Life and Realism in the future!

Thank you for reading!
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra!
- Imogen_L_Smiley

Sunday, 29 April 2018

29/4/18 - Song Of The Week Sunday

Song Of The Week Sunday:

Today, 29/4/18, is the day of the next installment of Song Of The Week Sunday - where I will be sharing a piece of music that I listened to more than any other during the space of the previous. In this instance, from week beginning 23/4/18 and ending today, 29/4/18, the song I listened to the most was the following:

The Bloodstream Clare De Lune mashup by Tokio Myers!
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzgFohAu1W4

I chose this song to be my Song Of The Week this week due to the fact that on Friday (27/4/18), my best friend and I went to Leicester to see Tokio Myers LIVE! We have both been huge fans of his since his debut on Britain's Got Talent last year, to the point where, after watching his audition, I declared that I hoped he would win!

Finally getting to watch Tokio perform live was an amazing experience! His work was so intimate and touching whilst also being wide-reaching. I had contemplated making this week's SOTW his piece Polaroid due to how emotive the piece had been. However, when I was discussing this decision with my best friend, she waved me off. Bloodstream was the piece that I reacted strongly to when I saw it live. And I cheered immensely loud when it was declared an extended version would be Tokio's encore!

The above photo is one that I took during Tokio's performance of Bloodstream's mash-up with Clare De Lune. More specifically, the encore. The encore rendition of this piece included almost the entire composition of the piece by Debussy before transitioning into the Ed Sheeran song. My friend and I were so happy we got to share that experience.

And so, that is why this song is my Song of the Week this week! 

Thank you for reading!
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra!
- Imogen. L. Smiley

Thursday, 26 April 2018

26/4/18 - Monthly Film Reviews - About Time

Hello everyone! Today is the eighth installment of this segment. Once or twice a month I will be writing and posting reviews of films that I watch. Some may be older, having been released years ago and others may be new cinematic releases. Throughout this year, I hope to share my opinions of films with you and hopefully persuade you to give the film a watch if you haven't already!

Great! So what exactly will I be discussing in these reviews?
Plot
Character and their development
Viewer Engagement
My favourite moment
My least favourite moment
Anything else!

So... which film is going to be the subject of my eighth  Film Review on my blog?

About Time (2013)


The following review WILL contain spoilers

Plot:
The premise of this story is brilliant. The men in Tim's family can travel back in time; they have the power to go back to moments they remember in their lives and relive them. The story follows Tim, who is twenty-one at the beginning of this film, throughout his life as he tries to work out how to make the most out of his powers whilst also trying not to change the future ahead of him. The film starts out sounding more like a comedy than a heart-wrenching film. Don't let the happy faces in the poster fool you - this film is a complete tear-jerker! And I loved every moment of it!

Character and their development:
I absolutely adore Tim's character! He develops smoothly, his actions relatable as a twenty-year-old, bumbling her way through the adult world. He is clumsy and foolish, makes mistakes and regrets the choices he made, actively seeking to right his wrongs.
As the story progresses, you get to watch as Tim matures, finding love, getting married and starting a family. But things aren't sunshine and rainbows for him. His sister, "KitKat", ends up in a road traffic accident due to being intoxicated, and of course, as any sibling would, Tim wishes to keep his sister from being hurt and seeks to change it, only to be faced by horrifying consequences that haunt him later in the story after his father falls ill.
I adore Tim's character - he is human; awkward, selfish and optimistic, he's sentimental and he is appreciative of the power he has inherited.


Viewer Engagement
I found this story captivating. I am generally a big fan of stories that involve time travel. As a sci-fi nerd, I tend to watch films with these premise's to hunt for time travel paradoxes. And admittedly, there were several moments which could constitute a paradox, I found myself more enthralled by Tim's journey of life and self as opposed to pointing out potential logistical faults with this story. It was very enjoyable.

My favourite moment
My all-time favourite moment in this film would have to be when Tim went back in time to constantly correct what he said to his old flame, Charlotte when he met with her again for the first time in a few times. He kept experiencing panic induced foot-in-the-mouth moments which he sought to correct by going back in time. Not only was it hilarious to watch, but it was so human and authentic. Many films I have seen are hesitant to paint their protagonists as being flawed and awkward human beings. About Time had no such reservations!

My least favourite moment
Finding out that Tim's father had cancer was a rollercoaster ride that I didn't sign up for when I sat down to watch this film. It broke my heart to see such an exchange, it almost felt like I was a fly on the wall and prying into such an intimate and heartbreaking exchange was so sad. I hated watching it, and the subsequent scenes. However the worst part was when Tim made the decision to have another child, despite being aware that he would have to say goodbye to his father at the end of those nine short months. It broke my heart! Me and the girls I watched this film with were all SOBBING like BABIES!!!

Anything else!
Watching this film with my friends was one of the best and worst experiences ever - you had four of us, squished onto the sofas, shouting at my friend that put it on every time something cute and or sad or both happened. 

