As the days get colder and the rain more frequent, I've found myself looking back through photos from the summer. I was lucky to have a very busy few months after finishing my first year of university and had the best time so I thought I'd do a recap of everything I got up to. Festivals I'd never been to a festival before and this year I went to 3! The first was The Isle of Wight Festival which was just amazing and I definitely think it's a festival for everyone to enjoy. We were able to see some amazing artists including Lewis Capaldi, Tom Grennan, The Kooks, Rudimental, Madness, Shaggy and so many more. I did end up burning myself really badly on the first day, despite frequently applying suncream but that was a small price to pay and I've already planned to go again in 2023! I also went to Boomtown which is a different kind of experience music wise but was so good to spend time with my boyfriend - Ryan and our friends. Also, the sets were incredible, and the eff...
For quite a while I've always said that I'd love to write a book someday, it started when I was much younger and would often write different stories. Often they involved boarding school because I was obsessed with Enid Blyton's 'Mallory Towers' series, but I'd usually write 20 pages and then would forget about it until I found it in one of my many notebooks a year later. English was always one of my favourite subjects at school and I looked forward to writing different things, however as I got older my love of reading definitely subsided. In primary school, I read a lot in my spare time however when I got older and had other hobbies I stopped reading as much. I also think that having to read certain books when studying had an impact on not enjoying it as much anymore, especially after doing an English Literature A Level.
Anyway, I think writing a book would be really rewarding and a great way to combine my desire to write as well as my creativity. When thinking about what sort of books I'd want to read the crime genre definitely stands out to me, I'm obsessed with watching crime drama and police procedural type shows! My favourites include things like Broadchurch, Sherlock and Unforgotten as I really enjoy seeing the way detectives (or Sherlock) work, I think it's so interesting. I also loved Breaking Bad and Prison Break which crime is obviously a big part of and then things like Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl and Riverdale which also involve the mystery element of solving different crimes and working out who the villain is.
Last week my Mum asked me if I wanted to attend a crime writers panel at the Salisbury Literary Festival. This involved authors Louise Voss, Clare Empson, Jane Corry and Sarah Hilary who each spoke about their new books, and their experiences with writing crime novels. I'd not read the books themselves but all of them sound really interesting, what I was most intrigued about was hearing about how they got into crime writing and what it takes to be a writer of the genre. Something I found really interesting was the fact the Sarah Hilary (known for her police procedural novels) has never done proper research in the form of consulting Police or even visiting Police stations. Her newest novel 'Come And Find Me' also features a prison and again she created that vision based on her own imagination rather than actually visiting a prison. Of course, she made sure any facts were checked but I found this so interesting as I also believe that I could create a fairly realistic portrayal of a Police investigation and things like that, purely based on how much of the crime genre I've watched!
In a way, hearing that gave me more confidence in the way that you don't have to be an expert in order to write a compelling and authentic book. Her imagination and what she has learnt through reading other crime novels and watching certain things allowed her to create Police Procedurals just as believable as those who may have done extensive fieldwork as part of their research. Obviously for me, as someone who hasn't had any experience with police investigations as such, it definitely makes me think that writing within the crime genre is more achievable for just a beginner like me.
If anyone is interested in books or writing I'd definitely check out to see if there are any panels or literary festivals happening near you. I wasn't sure how beneficial it would be to me since I'm not a massive reader but all of the authors gave some really useful insight about their writing experience and what it was about the crime genre that enticed them. I also highly recommend you check out their books!
The Old You by Louise Voss
Him by Clare Empson
The Dead Ex by Jane Corry
Come And Find Me by Sarah Hilary
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i think it’s so great that you want to write a book and totally think you should take that leap. it’s so sweet when you see someone talking about their work and you can tell how much they love it. i thought about writing one as well, but i have no clue what it’d be on lol! x
ReplyDeletemich / simplymich.com
Yeah the only issue is not actually knowing what the book would be about haha!! Thanks for reading!xx
DeleteYes go for it, was very interesting! And thank you!x
ReplyDeleteGo for it! Write your book! I don't want you to regret not doing it. I would also love to write a book. Who knows, maybe, I will too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the motivation! Why not write one, what an achievement that would be!
DeleteWhat a good post! You should totally write a book
ReplyDeleteAh thank you!
DeleteGood luck with your book. I've just started my children's book so enjoyed your post xx
ReplyDeleteOoh wow, good luck! And thank you xx
DeleteI would definitely read your book if you were to write one. I'm like you, when I was younger I'd wrote the start of stories and then forget about them. I still do that to this day. I get really inspired and then just lose all hope! I think I might check out a literary panel. Thanks for that tip! Good luck with your book!
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