Happy Birthday, Me!

Hello Everyone!

Today is the 31st of March and is therefore my 22nd birthday! I am so excited to celebrate this year, blaring Taylor Swift's 22 and writing until I physically can't anymore! There are so many exciting things ahead and I'm hoping that this is going to be when I really start to realise my potential and get stuff done!

So, yes! Happy Birthday, Me!

31/3/20 - Happy Tuesday! University Inspired Writing Prompt!

Today, 31/3/20, 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 #49:

"The bitch just poured red wine into a bedazzled Starbucks cup and I have never felt more envious of someone’s lifestyle choices before!"

The above quote was something that I had said, recalling some of the events of what happened after a day at Comic Con. I had been listing off the most bizarre, yet on brand things that my social circle and I had managed to end up involved with during that evening and thus ended up mentioning the antics of one of my friends attempting to be subtle by pouring their alcohol into a reusable cup! 

When they did it initially, all of us had been completely dumbfounded by the ingeniousness. It was a fantastic idea, and what made it more apt was that the cup was covered in silver dimonte crystals! An amazing choice!  

I hope that this prompt inspired something, even if it was just a smile! Feel free to check out my previous prompts by looking through the hashtags below! 

Thank you so much for reading!

And remember! 

Per Ardua Ad Astra!

- Imogen. L. Smiley

Achievement Unlocked: Publication

I'm so happy to share that my Love Letter To Five Centimetres Per Second by Makoto Shinkai has just been published on Just Films & That's blog! This piece was really fun to write. You can read my contribution here:
https://justfilmsandthat.tumblr.com/post/614011915831787520/five-centimetres-per-second-by-imogen-smiley

Thank you all for supporting my craft thus far! 

And remember:

Per Ardua Ad Astra

- Imogen. L. Smiley

Achievement Unlocked: Publication

Hi everyone!

I'm delighted to announce that I have just had my first publication of 2020, 'The Introverted Hypochondriac's Coping Mechanisms', is officially up and available to read on Frost Meadow Review's website: http://frostmeadowreview.com/pandemic-poetry/

Thank you all for supporting my craft thus far! 

And remember:

Per Ardua Ad Astra

- Imogen. L. Smiley

24/3/20 - Happy Tuesday! University Inspired Writing Prompt!

Today, 24/3/20, 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 #48:

"Why is your house full of flamingos?"

This was a question posed by a new friend upon visiting my house during the second year I was at university. Due to them not being very close with me at the time, they were, in no way, familiar with the characters from my stories or the inside jokes which had ensued consequently. For example, my character Floyd Daniels from the Neon Series, was known under the username Mr FlaminGO, which was a reference to the bright pink dye he had put on his hair before he was arrested for a crime he didn't commit at the start of the series. The joke about flamingos, and my favouritism toward him meant I was often gifted home-ware with a flamingo motif, from candles, to mugs, to garden ornaments.

During my second year, a garden flamingo whom we'd named Floyd in my character's honour, had been placed beside the fireplace, as a nod to an inside joke about him being set on fire. However, with my friend not knowing any of this information, they came in and just saw a living room filled with flamingo stuff. It was very funny to me and my housemates, who were all in on the joke. 

I hope that this prompt inspired something, even if it was just a smile! Feel free to check out my previous prompts by looking through the hashtags below! 

Thank you so much for reading!

And remember! 

Per Ardua Ad Astra!

- Imogen. L. Smiley

20/3/20 - Favourite Character Praise Friday - Donna Sheridan

Hello and welcome back to Favourite Character Praise Friday! This is one of my absolute favourite posts to write and I hope you enjoy my picking apart of my favourite characters enough to stick around while I examine my next victim, I mean, character. Don’t worry, I do not rank these characters in a particular order, it just so happens that some characters are better worth sharing praise for at a different point in time to others! Remember, every fifth instalment is Least Favourite Character Praise Friday, so keep an eye out for me probing at characters I can’t stand and raving about how well they were written in order to evoke such a reaction.

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

Donna Sheridan from Mamma Mia & Mamma Mia Here We Go Again!

Warning: This will contain spoilers

Mamma Mia has been a part of my life for over a decade. I remember watching it on DVD throughout my early-teens and being obsessed with it. My sister and I learned all the songs and it was one of our favourite films to just sit down and watch. My mum used to put it on solely to make us shut up for an hour. We became very invested in the story of Sophie and her parentage. But eventually it became a film we were tired of.