Wednesday, 25 April 2018

25/4/18 - Writing Advice Wednesday

Today, 25/4/18, is the next instalment of a new series of posts; Writing Advice Wednesday, where my advice to new writers will be shared once every two weeks. 

It is important to remember that my opinions are not law in any way, shape, or form! Not everyone has the same experiences as I do in this field but it is valuable to share opinions on topics to try and help others!

The topic of today's advice is acquiring ideas WITHOUT A SET WRITING PROMPT! This instalment will focus more on how I do things and providing insight into how my brain works before I provide you with suggestions of how to potentially boost the volume of ideas you create! 

I am generally a sponge for ideas, so it always shocks me when my friends say that they struggle to get inspired. I once likened the process of coming up with stories to putting a puzzle together or knocking over a line of dominoes. I tend to come up with an idea through a profound thought or something that I have heard be said, and my brain starts to over-analyse it as an interesting idea on it's own. It is there that I tend to develop a concept. 

For example, when coming up with The Neon Series, my current WIP and the series that holds my heart and soul; I came up with it through my A-Level sociology class, when my teacher, Miss James asked what would be the best way to change crime rates, and I replied with "you simply change the definition of crime" - which was the correct answer. Admittedly, the reason I already knew this was due to studying a basic version of this module whilst studying sociology as a GCSE. 

From the thought that changing the definition of crime would decrease crime rates, my head began to whirl, concluding that the same idea could also be used to increase crime rates. But I began to ponder why anybody would possibly want to increase crime rates. From there, I put the idea that increasing crime rates would lead to a less criminal and deviant society but the flaw of that would be an immensely greater prison population and surely the best way to counter that would be to reconvert the way we dealt with prisons. I concluded that storing human minds in a database would free up large quantities of space as storing comatose bodies would take up less space than providing living quarters etc. for those who were being incarcerated.

And from there, the initial concept of The Punishment Game, the Hellish cyberscape that my characters would have to overcome was created. 

However, despite that fact, sometimes even I need a helping hand with getting inspired and acquiring ideas! 


Tip One: Exposing yourself to new spaces can work WONDERS

When I think of how I acquired inspiration, particularly for writing elements of description, I find myself recalling my experience attending a class trip to Keddleston Hall in Derby. The building was adorned with grandeur and aspects such as the broad staircases that overlooked the grounds led me to speculate how different people would perceive this view in a fantasy setting. For example, if a Princess, born and raised in these lands, looked out of her window, she would probably not care too much about the view due to being so accustomed to it. However, one of her friends from one of the surrounding kingdoms, would probably feel nostalgic as she walked down the stairs into the gardens, as she would rarely see this view. And a power hungry Lord from another kingdom is likely to brush off the initial impression of this view, for he believes he will later grow used to it in marrying someone who already lives there. I found that this was very helpful in the process of describing these characters independently from one another, looking at the exact same location. 

Tip Two: Exercise really helps to stimulate the mind 

After I go out to walk for a few miles, I always seem to find that my mind is buzzing with ideas, especially if I have bee exposed to new visual stimuli whilst doing the exercise. For example, once I returned from Keddleston Hall, I found myself desperate to take advantage of the new sights I had seen and incorporate them into pieces of fantasy that I was writing! 

Tip Three: Don't underestimate the impact of music on the mind!

Writing to music always seems to be a controversial topic, as it varies for every person. Some prefer the embrace of silence, some like to listen to rainymood for a sensation of background noise and others like to write to the sound of music - with or without lyrics, there are many things that can be gained through the process of listening to music. If you are yet to test out writing to music, I would very much recommend it! When I was working on a screenplay for my scriptwriting class, I found myself writing my best pieces of work to piano music, and when I was writing scenes of conflict and violence, alternative music, rock and metal, provided great background music for the work I was producing! 

Thank you for reading! I hope these tips helped you in any way, shape or form! 
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra! 
- Imogen. L. Smiley

Tuesday, 24 April 2018

24/4/18 - Happy Tuesday! University Inspired Writing Prompt!

Happy Tuesday! University Inspired Writing Prompt!

Today, 24/4/18, is the next instalment of University Inspired Writing Prompts. Since my first year at university, I have been compiling a collection of writing prompts inspired by my time studying in Derby. I hope that these prompts help you create your own works!


All of these prompts are dialogue based, and are inspired by real conversations I have been part of whilst at university.

PROMPT #16

"Hey, do you want to go to a concert with me for my birthday?"
"I don't know...I just had to fork out a lot of money for a new laptop..."
"My parents are paying for the tickets! And it's next semester!"
"But it's exam season next semester!"
"Dude... It's Tokio Myers!"
"Nevermind! Worth failing my exams to see him in concert!"

The above dialogue prompt derived from a conversation I deemed very relevant considering the concert itself is on Friday! It took place in mid-January, when the tickets were being bought for me, as my sister did not want to have to visit from back home for a super-expensive day trip to see an artist she could easily go without seeing. That being said, I'm sure she would have enjoyed the concert! However, instead of my sister, I am getting the privileged to watch the concert from the standing area with my best friend! Originally, as the prompt suggests, she was uncertain as to whether it was worth going to the concert, but relented upon hearing whose concert we would actually be attending!

