Tag: writing

A Change of Pace

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As writers, it is very easy to get into a routine when tackling larger projects such as re-accruing assignments and novels. In fact, it is one of the smartest things we can do – to train our subconscious minds to work on command and thus prevent the detractions that are inevitable when working from home.

And yet, whilst home offices and writing routines are a Godsend for our productivity, they can also become somewhat stale over a long period of time. It’s inevitable really. Eventually, all of us need to re-schedule a meeting with our muse and shake things up a bit so as to get out of a slump or take away the eventual boredom of living every day like the last.

This recently happened to me. Read More »

Why I Use Grammarly

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I recently wrote a post about my experiences with a teacher in High School who seemed hell-bent on giving me bad advice regarding my dream of being a writer. I must say I have been blown away by the private messages I have since received from my readers, many of which have also been from teachers, saying how much you all believe in my decision to power through the criticism and go for gold. Can I just say a huge thank you to everyone who has written to me, as your encouragement means more to me then I can ever put into words!

But this was not why I wrote the post. As heartfelt and wondrous as your comments are (and believe me, I am truly grateful!) my aim with The teacher that told me ‘no’!  was to inspire others by my story. There seems to be a common stigma in our world that writers have to be linguistic and grammatical geniuses and always know exactly where every comma goes. And it simply isn’t true. As much as I have found negative responses to my dyslexia, I have also found that people are more likely to ask me how to spell something because I am a writer.Read More »

The teacher that told me ‘no’!

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I’d like to think I am not the sort of person to hold a grudge but even I must confess to not always being a saint about this. In fact, there is a grudge I have been holding on to – for over 16 years now…

But in many ways, this grudge is a good thing. It has fuelled me through hard times and given me enough determination to overcome obstacles and fight the battle for my dreams.

Back when I was just 12 years old I used to take support classes for my dyslexia. Now here’s the confession no writer ever wants to make – my thirteenth birthday was coming up and I still could not read or write!Read More »

Winning

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With all the daily bustle and grind we put ourselves through; the thankless tasks, the hardships no one else sees, the constant nagging feeling of having something else to do…it can be hard to focus when life gets busy or rush. But when we have an overwhelmingly long list of tasks and commitments, we must also remember to take a little time to stop and celebrate the wins in life.

Admit it! How often do you throw your hands up in the air, jump up and down and scream at the top of your lungs ‘I got the kids to bed on time!‘. Probably never. And though this might be partly due to not wanting to wake said children up again, its because you probably also think it’s not an accomplishment worth shouting about. And I’m here to tell you it is!Read More »

Just Start – Waking up for Success!

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Have you ever really achieved your full potential? Are there things in your life that, if you only had more time, then you would blow them out of the water? Things like exercising, writing your blog, reading more self-help books, meditating….the list goes on.

I have always been one of those people that fall into the trap of ‘Not enough time’ and I think a lot of people suffer from this concept too nowadays. We all seem to be so ‘busy’ doing things, working daily grind, catching up on social media, cleaning the house; whilst having these dreams and ambitions that continuously go unfulfilled.

After all, it takes so much energy just to survive the average work day. There are just so many demands on our time that when we even think about adding in the morning work out or trying to schedule in a daily novel writing session, we feel a cold sweat and self-doubt edging in. There is so much to do! I don’t want to overwork myself. It can wait until tomorrow! I’ll feel like it tomorrow… Read More »

The Most Dangerous Writing App – A Review

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A few years ago I was introduced to the concept of speed writing, whereby you set a timer for five minutes and just write. This is a great idea for when you are low on time, stuck or procrastinating on a project as it gets you moving. It is also proven to keep you going, as studies have shown that just doing five minutes of a task will get us in the ‘flow’ of doing and we will be more likely to continue until the task is done.

Back when I heard about this five-minute method I also heard about an application that forced a writer to write, by threatening to delete their current progress should they stop typing for more than five seconds. Scary I know.

Unfortunately, I forgot what the website was called and never did find it. Alas, though I liked the concept as a motivation tool I was never able to give it ago.

That was until last night.Read More »

Peeling Back The Glamour – Things Nonwriters Never Think About

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When I first told people I wanted to be a writer I received one of two reactions. The first was The Scoffer – ‘why on earth would you want to do that?’ The second, the Misconstrued Enabler – ‘of course, you want to be a writer, it’s easy and you get to wear pajamas all day!’

Of course, as writers, we know that both of these responses are ridiculous, wrong and based on uneducated naivety. Having said that, before we leap to our own defenses we must also acknowledge that some of what they say is true.Read More »

Nominated for a Bloggers Recognition Award

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I had a lovely surprise earlier this year when I was put up for a Blogger Recognition Award form my lovely friend and talented blogger Cheryl Fassett.

As with a lot of these so-called ‘awards,’ this is a bloggers prompt or tag, in which participating bloggers write a post based on the prompt, answering certain questions and connecting with other like-minded and/or slightly insane people.

What I love about this particular award is that it has just so happened to come about at the same time that I am re-launching this blog, and for those of you who have been following me from day one, you will know that my first blog post ever was another one of these awards. If however, you are new here, please do check out Nominated for a Liebster Award. This is a special post for me, not only that it was my first but that it was tagged to me by another very special lady and wonderful writer, Bee Halton.

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The Man Behind The Mask

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Part 2 of The Masked Lady 

By Lauren Xena Campbell

Source: The man behind the mask

It is a curious thing, meeting a stranger, not knowing how much there is to discover of their character, what lies behind their façade. It is true that when this happens, it is in our nature to search for the knowledge and understandings that lies hidden from us. Such a sensation became me when I met Lionel Freedman.Read More »

Stand and Deliver

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Part 1 of The Masked Lady 

By Lauren Xena Campbell

Source: Stand and Deliver

When my Mother first told me the legend of the un-catchable highwayman I thought her bedlam. All this talk of a dashing rogue dressed with a half-mask, cloaked in deep cerulean, carrying naught but a pistol and a short sword! Ridiculous! Everyone knows that no man can out-ride the royal guard. And yet here we have stories of an ashen horse faster then lighting and a rider more cunning then even the devil. Naturally I would doubt such an account; to me it was just another childish fairytale that my Mother had tried to impress me with. No doubt another one of her silly schemes to try to convince me to wed. Mine being such a fiery compassion I swore never to believe her accounts, nor did I or would I ever have any such desire to wed, neither for protection, profit nor anyone’s pleasure but my own. And this I vowed.Read More »