It was a movie that wasn’t a big part of my life until my second year at university, where on a whim during a girls’ night in, my housemates and I decided to watch it, and we were belting out the lyrics, discussing who we thought was Sophie’s father and whether we were excited to see the sequel that was due to come out in the summer.

I saw Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again several times while it was in the cinema. Each time, the conclusion made me emotional. I didn’t realise how fond I was of Donna until I watched it at home with one of my housemates, Emma. The two of us ended up watching the previous film several times when we were living together in the previous year. So, for Donna to have died in the follow up film was a big shock to us.

Now! Onto what you guys are here for! The praise! 

The first reason I adore Donna as a character is she showed complete and total devotion to her daughter. It seems clear from the state of their business that most of the profits are going toward Sophie’s wedding. Donna is having to repair broken shutters, as well as cracks in the paving by hand instead of hiring a professional from the mainland to provide a service, meaning the quality of her hotel is slowly falling into disarray. Not that Donna outwardly appears to mind, or will care to admit, as long as Sophie is happy, she’s fine putting in all the extra effort. She doesn’t want to become a bother to either her friends, nor her only family, her daughter, and instead shoulders all of the responsibilities, knuckling down until the point where she is emotional at the thought of people giving her a hand.

I love how free-spirited Donna was always shown to be, when The Dynamos, Rosie and Tanya recall their glory days, they refer to her as the life and soul of the party, however, it is hard to imagine, until seeing the second film, where you get a glimpse of the summer that lead to Sophie’s conception. You see how fluid and graceful Donna was, not caring where she ended up, or how, she just wanted to experience life to the fullest. She is relatively care-free which can be misinterpreted as careless. She just wants to experience everything as soon as she encounters it, which does lead to her being with three men in a short space of time. I love that she could just go from being a completely free, fluid and happy graduate to a full-time single mother. It is a dramatic change and the way that she adapts shows how dynamic of a character she is. I really admire that about her.

I also loved the fact that ultimately, at the end of the first film, she was happy to let the love of her life, Sam Carmichael slip through her fingers once again. She had no intention of making a scene when he returned to her life and simply hoped that he would leave without causing hysteria. He made it very clear from his first interaction with her that he came in peace, raising his hands in mock surrender, and offering her assistance instead of belittling her for her efforts. As far as Donna was aware, he knew nothing of their potential child together, and it was just fate that had brought him back to the island. She made it clear, when singing The Winner Takes It All on the cliffside that she felt that Lorraine, the woman he left her to marry, had already managed to succeed in capturing his heart, and he was simply there to mock her for her efforts twenty years ago. Unbeknown to her, he had returned to reconcile and instead would end up proposing to her, in order not to waste all of the time, effort and money Donna had thrust into the wedding for Sophie, which would have otherwise been wasted. She, finally having heard his side of the story, accepts his proposal and they are married, something she always wanted.

Please, if you have opinions on Donna Sheridan, feel free to share them with me! Don’t forget you can check out my previous Character Praise by looking through the hashtags below.

And remember!

Per Aruda Ad Astra

17/3/20 - Happy Tuesday! University Inspired Writing Prompt

Today, 17/3/20, 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 #47:

"I have exactly 37 pairs of novelty sunglasses and none of them appear to be apt enough for this scenario"

      "Can I have the sparkly parrot ones anyways?"
"Absolutely!"

The above conversation took place during the summer of my first year of university, where I participated in a volunteering event at a local school. Two of my friends and I were running a "Smash The Crockery" stand at the school's summer fete as we were deemed responsible enough to take care of children's health and safety, whilst there being enough of us to prepare, clean and maintain the stall. Due to its nature, it was relatively popular. 

However, toward the end of the fete, we were in a scenario where we were trying to capture the children's attention as they were rushing for one last go on the bouncy castle before it was deflated. In order to do so, we decided amongst ourselves to wear some of the novelty sunglasses I had brought with me in a tote bag. But attracting children's attention proved harder than we had anticipated, and thus, we kept having to change it up. 

I hope that this prompt inspired something, even if it was just a smile! Feel free to check out my previous prompts by looking through the hashtags below! 

Thank you so much for reading!

And remember! 