I hope that this prompt inspired something - even if it was just a smile
Thank you for reading!
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra
- Imogen. L. Smiley

Sunday, 22 April 2018

23/4/18 - Monday Book Review - Two Boys Kissing


When compared to Levithan's earlier works - this piece is considerably better! I found myself enthralled by the concepts behind the stories told within 'Two Boys Kissing' as the tale told the stories of multiple same sex couples! I found that the inclusive nature  of the piece was brilliant!

I found that the way that Levithan decided to tell this story was really clever - with the central narrative voice deriving from the collective consciousness of deceased members of the LGBT+ community known as the Chorus. The story is told from an omniscient perspective with reactions from the Chorus from time to time. This therefore allows it to occasionally read as if it were written in third person. It was a very unique style.

I found this to be a stand out work within Young Adult fiction, considering the actual owner of the narrative voice and how it is executed, references to the AIDS outbreak and suicide jotted throughout. It informs young people of not only LGBT history but the realities for these people. It educates without making the story sombre and all about homophobia.Not only that - but this story provides insight about what makes a person gay, you have a trans male in this story and he is not treated any differently than any of the cisgender characters, and you have interracial homosexual couples within this piece.

Representation is so valuable in the media and this novel requires more recognition for doing something right for this form of representation! This book made me even prouder to be a fan of David Levithan!

I really enjoyed reading this novel as it stretched past conventions and depicted a completely fresh version of events etc. with LGBT characters and how they are, in reality, no different from other people; they have lives, families, cultures and histories. This is always really important to remember in writing these characters! Nobody is "just gay", after all!

This story is one that I cannot deny has inspired me to continue to push forward positive representations of LGBT people and I hope it will do the same for you!

Thank you so much for reading!
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra!
- Imogen. L. Smiley

22/4/18 - Song Of The Week Sunday

Song Of The Week Sunday:

Today, 22/4/18, is the day of the next instalment of Song Of The Week Sunday - where I will be sharing a piece of music that I listened to more than any other during the space of the previous. In this instance, from week beginning 16/4/18 and ending today, 22/4/18, the song I listened to the most was the following:

Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles!
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS30bEO2aEU

If I tell you the honest truth as to why this is my Song Of The Week, I reckon I would be laughed at, however, I won't lie. This song is solely the most played one on my YouTube due to one thing: England had a heatwave this week.

I spent my entire week soaking in the Vitamin D with this song on loop! I love this song anyway, but the fact that it was so positive and happy sounding, as well as immensely applicable to the weather, I couldn't help but have it on repeat. Albeit, I have listened to several different renditions, including Colbie Calliet's version, Gary Barlow's cover and the Glee Cast rendition, nothing could beat the original in my eyes.

This song really helped me keep my chin up as things got stressful during the week. I would just have to stand outside for a moment, think ahead to the summer, breathe and listen to this.


Thank you for reading!
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra!
- Imogen. L. Smiley

Friday, 20 April 2018

20/4/18 - Favourite Character Praise Friday! Elizabeth Schuyler-Hamilton



Today, 20/4/18 is the eighth instalment the series of posts praising my all-time favourite characters for their quirks and flaws etc. called Favourite Character Praise Friday. I will be sharing these posts every two weeks to gush about fictional characters in a proactive environment. With this segment, I intend to demonstrate what makes characters great so you and I alike can use these facts to improve our characters!


So who is the subject of my eighth Favourite Character Praise Friday?

Elizabeth "Eliza" Schuyler-Hamilton from the Broadway Musical Hamilton: An American Musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The Eliza depicted in the photo was portrayed by Phillipa Soo.




Warning! There will be spoilers! Is it even possible to give spoilers for history...? Regardless! Spoiler Warning! 

Despite being depicted as a helpless woman throughout the production, Eliza is actually a very strong character! 

Eliza was first introduced when she was approximately sixteen years old and met Alexander Hamilton at a winter's ball. She found herself completely helpless and love-struck by the nineteen year old soldier. The pair are married after a two week long courtship and she later fell pregnant with their first child. Throughout the production, Eliza is depicted to be a woman that trusts the world with everything she has, validated by her older sister Angelica stating that "You will never find anyone as trusting or as kind". She is depicted to be humble and simple in terms of what would make her happy, claiming she did not care about having a legacy or money, all she wanted was her husband to let her be part of his story. 

Throughout the play, Eliza is dealt hardships due to her husband's behaviour. When she is approximately twenty five years old, ((judging by the fact her son was nine)) Alexander has an affair and when it is later revealed, she is heartbroken and attempts to remove herself from history by burning the letters that they shared during their courtship. Despite the fact that her husband published the fact that he had committed adultery, she remained by his side.

When her eldest child, Philip, was nineteen, he was killed in a duel in an attempt to defend his father's honour against someone who slated him. Eliza is at his bedside when he passes away and learns to live with the weight of having lost her son. 

After Aaron Burr kills her husband in a duel at the end of the production, Eliza returns to the stage in "Who Lives Who Dies Who Tells Your Story" and informs the audience of everything she did in the fifty years she was alive without Alexander by her side. In this song, she says that she and Angelica, told Alexander's story, whilst Eliza also went out of her way to "interview every soldier who fought by [his] side",in doing so, she told the stories of his comrades. Eliza also managed to "raise funds in DC for the Washington Monument", in which made sure that George Washington, a man who served America for forty five years, would be remembered. She also managed to "speak out against slavery", noting that he could have done so much more than her, but she did all she could to make sure he would be remembered too. Not only did she do all of these amazing things for the sake of the people she knew, she also "established the first private orphanage in New York City" because Alexander was an orphan! She was incredibly strong, choosing not to "waste time on tears", something she had done many times before. 

Eliza and Alexander are more similar than one might initially think!

When I was listening to "Who Lives Who Dies Who Tells Your Story" for what feels like the millionth time ((I constantly have it on loop on my laptop, it's my most played song on my phone, I absolutely adore it)), I realised a strong similarity between Alexander Hamilton and his wife. The lit student in me found myself relating Eliza's experience in 'Who Lives Who Dies Who Tells Your Story', after Alexander had been killed, to how he himself may have felt when John Laurens, his closest friend, had been killed during the war. 

During the song "Laurens' Interlude", Eliza is not overly emotional over the idea that one of Alexander's friends had perished despite the fact that the war had ended. In this exchange, Alexander is silent for a moment and does not say a word until Eliza engages him and asks if he is alright. It is only then that he declares "I have so much work to do", and from there he continues to work hard to improve the world. One of Laurens' goals was to work against the act of slavery, establishing the first all-black military regiment. 

At the end of the musical, she finds herself in a similar situation to her late husband and finds herself working for him - making the changes in the world he sought to make and did not have the opportunity to. One of the links that solidified this idea to me had to be when Eliza said that she spoke out against slavery, and acknowledged that Alexander could have done so much more than her had he had the time to.

Eliza, like Alexander finds herself with "so much work to do", in her mission to make sure her husband would be remembered! I found this parallel really clever and just had to rant about it! 

The loyalty that Eliza holds to her husband is admirable 

One of Eliza's potential character flaws is the fact that people "will never find anyone as trusting or as kind" as she is - this is particularly prevalent with her relationship with Alexander. She remains loyal by his side despite the fact he published the fact that he engaged in an affair with another woman. She remained loyal to him even though it was in his name that their son was killed, and it was his pistol that he took to the duel, and his advice which led to Philip being killed and not avenging himself by shooting his opponent. - However, I do not think that her loyalty is necessarily a downfall of her character at all.

At this moment in time, I could not possibly think of how I personally would be able to remain so loyal to a person that had brought with them so much misfortune. Yet Eliza was strong enough to put everything that happened to her behind her in order to make sure that her husband, someone who she vowed to love for the entirety of her life, would be remembered after she had died too. 

It is due to the loyalty that she had to her husband and the legacy that she initially did not want, that she longed to protect. In order to do this, she made sure that he would be remembered and in doing so her efforts influenced a butterfly effect that created the musical in the first place! 

So, what can we learn about writing unconventionally strong female characters from Lin-Manuel Miranda's depiction of Elizabeth Schuyler-Hamilton? 

  1. Emotional strength is just as valid of a form of strength as physical strength - it took a lot for Eliza to forgive her husband for his misdeeds, but she did! 
  2. Establishing a clever parallel between two strong characters is not a bad decision, especially if these characters seem rather different 
  3. Exploring the idea of loyalty is interesting and worth probing at if you ever get the choice! 



Thank you for reading my reasons that I adore Eliza Schuyler-Hamilton! I hope I influenced the way you perceive your own characters!



Until next time!

And remember: 

Per Ardua Ad Astra! 

- Imogen. L. Smiley

20/4/18 - In Wake of Twisted Tongues Birmingham

Hello everyone! I know this post isn't part of my usual blogging schedule, but I have managed to eke out a short moment in order to write a post about what happened on Thursday 19th April - the day of Twisted Tongues' Birmingham's Launch Night!

I was in an amazing position when this event was created - I had already created and achieved every single spoken word goal I possibly had for this academic year, and I managed to do that back in October of 2017, a mere two months into pursuing said goals! It was an amazing feat.

At the start of this academic year, I had established several goals that would be pushed ahead to be aspired for in my third year at the University of Derby. One of them was to perform in another city - one that was not Derby, or my hometown. Of course, one could count my participation in UniSlam 2018 to be the completion of that goal, but my performances were competitive, as opposed to recreational. That meant that my first actual performance took place on Thursday 19th April 2018, at the launch of Twisted Tongues Birmingham!

Twisted Tongues was the event that pushed me to start chasing a path in spoken word poetry, and I was, therefore, determined that I would get to continue to support the team in their newest venture. I was so eager to do so, that I pre-booked my performance slot with the team and planned out my performance slot. I was going to read my UniSlam solo along with a character piece called 'She'.