Per Ardua Ad Astra!

- Imogen. L. Smiley

12/3/20 - Imogen's A Theatre Nerd: Be More Chill!

I have been immensely fortunate when it comes to exposure to musical theatre and live-stage performances. When I was younger, my aunt used to purchase tickets for myself, my younger sister and my mother to see shows on the West End, some of which, I still have the programs for now. I remember the first West End show I went to was Hairspray when I was around eleven or twelve years old. We got to stage door after the performance and the programs we bought were covered with signatures from cast members that were delighted that we had enjoyed the show. The last time I went on one of those trips was when I was sixteen. I had seen Wicked with my family and not everyone had enjoyed the performance as much as I had. But I was still much too young to go to the theatre alone. However, my love for musical theatre in particular didn’t cease.

It was only recently, in October of 2018, that I went to another West End performance, where I saw Heather’s on tour with two of my friends, just weeks after I’d managed to purchase Hamilton tickets for myself and my mother in the new year. It was then that I realised I had happened across an expensive habit. Since then, I have made four more trips to see shows in London; Hamilton (twice), Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, The Great Gatsby at Gatsby’s Drugstore, Dear Evan Hansen, Six, and most recently Be More Chill – which is the show I’ll be discussing today!

I figured that, I would share some anecdotes about my experiences, because, honestly, I just love to share and remember the fun I had!

SO, Be More Chill!

I bought the tickets for Be More Chill on their presale for a combined gift for a friend’s birthday and Christmas. She, like me, was not as into the show as we had been previous ones, but were intrigued about the show that gained a viral reception in the USA.

Despite us having limited knowledge about the show, both hesitant to read the book until we had seen the show onstage, we were very excited to finally see it, the two of us sharing a favourite song in the form of ‘Michael in the Bathroom’ which was an immensely apt depiction of experiencing anxiety.

When I went to London to see this show, I headed in much earlier than normal in order to visit other places. But, when it finally came to going from The Theatre Café in Leicester Square to The Other Palace, I cannot deny that I was grateful that we left early. Even though I had time to stop at the Costa on Cardinal Place, we struggled to find the theatre, and were dependent on Google Maps, which failed us. What I would recommend doing is exiting Victoria Train Station at Cardinal Place and following the path past Costa and turning left when you reach the main street, and follow the path. That way you won’t find yourself wandering aimlessly around the streets, struggling to navigate the vague instructions from Maps. If you struggle to find it, don’t be proud like us, ask a staff member in one of the stores along Cardinal Place. You won’t be the first, nor will you be the last to struggle to find The Other Palace. It isn’t in the easiest location to find. I would wholeheartedly suggest that you give yourself enough time to get lost.

We were still about thirty minutes early for the show and got to enjoy the bubbly atmosphere, with fans of the show all excited to see what would happen – we spotted fans wearing custom jackets that mirrored Michael’s from the show, and official merchandise.

The show itself was interesting – I went into it blind, and couldn’t deny that it was very clear the pacing was dependant on the intermission, the build-up toward the climax at the first act was much slower than most other shows I had seen. But, as much as it was a tad annoying to be at the edge of my seat, waiting to see something happen that would be detrimental, I really enjoyed the show. The second act was much faster, dramatic and the intermission seemed essential to set the pace for the immediate fallout. Had the show been without an intermission, the sudden shift in pacing would have been immensely jarring.

My favourite things about the show had to be the costuming. Although at the start, the use of colour appears slightly jarring, however, the use of bold, pop-ish colours are dramatic and work well with the use of backgrounds and technical motifs. There are references to classical gaming and coding – I really enjoyed seeing the abject absence of bright green until the finale, where everyone seems to be wearing green except for Michael, who wears red – the colour symbolism between the characters is amazing. I won’t spoil what they mean, but it was very clever.

The Squip’s costumes were fantastic too! I loved every single upgraded outfit and how it seemed that almost every time he came onto the stage, his outfit became more dramatic as he became more prevalent in the story, worming into Jeremy’s life. I found it super clever, and was in awe of the use of texture, patterns and clean-cut whites, silvers, greys and blacks with the Squip’s clothing.

There were some fantastic songs in the mix as well – I loved watching ‘Michael In The Bathroom’ live on stage, but was awed by how exciting The Pitiful Children was on stage. The lighting, choreography and drama really worked for the song. The clean movements were succinct and very dramatic. I really enjoyed it.