When I got to the event, however, things changed. I was approached by some of my fellow poets from Derby, Aoife and Tamara, when they asked me about my set, I informed them of my choices, and they encouraged me to perform a different piece - my UniSlam audition piece; Red, which was one of their favourites. Upon some brief consideration, I decided it was better to perform that piece instead.



The above image depicts me during my performance. I was very nervous to go up and speak in front of a crowd where very few people knew my name or face. My fellow poets from Derby had all clustered in one spot, so at least, I knew there were people in the audience that wanted to hear what I had to say.

I was delighted with the reception I got in Birmingham, and cannot wait to participate in the next event in May, the last spoken word event I will do before I return home for the summer. 

Tuesday, 17 April 2018

17/4/18 - Happy Tuesday! University Inspired Writing Prompt!

Happy Tuesday! University Inspired Writing Prompt!

Today, 17/4/18, is the next instalment of University Inspired Writing Prompts. Since my first year at university, I have been compiling a collection of writing prompts inspired by my time studying in Derby. I hope that these prompts help you create your own works!


All of these prompts are dialogue based, and are inspired by real conversations I have been part of whilst at university.

PROMPT #15
If you steal any of my Capri Suns, I will stab YOU with the straw and drink your blood!

The above prompt derived from the oh so student-y conversations about who bought what in the shared cupboard in our house. One of my housemates bought several reduced boxes of Capri Suns and made sure that her property was protected with the above threat. We found ourselves laughing too hard to finish putting the shopping away!

I hope that this prompt inspired something - even if it was just a smile
Thank you for reading!
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra
- Imogen. L. Smiley

Monday, 16 April 2018

16/4/18 - Monthly Film Review - Love, Simon

Hello everyone! Today is the seventh instalment of another segment I am implementing. Once or twice a month I will be writing and posting reviews of films that I watch. Some may be older, having been released years ago and others may be new cinematic releases. Throughout this year, I hope to share my opinions of films with you and hopefully persuade you to give the film a watch if you haven't already!

Great! So what exactly will I be discussing in these reviews?
Plot
Character and their development
Viewer Engagement
My favourite moment
My least favourite moment
Anything else!

So... which film is going to be the subject of my seventh Film Review on my blog?

Love, Simon (2018)


This review WILL contain spoilers for both the film and the book it derives from.

Plot: 
I found the plot of the film engaging, despite having previously read and enjoyed the book from which this film was adapted. In essence - this story is of Simon, who is sixteen in the book and eighteen in the film, who comes across a student on the school gossip hub that has come out as gay under the alias of "Blue". Simon reaches out to Blue via email but these emails fall into the wrong hands and Simon finds himself in a position of trying to keep these emails from being leaked while falling more and more in love with Blue. The plot of this film and the way that the mystery elements are implemented allow the reader to continue to question which person Simon is speaking to with several characters narrating the emails from Blue throughout the story. I found this a clever way to allow the viewer to guess along with Simon. 

Character: 
Today I would like to talk about two characters - the protagonist, Simon and the antagonist Martin, both of whom get a lot of screentime throughout the film. 
Simon, being the narrator and centre character, meant that he had a lot of time to develop throughout the film. You get to watch Simon's opinions of how he's going to live his life change as the film goes on - from the hilarious scene where Simon said he would be proud when he'd be at college and the subsequent reaction that he wouldn't be that extreme and how he must respond after he's been outed since. It is both sad and empowering to watch as Simon struggles within this story and his ability to allow himself the chance to get emotional makes him a relatable and accessible character within the story.
Martin is the antagonistic force within the story, blackmailing Simon into having him try and establish the makings of a potential romantic relationship between himself and Simon's friend Abby. In the film, you see a lot of Martin. His character is both likeable and easy to hate at the same time. You get to understand why the students that surround him harbour such a strong distaste for him, but as Abby becomes more enamoured by him, in a stictly platonic sense, the viewer does too. You resent his actions but you want things to work out in the end. Unfortunately, that is not the case and he embarrasses himself in a theatrical display of public affection towards Abby and out of spite, humiliation and a want of revenge, he outs Simon through unveiling the screenshots of his emails to Blue. Despite his actions, Martin does attempt to redeem himself by giving Simon one more chance to meet Blue at the winter festival. This act is albeit small but demonstrates that he wishes to make amends with both parties. His actions and subsequent development and redemption make him a thoroughly interesting character.

Viewer Engagement
I was thoroughly engaged with the plot of this story, finding it easy to follow as there were few compliated plotlines. Instead, the conflicts were very central to the main characters and this meant that the interconnections were true to life as one is rarely privy to drama outside of your social sphere.
Due to the nature of the conflict, I also found the content very captivating, despite having read the book as it is a very real subject matter. A person being LGBT, and a person being outed as LGBT are both very common occurrence in contemporary society and it is heart-warming that we get to watch these real and sad experiences be put on the big screen for people to marvel at. 

My Favourite Moment
There were so many amazing moments in this film, I think that the one I liked the most had to be the conversation that Simon has with his mother after he comes out to his parents at Christmas. He has returned to school and is being mocked for his sexuality. When he returns home from school he speaks with his mother about him being gay in more detail. She informs him that he no longer has to keep holding his breath, in reference to hiding who he is and whatnot. Instead, he can finally exhale. This scene had a heavy emotional resonance that I really appreciated. 

My Least Favourite Moment
My least favourite moment would have to be one which derived from second-hand embarrassment. Unlike an earlier scene of public humiliation with Martin involved, which took place at the Waffle House, the one where he confesses his love for Abby in the middle of the football game had to be the worst moment of the film. Not because it was badly acted, or shot, but because it was heartbreakingly humiliating and relatable. Everyone has had a moment when they realise that what they've said will have negative impacts on them, whether in a short-term or not. This feeling is amplified and accentuated by the idea of big romantic gestures being desirable. Had this display gone as it was meant to, the way in which Martin confessed his feelings to Abby would be deemed very romantic, as opposed to being the subject of humour from his schoolmates. 

Anything else!
Yes, I would like to take this opportunity to promote a newly established blog for film and general nerd-ish discourse, created by my friend Emma Berry, who happened to be one of the four people in my company when I saw this film in the cinema. The blog's title is Emma Berry's World and the link to it can be found here. I mentioned this as she too has recently written a review of Love, Simon and she has mentioned that she intends to continue to discuss not only comparisons between the book and the film but discourse in reference to this film and the Oscar Nominated film Call Me By Your Name! To catch these posts, and much more content, feel free to check out Emma Berry's World!

Thank you so much for reading! 
And remember: 
Per Ardua Ad Astra! 
- Imogen. L. Smiley 

Sunday, 15 April 2018

15/4/18 - Song Of The Week Sunday

Song Of The Week Sunday:

Today, 15/4/18, is the day of the next instalment of Song Of The Week Sunday - where I will be sharing a piece of music that I listened to more than any other during the space of the previous. In this instance, from week beginning 9/4/18 and ending today, 15/4/18, the song I listened to the most was the following:
The Jerry Folk Remix of Oh Wonder's 'Lose It'!
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhK8Ehv6aPI

So why is 'Lose It' my song of the week?
This week, I was listening to a lot of upbeat and happy music in order to write some of the scenes in my Camp NaNoWriMo piece. This is because, I have not progressed the plot far enough, as of yet, for there to be an increased level of angst. This mix helped me establish what I was to do with my characters when they are in a new environment, the wonder and bewilderment that comes from a new city being one I wished to present with the work I have been focusing on during this week. I felt that this song did this well, as there is an aspect of freedom and unfamiliarity with it when you read the lyrics.

"Your name I'll never know
As we get down in the world below
Caught up in an overflow
My hands, your bones
Wide eyed, you look at me
Set on fire in a silver dream
Spin round you can feel the breeze
Count one, two, three"
I figured, after listening to the song that it was very applicable to my characters and their situations during the piece at this point in time. Due to this, the song has been on loop a LOT since then. The sheer volume of replays is why it was such a prevalent choice of Song of the Week.


Thank you for reading!
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra!
- Imogen. L. Smiley

Wednesday, 11 April 2018

11/4/18 - Writing Advice Wednesday

Today, 28/3/18, is the sixth instalment of a new series of posts; Writing Advice Wednesday, where my advice to new writers will be shared once every two weeks. 


It is important to remember that my opinions are not law in any way, shape, or form! Not everyone has the same experiences as I do in this field but it is valuable to share opinions on topics to try and help others!


So, what is today's topic? Accumulating an audience!

Admittedly, I am still lacking in the sense of having an audience, but several years ago, I had a much larger group of people wanting to know what I was producing. But how did I get them?

1. Don't be afraid to write fanfiction to get attention - I found myself inspired by reading a piece that a fellow writer and now friend, Katie, created back in 2012. This piece was long-prose and it was fanfiction. Her piece of work motivated me to write my own piece that derived from the same source material. And when I plucked up the courage to post it and tell her about it, she became an immediate supporter. From that one single fanfic, I have acquired several long-term friends that have made up a portion of my audience, regardless of what content I am producing because they simply want to know what I am doing! I don't know whether I would be this motivated without them! So shout-out to Katie, Ellen, Ryan, Den, Alex and Bre for dealing with me for so long and supporting my works!

2. Regardless of what you are writing, keep it consistent - I managed to expand my audience on one specific account by posting short but regular updates on a daily basis, producing short chapters that tended to be between 800 and 1500 words in length that would be posted every day without fail. I did this for two months and managed to acquire an increase of over 100 followers on that account. Consistency got me an audience. The fact my work was constantly at the top of the "recently updated" section online allowed me to gain an increased readership. In a week of absence, readers would have seven chapters worth of content to immerse themselves in! It was a great system that I had devised!

3. Maintain a presence - I am very guilty of not taking my own advice in reference to this article in particular - but when I was using a previous account, during a painful extended hiatus from writing updates for my stories, I found myself still constantly checking the happenings on the website, supporting my fellow writers and their own works. I found that despite not being able to join in on the writing front, keeping my account active, meant that my followers were not losing interest in what I was producing!