I had a great time at Be More Chill! It was unlike most of the musicals I have seen on the West End thus far, but I couldn’t help but fall in love with the intricacy of it.

Be More Chill is playing at The Other Palace theatre in Victoria, and tickets are available for performances until the 14^th June.

Thank you so much for reading and I really hope you get a chance to see this show live! It was so good!

And remember,

Per Ardua Ad Astra!

- Imogen. L. Smiley

10/3/20 - Happy Tuesday! University Inspired Writing Prompt

Today, 10/3/20, 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 #46:

"I swear students like bubbles and glow sticks more than little kids!"

The above quote is one said at Comic Con when I had provided small tubes of bubble mixture. I was hanging out with the same friends whom I had provided glow sticks for at a previous social event, and at New Years' Eve. The bubbles were more of a hit this time around due to the weather, and the fact it was still light outside by the time I had to leave, and thus, bringing glow sticks would have proven redundant. 

My friends all appeared to enjoy the bubbles, especially as we started to drink. It was a lot of fun! 

I hope that this prompt inspired something, even if it was just a smile! Feel free to check out my previous prompts by looking through the hashtags below! 

Thank you so much for reading!

And remember! 

Per Ardua Ad Astra!

- Imogen. L. Smiley

8/3/20 - Song Of The Week Sunday!

Hi guys! I'm back with another Song Of The Week Sunday! The purpose of this segment is to give you guys a quick glimpse into my life and the things I listen to on repeat!

This week’s SOTW is Michael In The Bathroom from Be More Chill.

You can listen to it on Spotfiy here: https://open.spotify.com/track/1L3wn1FJHmnv9OpjVbkMzY

I chose this song as it was my absolute favourite song from the musical. I was fortunate enough to get the chance to watch Be More Chill on 3^rd March. Seeing this song live had me welling up with tears, and I have had it on loop since I left the stage door. I really loved the raw emotion in the lyrics, the song really does depict a panic attack in a catchy and yet easy to access method.

I hope you guys have had an amazing week and continue to do so!

And remember: 

Per Ardua Ad Astra 

- Imogen. L. Smiley

6/3/20 - Favourite Character Praise Friday: Rick Ford

Hello and welcome back to Favourite Character Praise Friday! This is one of my absolute favourite posts to write and I hope you enjoy my picking apart of my favourite characters enough to stick around while I examine my next victim, I mean, character. Don’t worry, I do not rank these characters in a particular order, it just so happens that some characters are better worth sharing praise for at a different point in time to others! Remember, every fifth instalment is Least Favourite Character Praise Friday, so keep an eye out for me probing at characters I can’t stand and raving about how well they were written in order to evoke such a reaction.

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

Rick Ford from Spy!

Warning: This will contain spoilers!

Spy was a film that I first watched about two years ago and had be crying with laughter for the entire time. As a casual fan of James Bond, and other spy-centric series’ like Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls’ series, watching a film blatantly mock the tropes of such an established type of story, was hysterical.

I really enjoyed watching the film, particularly Ford, acting in an exaggerated caricature of a rogue operative.

The thing I loved most about Ford, was how self-assured he was. Although the film, probably doesn’t do his prowess justice, due to it focusing on Susan Cooper, he is able to infiltrate a variety of different events and institutions throughout the movie, across multiple countries in Europe. His skills in espionage are not to be disputed, although his disguises are not the most desirable. However, unless you’ve watched the film multiple times, the odds of you spotting Ford prior to Susan doing so herself, is immensely low. The only reason I can anticipate where to look for him is because I’ve seen it numerous times. He is well-aware of his abilities as a spy and knows he can use many covers and infiltrate spaces with relative ease: something he points out to Susan when he initially goes rogue and breaks into her hotel.

I love that despite his bravado he does happen to have a clear flaw to him, which is the same trait that makes him so easy to humour – his ego. Ford is very full of himself due to him having done a large volume of successful missions. However, he is clumsy and makes mistakes. The fact that he’s gone rogue has probably influenced this as he can only rely on his own intuition. Ford demonstrates that his reputation is well-placed. He has a great ability to acquire intel' and is relatively inconspicuous, however, his belief that he is incredible does lead him to falling short. He’s tailed by a terrorist in Paris, who switches out his Louis Vuitton backpack for one with a bomb in it. He would have died due to believing that he was at the top of his game as a pavement artist and only survived because Susan stepped in and helped him. However, this makes him a character that is easy to relate to, despite how much of a caricature he is. Everyone has made mistakes when they’ve perceived they’re at the top of their game. Ultimately, it makes him easier to relate to.

The last thing I love is how iconic his comedy is. When it matters most for creating a mood, Ford was usually the butt of the joke, from the moment where the ally is to dramatically appear on the scene, and he gets himself trapped in the door and falls over due to slippery shoes, to when, at the end he claims that “sometimes a man’s got to be at sea” and takes off in a speedboat, on what ends up being a lake, instead of open waters. Ford is one of those characters that can always be relied upon for humour. He tends to be the butt of the joke even when he’s excelling at his job. Susan mocks him at the Casino De Rome, when she attempts to infiltrate the space, and she calls him out for his poor concealment of a weapon. It happens again when she happens upon him at the disco where Rayna Boyanov is due to meet with a buyer for the nuclear bomb. He tends to think big, dramatic and disposable, like the conventional Hollywood spy, and he is an amazing commentary of the archetypical rogue in this instance!

Please, if you have opinions on Rick Ford, feel free to share them with me! Don’t forget you can check out my previous Character Praise by looking through the hashtags below.

And remember!

Per Aruda Ad Astra

5/3/20 - Happy World Book Day!

Hello everyone! Today is one of my favourite days of the year: World Book Day, a chance to celebrate the art of literature, dress up as our favourite characters and praise the craft of words! I am incredibly nostalgic about this event, and look forward to seeing my social media flooded with photos. I can't deny that my favourite character to dress up as was Matilda: Reader of Books from Matilda by Roald Dahl, that was my go-to costume during primary school. Oh if only celebrations of this event were encouraged in Secondary School and college!

But, I'm not here to prattle on about my favourite costumes - no, I'm here to share my all-time favourite children's book. It was the story that inspired a love of literature, and one that I begged my father to read to me almost all the time. The story was Allan Ahlberg's 'The Bravest Ever Bear'!

'The Bravest Ever Bear' came out in 1999, and I still have the beaten up copy of this picture book in my bedroom now, twenty years on! My sister and I loved how my dad would use voices and embrace the surreal humour of this story, that became a household classic - to the point our mother wasn't allowed to read it!

The story follows a bear, who is desperate to have an interesting story, and becomes exasperated by the nature of the simple children's book, and consequently decides to write his own story - a true invitation to embrace the surreal and exciting. I adored hearing about all of the adventures that the bear went on during his, very long day telling his story.

Even now, as a twenty-one year old, I think fondly of 'The Bravest Ever Bear' and in the three moves since my parents purchased the book, I have refused to part with it!

Although the story is old, it is golden, and I wholeheartedly recommend purchasing this funny tale of the misadventures and heroism of The Bravest Ever Bear!

Thank you for reading! Have a great World Book Day!

And remember:

Per Ardua Ad Astra!

- Imogen. L. Smiley

3/3/20 - Happy Tuesday! University Inspired Writing Prompt

Today, 3/3/20, 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 #45:

"My best friend has found a clone of one of our other friends. He's been at her uni with her for three years. She never managed to get a photo of him. She just sent her housemate to try because their last lecture tomorrow and the clone is outside Starbucks."

The above is based upon a genuine experience that myself and my friends had. With myself and the majority of my social circle attending different universities, jotted around the country, we would constantly see faces in our peripheral vision that would instantly make us think of the friends we left in our hometown. Often, we would share the fact we'd seen clones of each other in our group chat. 

This was a more dramatic example, where one of my friends refused to accept the fact that there was another person that looked like him and insisted that we provide a photo in the spirit of "pics or it didn't happen" but social anxiety prevented my friend to turn to this stranger and tell him that she wanted a selfie with him, solely to show a friend that they looked alike. It would just be too weird! 

And thus, she sent the housemate to try and take a sneaky photo... It was apparently too blurry to be identifiable. 

I hope that this prompt inspired something, even if it was just a smile! Feel free to check out my previous prompts by looking through the hashtags below! 

Thank you so much for reading!

And remember! 

Per Ardua Ad Astra!

- Imogen. L. Smiley