Thank you for reading!

And remember:

Per Ardua Ad Astra!

- Imogen. L. Smiley

Tuesday, 10 April 2018

10/4/18 - Happy Tuesday! University Inspired Writing Prompts!

Happy Tuesday! University Inspired Writing Prompt!

Today, 10/4/18, is the next instalment of University Inspired Writing Prompts. Since my first year at university, I have been compiling a collection of writing prompts inspired by my time studying in Derby. I hope that these prompts help you create your own works!


All of these prompts are dialogue based, and are inspired by real conversations I have been part of whilst at university.

PROMPT #14
"Who ya texting?"
"My people."
"You actually have those?"
"Yes. I own them."
"...Those are called SLAVES!"

The above dialogue prompt derived from one of the first coherent conversations I had with my younger sister when we were reunited for the first time since I left for university on September 1st, on November 11th for my Grandma's 70th birthday party. We had obviously spoken since then but not face to face, and once the initial crying etc. had passed, we were back to our usual sass. Over dinner, my sister was texting someone, evidently a group chat filled with her "people". We both ended up laughing hysterically at the idea of her texting her slaves. It was honestly so good to actually just spend time laughing with her. I miss her a lot while I am away from home.

I hope that this prompt inspired something - even if it was just a smile
Thank you for reading!
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra
- Imogen. L. Smiley

Monday, 9 April 2018

9/4/18 - Monday Book Review - Private Peaceful

Today, 9/4/18 is the second instalment a series of Monday Book Reviews, expressing my personal opinions on works of fiction. Today, I will be looking upon a piece called Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo!


This book was one of my favourites as a child and one that I happily picked back up again when I found out that I would be studying and creating works that looked at war and peace for one of my modules this semester. Although it took me a while to finally get to read it again, I blitzed through it in about two hours and felt like I was catching up with an old friend. The sense of nostalgia that derived from reading this piece was amazing! On that fact alone, I would recommend reading it, or even better, rereading it!

There seemed to be so many amazing aspects to this book that I had missed when I read it as a child, and I found it so enaging and familiar. The story itself, is generally grim and sad, telling the tale of Tommo as he fights in World War One alongside his older brother Charlie, and their fates during the conflict. It was very emotive as an older sibling to read of the level of sacrifices that the pair happened to make for one another. I cried at the end. I always do.

Morpurgo wrote such a beautiful and real story that it tended to be hard to swallow. The idea of underaged men going to war for the sake of glory and losing their lives before they were legally old enough to enlist was a reality for many during World War One. I am so happy to have read this again! It really is spectacular!

Thank you for reading! See you in two weeks for another instalment of Monday Book Reviews!
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra
-Imogen. L. Smiley

Sunday, 8 April 2018

8/4/18 - Song Of The Week Sunday

Song Of The Week Sunday:

Today, 8/4/18, is the day of the next instalment of Song Of The Week Sunday - where I will be sharing a piece of music that I listened to more than any other during the space of the previous. In this instance, from week beginning 2/4/18 and ending today, 8/4/18, the song I listened to the most was the following:

Hymn For The Missing by RED
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2kTtW5f56I

This song is personally one huge throwback in terms of artistry, I was a huge fan of RED and their music when I was in Year Eleven and my first year of college, however, their music slowly found it way to being skipped on my iTunes. Until today, Sunday. When the title song of their Release The Panic album came on in the car as we travelled to the coach station, to drop me off. I had to wait through a four hour coach ride, but all I could think about was how desperately I wanted to listen to RED and the other albums.

I immediately revisited my RED nostalgia as soon as I returned to Derby. I chose today's Song Of The Week as this song was the first one I chose to listen to when I got access to my entire expanse of music. This song is very emotionally driven and that is one of the reasons I hold it in such high esteem. The piece itself sounds like a heartfelt requiem that I was eager to sink my teeth into after having left my family again for another term at university!


Thank you for reading!
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra!
- Imogen. L. Smiley

Friday, 6 April 2018

6/4/18 - Favourite Character Praise Friday - Ryan Evans

Today, 6/4/18 is the seventh instalment the series of posts praising my all-time favourite characters for their quirks and flaws etc. called Favourite Character Praise Friday. I will be sharing these posts every two weeks to gush about fictional characters in a proactive environment. With this segment, I intend to demonstrate what makes characters great so you and I alike can use these facts to improve our characters!

So who is the subject of my seventh Favourite Character Praise Friday?


Ryan Evans from the High School Musical Franchise, portrayed by Lucas Grabeel! 





Warning! There will be spoilers!

Ryan Evans, despite being affiliated with the antagonised Sharpay, his twin sister, never went out of his way to cause misfortune and allow it to befall upon the other students at his school

Despite what many may think of Ryan's character in the first movie, he is never explicitly depicted to be the brains behind any of the misfortune that befalls upon Troy and Gabriella. Albeit, Ryan did not discourage his sister, nor did he actively disagree with her, he never seemed to go out of his way to cause any problems for them. This fact in the earlier movies demonstrated that despite how close Sharpay and Ryan are within the franchise, their characters are very different. This gave the creators space to develop their characters in the second film when they have a disagreement that leaves them competing for the same goal as individuals in different acts. 

Ryan is demonstrated to be a character that encourages others to partake in the arts. 

This enthusiasm to encourage others is demonstrated in High School Musical Two, specifically in the scene that includes the song 'I Don't Dance'. There has been a lot of talks and speculation around this scene, however, in terms of what is presented at face value, what we find is that Ryan wants Chad to participate in the staff performance despite Troy no longer wanting to perform alongside him since he promised Sharpay that he would sing a duet with her. 

Ryan encourages Chad to consider dancing with the fellow Wildcats that are a part of the staff through a song and dance number which ends with Chad relenting and deciding to participate. His initial reluctance to join in without Troy has been cast aside due to Ryan's persuasion. And in the third film, Chad participates in the Spring Musical, despite his passions still lying greatly with basketball and his other beloved sports. 


Ryan is a good role model for the fans of the High School Musical Movies!

Ryan Evans is a character that is originally depicted in the first film of the series to be rather stupid, unable to understand the plans his sister was conjuring up, or read the message that the basketball team left for the drama club; not comprehending that the message said "Go Drama Club!". Despite how he was depicted in terms of academics, Ryan was very talented in theatrics, being a strong dancer and one of the greatest talents East High had in the drama department, alongside his twin sister, Sharpay. 

Despite being treated as an afterthought by the majority of the characters within the first movie, a subject for comic relief etc. Ryan continued to work hard in the theatre. He learned by the start of the sequel, that the schemes his sister was conducting seemed to be outrageous and he distanced himself from engaging in them as one of her pawns. In the second film, Sharpay wanted to spend more time with Troy Bolton and to acquire the Star Dazzle Award, the prize offered at the end of the summer. 

Ryan found himself at the brunt of his sister's wrath several times within the second film. When Sharpay manages to get Troy to promise to sing with her in the talent show held at their parents' country club, Lava Springs, Ryan is cast to the side, no longer being her duet partner. In response to that, Ryan decides to work alongside the rest of his schoolmates in choreographing a staff-wide performance to go against Sharpay's duet with Troy and try and beat them for the otherwise un-achievable feat of acquiring a Star Dazzle Award, a prize reserved for the efforts of Sharpay. Regardless of his awareness of this, Ryan does not relent and continues to work hard. It is only when Sharpay lashes out again and has the employees' entry retracted as they would be 'required to work on the night of the show' that Ryan sought to take revenge on his sister. When the opportunity struck, he acted and had Troy learn the song that the employees would have been singing in the show. 

At the end of the second film, he receives the Star Dazzle Award, which was about to be given to Sharpay. She revoked her award and offered it to her brother in a bid to make amends with him. 

In the third movie; High School Musical: Senior Year, Ryan and Sharpay are pitted against one another, and fellow classmates Troy and Kelsi for a scholarship at Julliard. This opportunity was one that neither of the Evans twins were expecting to come their way and Sharpay was eager to grasp at it - wanting to be the centre of attention. In order to dazzle the representatives from Julliard, she took the role of 'Gabriella' in the Spring Musical to sing alongside Troy and acquire the scholarship. Meanwhile, Ryan found himself choreographing the entire show, working alongside Kelsi to create a show that he and his classmates would remember for years to come. At the end of the film, he is offered a scholarship to pursue choreography as a career path at Julliard. 

This ending to the series was satisfying as it demonstrate that Ryan's hard work gained him something he wanted, despite being doubtful of himself and his awareness that Sharpay still wanted to outshine him. Her seemingly unconscious desperation to grasp the spotlight, demonstrated by her covering Ryan's face during the 'I Want It All' performance, meant that it was potentially unlikely that he would achieve what he wanted, which was to continue to follow his passions in the theatre. It demonstrated that despite what happens around you and the fact that people may upstage you, if you work hard at what you love, you can follow your dreams. Children would find this idea inspiring and would therefore potentially act in the same way and continue to strive for success. 


    So what can we learn about writing characters from Ryan? 


    1. It's okay to have good people be associated with antagonists, a lot of the time it makes them interesting 
    2. It is positive to show characters encouraging others to try new things as it shows the character in a different light. This is good, especially when the character has a questionable morality, like Ryan did due to being Sharpay's twin brother. 
    3. Creating positive role models is a good thing - demonstrating to a reader that hard work can and will pay off is a positive thing to do! It encourages them to not give up and keeps them motivated - Ryan lived in the shadow of his sister for years and yet he only began to be recognised for his own talents when it came to being separated from her, and that was okay! Because his efforts were not in vain! 



    Thank you for reading my reasons that I adore Ryan Evans! I hope I influenced the way you perceive your own characters!



    Until next time!

    And remember: 

    Per Ardua Ad Astra! 

    - Imogen. L. Smiley